Trench Warfare

After only two weeks of training, soldiers were sent to the Western Front. The journey from the camp took usually a train journey and several hours of marching and covered 60 miles. This became known as going 'Up the Line'. The train journey was complained about bitterly. The troops travelled in what they called "7th class" in cattle-trucks with a little straw on the floor. However, despite these many off putting factors, millions signed up desperate to go to the front. Seeing it as an adventure, boys signed up before they were old enough and young boys dreamed and longed to be old enough to join with their male relatives in protecting their country. Those who were eligible for war but who failed to enrol were given a white feather as a sign of cowardice and were often subject to terrible abuse from neighbours and friends.

PAL'S BATTALIONS

In the First World War millions of men enlisted to the army. To encourage as many as possible to join up the Government decided to put the soldiers with their relatives and friends. So sons and fathers were going into war side by side. All over the country towns and villages were emptied of their male residents, leaving wives and families behind. Although for many reasons it was a good idea to keep friends and family together it had dire consequences. Since these battalions were often wiped out, a family could lose a father, a son, an uncle, neighbours and friends in a single attack. Because of the many towns that were left without their men folk this idea was not repeated in World War II.

HEAVY LOSSES

Over 2.6 million men had volunteered for the British Army by January 1916. But still the military leaders insisted that more men were needed. Parliament then decided to pass the largely controversial Military Service Act. In total 1.6 million men from the British Army were wounded during World War 1.

Approximate estimates show that 662,000 were killed and another 140,000 were recorded as being missing, presumed dead. Thousands of bodies were never found or identified.

The Allies Generals had plans, which in theory were efficient and supposed to save loss of life on their own side.

But the reality was very different. The surprising thing is that they stuck to this plan despite the failures experienced. Even though they were using the same method of the underground pits as the enemy they continued to bombard the Germans who stayed safe underground and then plough their troops into the path of the opposing gunfire. The trench being a defensive tactic is much easier to defend than to attack. And so advancing towards the enemy trenches was suicide.

An attack usually involved a division which is made up of 16 000 men. Attacks were supposed to take control of enemy trenches. Unlike an attack, an offensive involves a much larger number of men. The main objective of an offensive was to attempt to sustain any positions taken during the break of the enemy line. However this raised serious problems about the supplies the soldiers received of ammunition, food and water.

Before an advance in either form, a bombardment by heavy artillery took place in order to soften enemy trenches. An extreme example of this was at the Battle of the Somme when the Allies bombarded the enemy trenches for eight days, in an attempt to provide their troops with a clear take over of the enemy lines. 750, 000 men were sent to attack the German trenches. This all happened with little success and so it is particularly surprising that in the following year they decided on a ten day bombardment during the Battle of Ypres. I find it very surprising that the Generals persisted in their tactics despite experiencing heavy casualties after the Battle of the Somme.