Describe the conditions faced by the Britishtroops on the Western Front

Artillery was brutal and the most dangerous weapon in trench warfare. Artillery had such power because it could fire from miles to the rear with a huge range. The fact that the artillery regiment was stationed far from the front line made it a very desirable job due to its limited danger from German counterattack. The shell on impact if landing in the trench itself would be enhanced by the confined space like dominoes. To try and conflict this fact and limit the death poll the trenches were built in a zigzag pattern. The British trenches were poorly constructed with shallow dug outs especially in comparison to the expertly built German trenches that were far deeper and had concrete for reinforcement. The Germans needed well built trenches because they were occupying a defensive stance against a two front war that allowed them to be stationed in the trenches for a long period of time. In front of the first line would be a thick wall of barbed wire before the treacherous ‘No Man’s Land’ that could vary from half a mile to fifty yards in width. This was a muddy battlefield that later in 1916 disallowed the impact of the tank that would get stuck in the boggy mud on its’ slow approach.

The British trenches possessed three lines consisting of front, support and reserve. In order to limit a soldier's suffering and possibility of mental incapacity’s they would be rotated throughout these three lines spending a maximum of four days in each. With ten days passed the soldier would undergo extensive training and rest several miles to the rear in order to further their limited experience in battle. After conscription was introduced to the British military in 1916 a far larger quantity of men would never have had any military training before. All soldiers would greatly yearn for their expected two weeks leave in which they would be free to return to England once a year. These limited luxuries were however, nothing in attempting to lower the brutal effect the war had. The awful conditions of the trenches can clearly be demonstrated with the fact that many soldiers were willing to deliberately shoot themselves in the leg to escape the war. This was a risk because if it was discovered that the wound was self inflicted the soldier would be killed being labelled as a traitor against the British military and the King.

 The fear that soldiers had stemmed greatly from the new devastating weapons that created the stalemate situation that the war was in. As well as the artillery guns and the sniper rifle another multitude of weapons were made available in the war. The machine gun was a new invention that could unload a quantity of 650 rounds a minute which could desecrate an oncoming infantry attack. It was the weapon that lay waste to ‘No Man’s Land’ and inspired the saying Kannonenfutter (cannon-fodder) of the German army about the New Army of Britain in 1916. The introduction of Gas in 1916 spread fear due to its gruesome effect. Mustard gas was a vicious and painful gas that reacted with water on impact thus burning the soldier’s eyes, mouth, lungs and several sweaty parts of the body. Other gases were used causing serious panic and disarray in the trenches.

The conditions faced by the British troops on the Western Front were brutal and gruesome causing much death and producing mind altering experiences. It allowed the introduction of a number of new weapons which would become a primal force in years to come.