why did people switch lines in sthe trenchs of WW1?

Question

why were they consitantly rotated in the trenchs?

Answer 1

Morale. Soldiers could only take so long in the trench before getting shell shock or becoming depressed.

Answer 2

The only way soldiers 'switched lines' in WWI was:-

(1) If they were being rotated from the front line to trenches in the rear, as happened regularly.

(2)If they were successful in a battle to take their opponents trenches.

Later: You have asked why troops were rotated. Simply because they could only take so much. Weapons, for example, needed cleaning - something which could not be done in the mud and filth of the front line. Also, regiments which had suffered heavy losses were rotated to the rear to regroup and reform. I think there was a specific time scale for the period a regiment would remain in the front line without being rotated to the rear, but despite a search have been unable to find how long this time was. It should be compared however, with rotations of aircraft crew in WW2 - RAF bomber crews did 30 sorties (a tour) before being 'rotated' back and given what is now called R&R.

Answer 3

Switch lines?! Crossing the lines?
In trench warfare, the attacker and defender would attack forward as far as they could go, then dig in. If by switching lines you mean trade places, that never really happened. In a charge, the defender might be routed from his trench, and the attacker would take it over. A few days later, the defender might be re enforced and counter attack, driving the former attacker back to his own trenches. That was the ebb and flow of battle that made WWI last so long. I think that's what you might be asking. The use of the tank and the machine gun eventually put an end to the push and push-back fighting of WWI.

Answer 4

Life in the trenches was brutal. Living in the muck with rats, shellings and sharpshooters, non-existent sanitary facilities and poor food - leaving them too long in the trenches would quickly make a soldier worthless. Rotation extended the lifetime (as it were) of a soldiers usefulness.

As a side note, the battle of Verdun was one of the worst charnel houses of the war, lasting 10 months with almost constant fighting. Almost the entire French army was rotated through Verdun, exposing each one of them to the appalling horrors of this battle.

Answer 5

I had to take european history and world history basically 3 years in high school with a specific focus on WW1 and except for the unofficial Christmas Truces early in the war I have NEVER heard of soldiers switching sides during the war.

Answer 6

The only way they "switched" lines is when they were able to overrun the enemy and take their positions away from them.
They were routinely rotated to the rear (if they were lucky enough to be alive) as often as possible - which wasn't very often given the circumstances of the fighting, lack of communication capability and transportation.

You might be using the word "rotated" when considering the appalling number of deaths and the necessary number of replacements. Horrific war.