Descriptive Essay: The Western Front

The air was brisk and damp and the ground was churned and muddied from the countless men who had walked over it and the rain. My boots were sinking into the Earth as I stood outside my bunker in the trench and took a long drag from my cigarette. In the background I could hear the German artillery start their daily barrage, the newer men cowered at every shot, but I not did for I was accustomed to this terrible sound of death. For it was my second year in this god forsaken continent. I reminisced back to before the war and the good times I had on our little farm in Saskatchewan outside of Yorktown and my childhood in England. We left when I was five in 1900 in order to have a better life. When the war broke out though and I heard volunteers …show more content…
“Sir, all NCO`s are wanted at Battalion headquarters for briefing” barked the messenger I acknowledged the man and walked through the muddy trench filled with water. As I walked I saw bodies still floating in the water from the previous day's battle, I shook my head sadly, these poor men did not even get the chance to make it over the top and into no man's land. When I finally made it to the command bunker I opened the door and was hit by a rush of warm air and the smell of cigarettes. “Good to see you still alive Scutchings!” said the captain …show more content…
“ I said grimly “Apply pressure to your wound we will come back after we clear the last bunker.” I then motioned to my last remaining to follow me and we exited the bunker. We quickly ran towards the last bunker and stayed low, Suddenly though I felt a sharp pain, I grimaced, looked down and saw blood coming from my leg, I`d been shot. I quickly limped to cover and tied a bandage around my leg to staunch the bleeding. I got up and limped to the final bunker and saw the final man in my squad waiting. We could hear the German machine guns inside firing down the hill at our men. I repeated the process we used at each bunker and we stormed into the door. However, the grenade this time was a dud and it alerted the germans to our presence. As we stormed in we were met by a hail of gunfire. I could hear rounds hitting the wall and I felt a searing pain in my side. The private in front of me shot one of the Germans and then was shot fatally and toppled onto one pinning the German to the ground. I fired my enfield and struck a German who then toppled over. I then turned my attention next one, before I could do anything he fired his luger and hit me in the shoulder. I lunged at him with my bayonet, but he jumped out of the way. Before, he could fire again though I swung my rifle around hitting him with the butt he toppled over and I stabbed