It was also hard for the British as it was more complicated to obtain resources for the trenches as they had to be shipped all the way from England which might take days.
Other countries trenches didn’t improve that much either and all the men who fought in the war had it hard living in the trenches for that length of time. The trenches were uncomfortable, small and smelly and the men had to spend nights as well as days in them.
One of the main changes, which happened in the war however it was towards the end, was the invention of the ‘tank’ by the British. Nevertheless the Weston front came to a stand still as both sides were dug in massive defensive positions littered with pillboxes, wire, strong points, and mine.
There were different types of gas, the first was an irritant, the second made your eyes hurt, the third made your throat hurt and your lungs fill with fluid and the fourth killed you if inhaled.
The gas as form of weapon was a key breakthrough in the fighting tactics as it could kill a large group of soldiers. This weapon helped the Germans get back on track of winning, so the allies had to think of a weapon, which could protect them from the gas. When the gas mask was first introduced, it was just a bandage, which they would wet and put over their mouths. They could sometimes wet it with water but as that was rationed it normally ended up being their urine. This was unpleasant for the soldiers; as they had to wear these mask, which was covered in their urine. The soldiers found it very difficult to fight like this so by 1915 the soldiers were provide with suitable gas masks and anti-asphyxiation respirators.
The style of fighting also changed for one reason. Because the weapons had changed the fighting needed to improve to be able to use the weapons to their full ability. At the begin of the war they still were with cavalry however that changed more or less a couple of weeks into the war, when the men went to live in the trenches to protect themselves, as the weapons which were used, made it impossible for the men to live in tents since it would have been to dangerous. It was then just before the war finished that the method of fighting altered again, this was due to the tank being invented and also gas starting to emerge.
In 1917 the USA joined the war, because the Germans had used unrestricted submarines warfare to try and block out the British, however this involved sinking the American ships. Germans hoped they would win the war before the American troops arrived, the Americans declared war on Germany in April, the first American troop reached the western front in May.
With America entering it helped the Weston front because the Americans sent over resources to help block out The German Army even more.
I think that the soldiers and commandos should have concentrated a little less on the technology and more on the trenches. They kept on improving the weapons and other equipment but never improved the trenches to help make the soldier lives more comfortable.
Michelle Allford