Nature Of Trench Warfare Part 1. Flashcards
How was the nature of trench warfare ever-changing?
- Enemy bombardment destroyed trenches.
- Trenches had to be constantly maintained and rebuilt.
- As trench warfare developed, trench system became more complex. (Structure expanded and complicated)
How did trenches largely affect the war?
- People expected the war to be a war of movement.
- Unprepared for trench warfare (slow war).
Describe the trench system.
Front line trenches Support Trenches Reserve Trenches Communication Trenches Saps
Describe the front line.
- Soldiers fired across no-mans land and defended against enemy offensive.
- Often had the worst living conditions.
- Soldiers went ‘over the top’ from the front-line trenches during an offensive.
- Observation and machine gun posts.
Describe support trenches.
Provided a place for front-line soldiers to retract during artillery bombardment.
Describe reserve trenches.
- For reserve troops.
- Would cycle in and out of the front-line.
Describe communication trenches.
- Transverse trenches linking the front-line, support and reverse trenches.
Describe SAPS.
Transverse trenches dug out into no-mans land to establish a listening post.
What weapons were used to fight trench warfare?
- Rifles (fired quickly and more accessible)
- Machine Guns (used defensively, set at strategic points)
- Artillery (fired from behind trench lines to bombard enemy trenches, often followed by offensive push)
What weapons were developed to adapt to trench warfare?
- Grenades (homemade, used to wipe out machine gun nests)
- Flamethrowers (effectively cleared enemy trenches)
- Mortars (miniature bombardment)
- Gas (chemical warfare)
- Tanks (vehicular warfare)
Explain how chemical warfare works.
- Aim to clear trenches for advancing soldiers.
- Unreliable weapons because of shifting winds
- Effects include;
- Burned skin and throat
- Destruction of the lungs (bleeding)
- Attacking the nervous system
- Development of effective gas masks neutralized the weapon.
Explain how tanks affected trench warfare.
- Initially ineffective ( too slow and difficult to maneuver on terrain)
- Mainly used to invoke fear into the enemy.
What tactics were used to fight trench warfare?
- Large offensives
- Defensive
- SAPS
- Night trench raids
Explain how large offensives worked in trench warfare?
Designed to break through the enemy lines and end stalemate
Describe how SAPS worked in trench warfare.
Dug out into no-mans land to establish listening posts so that enemy plans could be heard and positions clarified.
