Describe The Trenches In Ww1

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Trench warfare Even though the Great War was known as the life and death in the trenches, only a small percentage of the army served there. The trenches were the most dangerous places of the front lines. They were the protection for all the things that were going on in the background e.g. Supply lines, headquarters, workshops to name a few. Trenches were built to give protection from the enemy and their weapons. Both sides began digging trenches not only to take cover but to also hold their ground. By November 1914 the trench lines covered around 400 miles (644km) from Switzerland all the way to the North sea and there was no way around them. Digging trenches was not invented in ww1. The US Civil War, Russian-Japanese War used trench digging for protection. Trench warfare did not take place throughout the Great War, it began in September 1914 and ended when the Allies made a break through attack in August 1918. This was known as the war of entrenchment. Before and after these dates it was known as the wars of movement. They dug these trenches only for temporary cover and later both sides dug them to hold their ground and to take cover.…show more content…
Local conditions affected how they dug the trenches. Some areas were chalky and when it rained the sides would crumble so they built them up (‘revetted’) with sandbags, wood and other materials. Others were built up and not dug out because there was a lot of water in the area. Trenches were also dug in rock and in sand. In France, the trenches ran right through towns, farms and fields etc. The soldiers had many problems digging these trenches and they could only stay in them for a few days before having to move on. This meant that they were at risk because they were the perfect target for the
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