One of the worst fears of the common Western Front soldier was ‘trench foot’: gangrene of the feet and toes, caused by constant immersion in water. Trench soldiers also contended with ticks, lice, rats, flies and mosquitos.
Then, What were trenches like 3 facts?
Most trenches were between 1-2 metres wide and 3 metres deep. Trenches weren’t dug in straight lines. The WWI trenches were built as a system, in a zigzag pattern with many different levels along the lines. They had paths dug so that soldiers could move between the levels.
Why did they build trenches? Trenches provided protection from bullets and shells, but they did carry their own risks. Trench foot, trench fever, dysentery, and cholera could inflict casualties as readily as any enemy. Rats, flies, and lice were also commonplace.
Keeping this in consideration, Why were rats an issue in the trenches?
Many men killed in the trenches were buried almost where they fell. If a trench subsided, or new trenches or dugouts were needed, large numbers of decomposing bodies would be found just below the surface. These corpses, as well as the food scraps that littered the trenches, attracted rats.
What are 5 facts about trench warfare?
10 Facts About Trench Warfare In World War I
- #1 Trench Warfare in WW1 was started by Germans to avoid losing ground. …
- #2 Hundreds of miles of Trench Systems were built. …
- #3 Trench systems became elaborate with time. …
- #4 They were built in a zig-zag pattern. …
- #5 Trench systems usually had two more supporting lines.
What dangers did soldiers face in the trenches?
Rats, Lice, and Exhaustion. Trench life involved long periods of boredom mixed with brief periods of terror. The threat of death kept soldiers constantly on edge, while poor living conditions and a lack of sleep wore away at their health and stamina.
Do WW1 trenches still exist?
A few of these places are private or public sites with original or reconstructed trenches preserved as a museum or memorial. Nevertheless, there are still remains of trenches to be found in remote parts of the battlefields such as the woods of the Argonne, Verdun and the mountains of the Vosges.
How did soldiers use dead bodies in the trenches?
Many men killed in the trenches were buried almost where they fell. If a trench subsided, or new trenches or dugouts were needed, large numbers of decomposing bodies would be found just below the surface. … They usually went for the eyes first and then they burrowed their way right into the corpse.
What happened to all the trenches after WW1?
In some places, trenches cut across farms, roads, towns, etc. and were naturally filled in by returning inhabitants. In other places, trenches didn’t get in the way and were simply abandoned to nature. In yet others, especially major battlefields, small sections were deliberately preserved.
How did soldiers try to get rid of trench rats?
Many troops were awakened by rats crawling across their faces. … Cats and terriers were kept by soldiers in the frontline trenches to help free them of disease-carrying rats. The terriers were actually very effective in killing rats.
What disease did rats carry in the trenches?
Many troops succumbed to trench foot, a fungal infection caused by immersion in cold water. Rats and lice were soldiers’ constant companions: rats, having gorged on corpses, allegedly grew ‘as big as cats’; lice were the (then unknown) vector of another common wartime ailment, trench fever.
Why did they build trenches in WW1?
World War I was a war of trenches. After the early war of movement in the late summer of 1914, artillery and machine guns forced the armies on the Western Front to dig trenches to protect themselves. Fighting ground to a stalemate.
Why was no man’s land so dangerous?
the narrow, muddy, treeless stretch of land, characterized by numerous shell holes, that separated German and Allied trenches during the First World War. Being in No Man’s Land was considered very dangerous since it offered little or no protection for soldiers.
Why did trench warfare end?
The development of armoured warfare and combined arms tactics permitted static lines to be bypassed and defeated, leading to the decline of trench warfare after the war. Following World War I, “trench warfare” became a byword for stalemate, attrition, sieges, and futility in conflict.
Why was attacking an enemy trench so deadly?
Poison gas was especially dangerous for the soldiers since it was generally heavier than air and often settled into the deep trenches. This made the trenches terribly dangerous, as the soldiers would suffer the horrible effects from the poison gas.
What made life in the trenches pure misery?
In this type of warfare, soldiers fought each other from trenches. And armies traded huge losses of human life for pitifully small land gains. Life in the trenches was pure misery. … Our blinded, wounded, crawling, and shouting soldiers kept falling on top of us and died splashing us with blood.
Is 1917 based on a true story?
1917 is something of a true story, loosely based on a tale the director’s grandfather – Alfred H. Mendes, who served with the British Army during the First World War – told him as a child.
What did World War 1 trenches look like?
Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed. … There were many lines of German trenches on one side and many lines of Allied trenches on the other.
Why did they stop using trench warfare?
Trench warfare is obsolete due to new armored warfare. Tanks, AFV’s, and a hundred other things can drive straight over your puny trench and beat the crap out of your back lines. And when you’re forced into your trench to avoid being crushed by a tank, all their infantry are attacking you as well!
How did soldiers go to the toilet in the trenches?
These latrines were trench toilets. They were usually pits dug into the ground between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres deep. Two people who were called sanitary personnel had the job of keeping the latrines in good condition for each company.
How big were the rats in the trenches?
Most soldiers who served on the Western Front would later recall how rats grew in boldness, stealing food that had been lain down for just a few moments. Rats would also crawl across the face of sleeping men. As they gorged themselves on food so they grew, with many rats reportedly growing to the size of cats.
Are there bodies in war graves?
CWGC records include references to ‘Memorial Plots’ which were removed when it was confirmed they did not contain any bodies. In most other circumstances, the bodies required exhumation and reburial, during which process attempts were made to identify the individuals.
What did World war 1 trenches look like?
Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed. … There were many lines of German trenches on one side and many lines of Allied trenches on the other.
Who has the best trenches in WW1?
Indeed the Germans had the best trenches.