What were the dangers of the trenches in ww1?

Trenches provided protection from bullets and shells, but they did carry their own risks. Trench foot, trench fever, dysentery, and cholera could inflict casualties as readily as any enemy. Rats, flies, and lice were also commonplace.

What was the most dangerous part of the trenches?

Dangerous Nighttime Activity Nighttime in the trenches was both the busiest and the most dangerous. Under cover of darkness, soldiers often climbed out of their trenches and moved into No Man’s Land, the blasted landscape separating the two armies. Here, work parties repaired barbed wire or dug new trenches.

Was the trench a safe place during ww1?

Tunneling was the safest method, but also the most difficult. The land between the two enemy trench lines was called “No Man’s Land.” This land was sometimes covered with barbed wire and land mines. The enemy trenches were generally around 50 to 250 yards apart.

Why was attacking an enemy trench so difficult?

This area is not protected from the weapons of either side, and is dangerous to walk through. It is difficult to force the enemy to retreat, because it is too dangerous to move forward over no-man’s land towards the enemy.

Did soldiers eat rats in ww1?

With no proper disposal system the rats would feast off food scraps. The rats grew bigger and bolder and would even steal food from a soldier’s hand. But for some soldiers the rats became their friends. They captured them and kept them as pets, bringing a brief reprisal from the horror which lay all around.

How were the trenches so dangerous?

Life in the trenches was very difficult because they were dirty and flooded in bad weather. Sustained exposure to the wet, muddy conditions could cause Trench Foot, which sometimes would result in the foot being amputated. Cold weather was dangerous too, and soldiers often lost fingers or toes to frostbite.

What was the morning hate in ww1?

Stand To and the Morning Hate Accompanying stand to, as the light grew, was the daily ritual often termed the ‘morning hate’. Both sides would often relieve the tension of the early hours with machine gun fire, shelling and small arms fire, directed into the mist to their front: this made doubly sure of safety at dawn.

What was your chance of surviving ww1?

Over 40 million casualities over the spanse of 4 years, 3 months and 1 week. British soldiers, who fought through the whole expanse of the war, had about a 90 percent survival rate, far higher than in Britain’s previous continental engagement, the Crimean War.

Are bodies still being found from ww1?

The Bodies of More Than 270 German WWI Soldiers Found in French Tunnel. After remaining interred for over a century in the Winterberg tunnel, the bodies of more than 270 German soldiers — once thought to be lost deep within the still-battle-scarred French landscape — have recently been discovered.

What were the dangers of trench warfare in WW1?

By late 1916, the Western Front contained more than 1,000 kilometres of frontline and reserve trenches. The dangers of trench warfare were plentiful. Enemy attacks on trenches or advancing soldiers could come from artillery shells, mortars, grenades, underground mines, poison gas, machine guns and sniper fire.

What are reserve trenches?

Reserve Trench. The reserve trench was the backup trench for the second line trench. It was there in case the enemy had managed to gain control of both the front line and second line trench which was very unlikely.

Why were trenches miserable places for soldiers?

Trenches were also miserable places for the conditions they created for soldiers. Just as “No Man’s Land” was made treacherous by the rain in Northern France, so to were the trenches of World War I. Soldiers could find themselves in the trenches for weeks at time and with the trenches full of water, soldiers struggled to stay dry.

How long did a trench soldier stay in the front line?

A general pattern for trench routine was for a man and his section to spend 4 days in the front line, then 4 days in close reserve and finally 4 at rest, although this varied enormously depending on conditions, the weather and the availability of enough reserve troops to be able to rotate them in this way.