Why were conditions in the trenches so awful?

Answer 1

The trenches are revolting, the soldiers are in water 24,7 and get trench foot, the soldiers wake up every day to a new died body, the trench rats eat the fresh flesh.

The soldiers drink the dirty water they stand in and eat the trench rats.

they cant stop scratching their bodies because mites keep biting them and every time when they wash their clothes the mites just lay eggs in their skin, you cant get rid of them!

by shannon billington

Answer 2

Life in the Trenches Was Short, Nasty and Brutish; do you agree With This?

From 1914-1918 the First World War swept the earth with devastating effects; throughout this war; the main warfare was fought in the trenches (defensive dugouts in the ground). In this essay we will look at the lives of the soldiers and discover whether life in the trenches was short, nasty and brutish. I believe that life in the trenches was nasty sometimes short and mostly brutish.

In the first world war a major problem was the living conditions which could lead to disease; one of the biggest problem diseases was trench foot (in cold/wet conditions) this was when the foot became swollen and developed open sores; this was due to having to stand in puddles that developed at the bottom of the trenches in cold and wet weather, in very sever cases it would have to be amputated. Another common injury was what was known as a "blighty one" this was when a solider got an injury that didn't kill him but was bad enough to send him back home to England (blighty). Other diseases that could be caught in the trenches were: Ulcers, boils, rashes, pneumonia, tuberculosis, dysentery and bronchitis. A lot of the diseases came from the bad living conditions, the living conditions was very dependant on the weather for example if the weather was warm and bright then the conditions would be considerably better then if the weather was extremely cold and raining so the conditions weren't always bad however; evidence that the conditions were bad at times is in GCSE modern world history second edition page 21 sources 20, 21 and 22; in these sources it is shown that the British trenches were in extremely bad conditions. These are just two points of evidence that trench life was nasty.

The other two factors that contributed to life in the trenches being nasty were the food and the dangers; the average weekly food rations were: bully beef 1lb, bread and biscuits 1 ¼ lb, bacon ¼ lb, tea ½ oz, sugar 2oz, jam 2oz, cheese 1oz, butter ¾ oz, potatoes ¾ lb. The jam was mixed with items such as saw dust to make the soldiers think that it had strawberry seeds in it. As you can see the food sources were good however lacked some of very important vitamins and minerals but it would have kept them alive; the soldier's food was the least of their worries, there were many dangers such as: Shell fire from explosion and shrapnel, rats (an un-amount able mass which would flood through the trenches eating the soldiers dogs and dismembered body parts, lice which were not only a nascence but a carrier of disease as well, machine gun fire which was not only a danger when going over the top, if your head was above trench level the Germans would have set up their guns and picked off any soldiers not in order, diseases which would sweep through the trenches obliterating all who caught bad enough infections and wounds and the weather which would effect all aspects of life in the trenches. Life in the trenches was very understandably nasty although there were aspects that weren't so nasty such as if the weather was nice or your one cup of tea in the morning.

Life in the trenches was also viewed as short in some cases; evidence of this is the battle of the Somme in which 60,000(aprox.) men died in the first day; altogether 420,000 British soldiers; 200,000 French soldiers; and 500,000 German soldiers had been killed by the end off the battle of the Somme; this is just one point of evidence that life in the trenches was short at times, however, life in the trenches was not always short for example if you weren't going over the top your life expectancy would dramatically increase due to the lowered risk of being shot or caught in barbed wire equally as if you were going over the top you would have a good chance of being shot, getting blown up or falling and breaking bones (in shell holes).another point of which your life could be longer would be if the weather was good; the weather could have been the difference between life and death in the front lines (if it was too cold hypothermia was a possible risk on your life). As you can see your life expectancy was very dependant on the conditions of your shift in the front lines although shelling was still a possibility in the trenches your life wouldn't always be short.

Life in the trenches was also seen by many historians as brutal or brutish; evidence of this is as follows: the British trenches which would have been in appalling conditions due to shelling and wear also in the race to the sea the British were in such a rush to build their trenches they didn't dig them 6' they dug them at approximately 4'; the food supplied to the front lines would have been cold and might not have contained all the nutrients needed to keep the soldiers fit and healthy also it would have been even worse in the winter; if shelling carried on too long or hard then the front lines would have been unable to be supplied with food and could have possibly starved; the front lines would only be supplied with cold water so if a solider wanted to shave he would have had to in cold water which would have shredded up his face. Yet there were points of evidence that show that life wasn't always brutish in the trenches; in the morning all the soldiers in the front line would be brought a hot cup of tea which they could use to shave in to avoid shredding their faces also soldiers would have been allowed music players such as a vinyl record player which would have made their time spent in the trenches pleasanter. As you can see life in the trenches was mostly brutish however could be made less brutish by small gestures by fellow soldiers.

In conclusion I believe that life in the trenches was nasty due to the mass of evidence showing that it is although there is a small patch of evidence that it wasn't always nasty; sometimes short as your life expectancy was extremely dependant on the conditions you were doing your 10 days in the front line in; and finally mostly brutish as there is an overwhelming amount of evidence on the behalf of agreement although there is slight evidence shown to prove in some cases it wasn't as brutish.

Cheese.

Answer 3

For WW1, WW2, Korean/Vietnam Wars; Wars are NOT all about shooting guns. Anyone can pull a trigger.

