Life in the Trenches- WWI

Do Now

• How do you think life is for soldiers over in Iraq?

• What type of things do you think they do on a daily basis?

• What do you think they do in their free time?

• Standard 10.4.7: Explain the nature of the war and its human costs (military and civilian) on all sides of the conflict, including unprecedented loss of life from prolonged trench warfare.

• Objectives: • Define trench warfare and war of attrition• Explain life in the trenches• Explain how new technology affected war related

deaths

Weapon of the Past:

MUSKET

• One shot at a time• Good soldier could fire 3 aimed shots in one

minute.

Why was World War I so DEADLY?!?

Weapons of WWI: 1. Machine Guns 2. Artillery

• the impact of the round has a kill radius of up to 75 meters.

3. Tanks and Airplane 4. Poisonous Gas

This is how Wars used to be fought…

• Soldiers lined up in rows (firing lines) and

walked towards each other. • This was OK because there’s no automatic

weapons and muskets (rifles) are inaccurate…

The Patriot / Glory

What is your reaction to the way wars used to be fought?

This is how World War I was fought…

• Trench Warfare - Soldiers “lived” in trenches which are ditches dug in the ground (to avoid gunfire).

• No Man’s Land- land in between two sides’ of

trenches

• Automatic Weapons, Long-range Artillery and Airplanes were introduced.

Joyeux Noel / Legends of the Fall

What is your reaction to how WWI was fought?

Checks for understanding: Why was World War I so deadly?

Weapons and change of technology. Does fighting in a line look so stupid or terrible now?

Life in the Trenches

• As we read about life in the trenches, we will continue to work on our summarization skills.

• The first one we will do together as a class, and the next three you will do in pairs.

• I will pass out the handouts and pictures that you will use in pairs to complete this activity.

Waterlogged Trenches“The trench, when we reached it, was half full of mud and water. We set to work to try and drain

it. Our efforts were hampered by the fact that the French, who had first occupied it, had buried their dead in the bottom and sides. Every stroke of the pick encountered a body. The smell was awful.” Private Pollard, British Army

TRENCH FOOTTrench foot was an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary conditions. In the

trenches men stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots. The feet would gradually go numb and the skin would turn red or blue. If untreated, trench foot could turn gangrenous (infected) and result in amputation. Trench foot was a particular problem in the early stages of the war. During the winter of 1914-15 over 20,000 men in the British Army were treated for trench foot.

The only remedy for trench foot was for the soldiers to dry their feet and change their socks several times a day. By the end of 1915 British soldiers in the trenches had to have three pairs of socks with them and were under orders to change their socks at least twice a day. As well as drying their feet, soldiers were told to cover their feet with a grease made from whale-oil. It has been estimated that a battalion at the front would use ten gallons of whale-oil every day.

“If you have never had trench feet described to you. I will tell you. Your feet swell to two or three times their normal size and go completely dead. You could stick a bayonet into them and not feel a thing. If you are fortunate enough not to lose your feet and the swelling begins to go down. It is then that the intolerable, indescribable agony begins. I have heard men cry and even scream with the pain and many had to have their feet and legs amputated.” Sergeant Harry Roberts, British Army (interview)

More life in the trenches

• Once again, in pairs you will look at the rest of the readings and images to work on your summarizing skills to complete this handout.

Independent Practice

• Complete the diary reflection activity on the back of your handout.

• You will also be working on a probe to better test your summarizing skills. This will be due at the end of class.