In 1914 the Germans declared war on France an attacked. The Germans had a plan called the Schlieffen Plan. Using his plan the Germans invaded Belgium and then France. They thought that they would be able to avoid the French defences and defeat them very quickly. The plan didn’t work. The French and British armies ‘dug in’ and stopped the German advance. In doing so they had started Trench Warfare.

Why did the French and British ‘Dig in’?

The Germans were advancing very quickly and the only way to stop them was to put a large barrier in their way.

How did the French and British dig in?

The diagram below shows us how the trench was designed.

When the Germans attacked in Belgium they quickly beat the armies defending the borders and managed to get into France very quickly. The British and French generals, uncertain about how to stop the German advance decided to ‘dig in’ and ordered the construction of Trenches to act as a barrier against the attack.

The soldiers dug a hole about a metre wide at the bottom and two metres deep. Boards were placed on the ground to act as drainage. On the side of the trench facing the enemy a ‘fire step’ was cut into the wall. This was for soldiers to shoot from. Sandbags were placed at the top of the trench. This would stop the trench caving in if a bomb went off nearby. It also provided more protection from bullets. In front of the trench Barbed wire was rolled out. This was to stop soldiers being able to charge at the trench. The diagram below shows you what a trench might have looked like:

The trench would be equipped with men armed with rifles and bayonets. At regular intervals along the trench there were machine gun posts.

What soldiers might have thought about trenches
Things they might like / Things they might dislike
The Trench
Trenches were first dug by the British and French Armies in Northern France. The aim of trenches was to act as a barrier against the rapid advance of the German army from which a counter attack could be made. At first they were quickly and easily constructed using few materials other than sandbags and a shovel.

There were many different types of trench. The one above is typical of a front line trench, where fighting was expected to occur. Below is a diagram that outlines what a section of trenches may have looked like.

Task
  • Copy the diagram of the Trench into your exercise book and label it.
  • Write one or two sentences to explain what each part of the trench was used for.

Example: Sandbags were used to make a Parados at the top of the rear side of the trench. The Parados was placed here to prevent shrapnel from explosions from hurting the men in the trench.

Development of the Trench

As it became obvious that the Trench was not going to be the short-term barrier it was originally intended to be, networks of trenches were constructed. These trenches had to ensure the safety of the soldiers who would live, eat, sleep and fight there. Often these trench systems were as close as 20 metres away from the enemy who would face them across No Man’s Land.

Activity
  • Using a full sheet of A5 plain paper, draw a map of the trench system illustrated above. Include BOTH armies trench systems.
  • Colour the map and create a KEY to show what each colour represents: for example, RED might be used to illustrate where No Man’s land is on your map.
  • Using only the information provided in this lesson. Write a paragraph suggesting what likely problems soldiers living in trenches may have to endure.