Early in WWI the two sides faced a stalemate, meaning that neither side could advance.  As a result trenches were dug and trench warfare became the new way to fight during the war.  Trenches are ditches that can extend 50 feet underground and is where the soldiers would stay during the war.  Each side had a series of trenches located 100-400 yards apart that soldiers rotated through.  The first was the trench on the front line where the fighting took place, then was the support trench where soldiers could rest but were often called upon to assist the front line, after was the reserve trench where soldiers could rest and recharge.  Trenches were relatively safe during the day because it would be easy to see enemies coming, but were deadly during the night.  Enemies would sneak up and cut through the barbed wire that protected the trench and launch attacks with poisonous gases and then kill the survivors with their bayonets and guns.

 

Both the Allies and Central Powers had trenches and the trenches faced each other, usually the front line trenches were a mile apart.  The area between the two sides was called No Man’s Land because a soldier was easily seen by the enemy if he emerged from his trench making him an easy target for snipers. Trenches were terrible places to be and soldiers greatly suffered.  The soldiers were forced to deal with rats that feasted on the remains of the dead, the smell from overflowing latrines, poisonous gas, dead bodies, and body odor.  On average the British lost 7,000 men daily in the trenches.