Life in the trenches

Before World War I broke out, the various nations involved in this conflict prepared themselves with opulent military technology. Thus, when the “Great War” broke out in 1914, the movement of troops took very little time. It was clear that both sides were warily powerful and that the slightest territorial advance would only come at the cost of thousands of lives.

In this way, soldiers on both sides began to dig trenches from which they tried, at the same time, to protect themselves and attack. Generally, a trench was opened by the troops and was about 2.30 meters deep by two meters wide. At the highest point, sandbags and barbed wire were placed that would protect the soldiers from bullets and bomb shrapnel. In addition, an internal step called "fire step" allowed the observation of enemies.

So that enemy troops could not conquer a trench in a single attack, soldiers were careful not to build them in a straight line. Auxiliary and perpendicular trenches were also built so that the reaction time to an attack was increased. Despite protection, a well-aimed bomb or a timely burst of gunfire could leave several soldiers injured. Sudden deaths and unexpected attacks were constant.

In addition to the power of weapons, the trench itself was another enemy for the soldiers who mutinied in that unhealthy space. The dead that piled up in the trenches were a great decoy to the rats that fed on the putrid flesh of the bodies. Among the diseases usually contracted in the trenches, “trench fever” stood out, recognized by severe pain in the body and high fever; and “trench foot”, a kind of ringworm that could result in gangrene and amputation.

Between two enemy trenches was the so-called “no man's land”, where barbed wire and decomposing bodies were quite recurrent. The presence in that territory was quite risky and only happened through the use of very well-armed fronts. Generally, a soldier assumed various roles on the battlefield, having his forces used for the combat, the maintenance of troops, reserve support and the terrible days they spent in the trench.

More than a simple military strategy, the trenches represented intensely the horrors experienced throughout the First World War. Subjected to extreme living conditions, thousands of soldiers died in favor of a conflict in which imperialist competition was its main reason. For the first time, the ability of men to kill reached levels that undermined that image of reason and prosperity that justified monopoly capitalism.

By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History

Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/a-vida-nas-trincheiras.htm

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