Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. Trench warfare arose when there was a revolution in firepower without similar advances in mobility and communications. Periods of trench warfare occurred during the American Civil War (1861-5) and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, and reached peak brutality and bloodshed on the Western Front in the First World War. Trench warfare - Background. Fortification is almost a ...

Including:

• Trench warfare - Background
• Trench warfare - Siege warfare
• Trench warfare - Maori Pas
• Trench warfare - Development
• Trench warfare - Implementation
• Trench warfare - Defensive system
• Trench warfare - Trench construction
• Trench warfare - Trench geography
• Trench warfare - Life in the trenches
• Trench warfare - Death in the trenches
• Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare
• Trench warfare - Infantry weapons
• Trench warfare - Machine guns
• Trench warfare - Mortars
• Trench warfare - Artillery
• Trench warfare - Gas
• Trench warfare - Helmets
• Trench warfare - Wire
• Trench warfare - Aircraft
• Trench warfare - Other Weapons
• Trench warfare - Mining
• Trench warfare - Trench battles
• Trench warfare - Strategy
• Trench warfare - Tactics
• Trench warfare - Communications
• Trench warfare - Obsolescence
• Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare
• Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia - Trench warfare

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Trench warfare - Infantry weapons. The common infantry soldier had four weapons at his disposal in the trenches: the rifle, bayonet, shotgun and grenade. The standard British rifle was the .303-in. (7.7mm) Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE), originally developed as a cavalry carbine, with a maximum range (for sniping) of 1400yd (1280m), though its effective range was more like 200yd (180m). British infantry training emphasised rapid rifle fire rather than accuracy. Early in the war, the British were able to ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations and the War to End All Wars, was a world conflict lasting from 1914 to 1919, with the fighting lasting until 1918. The label World War I or First World War did not come into general use until after the outbreak of World War II in 1939, and until then it was known as the Great War or the World War. The war was fought by the Allied Powers on one side, and the Central Powers on the other. No ...

Including:

• World War I - Causes
• World War I - Reasons & Responsibilities
• World War I - Opening battles
• World War I - Early stages: from romanticism to the trenches
• World War I - Trench warfare begins
• World War I - Southern theatres
• World War I - Ottoman Empire
• World War I - Italian participation
• World War I - The War in the Balkans
• World War I - The Eastern Front
• World War I - The Russian Revolution
• World War I - The Last Half
• World War I - Entry of the United States
• World War I - German Spring Offensive of 1918
• World War I - Entente’s victory
• World War I - End of the war
• World War I - Economics of War
• World War I - Social effects
• World War I - Technology
• World War I - Aftermath
• World War I - Casualties
• World War I - Other names
• World War I - Quotations
• World War I - Dramatizations
• World War I - See Also
• World War I - Main articles
• World War I - Media

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A berm is a level space or shelf separating two features. Archeologists use the term to define narrow spaces such as those between banks and ditches . It can also be used to describe a linear bank raised to separate two areas. In mediaeval military engineering a berm or berme was a level space between a parapet or defensive wall and an adjacent steep-walled ditch or moat. It was intended to reduce soil pressure on the walls of the excavated part, to prevent it collapsing. In the trench warfare of World War I, the name was applied to a similar feature at the lip of a trench which served mainly as ...

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A battle of attrition is a military engagement in which neither side has any tactical advantage, so that the only result of the fighting is the loss of men and materiel on both sides. Battles of attrition can be very lengthy, and test both sides' ability and willingness to make good their losses. Notable battles of attrition include: Trench warfare in the American Civil War, notably the Siege of Petersburg. Trench warfare in World War I, including the Battle of the Somme (1916), the Battle of Verdun and ma ...

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Trench warfare has been very infrequent since the end of World War I. When two large armoured armies meet, the result has generally been mobile warfare of the type which developed in World War II. However, trench warfare reemerged in the latter stages of the Korean War (1950-53) and in some locations and engagements in the Viet Nam War (1964-75). The most cited example of trench warfare after World War I was the Iran-Iraq War, in which both armies had a large number of infantry with modern small arms, but very little armour, aircraft or training in combined weapons. The result was very similar ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Trench warfare - Strategy. Trench warfare was a fundamental game of strategy. The fundamental strategy of trench warfare was to defend your own position strongly while trying to achieve a breakthrough into the enemy's rear. The effect was to end up in attrition; the process of progressively grinding down the opposition's resources until, ultimately, they are no longer able to wage war. This did not prevent the ambitious commander from pursuing the strategy of annihilation—the ideal of an offensive battle which ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Trench battles

Trench warfare - Infantry weapons. The common infantry soldier had four weapons at his disposal in the trenches: the rifle, bayonet, shotgun and grenade. The standard British rifle was the .303-in. (7.7mm) Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE), originally developed as a cavalry carbine, with a maximum range (for sniping) of 1400yd (1280m), though its effective range was more like 200yd (180m). British infantry training emphasised rapid rifle fire rather than accuracy. Early in the war, the British were able to ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare

The intensity of World War I trench warfare meant that about 10% of the fighting soldiers were killed. This compared to 5% killed during the Boer War and 4.5% killed during World War II. For British and Dominion troops serving on the Western Front, the proportion of killed was 12% while the total proportion of troops who became casualties (killed or wounded) was 56%. Considering that for every front-line infantryman there were about 3 soldiers in support (artillery, supply, medical, etc.), it was highly unlikely for a fighting soldier to survive the war without sustaining some form of injury. Indeed many soldiers were in ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Death in the trenches

