History Of Trench Warfare

War is a something that everyone knows something about. World War one was a war that was fought in several different ways, but trenches were used for a majority of the war. Trench warfare is a concept of war. It is a way of having an offensive and defensive tactic combined into one. Trenches were not first used during world war one but they have been used throughout the history of war. The way trench warfare was used and expanded during world war one by the allies, is a concept that was developed and improved upon throughout many years of the war. Trenches are a series of dug out holes. More specifically trenches are foxholes that have been dug out deep enough to allow a solider to stand in without being struck by an enemy. Most trenches …show more content…
Each style of trench served a separate purpose. The first set of trenches was used for the fighting. These trenches were dug out and would be occupied by soldiers, who would protect the trench and also fire at the enemy. The trenches were usually dug in a zig zag type of pattern to allow for a better defense against enemy fire. The thought was that if a trench isn’t straight across then the enemy would have a harder time firing a long amount of rapid fire in one direction. The Firing trench, as it was often referred to, was the closest to the enemies firing trenches. This gave the soldiers the best chance at hitting an enemy with their weapon fire. The men who stayed in these trenches were usually attacked or would do the attacking. As one can imagine, the front trenches were not the most desirable position for the …show more content…
This series of trenches was probably one of the most important parts of the entire trench system and a vital role in the trench concept. This set of trenches usually was dug in between the other trenches. These trenches were the connecting passages to all other trenches within the allies’ area. These trenches were made so that units could pass messages, supplies and men can be passed through the entire trench system with little harm. These trenches were more dangerous than the others due to the way they were made. The trenches weaved in and out of the other three sets and it could cause some spots within the trench susceptible to gunfire. Bunkers and gun storage was also built into the communication trenches. These trenches were important to the entire function of the trench concept, because it allowed for messages and supplies to be passed secretly to the units. In all the trenches it was a vital rule to keep your head down. The trenches were meant to act as a shield to enemy fire. Keeping ones head ducked in the low areas was crucial to survival in the trenches. Snipers on the allies’ side and the enemies’ side were specifically placed to watch the lower ground areas for soldiers who were spotted. Also the trenches were sometimes ambushed with the enemies invading and jumping into the trenches to fight. Many things could go wrong within a trench and many things did go wrong. The concept was not perfect but it was