trench warfare Flashcards
what was included in the allied trenches?
-parados
-duck boards
-barbed wire
-parapet
what is a parados?
a mound of sandbags, which raised the height of the back of the trenches. was designed to protect soldiers from shell explosion
what are duckboards?
wooden barks lined on the wet floors of the trenches
why was barbed wire used in the trenches?
used at the front to make it harder enemy infantry to attack head on
what is a parapet
at front of the trench. which was lined with wooden planks and sandbag. which were meant to be bullet proof.
what was the no mans land?
the ground between the front lines of both sides. Met with artillery shells from skies and bullets from machine guns/rifles
(Include enemy barb wire)
why was there firing steps in the fire trenches?
allow men to stand behind parpet and shoot with their rifles.
how deep were trenches dug?
six to seven feet deep
what was sapping?
one man digging outwards from the end of the trench
what is entrenching?
lots of soldiers in a line digging straight into the ground
what did the 1916 training manual say how trenches were built?
in three parallel lines
what trenches were closest to the front lines?
the fire trench [faced enemy trench]
the supervision trench [used to move along the line behind fire trench, as well as stopping enemy infantry firing along trench. had zigzag pattern]
what was the communication trench?
connected trench lines and to local roads and army depot behind lines
what is reserve trench?
is 350 to 550 metres behind front lines. made up of dugouts which had reinforcement. that would wait for a counter attack.
what is the support trench?
this was 60 to 90 metres behind the front lines(distance made them protected from shell bombardments). was connected to the communication trench. soldiers could retreat to the support trench. which would help reinforce the front line.
