answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Trench warfare is a form of warfare in which both combatants occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops were largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and were substantially sheltered from artillery. It has become a byword for attrition warfare, for stalemate in conflict, with a slow wearing down of opposing forces.

The intensity of World War I trench warfare meant about 10% of the fighting soldiers were killed. For British and Dominion troops serving on the Western Front, the proportion of troops killed was 12.5%, while the total proportion of troops who became casualties (killed or wounded) was 56%. A shell fragment would often introduce debris, making it more likely that the wound would become infected. These factors meant a soldier was three times more likely to die from a shell wound to the chest than from a gunshot wound. The blast from shell explosions could also kill by concussion. In addition to the physical effects of shell fire, there was the psychological damage. Men who had to endure prolonged bombardment would often suffer debilitating shell shock, a condition not well understood at the time.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

trench warfare was when World War 1 soldiers starter to dig trenches on the ground to protect themselves from machine gun fire. It occurred because the machine guns where causing a lot of casualties, so they came up with trenches to protect themselves.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What is trench warfare and why was it a dangerous way to fight?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

What was a solution for trench warfare?

If by "solution for trench warfare", you mean a way to end trench warfare, then the invention and widescale use of tanks, bombers and the Blitzkrieg in WWII solved trench warfare.


What was the most common type of warfare during world war 1 called?

Trench Warfare. AKA: Slaughter (men getting in the way of machines)


What is the french warfare?

I'm assuming this was supposed to say "trench" warfare, which was the warfare in WW1 in which soldiers dug trenches 8-9 feet deep in order to protect themselves from harms way.


Why did trench war fare happen?

Trench warfare happened due to a stalemate in the technological capabilities of the opposing forces at the time. With no mobile artillery, armour or aircraft there was no easy way to break the stalemate. This was a very nasty war to fight in, if you didn't get shot you would succumb to the natural forces, namely frost bite or trench foot, a condition caused by constant exposure to tepid water which caused gangrene of the soldiers limbs.


Why is wire in Trenches at an angle?

Barb wire was angled in trench warfare for protection. It was angled in a way that would prevent the enemy from entering the trenches.


Trench warfare mission 4?

The only way to win is by using air recon, infantry and a soggy sausage. Using that tactic will allow you to win the game.


Why did trench warfare originate?

because they were scared of being hit by bullets . thus decided to make trenches to travel through the land without being in harms way.


On the bbc online game trench warfare how do you complete mission two?

Tanks, infantry and artillary is one way of doing it. there are a few


Which of the following best explains why strategic bombardment emerged as the centerpiece of airpower theory?

Use of the aircraft as a military tool offered a way of bypassing the suffering and the carnage of traditional trench warfare.


How does trench warfare favor the defender?

The defender just sits in the trenches since there is no need to push on the enemy trenches. The enemy has to send soldiers down through the dead zone/no man's land where all or most will get shot down by soldiers firing from the defender's trenches or by artillery fire. In fact, many British and American soldiers died this way when arrogant generals with no trench warfare experience sent squads after squads of men to die rushing the defender trenches. The defender also has the benefit of being more prepared for the trench warfare with more time to plan trench design, better supply stocks and delivery routes. For trench design, the defender can create trenches on high ground which is a critical tactical advantage over the attacker and very difficult to break.


What is gas warfare?

Gas warfare would have been the warfare conducted by using poisonous gas to clear out trenches during WW1, but even during WW1 when gas was the most common, it still wasn't used excessively as it was viewed as an evil way to fight.


Why was trench warfare such a costly way of fighting a war?

Trench Warfare was a costly way to wage war because it was essentially a 400 mile long Stalemate. The Trenches were essentially the Central Powers digging to maintain what Territorial Gains they had won during the initial offensive, and the Allied Forces attempting to Reclaim lost ground. What developed was a Network of Trenches on each side, with Machine Guns on the Front Lines and High Explosive Artillery Shells raining down Shrapnel Overhead. The French did not even have time to bury their dead and sometimes decomposing bodies would stay in the Trench for Months with Soldiers fighting desperately for survival. Not to mention that this was before the Geneva Convention outlawed the Use of Gas Warfare, which brings the horrifying aspect of being Gassed in the Trenches. (This happened to Hitler, who was Austrian, not German.) Trench warfare was Brutal and death was everywhere. It lasted like that for four years until Germany Surrendered on False Pretenses under Starvation.