Ww1 Trench Life

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How did life in the European trenches affect World War 1 soldiers? The trenches were a long deep grove in the ground. Soldiers would fight from them, use them for protection and unless injured, live in them. The trenches were introduced into modern warfare late in 1914. They were used because they were very protective. Trenches were usually two meters deep and two meters wide. They were also zigzagged to prevent the enemy from shooting straight down the trench. The zigzag method also prevented gas from spreading very far down the trench. Most armies used the trench or something like it. It was the most effective way of providing cover from the enemy line. Today, hundreds of trenches are found all over Europe from World War 1. Battles like the battle in Tannenberg, Aisne, Verdun, Somme, Isonzo and Jutland were all landmark battles fought in World War 1.…show more content…
The soldiers had to live in these holes in fear of being raided of attacked. Trenches would often flood and collapse and the soldiers spent their majority of the day standing it cold, muddy water. This caused a disease called trench foot. Along with this, they had to deal with the rats that would breed in the water that flooded the trenches. One pair of rats could breed up to 600 offspring’s. Diseases such as trench foot, trench mouth, influenza, scabies, diarrhoea, rheumatism, gonorrhoea, lung infection, syphilis, urinary tract infection, STD’s and Gangrene were some of the problems that soldiers faced in the trenches. A diary entry by Gordon Harrison Dear: Andrew
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