ESSENTIAL QUESTION: DID THE BENEFITS OF

TRENCH WARFARE OUTWEIGH THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS?

What was trench warfare? Trench warfare was a system of warfare

where opposing armies

dug ditches to protect

themselves from enemy

machine guns and

artillery.

What did the soldiers say about the trenches? “The duckboard track was constantly

shelled, and in places a hundred yards of it had been blown to smithereens. It was better to keep off the track when walking back and forth, but then a man had to make his way sometimes through very heavy mud…..wet snow had begun to fall, which turned into rain and some parts of the land were soon a bog of mud to get drowned in”

Frank Richards

What did the soldiers say about the trenches? “To give a recipe for getting a rough idea, in case you

want to, I recommend the following procedure. Select a flat ten-acre ploughed field, so sited that all the surface water of the surrounding country drains into it. Now cut a zig-zag slot about four feet deep and three feet wide diagonally across, dam off as much water as you can so as to leave about one hundred yards of squelchy mud; delve out a hole at one side of the slot, then endeavour to live there for a month on bully beef and damp biscuits, whilst a friend has instructions to fire at you with his Winchester every time you put your head above the surface.”

Bruce Bairnsfather

Why did they need trenches?

How did trenches impact the health of the soldiers?

Trench foot

Trench fever

Trench mouth

Trench Mouth It earned the name trench mouth because of the

pervasiveness amid soldiers fighting in trenches during WWI without any way to care for their teeth appropriately.

Bleeding from the gums when they are pressed very slightly Gum pain which is severe Swollen and red gums Gray film on the gums Pain when swallowing or eating Crater-like ulcers or sores between the teeth and the gums Bad breath Foul taste in the mouth Fever

How did trench warfare impact the land?

The map above shows the northern half of the 500 miles of continuous ditches the armies occupied in for most of the war.

No Man’s Land

Essential Question: Did the benefits of trench warfare outweigh the negative impacts?

Using evidence from your text that you wrote on your note taking sheet, answer the above question.

Suggested Outline:Paragraph 1—What was trench warfare, why did

they use it, and what were the positives?Paragraph 2—What were the negatives of trench

warfare?Paragraph 3—Answer the Essential Question by

giving your opinion and facts that support it.