Conditions in Trenches

Trench warfare was a form of warfare in which opposing sides occupied fortified fighting lines consisting largly of trenches. Trench warefare had already been around since several wars however it was mainly associated to WW1. By the end of October 1914 the whole front of Belgium and France had solidified into lines of trenches. Both sides would dig Trenches as deep as they could to protect their soliders. The initial idea was that the Trenches would be an easy way to advance through a certain area and still remain safe from enemy gunfire. However, in practice it was not as efficient as initially planned.

Most of the troops were killed by either gun fire or other battle related however, the conditions of the trenches lead to the death of many troops. Many soldiers were died due to lack of nutrition, the cold, damp conditions of the trenches, disease, rats and even lack of sleep. We need to look into the condition of the trenches to truely figure out how so many troops died not due to the opposing forces but due to the conditions they had to frequent.