How was trench warfare fought?

Question

Also, how were they destroyed? And, are there still trenches today?

Answer 1

Trench warfare was fought in a ghastly manner. The civil war was the first major conflict where digging in became a sound military tactic. In WWI trench warfare was the main way the war was fought. It started out mobile with German forces overrunning the French and British expeditionary forces until crude trenches were dug in. As the war lasted into the years, the trenches became increasingly complex with concrete reinforcement, communication trenches, barbwire, step up positions etc. There were a series of trenches that defended the position, provided a way to bring in reinforcements and/or rotate out, and provided reserve forces in the rear. The trenches were rarely destroyed, just bombed. In fact, to this day France is still scarred by the deep Trenches that were dug in 1915-1918. Many weapons evolved to defeat trenches such as aerial bombing ( to little effect) and the dreaded toxic gas where it was either released from one trench and with the wind it fell to the other trench killing thousands. Or it was contained within thousands of shells that were launched from the other side. WWI was a war of bombardment in that millions of shells were fired at the opposing side for the sole effort to kill as many on the other side. Entire forests were destroyed as well as many a person. The cannons were fired so much on the German side that the heat had even warped the cannons which made short firings increasingly common. The allies had many more soldiers so they relied on crude infantry charges to take enemy land. This lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths in a matter of hours. WWI was fought as a war of attrition and in reality very little land was taken in combat. Hundreds of thousands would die for a 100 yards advancement. Try reading the book All Quiet on the Western Front. It gives an account from the German side of a soldier's eyes in WWI.

I have forgotten to include modern warfare with trenches. Trenches are still used but they no longer possess the same defence capability they once had. There are cases where bull dozers would bury tens of thousands of soldiers alive in the sand. With the advent of armor and precise ammunitions, static defence is no longer a strategically sound strategy.

Answer 2

How Was Trench Warfare Fought

Answer 3

The Schleffien Plan was a failure because the Belgium fought against the Germans and slowed Germany down. Then the French stop them at the Maize River in the famous "Taxi Cab Races". Trench warfare happened because of all the metal flying through the air. Machine Gun bullets, Shrapnel from Artillery and Grenades. Nothing above ground stop the stuff so the only way to live was to join the dead by going underground. The Germans took the high ground and build strong defensive trenches. The allies built only a temporary trench because they wanted to keep the offensive spirit.

Answer 4

The first post is right, the French used trenches in World War 1 to hold off the Germans. This did not work in World War 2
which made greater use of planes and tanks.

Answer 5

Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defense. Trench warfare arose when there was a revolution in firepower without similar advances in mobility and communications. Peak brutality and bloodshed on the Western Front in the First World War.

i hoped i helped

Answer 6

I recently saw something on this. They are digging up an area that used to be trenches during WWI. They found many bones and are trying to identify. The part I saw, they had found buttons from uniforms that were French. They said at night, they would sneak over to the other side and try to capture someone with high rank and then leave hand grenades behind. They would try to learn what they could from any prisoner they got. It was on the History International channel. You could try to get on their web site for more info.

Answer 7

they have it set up with 5 trenches in a row, the first one is the trench for main fire, in the middle of the two sides there is a place called No mans land it is an all out battle through there rigged with EVERYTHING from poison gas and land mines to tanks

they were mostly destroyed by airplanes flying overhead and dropping bombs, and yes it still goes on today

Answer 8

No trenches today, too deadly and time consuming. The only way to take them is to jump up, run your a** off and hope you don't get shot, or drop a mortor or artillary round strait in (highly unlikely).

Both sides had extensive earthworks and trenches, thats what prolonged WWI.

Answer 9

People have already explained what it was.

There are still trenches left over in France and Belgium that are mainly used as tourist attractions.

However new ones are not created in modern wars.

Answer 10

Everyone wallows miserably in a trench until their commander tells them to go over the top then the enemy shoot most of them.