Third Post

The rhythmic steps of marching soldiers ceased and a wave of solemnity coupled with anticipation and vehemence washed over the soldiers. My eyes scanned the wide expanse of barren land, searching for the slightest flicker of movement.

Nothing. Not a thing in sight.

As the French, we are proud men, we won’t back down. Here we stand, prepared for war; a war initiated by those filthy Germans; so how is that they have the nerve to run away from something they proposed. Cowards. Perhaps they scurried away at the sight of our invincible troops. I smirked at the thought.

The general’s husky growl was heard by all as he bellowed his command. “If they won’t come to us,” he paused, determination glimmering in his eyes, “we will go to them! CHARGE!”

We stampeded forward adrenaline coursing through our veins.  Nothing could stop us now.

Slam. The soldier beside me hurtled into the ground. Did he trip? No, something was wrong and I couldn’t shake this feeling of uneasiness off me.

Roars of determination transformed into cries of agony as more soldiers plunged into the ground. Panic was clawing at the edges of my stomach and my once agile steps faltered. Squinting my eyes, I examined the field before me.

There it was.

I could see machine guns and rifles aimed at us, firing away. But where were the bodies? I looked further and noticed the signature spiked German helmets protruding from the ground.

Underground?

Trenches?!

BANG!

What?

I plummeted towards the ground, cursing life, war and death. It was too late. They were prepared, those sly Germans.  I held my hands out in front of me and they were soaked in crimson. Is that blood? I couldn’t tell anymore – the pain had already numbed out.

The astringent stench of rotting flesh and death assault my nose. A cool wind blew, carrying smells of smoke and dust, of blood and war.

I can’t hear anything anymore.

Or smell.  Or feel.

I wonder what Maria is doing. I hope she’s by my side the next time I wake up.

Final Post

Interesting Facts about Trench Warfare

1.       Trench warfare began after the allied French and British forces stopped the German advance on Paris at the first battle of the Marne (5th to 12th September 1914).

2.       The trenches were made in zig-zag pattern making it difficult for soldiers to see beyond 10m along the trench. These patterns prevented enemy to open major attacks from the sides. The zig-zag pattern also made it difficult for enemy aircrafts to map the trenches.

3.       To make a 250 m trench approximately 2700 of man-hours at night were required.

4.       The wars in the trenches were so intense that 10% of the fighting soldiers were killed in the trench warfare and around 50% would get wounded.

5.       The hill to the north east of Verdun, France was called the 'homme mort' which means the dead man, and it got 2 metres higher because of the build up of dead bodies.

6.        General Haig, leader of the British forces, never went to the front line or set foot in a trench.

7.       On Christmas day 1916, soldiers from both sides, came out of their trenches and played a game of soccer.

8.       The western front saw the digging of almost 10,000 kilometres of trenches on both sides.

9.       Over 100,000 Chinese labourers were used by the British Army to dig trenches on the Western Front.

10.   Over 200,000 men died in the trenches of WW1

11.   The catering staff put the food in dixies (cooking pots), petrol cans or old jam jars and carried it up the communication trenches in straw-lined boxes. By the time the food reached the front-line it was always cold.

Video Clip Analysis

This video is great because it contains information from different aspects of trench warfare, such as: trench life, how trench warfare begun etc. Shiwedya chose this video because it contains accurate information and is very informative. We know the information is accurate as the video is from teachertube and the information is from the American Institute for History Education.

It is well told and read out rather than displayed on the screen which helped us understand better. It also uses understandable language and explains in detail. It also contains relevant pictures as is overall a very informative video.

Introduction to Trench Life and Warfare

The use of trenches was a major battle tactic in World War I and consisted of soldiers digging trenches, and attacking from there rather than being fully exposed on the battle field. There were different types of trenches: the front-line trench, support trench and reserve trench.

Soldiers in the front-line trench were constantly alert for enemy patrols and attacks. It was also the jumping-off point for attacks on the enemy.

As the name suggests, the support-trench held the back-up forces that could help repel an enemy attack or move quickly to the front to support a friendly attack.

Lastly, the reserve trench was even farther back, and was used to give soldiers a break from the front lines whilst still staying close enough to quickly return to combat. Behind them, was the larger artillery pieces, supply depots, etc.

Communication trenches ran between these main trenches to move soldiers and supplies from trench to trench without exposing themselves to the enemy.

Life in the trenches meant constant death. There were a number of factors that could lead to casualties. In busy sections, the constant shellfire from the enemy brought random death. Millions of rats infested the trenches, carrying contagious and deadly diseases as a result of spreading infections and contaminating food.

Lice were also a problem. The Lice caused Trench Fever, a painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever.  Recovery took up to twelve weeks. 

There were many more diseases that spread in the trenches such as Trench Foot, a fungal infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions. Amputation was the only solution.

Introduction to World War 1

For four years, a bloodthirsty battle raged on engulfing all in its path -  the soldiers, the civilians, the leaders, the victims. The once innocent, peaceful landscape was redecorated into an ashen, bruised war ground. The pungent stench of poisonous gas, dry blood and sweat stained the air. Bloody bodies littered the engorged craters carved into the soil as a result of trench warfare and the use of toxic gases.

This event was later identified as World War I.

World War I was a major war that occurred in Europe on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers at that time which were assembled in two opposing alliances:

The Triple Entente: France, Russia, Britain

The Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

The main trigger of the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, on 28 June 1914. Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb associated with a nationalist group - the Black Hand Society - strived for Serbia's independence, and did so through the Duke’s murder. Ferdinand's assassination resulted in Austria-Hungary invading Serbia. This small conflict between the two countries spread rapidly. Naturally, Austria-Hungary sought Germany’s aid in attacking Serbia. Likewise, Serbia turned to Russia, which in turn brought France and Britain into the game. The countries were all drawn into the war due to their treaties which obligated them to defend certain nations.

Within weeks the major powers were at war. In the end Germany agreed to cease fire on 11 November 1918.

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