Question #2:
In August of 1914, trenches were established in the Western front by Germans to protect themselves from French and British troops. The establishment of these trenches resulted in the brutal death of hundreds upon thousands of young western European soldiers. Not only were there a number of casualties seen in these trenches, but there was also infested rats, frogs, lice and other diseases. These rats were sometimes so grossly big an in large quantities that they couldn't be prevented. Rat couples could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and also contaminating food. The spread of lice among the trenches resulted in Trench Fever, a painful disease lasting 12 weeks. Men stood days upon days in mud and water up to their waist.
Trench life was very tedious and involved hard physical work. Trench routine generally included four days at the front line and four days at reserve. Many soldiers had to continue fighting although their comrade laid dead right beside them. One third of Allied casualties on the Western Front were actually sustained in the trenches. One factor that lasted throughout the war was the smell! The trenches reeked with rotting carcasses, overflowing latrines, creosol, cordite (poison gas) and rotting sandbags.
In August of 1914, trenches were established in the Western front by Germans to protect themselves from French and British troops. The establishment of these trenches resulted in the brutal death of hundreds upon thousands of young western European soldiers. Not only were there a number of casualties seen in these trenches, but there was also infested rats, frogs, lice and other diseases. These rats were sometimes so grossly big an in large quantities that they couldn't be prevented. Rat couples could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and also contaminating food. The spread of lice among the trenches resulted in Trench Fever, a painful disease lasting 12 weeks. Men stood days upon days in mud and water up to their waist.
Trench life was very tedious and involved hard physical work. Trench routine generally included four days at the front line and four days at reserve. Many soldiers had to continue fighting although their comrade laid dead right beside them. One third of Allied casualties on the Western Front were actually sustained in the trenches. One factor that lasted throughout the war was the smell! The trenches reeked with rotting carcasses, overflowing latrines, creosol, cordite (poison gas) and rotting sandbags.
