How Did Ww1 Change The Evolution Of Trench Warfare

The evolution of warfare from 1914 to 1917 drastically changed the war for the common soldier with technological advances, attritional warfare, and the transition to trench warfare. All sides in World War I originally believed they would be home before Christmas, however with the failure of the Schiefflan plan, this was no longer the case. The Schiefflan plan was a military strategy devised by the Germans. The design was to defeat France through Belgium before devising an attack on Russia. The plan ultimately failed due to Belgium now allowing Germans to pass through their neutral territory. Since Germany was unable to achieve a quick victory in the West, they were now up against a two-front war with France and Russia. This evolution of war

The soldiers under Ludendorff’s control suffered the horror of trench life and the constant fear of death. Life for a common soldier was immensely different after facing the psychological challenges that come with this new form of combat. Eventually, the adrenaline and constant exposure to danger that these soldiers endure demises their fear. The eagerness for the common soldier rapidly passed when the realities of the war set in. The original fighting tactics soldiers were expecting to use against the enemy were no longer the case. In October 1914, the First Battle of Ypres changed the course of the war. Ypres was a vital location that both the Allies and Germany wanted because whoever had control had access to the English Channel ports. The Battle of Ypres established the creation of war on the Western front. The Allied forces were heavily outnumbered by the Germans, but they were able to hold them off, symbolizing the stalemate that occurred on the Western Front for the next few years of the war. The battles that occurred here had high casualty rates because of the introduction of modern weaponry such as machine guns and poison

The use of barbed wire was a new obstacle soldiers had to face when trying to advance on the enemy. Soldiers would get caught in the barbed wire, slowing them down and leaving them as open targets. If the soldiers managed to stay alive while being stuck in the barbed wire, they would suffer horrific injuries while trying to escape quickly. The common soldier was constantly under the threat of death from not only artillery but also infection. The smallest cut could lead a soldier to death because of the unhygienic living conditions in the trench. The horrors of trench warfare increased as the conflict dragged on because of the worsening living conditions. The trenches would constantly flood due to poor draining systems, causing “unhealthy conditions [that] led to trench foot, not to mention diseases such as measles and influenza which caused casualties beyond those actually wounded in battle”. If the soldiers were not taking care of their bodies, they were at high risk for disease and possible death. One of the main things soldiers had to constantly stay cautious of was staying dry. By allowing their feet to soak in dirty water, it could lead to them losing their