Germany’s Schlieffen Plan called for a quick defeat of the French so they could then focus on defeating England and Russia without having to worry about France. The Schlieffen Plan ended in failure with the Battle of Marne when French and British troops defeated Germany. This battle laid the groundwork forthe use of trench warfare. Building trenches was a necessity for troops considering all of the new weapons that were being used during WWI. Machine guns and bombs became a part of war and trenches were needed to provide some sort of protection for the soldiers.
The only thing worse than finding yourself in “no man’s land,” was finding yourself in a trench, where living conditions were terrible. Rats were very commonly found in trenches where they would feed off of human remains and would overpopulate them seeing as rats can produce over 900 offspring in a given year. Lice were also commonly found in the trenches because they found the soldier’s dirty clothes a good place for breeding. Lice could cause Trench Fever which was a painful disease that caused a high fever. Recovery with medical care and away from the trenches could take up to twelve weeks so recovery in the trenches was very unlikely. Slugs, frogs, and horned beetles were also found in trenches. Trenches were often cold and wet which lead to unsanitary condition which could cause fungal infections, including Trench Foot, which was a common cause for amputation. Also, Shell shock could sometimes lead to a mental breakdown that would cause soldiers to no long be able to serve on the front line.
Trench warfare also affected civilians and the government as well as the armed forces. Civilians back home lived in constant worry about their loved ones returning home safely. And for the soldiers who did return home, their families were affected by the changes that soldiers underwent throughout the war while living in the trenches. About 2% of active, front-line soldiers had mental break downs because of shell shock and never fully returned to themselves, which took a toll on family life. Civilians and the government were both affected by the use of trench warfare financially. Trench warfare lead to a stalemate in WWI, this made for a longer lasting war. The government was forced to continue sending money, food, and equipment to the troops. This caused economic depression in many countries.
The only thing worse than finding yourself in “no man’s land,” was finding yourself in a trench, where living conditions were terrible. Rats were very commonly found in trenches where they would feed off of human remains and would overpopulate them seeing as rats can produce over 900 offspring in a given year. Lice were also commonly found in the trenches because they found the soldier’s dirty clothes a good place for breeding. Lice could cause Trench Fever which was a painful disease that caused a high fever. Recovery with medical care and away from the trenches could take up to twelve weeks so recovery in the trenches was very unlikely. Slugs, frogs, and horned beetles were also found in trenches. Trenches were often cold and wet which lead to unsanitary condition which could cause fungal infections, including Trench Foot, which was a common cause for amputation. Also, Shell shock could sometimes lead to a mental breakdown that would cause soldiers to no long be able to serve on the front line.
Trench warfare also affected civilians and the government as well as the armed forces. Civilians back home lived in constant worry about their loved ones returning home safely. And for the soldiers who did return home, their families were affected by the changes that soldiers underwent throughout the war while living in the trenches. About 2% of active, front-line soldiers had mental break downs because of shell shock and never fully returned to themselves, which took a toll on family life. Civilians and the government were both affected by the use of trench warfare financially. Trench warfare lead to a stalemate in WWI, this made for a longer lasting war. The government was forced to continue sending money, food, and equipment to the troops. This caused economic depression in many countries.
