American Troops in WW1:
Any student who has taken a world history course has more than likely heard the term “World War One”. They may have studied the battles of this war of attrition, but the concept of this war that many are unfamiliar with is the sheer desolation in which soldiers in the trenches lived.
The trenches dug in the great war were terrible and infested. Soldiers who did not die due to monotonous enemy fire or a sniper’s carefully aimed bullet often died of disease. There were many carriers of disease in the trenches, Lice, Rats, and Frogs being the most prevalent. Rats in the trenches were a huge problem, because no matter how many a soldier killed, more would likely be produced to continue to contaminate the food supply and nip at both the living and the dead soldiers in the trenches. Lice were a similarly difficult to exterminate pest. These ran rampant among the uncleanly soldiers. Hygiene was not a much thought about part of the war, and as such it was easy for lice to infest the clothing of soldiers, laying eggs along the linings of their jackets. Even if the clothing was washed, the eggs would typically stick and the body heat from the soldier putting the clothing back on would heat them up and cause them to hatch, starting the cycle all over again. The reason lice were so detrimental to the soldiers was because they could cause trench fever, which struck fast and left the soldier with an extremely high fever. They were discovered to be the reason behind this in 1918. Frogs also made a home for themselves in the trenches, and due to the constant muck around the floor of the trenches, were able to thrive and contaminate the food and water supply of the soldiers as well.
One of the most painful ailments developed during trench warfare was trench foot. This was a fungal infection in the soldier’s feet that caused by the constant standing of soldiers in wet boots throughout the entire duration of their stay in the trenches. This dangerous infection would cause swelling, and sometimes would require amputation. There was no way to keep their feet dry, and as such many, many soldiers were subject to trench foot.
Soldiers were not only assailed by a plethora of infections and pests, but by the constant shelling of the trenches. Opposing sides would monotonously shoot at the other side, trying to take out as many from the enemy lines as possible. Moreover, snipers dotted the lines of the trench, firing at any soldier who would stick their head out to look at the “no man's land”. Trench warfare was a frightening, devastating new way of waging warfare. This new way of waging war was one of the key elements that made the “Great War” one of the most deadly wars that the world has ever seen.
Resources:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm
Thankfully, trench warfare began to die out around 1918, when the increased use of tanks by the Allies eliminated the usefulness of the machine-gun defense of the trenches.
ReplyDeleteWorld War II was a more mobile war, with Hitler's use of blitzkrieg, or "lightning war". However, the trenches were used by the Japanese in the Pacific islands, where they were forced to dig themselves into trenches and caves to protect themselves from American fire.
Although many people believe that trench warfare is an outdated tactic of war from from a century ago, troops have reused the tactics in wars as recent as The Iran-Iraq War, and the Persian Gulf War.
Source:
http://www.britannica.com/topic/trench-warfare
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ReplyDeleteWhat kinds of factors caused the development of trench warfare? Even during the Civil War, opposing sides used more antiquated tactics, like lining up in a battle formation. What kind of changes in technology or war tactics forced the fighters in WWI to use trench tactics if that availed them to disease and shelling?
ReplyDeleteI think your post makes the trench conditions a lot more relatable, to show how the image of a "glorious" war was, in fact, the complete opposite of what trench warfare was actually like. The descriptions were very visceral and real.
I find it very interesting that even after reading nearly 4 years of reports of the conditions of the battles such as the Somme and Verdun, the Americans were fresh and lively as if it was a brand new war. At Belleau Wood, the Americans lost so many men because their officers had yet to learn that mass bayonet charges across open wheat fields into German machine guns was a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteAnd as trenches began to show their downsides during the 1918 German Spring offensives, the Americans leapt in with the war mentality of the 1914 generals. This was quickly changed and American military doctrine altered itself during the final stages, and then sort of disappeared in the interwar period. In World War II, we were ill prepared, but the might of the American industry pushed us to victory (and the massive sacrifices of the Russian/British forces).
Trenches also had a raised forward step with periodic firing positions; this was called the "fire step." In addition, duckboards were also placed along the muddy bottom of the trench to provide secure footing for the soldiers. The typical trench system had at least 2 trench lines running parallel for miles on end. They were dug in zigzags so that if an enemy got inside, they could fire for no more than a few yards.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.britannica.com/topic/trench-warfare