Trench Warfare - Why fought in trenches?

Question

Hello. I am doing research into World War One and I would appreciate it if someone could give a detailed answer to the build up of trench warfare (How the Germans got there first etc) and why exactly it was fought in trenches?

More info on the failed Schlieffen Plan, the German's arrival first would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Trench warfare was started, more or less, during the American Civil War. The final Union offensive against Richmond bogged down when both side dug in for protection against the other's weapons. The years of bloody combat had shown that Napoleonic field tactics were hopelessly out of date and were nearly suicidal when used with then modern weapons. Even the use of cavalry was modified towards the end of the war as horses were used more for transport and less for charges.

Advancments in military technology caused traditional tactics to be slowly modified as breech loading and repeating rifles increased the rate of fire an infantryman could produce. The use of rifles also made guns more effective. THe invention of gatling, and later machine guns, destroyed any thought of Napoleonic tactics for any intelligent field commander.

The schlifen plan, sumarized, called for the German army to advance in a massive sweeping arc through France. This was more or less the similar to the tactis which humiliated France during the Franco-Prussian war. The strategy called for a powerfulo right flank which would push through France and take Paris. In practice the attack bogged down when the German army weakened the vital right flank in order to put more troops in the eastern front.

Answer 2

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 3

Trench warfare actually started in the Civil War in the advance of the Federals against Richmond.
The developement of Trench warfare from one of movement was a result of the use of rifles by the military. Rifled muskets used during the Civil war were accurate to well over 300 yards, where smoothbore muskets had been accurate only to 75-100 yards before that.
Add to that the development of machine guns and common contact exploding artillary shells, and the life of an infantryman in the open was soon short. Trenches kept the men protected.
Trench warfare lasted until tanks were able to open up manuever again at the end of WWI, but continued until it's end.

Answer 4

....Ergo! as a result of the invention of the maching gun (in Britain- then sold to everycountry that wanted it by Mr. Vickers) WW1 became a defensive campaign. And the implementation of barbed wire. Trenches became heavily fortified.As cavalry( horse mounted soldiers),the fiercest infantry at the time used to attack were cut to pieces by automatic weapons fire. Also the hydraulically operated artillery piece greatly contributed to the creation of the TRENCH. So as forces could not out flank (go around each others trench) trenches were extended from Southern France all the way to the Belgium border.
What a silly way to fight a war. Attacks into the no man;s land oh boy!!!!!!! devastating. Not until the "land tank" no more stalemate.

Answer 5

Offensive weaponry made a lot of advancements from 1860 to World War 1. The trenches provided the only safety from that. Plus trenches were really not new. Fortifications long had trenches as one of the main features.