Life In Ww1 Trenches

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The trenches of World War One stand as a testament to the brutal and harsh conditions that millions of soldiers suffered from during the First World War. In the First World War there were a total of 35,000 miles of trench dug. This paper will inform you about the experience that soldiers went through in the trenches, including trench conditions, diseases, shell shock, poison gas, and the casualties that occurred. Trenches were not used for combat before WW1, but since they provided protection for soldiers, they played a big role in the type of warfare during WW1. Soldiers dug trenches to protect themselves from enemy artillery and machine gun fire (Dunleavy). The trenches were dug and then built out of sandbags, wooden planks, and barbed wire. …show more content…
Trenches are often infested with rats and lice. Soldiers would occupy trenches for weeks at a time. Life in the trenches included many long periods of combat. Soldiers in the trenches were in constant threat of artillery shots, machine gun fire, snipers, and charging soldiers. Trenches offered some protection from poison gas because it gave soldiers time to put their masks on (Dunleavy). Trench warfare took the lives of millions of soldiers on both the allied and axis sides. Many soldiers contracted diseases because of poor hygiene and the conditions of the trenches. Disease is a common occurrence and couldn’t be dealt with due to the lack of medicine and treatment methods. The most common diseases include, trench foot, trench mouth, trench fever, dysentery, typhoid fever, and influenza. Trench foot occurs because soldiers have constantly wet feet (Dunleavy). It is a painful condition in which dead tissue spreads across one or both feet. Trench mouth, also known as ulcerative gingivitis, is painful gum ulcers and swelling (Rish). This is caused by stress and poor oral hygiene. Trench fever is spread by lice and it causes fever, headaches, and muscle pain