The Pros And Cons Of Trench Warfare

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The men in World War I had to endure brutal conditions while living in the trenches. Trench warfare consisted of many dangerous circumstances that threatened the well being of the soldiers who fought in the war. A few discomforts the soldiers had to tolerate were: various diseases, pests, specific mental struggles throughout the war, and the harsh environment. One of the main problems with the trench warfare was the issue of the structure and design of the trenches. The trenches seemed like a good idea at first, but proved to be more of a disadvantage to the soldiers than a real benefit. The trenches were originally constructed to provide protection for the soldiers during the warfare. The men quickly realized that the trenches did not provide the shelter originally sought after. The majority of trenches were around one-to-two meters wide and three meters deep, leaving little to no space to move around comfortably. Enemy bombs and gunfire made it necessary to constantly repair the trenches (KidsKonnect). The trenches tried providing “shelter” for the men (a hole cut into the side of the trench- similar to a crawl …show more content…

Since the men had no way of keeping up with personal hygiene, the trenches rapidly became burdened with pests such as: rats, lice, and frogs (Carpetright Info Centre). The rats proved to be a huge problem during the war. They ate the soldiers food, as well as the actual soldiers themselves. The lice caused diseases; one of them being called “Trench Fever”. Trench fever made the soldiers extremely itchy and caused fevers, headaches, sore muscles, bones and joints as well. The most common disease they suffered from was known as “Trench foot”. Trench foot was mainly caused by wet feet that eventually resulted in life-threatening frostbite. At times, the disease would be so bad that the soldiers would have to have certain body parts amputated

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