World War I: The Western Front and Trench Warfare
Quotes
• “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”– British Foreign Minister, Sir Edward Grey
The Western Front
• Long and bloody stalemate, or deadlock, along the battlefields of northern France
• Schlieffen plans works well…at first!
First Battle of the Marne
• Allies attack Germany northeast of Paris by the Marne River
• German driven back nearly 60-miles
• 1st major clash on the Western Front
• Single most important event of the war– Schlieffen plan RUINED– Germany send more
troops…stalemate
Trench Warfare
• Opposing Armies dig miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire
• Armies suffered huge losses for small gains
• The space between the trenches was known as “no man’s land”
What happened when you are ordered to go “over the top” of a
trench?
No Man’s Land
Daily Life- Rat Infestation
• Brown and Black rats- Brown rat especially feared they could eat human remains and grow to be the size of a cat– Kill by gunfire,
bayonet, or clubbins– Rats can produce up
to 900 offspring a year
Daily Life- Frogs, Lice, and Worse
• Lice- breeds in dirty clothes, body heat causes eggs to hatch. Lice causes TRENCH FEVER (recovery took up to 12 weeks)
• Frogs found in shell holes
• Trench foot- fungal infection caused by cold, wet, unsanitary conditions
The Trench Cycle
• In each battalion, people were expected to serve in the front line for a little. Then, they would move to support. Then, they would move to reserve lines.
• It depended on the necessities of the situation- some would spend longer time in the front, depending on the location
• Normally about 70 days in the front line
Breakfast
• After “stand to,” breakfast was served. It was an unofficial truce
• What other aspects of daily life can you imagine in the trenches?