Trench Warfare
History: KS3, topic 16.3.2
Trench Warfare - Strong Defence and Poor Offence
Trench warfare led to very strong defences, but poor options for attacks.
Strong military defences
- In trench warfare, soldiers essentially sheltered in their trenches, using machine guns and rifles to shoot any advancing soldiers.
- Barbed wire was laid out in front of trenches and put in No Man’s Land (the area between the two sides’ trenches) to create traps.
- A soldier going “over the top” would leave their side’s trenches and travel across No Man’s Land towards the enemy.
Weak attacks
- During an attack, the enemy would fire machine guns and shells at the soldiers. Many were shot in seconds.
- Barbed wire protected the trenches. Barbed wire was also used to force the enemy down particular paths into 'kill zones'.
- These zones were covered by machine guns or artillery.
Increasing stalemate
- It was very hard to make advances and win territory in this trench warfare.
- Because it was so hard to gain ground, it became a war of attrition, where each side tried to exhaust (run down) the enemy’s resources.
Inadequate offensive weapons
- Artillery guns, tanks and aircraft (planes) were not particularly effective at this time.
- Tanks were useless in some conditions.
- For example, the mud was so thick at the Battle of Passchendaele that they could not be used.
Test yourself on Trench Warfare
What was the main issue with fighting from trenches?