Trench Warfare
By: Kyra Grandall
How War Began
The war began on June 28 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz-Ferdinand. This was not the actual cause of the war though, but it was the final stray. Their were many problems and conflicts before the great war began and they started to pile up and the assassination was the final conflict that helped start the war. Some people believe that the assassination was an excuse to start the war. The allied powers formed which included Russia, France and Britain, and the central powers which included Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. The United States also were part of the central powers but didn't join until 1917.
Organization and Setup of Trenches
The first major trenches were formed in November of 1914 and by the end of 1914 both sides combined had dug a total of 62,500 miles of trenches. Each sides trenches were set up differently. The allies had four different types of trenches they included front line trenching, support trench, the reserve trench, and the communicating trenches. The front line trenches were the closest to the enemies and this is where the firing and attacking took place. the support trenches was where the supplies were kept for the front line trench. The reserve trench was for emergency cases it included supplies and men to support the first two trenches. The communicating trenches were the trenches that connected all the trenches together, and those trenches were used to send messages. The central power trenches were much different then the allies. Their trenches were elaborate and sophisticated. Their trenches also had electricity, beds, toilets and other niceties of life. The central powers also had a three week rotation schedule which kept soldiers morale's high. Except for artillery shelling, daytime was relatively safe for the soldiers on the front line. At night it was dangerous because that was when the soldiers would raid and eavesdrop to hear strategies, weakness's and strengths.
Other Weapons
Other weapons of this time also were a big part of the great war. Poison gas was important because they could drop it on men in the trenches and it would have high casualties. Another example is machine guns, they were important because when soldiers traveled into no mans land they could use them to attack these soldiers quickly and effectively. Tanks and airplanes were another major part of the war. Tanks were used to scare the Germans and were very successful. The airplanes were used for in air combat. These were planes with two seats, one was the pilot and the other was the soldier who controlled the gun.
Works Cited
"Dogfights." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
"The Trenches." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
"Tank Attacks." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.