Trench Warfare The Battles example essay topic

The First World War started in August 1914 and ended on November the 11th 1918. During this time the weapons used changed dramatically and to cope with the change of weapons the tactics used had to change also so they could keep up with new and never seen before weapons of world war one. Before world war one two apposing armies would line up with rifles and walk at each other shooting and whichever side had the best shots that army would win. Also, before trench warfare the battles were planed by both sides and organised and the soldiers lived miles away from the battle. But with the introduction of trench warfare the two armies would dig massive dug outs called trenches and these trenches were usually 1.8 to 2.4 meters deep and wide enough for two men to pass the trenches were always dug in a zig zag to avoid the enemy dropping trench mortars that would take out huge numbers of troops, the other simple reason was so the enemy could not easily fire a machine gun in a straight line but have to work their way through the trench. The introduction of trench warfare caused battles to last for long periods of time for example the battle at the western front lasted from 1914 until 1918 this was because the idea of trench warfare was to stand your ground and to try and take over the enemy trenches.

The soldiers that fought in these trenches would not live miles away from the trenches but on the front line in little sleeping quarters they would dig out of the side of the trench the problem with this is that it was uncomfortable and it was very unhygienic and the soldiers would stay at the front line for up to three months at a time. The soldiers would also live under the constant threat of being attacked because the charges weren't organised and they could be attack at any time of the day or night. When the two apposing sides would fight each other in trench warfare they would jump up out of their trenches and run at the other trench and the plan was to get in the enemy trench and take over it and gain ground but this was almost never susses full because the apposing trench would just simply shoot down the troops running at them with their machine guns. Between the two front lines there was an area called no mans land where the dead laid. Fore example in the battle of the Somme 60,000 French and English troops died in just the first day of fighting and by the end of the battle around 500,000 to 600,000 troops had died. The idea of trench warfare was obviously not very successful and it also caused armies not to advance, which caused a stalemate like what happened at the western front.

The other problem with trench warfare was the poor hygiene which brought on the over grown rats and lice. The hygiene was so bad because they could not walk far away to go to the toilet or they would get shot so they were forced to go near the trenches and after a while in would seep back up into the mud that they stood in. the rats and mice were not the only problem because trench foot was also another problem It was a fungal infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions it could turn gangrenous and result in amputation. Another problem troops faced was a mental condition called shell shock. Shell shock is a psychological illness in which the troops would repeatedly remember, relive, or dream about their terrible experiences and it would last well after the troops left the war. Trench warfare evolved due to the weapons that were used.

The weapons used in 1914 were barbed wire, bayonets, pistols, rifles, machine guns, trench mortars, the big guns (howitzers), and aeroplanes. The most basic of all these weapons used was barbed wire. The barbed wire was used as a barricade in front of their trenches so the enemy could not get in them as easily and if they got in more than likely they would be injured. Bayonets were used for close combat and the bayonets were blades attached to the end of rifles.

The idea of a bayonet was for when the troops made it in the trenches they would stab the enemy with the blade, the reason why their rifles were not loaded was because you would run slower with it loaded because you would have to slow down to aim but it did not make too much of a difference because half the time they never made it to the enemy trench. The pistol was used for cramped conditions and if you were to run out of ammo in your rifle you could quickly grab your pistol. The rifle was the most common weapon in world war one and every troop was issued with a rifle and would not go into battle with out one. The machine gun was the most susses full weapon in the war it was used to stop the enemy from breaking through the trench lines and it was used as a defensive weapon because they were too heavy so run or carry. Mortars were perfect for trench warfare as you could make them lob up and into the enemy trench. The howitzers were massive guns hence the name the big guns these guns were capable of hitting targets 100 km away and shot shells the size of two cars.

Finally the aeroplanes that were used were primitive compared to these days they were used to survey areas and the pilot would drop bombs out the side of the plane. In 1915 there were new weapons introduced to the war these were grenades, zeppelins, flamethrowers, and gas bombs. The grenade was used to be thrown at enemy trenches to take out a large number they were also good because the troops could carry them. Zeppelins were quite useless in the war because they were too high up to drop the bombs accurately but were good for observation.

The Flamethrower was used as a way of getting people out of the trenches as it scared the enemy out. The gasses that were used in the war were tear gas, chlorine and phosgene and latter mustard gas. Gas masks were introduced to combat the gas bombs. In 1916 the tank was introduced the tank was recognised as a war winner because of its ability to crush through the front lines of the enemy and could not be shot down by guns. Between 1916 no more new weapons were being introduced but the ones that they had were being developed and made better. In conclusion, world war one revolutionise d the way wars were fought.

During this time it saw the introduction of trench warfare and a whole new range of weapons were introduced to combat the new way of fighting.