Name: __________________________________ Period: ___________ Date: ______________
WORLD WAR I: Trench Warfare
This Webquest explores the horrors of trench warfare in WWI. You will research what
trench warfare was, how the trench system worked, its impact on the western front of the
war, and what life was like for the soldiers who fought and lived in the trenches. After
researching you will write a first person letter home explaining the realities of trench
warfare in WWI on the western front. YOUR GOAL FOR THIS WEBQUEST IS TO GATHER
INFORMATION BY ACCESSING THE WEBSITES BELOW, AND THEN WRITE A LETTER
HOME DISCUSSING TRENCH WARFARE. Make sure you write the letter in a “letter
format.” If I were completing this Webquest, I would go through the websites first, gather
information and then put it all together at the end, thus writing my letter.
Station # 1-Explosion
Immediate Cause of World War I
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism were all underlying causes for
World War I to begin but one specific incident brought those many causes to a
climax.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/chapters/ch1_explosion.html
1. How did the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand instigate (urge on) the collapse of
peace in Europe?
Station # 2-The Outbreak of War
Germany “would have Paris for lunch, St. Petersburg for dinner.” ~Kaiser
Wilhelm II
The assumption that the European war would end quickly was far from correct.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/maps_outbreak.html
Read the information and watch the animation, then answer the following questions.
2. What was the Schlieffen Plan and how did it support Kaiser Wilhelm’s goals in the
quote above?
3. Why didn’t the Schlieffen Plan work?
Station # 3-The Trenches
First find out what trench warfare was. Google search “definition trench warfare” to find a
meaning.
4. By war's end, how many miles of trenches had each side dug?
Source: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/chapters/ch1_trench.html
5. In the section “Organization of Trenches,” what were the four types of trenches
used by the Allies?
6. What made the trench system different from other styles of fighting? How did this
change how the battles were fought and won?
7. Approximately how many British soldiers were killed, disabled or wounded each
day?
Station # 4-Trench Warfare Map
Trench Warfare Diagram
8. Look at the picture – *Diagram of trench system ‐ Why do you think the trenches
were formed in a zigzag type pattern?
Source: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/chapters/ch1_trench.html
[Station 4 continued]
9. Describe “no‐man’s land.”
Use the link below to view a diagram of a typical trench in WWI. Include this information in
your paragraph, describing what the trench system was and how it worked.
http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/Trenchsystem.jpg
Life in the Trenches
After the initial invasion of France by the Germans, the Allied troops pushed the
German troops back to a stalemate position. Neither side would back down; so they
‘dug in.’
Source: http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm
Write 2 facts from each section about daily life in the trenches.