Trench Warfare
Battle of the MarneOn September 15, 1914, during the wake of the Battle of the Marne, allied troops slowed the German push through Belgium and France. While the conflict was expected to be short, it turned out much longer and much more brutal. The German forces started to dig the first trenches along the Western Front. The trenches were dug from the winter of 1914 all the way until the spring of 1918. These trenches went from Belgium through France to the southernmost point in Alsace. Eventually, the trenches stretched over 25,000 miles. 12,000 of which were occupied by the Allies, the rest by Central Powers.
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LocationThere were three lines of the trenches: the front-line located 50 yards to a smile from its enemy counterpart, which was protected by lines of barbed wire; a support trench line hundreds of yards back and lastly, a reserve line, several hundred yards behind that. The trenches never ran straight but zigzagged because it was more open to attack if it ran straight. There were also three different types of trenches: firing trenches, communication trenches and “saps,” trenches that extended into no-man’s-land for observation posts, machine guns and grenade-throwing.
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Gallery of Trenches
While the trenches during World War I have often been termed as horrific and apocalyptic, the truth of the matter is, these trenches that stretched for thousands of miles, protected the soldiers from the worst weapons used in this time.
History, First trenches are dug on the western front. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-trenches-are-dug-on-the-western-front
History, First trenches are dug on the western front. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-trenches-are-dug-on-the-western-front