What techniques were used in trench
warfare?
Learning objective – to be able to identify
the ways which the tactics of the First
World War were different from the past.
I can describe the
main features of the
ways that the First
World War were
fought.
Grade D
I can compare the
new ways of fighting
in the First World
War
with
what
happened in the
past.
Grade B
I can explain the ways
which the tactics of the
First World War were
different to the past.
Grade A
6,250 miles of trenches were dug across a
stretch of land between Belgium and the
Netherlands that lasted 440 miles.
A new war?
By the end of 1914, the war of
movement ground to a halt.
Both sides had dug into strong
positions across the Western
Front and the generals did not
know how to break the enemy
lines.
Before the First World War,
battles had been dominated by
cavalry charges and infantry
troops fighting hand-to-hand
combat. These method just did
not work with a series of trench
lines protected by barbed wire,
machine guns and artillery fire.
A war of attrition?
Both sides tried to make a
breakthrough
by
pouring
thousands of men at enemy lines
at a concentrated point. This
failed.
From 1915, both sides adopted a
policy of attrition. This involved
wearing the enemy down and
hoping that the enemies
resources would run out before
yours.
How did an army prepare for an
attack?
Large numbers of troops were
moved to the front line.
Extra supplies of ammunition,
supplies and coffins were
needed.
Aerial reconnaissance of the
enemy positions.
Paths were cut, at night, in your
own barbed wire fences and
paths marked out with tape.
How effective was artillery
bombardment?
Artillery fire was used to bombard enemy trenches before and,
sometimes, during an attack.
Bombardments usually stopped just before an attack. This proved to
be a dangerous warning to the enemy that an attack was about to
happen.
Soldiers feared artillery shells the most and were the biggest cause of
casualties.
What was ‘going over the top’?
Once the artillery bombardment was over,
the order was given for soldiers to ‘go over
the top’. This meant climbing out of the
trenches, crossing No Man’s Land and
attacking the enemies trenches.
This tactic was based on the assumption that
the artillery had destroyed the enemy
trenches. This was rarely the case and the
attackers were easy targets for the machine
guns.
For much of the war, both sides repeated this
tactic again and again. No one could think of
a way of breaking this stalemate.
How did Verdun symbolise the policy of
attrition?
Verdun was a French fortress city close to
the border with Germany. Highly
defended, it was a symbol of French
military power, which they would defend
at all costs.
The Germans knew this and attacked
Verdun knowing that the French would
place huge resources to save the city.
Between February and July 1916,
900,000 men were killed at the battle –
500,000 of them French. The stalemate
was not broken but as the French stated
‘They shall not pass …..’ and they did not.
Main tasks
Define the term ‘attrition’.
List the different ways how the First World War was fought.
Draw a trench system diagram using the materials to help you.
Label on it the key features as well as mark in red why attacks
consistently failed.
Extension
Write a five paragraph essay answering the following question Explain why trench warfare was a new kind of war.
Plenary
Throw a 12 sided die and choose one of the tasks below to
summarise your learning –
- With the number thrown, choose x words that summarise what
you have learned this lesson and arrange them in a crossword
format ensuring all words link together.
- With the number thrown, choose x words that summarise what
you have learned and write single sentence definitions for them.
- With the number thrown, choose x words that summarise what
you have learned and write x amount of questions – one for each
word you have chosen which is the answer for the separate
questions.