Trench warfare in the First World War (AQA GCSE History)

Trench warfare in the First World War - Summary

During the First World War, trench warfare replaced traditional battlefield fighting, changing how wars were fought. Trenches started as simple holes for protection but became complex networks with defensive features like barbed wire and sandbags. Built in zig-zag patterns, trenches helped limit damage from bombs and enemy attacks. Between opposing sides lay no-man’s land, a dangerous, muddy area filled with barbed wire and craters.

Attacks on enemy trenches were often unsuccessful. Advancing across no man’s land was dangerous due to machine-gun fire and barbed wire, and trench warfare contributed to the stalemate of the First World War.

What did a trench look like in the First World War?

• Before the First World War, warfare often happened on a battlefield where two opposing sides fought each other using infantry and cavalry charges

• Although the very early battles of the First World War were fought in the old style, trench warfare quickly took over and became the norm

• The trenches of the First World War dramatically changed from 1914 - 1918

  • In the very early stages of the First World War, a trench was a hole in the ground that soldiers dug to protect themselves

  • These holes quickly transformed into a complex system of trenches with several defensive and fighting features such as:

    • sandbags

    • barbed wire

    • machine guns

    • duckboards

    • fire steps

A diagram of a First World War trench

The trench system in the First World War

• The trench systems of the First World War were sophisticated as they were made up of:

  • a front line

  • communication trenches

  • support trenches

  • reserve trench

  • machine gun posts

  • dugouts

Structure of the trench system

• Trenches were not in a straight line

  • They were built in a zig-zag pattern

    • This prevented exploding bombs from destroying the whole trench

    • It stopped enemy soldiers from firing straight down the line of the trench if they entered their enemy's trenches

• In the middle of the trenches was an area known as 'no-man's land'

  • No one had control or ownership over this area of land

  • It was often a wasteland made up of:

    • craters

    • tree stumps

    • barbed wire

    • mud

  • No-man's land was sometimes only 50 to 200 metres wide

    • Enemy trenches could often hear each other

    • This made snipers a deadly threat to the soldiers on the front line

How did trench warfare work?

• Trench warfare was new in 1914

  • The generals in the First World War had never fought in this type of warfare before

• In the early years of the First World War, most of the battles followed the same strategies and tactics

  • This was due to the lack of experience in trench warfare and the problems caused by stalemate

• The role of the infantry changed during trench warfare

  • They became the main tactic used in an attack as they were used for an infantry attack

    • The infantry replaced the use of the cavalry charge

The chain of events in trench warfare

1. An artillery bombardment on the enemy trenches

   • To destroy the enemy trenches, kill soldiers and destroy the barbed wire

2. Soldiers attack the enemy trenches by 'going over the top' and through 'no man's land'

   • As soldiers approached the enemy, they would shoot or throw grenades at the enemy

3. If soldiers entered the enemy trenches, they would attack the soldiers in the trenches and take control of the trench

How did technology affect trench warfare?

• This plan of attack only slightly varied throughout the First World War as new technology and weaponry were introduced

  • Tanks attempted to aid the soldier's advance across 'no man's land'

  • Artillery guns became more powerful and able to fire from great distances with more accuracy

  • Both sides used gas to help aid an attack on the enemy lines

• As the war continued, new battle strategies were formed

• The 'creeping barrage' was first used the the Battle of the Somme in 1916

  • A slow-moving artillery fire was used as a defensive screen for infantry to follow behind to take the enemy front lines before they could react

  • This new trench warfare strategy was successful in some battles of the First World War

    • An example of this was the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917

Awaiting image

How successful was trench warfare?

• Trench warfare was rarely successful

  • Advances upon the enemy lines and the ability to push an enemy back were very difficult and resulted in a stalemate

• Attacking the enemy was usually unsuccessful because:

  • shelling rarely impacted the trenches

    • They were often not strong enough to damage them

    • German trenches were made of concrete which the British and French shells had very little impact on

    • Barbed wire was not easily destroyed by shells

    • In the early years of the war, large artillery was not very accurate

  • soldiers found it difficult to get across no-man's land

    • Machine guns often injured or killed soldiers before they made it to the enemy lines

    • Soldiers got caught in the barbed wire as it was not cut by the shells

    • The muddy conditions of no-man's land resulted in some soldiers being stuck or drown in the mud

  • the generals of the First World continued to use the same attacking strategies

    • The enemy could predict when an attack was coming as shelling would stop and soldiers would attack the lines

    • Their lack of experience in trench warfare gave them very few alternative plans

  • holding the ground gained after an attack was often difficult

    • In some battles, such as the Battle of the Somme, soldiers who managed to cross over 'no man's land' and take enemy trenches found it difficult to keep hold of that land as they had no support

    • Soldiers would have to fall back and surrender the land that they gained