Trench Life in World War One (by cleandan)

Trench Life in World War One

Trenches were dug to provide a living sapce for soldiers; and a place to find cover form enemy fire. The Central Powers and The allies dug miles upon miles of trenches. This created a stalemate that would last throught the war.

One of the most prominent aspects was the smell, bodies rotting in shallow graves, men who hadn’t washed in weeks, pits of waste overflowing, cresol and chlorine lime, used to fight infections, the odor of poison gas that hung in the air, stagnant water and mud, smoke form cigarettes, and cooking food.

Millions of rats lived alongside the soldiers; they would eat the dead bodies, disfiguring them greatly. Soldiers would kill them with bullets, shovels, or anything else that could be wielded as a weapon. The rats had them out matched though; one breeding pair could produce 900 offspring in one year. Sometimes the vermin grew to be as big as cats.Some soldiers believed rats could predictimpending artillery barrages from the opposing side, for the disappeared minutes before enemy shells engaged their lines..

The trenches were miserable, everyday soldiers faced dangers of poison gas, artillery shells, disease, or enemy bullets.

The area betwwen opposing trenches was known as "No man's land". No man's land was bascially a ravaged wasteland consisting of barbed wire, mud, dead bodies, deystroyed trees, and no life at all. Attempts to dislodge the enemy consisted of charging across No man's land, straight into enemy fire. This was known as "Going Over the Top". Many men perished inbetween the trenches, for there was no place to take cover. When the whistle blew, soldiers had six seconds to decide if they would climb the ladder over the trench. Any man who did not go over, was shot in the head by the sergeant.

The Reality of WWI

British Soldiers Going Over the Top