Trench Warfare Ww1

The First World War the first global scale conflict however it was predominately fought within and Middle Eastern theatre of war between the years of 1914 -1918. Within this conflict, trench warfare played a huge roll during war which it positively and negatively affected the soldiers. To fully understand the impacts that the impact Trench warfare had on the experience of World Wide soldiers during WWI. It is important to discuss on what was life like for men living in the trenches, how did living in the trenches effect soldiers’ health physically and mentally and what was the strategic purpose of trenches. By examining these themes, it becomes evident that Trench warfare had a negative effect by prolonging the war, which caused more deaths.

For their life in the trenches meant living in fear. In fear of diseases like cholera and trench foot and of course, the constant fear of enemy attack. Trenches were dug about twelve feet deep with a spacing that provided enough space for men to move about and sleep (WW1 Facts, 2018). However, some trenches varied which some that had poor conditions and some that were much more luxurious than others. The Germans, for example had a bit more luxurious in there trenches, they had running water and electric lights which had a massive advantages on the enemies (Steen Hanso, 2000). In some trenches, the regular soldiers had to spend the night in the open underneath water proof sheets. British and French military leaders did not want their men to become soft or too comfortable in the trenches (Steen Hanso, 2000). But for most days, it was quite challenging. The exhaustion of soldiers was constant because they either had to work the front line, plough through ankle knee deep water or simply digging new trenches. This primary source describes how men lived in the

Trench life involved a lot of hard working labour if its, digging holes for new trenches, working the front line, organising food for hungry soldiers or digging trenches that go for miles. Physical and mental illnesses were becoming very common for men living throughout the trenches. Common physical issues like Trench foot dysentery and dental issues were mostly know for men to have. But as for trench foot, it was the most common out of all of them. Trench foot is caused by exposure to cold and damp conditions, which reduces the amount of blood and oxygen supplied to the feet (Decent, 2018). Bare flesh becomes exposed which leads to blackened, rotting feet and toes can also be lost (Decent, 2018). Shell shock was a major mental illness that came to many soldiers in WWI that effected millions of men (Trench Warfare, 2018). Shellshock is a term coined in WWI to describe the type of posttraumatic stress disorder many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (Trench Warfare, 2018). The primary source given by Corporal Henry Gregory shows how sickening the illness of Shell shock can