L5 - Conditions on the Western Front

Question 1

Germany on the Western Front

Answer 1

-Ger = defensive focus/ couldn’t waste men of W. fr b/c fighting on 2 sides / E. Fr = focus b/c wanted to knock Russ out of war + focus on W. Fr
- trenches built on high ground -> see more + less muddy/ built srong trenches along the whole line w/ shell proof shelters, 6m deep dugouts for comfortable sleeping, floorboards, electric lights, bunk beds, gas cookers
-line = fortified w/ barbed wire staked in front of trenches -> slow down attacks / structure often reinforced w/ concrete
-developed concept of strength in depth= build another trench system 1-2 miles behind front lines which could be brought to use if needed w/ some systems being 22km deep to be out of range for artillery/ hard to break through for allies
-war progressed = ger trenches become more elaborate w/ pillboxes, concrete shelters 4 machine guns/ behind pillboxes = lines of more barbed wire + trenches + dugouts reinforced w/ concrete to withstand artillery

Question 2

Allies on the Western Front

Answer 2

-Allies = offensive strat/ trenches = interim step + X long lasting defence but way to bring lots of men forward safely/ trenches = low ground -> soil is wet + susceptible to flooding -> duckboards designed to stop men walking + sinking in mud + stop diseases e.g. trench foot / dugouts + living quarters = quickly + X well built so most men slept in the dugout
- daily life = soldiers rotated through frontlines every 4-7 days/ depending on location, fighting may or may not be constant -> men spend day reading, writing, maintenance of weapons+ trenches/ most combat took place at night = slept during day
-impacts - unhygienic + cramped conditions = disease spread quickly e.g. typhus, cholera, dysentery w/ 2mil ppl dying on all sides from disease / men conducted daily medical checks on each other/ constant shelling -> shell shock or ptsd