1. Life in the Trenches and New Technology

2. War of Attrition • New technology and large armies made it difficult for either side to make great strides in the war • Armies started to dig trenches for defensive positions along the western and eastern fronts • Nobody gained any land • Each side wanted to see who could outlast who so they each sent more troops to the front lines

3. Trenches • Went from 400 miles of trenches in 1914 to 25,000 miles by 1918 • Three sections for soldiers • Front lines • Support lines • Reserves

5. No Man’s Land • The land in between both sets of trenches • Called no man’s land because nobody could survive if they entered this part of the war zone

6. No Man’s Land • Each side sent waves of soldiers into No Man’s Land daily • Soldiers added barbed wire or tried to get into the trenches of the enemy • Soldiers were sent at night into this land for intel • Had to use hand to hand combat if they found the enemy

7. Life in the Trenches • Daily shelling by enemy guns killed many soldiers • Snipers threatened all who looked over the top of the trench wall • Rats ran freely eating the dead before they could be removed from the trenches • Rats brought disease and death

8. Life in the Trenches • Lice brought on Trench Fever-took 12 weeks to recover from it • Slugs and horned beetles lived in the mud of the trenches and on the soldiers as they slept • Trench Foot was common • Solution-amputate the foot/feet

9. New Technology of War • Tanks • used as troop carriers around No Man’s Land • Flamethrowers • first used by Germany • Could kill the enemy in the trenches without destroying them

10. New Technology of War • Poison Gas • Chlorine gas was pumped into enemy trenches • Caused blindness and a choking feeling of the lungs which led to death

11. New Technology of War • Airplanes • First used for gathering information • Then became popular with the use of machine guns • Depth Charges • Underwater bombs to destroy u-boats • Hydrophones • First radar to find u-boats/submarines

12. New Technology of War • Aircraft Carriers • Could launch planes, but they could not land on the boat • Mobile X-Ray Machines • Size of a car/small bus

13. New Technology of War • Zeppelin – (filled with hydrogen) • Airships used by Germany • Used for intel and as bombers • Tracer Bullets • Allowed soldiers to see where they were shooting

15. Sources • Google Images • http://mentalfloss.com/article/31882/12-technological-advancements-world-war-i • http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm • http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-trenches-are-dug-on-the-western-front • http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/chapters/ch1_trench.html • Textbook: The American Republic Since 1877