Trench Warfare in World War 1
From the very beginning of World War 1, mobility was very limited. The development of new types of warfare allowed for more defensive strategies to be utilized throughout the war. The biggest example of this is trench warfare. Before World War 1, trench warfare was mostly used during the Civil War. However, with the wide use of artillery and new inventions like machine guns, trench warfare became a very important factor during World War 1. Because the goal of trench warfare was to defend one’s own trench while attempting to take the enemy’s at the same time, neither side gained any ground in a short period of time. Even if one side did push forward, it would take months at a time to gain anything. A prime example of how mobility was limited and also how trench warfare was an important factor in World War 1 is the Battle of the Marne.
In September of 1914, the Battle of the Marne took place. Germany had been planning to conquer France using the Schlieffen Plan, in which they attempted to encircle France from the north and take Paris. Germany advanced into French territory, but the French began to push the Germans back. Once the German army reached the River Marne, they were fiercely attacked by the Allied forces. Artillery exploding left and right forced the Germans to dig in. To protect themselves, they dug trenches along the Aisne River. This was the first time where defensive strategies were used in place of offensive strategies during the war. Eventually, the French pushed the Germans far enough away from Paris to save the city and continue the war for France, and the Germans were unable to push forward (BBC History November 4th 2012). This back and forth fighting continued throughout the entire duration of the war for every country. Because nations were trying to find ways to avoid being trapped in back and forth fighting, they began to continuously try to outflank each other.
Back and forth fighting, continuous flanking by both sides, and long trench lines and fortifications forced a migration of both sides towards the sea. This movement in the beginning of World War 1 was called the Race to the Sea. There were many battles throughout the Race to the Sea, and two of the first battles were the Battle of the Marne and the Battle of the Aisne. In both of these battles, the Germans dug trenches to defend themselves from the Allies. As a result, both sides began to attempt to outmaneuver each other by finding the open flank. However, this attempt by both sides to outmaneuver each other resulted in both sides continuously digging trenches for defense. These trench lines extended all the way to the coast, with both sides trying maneuver around the defenses of the other side. The goal of both sides was to eventually gain control of the Channel coast, hence the title Race to the Sea, and the race eventually ended in somewhat of a draw. In November, the continuous attempts to outmaneuver and outflank ended and both sides settled in for a long war based mostly on trench warfare (Michael Duffy November 4th 2012).
World War 1 was a war that was fought in the trenches. The majority of battles fought during the war involved trench warfare, including the Battle of the Somme. In this battle, the British heavily bombarded the German army for a week straight. However, the bombardment did not even reach them and the front line trenches were not affected at all. This was because the Germans were dug into heavily fortified trenches to protect themselves from the bombardment. Because both sides realized that the battle was not moving anywhere and that men were being killed for nothing, army commanders turned World War 1 into a war of attrition. This means that instead of having a complicated strategy, both sides would attempt to wear the other down by simply killing as many men as possible. In the Battle of the Somme, about 750,000 British and French troops were killed. In the famous Battle of Verdun, where the Germans attempted to capture the city of Verdun in France, over 300,000 French and German soldiers were killed and over 750,000 were wounded. Like the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Verdun did not affect the front line trenches and thousands of men were killed in an attempt to slightly change the front lines (PBS History November 4th 2012).
Back and forth fighting, continuous flanking by both sides, and long trench lines and fortifications forced a migration of both sides towards the sea. This movement in the beginning of World War 1 was called the Race to the Sea. There were many battles throughout the Race to the Sea, and two of the first battles were the Battle of the Marne and the Battle of the Aisne. In both of these battles, the Germans dug trenches to defend themselves from the Allies. As a result, both sides began to attempt to outmaneuver each other by finding the open flank. However, this attempt by both sides to outmaneuver each other resulted in both sides continuously digging trenches for defense. These trench lines extended all the way to the coast, with both sides trying maneuver around the defenses of the other side. The goal of both sides was to eventually gain control of the Channel coast, hence the title Race to the Sea, and the race eventually ended in somewhat of a draw. In November, the continuous attempts to outmaneuver and outflank ended and both sides settled in for a long war based mostly on trench warfare (Michael Duffy November 4th 2012).
World War 1 was a war that was fought in the trenches. The majority of battles fought during the war involved trench warfare, including the Battle of the Somme. In this battle, the British heavily bombarded the German army for a week straight. However, the bombardment did not even reach them and the front line trenches were not affected at all. This was because the Germans were dug into heavily fortified trenches to protect themselves from the bombardment. Because both sides realized that the battle was not moving anywhere and that men were being killed for nothing, army commanders turned World War 1 into a war of attrition. This means that instead of having a complicated strategy, both sides would attempt to wear the other down by simply killing as many men as possible. In the Battle of the Somme, about 750,000 British and French troops were killed. In the famous Battle of Verdun, where the Germans attempted to capture the city of Verdun in France, over 300,000 French and German soldiers were killed and over 750,000 were wounded. Like the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Verdun did not affect the front line trenches and thousands of men were killed in an attempt to slightly change the front lines (PBS History November 4th 2012).