An individual soldier's time in the front-line trench was usually brief; from as little as one day to as much as two weeks at a time before being relieved. The Australian 31st Battalion once spent 53 days in the line at Villers Bretonneux, but such a duration was a rare exception. A typical British soldier's year could be divided as follows: 15% front line 10% support line 30% reserve line 20% rest 25% other (hosp ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Life in the trenches

Trench warfare - Strategy. The fundamental strategy of trench warfare was to defend your own position strongly while trying to achieve a breakthrough into the enemy's rear. The effect was to end up in attrition; the process of progressively grinding down the opposition's resources until, ultimately, they are no longer able to wage war. This did not prevent the ambitious commander from pursuing the strategy of annihilation—the ideal of an offensive battle which produces victory in one decisive engagement. The Co ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Trench battles

Siting weapons this way is an example of the application of the defensive principle of mutual support. The advantage of siting weapons that mutually support one another is that it is difficult for an attacker to find a covered approach to any one defensive position. Use of armour, air support, indirect fire support, and stealth are tactics that may be used to assault a defensive position. However when combined with land-mines, snipers, barbed wire, and air cover, crossfire became a difficult ...

See also:

Crossfire, Crossfire - Mutual support, Crossfire - Trench warfare

Read more here: » Crossfire: Encyclopedia II - Crossfire - Mutual support

An individual soldier's time in the front-line trench was usually brief; from as little as one day to as much as two weeks at a time before being relieved. The Australian 31st Battalion once spent 53 days in the line at Villers Bretonneux, but such a duration was a rare exception. A typical British soldier's year could be divided as follows: 15% front line 10% support line 30% reserve line 20% rest 25% other (hosp ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Life in the trenches

The intensity of World War I trench warfare meant that about 10% of the fighting soldiers were killed. This compared to 5% killed during the Boer War and 4.5% killed during World War II. For British and Dominion troops serving on the Western Front, the proportion of killed was 12% while the total proportion of troops who became casualties (killed or wounded) was 56%. Considering that for every front-line infantryman there were about 3 soldiers in support (artillery, supply, medical, etc.), it was highly unlikely for a fighting soldier to survive the war without sustaining some form of injury. Indeed many soldiers were in ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Death in the trenches

Although firearms technology and the conscript army dramatically changed the nature of warfare, most armies were completely unaware of the implications of these changes and unprepared for their consequences. At the start of World War I, most armies prepared for a brief war whose strategy and tactics would have been familiar to Napoleon. However, as war broke out, German and Allied (mostly French and British) forces soon learned that with modern weapons even a shallow scrape in the soil could be defended by a handful of infantry. To at ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Implementation

The first development which was critical for trench warfare was the introduction of mass-conscripted armies during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Prior to this, armies still consisted of small numbers of troops which were unable to defend a large territory for very long—battles were either brief or degenerated into siege warfare. Large armies made it much more difficult for one army to outflank another, but it was still possible with cavalry and infantry charges for one army to break another by a direct assault. An example ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Development

Although firearms technology and the conscript army dramatically changed the nature of warfare, most armies were completely unaware of the implications of these changes and unprepared for their consequences. At the start of World War I, most armies prepared for a brief war whose strategy and tactics would have been familiar to Napoleon. However, as war broke out, German and Allied (mostly French and British) forces soon learned that with modern weapons even a shallow scrape in the soil could be defended by a handful of infantry. To at ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Implementation

Fortification is almost as old as warfare itself; however, because of the relatively small size of the armies and the lack of range of the weapons, it was traditionally not possible to defend more than a short defensive line or an isolated strongpoint. The very long fortifications of the ancient world, such as the Great Wall of China or Hadrian's Wall, were exceptions to the general rule and were in any case not designed to completely prevent enemy crossing the border, but to act as a deterence to casual border infringement, as well as to ac ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Background

All sides would engage in vigorous mining and counter-mining duels. The dry chalk of the Somme was especially suited to mining, but with the aid of pumps, it was also possible to mine in the sodden clay of Flanders. Specialist tunnelling companies, usually made up of men who had been coal miners in civilian life, would dig tunnels under no man's land and beneath the enemy's trenches. These mines would then be packed with explosives and detonated, producing a large crater. The crater served two purposes: it could destroy or breach the enemy's ...

See also:

Trench warfare, Trench warfare - Background, Trench warfare - Siege warfare, Trench warfare - Maori Pas, Trench warfare - Development, Trench warfare - Implementation, Trench warfare - Defensive system, Trench warfare - Trench construction, Trench warfare - Trench geography, Trench warfare - Life in the trenches, Trench warfare - Death in the trenches, Trench warfare - Weapons of trench warfare, Trench warfare - Infantry weapons, Trench warfare - Machine guns, Trench warfare - Mortars, Trench warfare - Artillery, Trench warfare - Gas, Trench warfare - Helmets, Trench warfare - Wire, Trench warfare - Aircraft, Trench warfare - Other Weapons, Trench warfare - Mining, Trench warfare - Trench battles, Trench warfare - Strategy, Trench warfare - Tactics, Trench warfare - Communications, Trench warfare - Obsolescence, Trench warfare - Recent trench warfare, Trench warfare - Sources

Read more here: » Trench warfare: Encyclopedia II - Trench warfare - Mining