War for the fighting man (Marines & Soldiers) is about:

Vietnam

• Never getting to sleep peacefully, day or night.
• Never getting to sleep at night. (Sleeping WHENEVER he can).
• Never sleeping in a bed.
• Almost always sleeping in the dirt, mud, or on top of a tank or near an artillery piece (Field Gun), or some spider/rat/snake infested bunker.
• Nearly always eating cold food (Light discipline; no light can be shown at night time; it draws enemy fire).
• Nearly always eating canned "C" Rations (Food).
• ALWAYS Dirty, ALWAYS Sweaty.
• Nearly never getting to use a toilet; always performing those functions near some bushes or trees, or other jungle area.
• Bathing only in rivers, creeks, or bomb craters that are filled with rain water (and those are almost guaranteed to have leeches in them).
• Wearing clothing (fatique uniform) that is beginning to ROT off your back; you can tell when you pull on a portion of the shirt, it rips.
• You can only brush your teeth with the "C" Ration tooth pick that is especially designed for brushing your teeth.
• The canteen water you drink 7 days a week 30 days a month is warm and looks like urine, and has living micro's and plant life floating around in the water; but it's been treated with the iodine tablets that come with your issue, so it's supposed to be safe to drink.

That's about a dozen routine activities of a normal working day for a GI in Vietnam. And we never got to mention anything about Battles & Shooting our weapons. That might come at any time.

WW I in Europe:

Greg Clark, a Canadian journalist, served in the trenches of WW I. Read his stories (e.g. "The Highlander's Shin") for a good view of what life and death at the front was like. It included:

• Sitting in the freezing mud forever watching rats eat your dead buddies
• Freezing and wet in poorly designed uniforms
• Clouds of heavier than air mustard gas floating over the landscape and flowing into the trenches
• Artillery bombardment at any time
• Snipers picking you off if any part of your head got over the trench edge
• Trench foot and gangrene from any cut or blister
• Kilts that froze to your legs
• Body bits drifting over the landscape with every fresh barrage
• Being buried alive as "rooms" collapsed
• Knowing sappers were burrowing under your feet planting explosives

Answer 4

Due to the deployment and use of massed artillery and machine guns in World War 1, the highly manoeuvrable form of warfare broke down into a war of attrition. In order to protect the infantry from artillery and machine-gun fire, the trenches were dug - initially as a temporary measure but which ultimately became significant fortified positions.

Men in the tranches faced constant artillery barrages which would be extremely frightening to endure, even (I would imagine) for the experienced soldiers, let alone for the youngest and least experienced conscripts. They were at constant risk of being shot by enemy snipers. Young or inexperienced soldiers wishing to get a view of "No Man's Land" or the enemy may have been tempted to raise their head above the parapet of the trench. This was an extremely dangerous thing to do. In order to view "No Man's Land" or the enemy positions safely it was necessary to use a device known as a trench periscope which used a series of mirrors to allow officers a view above the trench parapet without exposing themselves to enemy view or fire.

Due to the constant artillery barrages, the ground was constantly churned up. Any rainfall would result in a thick layer of mud at the base of the trench as well as the pooling of water. Because the soldiers weren't able to dry their feet properly and spent long periods standing in surface water, they developed a condition that became known as trench foot. If untreated this could ultimately result in gangrene requiring amputation.

The conditions in the trenches were highly insanitary and as such disease was actually the biggest killer of soldiers in World War 1. Conditions such as cholera, dysentery and typhus were very common as well as the fungal infections caused by trench-foot as described above.

Exposure (hypothermia) was also a common cause of death in winter with temperatures falling well below freezing.

The use of poison gas as a weapon was also an innovation of World War 1 which contributed significantly to the Horror of battle.

Early in the war, use was made of chlorine which at high doses was fatal and at lower doses would cause lung damage. This however was replaced by Phosgene which proved significantly more lethal and was much harder to detect. Phosgene effects the lungs, impeding the body's ability to exchange gasses to and from the air and blood and caused death by suffocation.

The most infamous of the poison gas weapons of World War 1 were the mustard gasses. These caused blistering and burns to exposed tissue and if inhaled would cause significant damage to the lungs. This gas was responsible for some of the most horrific injuries during World War 1 and victims of mustard gas could take several weeks to die, suffering in agony. One of the reasons it was so effective was that it was persistent. It would linger on the battle field long after it was released. Another factor, was that mustard gas initially causes no symptoms. This meant that victims could be exposed to very high doses without realising as the symptoms may not occur for up to 24 hours after exposure.

There was also the psychological pressure as soldiers were aware that they potentially may be ordered to attack the enemy trenches which would require them to charge into No Man's Land, through the thick viscous mud and barbed wire under heavy and sustained machine gun, rifle and artillery fire.

These factors all contributed to making the soldiers lives a living hell, whether it be due to the awful insanitary conditions, the freezing cold, the constant risk of sniper and artillery fire, or the fear of being severely disfigured and injured in a gas attack.

The above contributed to a condition at the time known as shell shock and which has since become known more formerly as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD which is a psychological response to intensely traumatic and stressful events.

Please see the related links for more information.

Answer 5

Think about living in a tunnel in the ground. It is wet because of rain and cold with snow. Shells are coming from the opposite army, there are rats, sick soldiers , wounded soldiers, gas, and little shelter from everything . It was so bad because this is the way it was fought.