The British had to dig in and stop the Germans in their tracks. The British decided to dig in Ypres near the border between France and Belgium.
Another important reason why trench warfare developed on the Western Front was the nature of weapons technology used during World War One. By the beginning of the First World War, weapons were very powerful and accurate. Machine guns could fire up to three rounds per second and were accurate for over three miles. But they were very heavy; it took a team of up to six men to man some of them. Quite a few guns even needed water to cool down the barrel when in use. This meant that machine guns could only be used for defence, as it would be almost impossible to get them to an attack. Rifles were also very powerful and could fire up to a mile. Up to 15 shots could be fired in a minute, but only if the soldier using the weapon was in a suitable position. But for the riflemen to use his rifle to it’s best ability he had to stay still and take aim, which meant that he was a sitting duck on a battlefield, so the best possible place to fire from was in his own ranks. Also, the rifles were breech loading, so the rate of fire was a lot less than that of machine guns. Rifles were only any good as defensive weapons, but unfortunately they were the only guns available at the time. Artillery was also best as a defensive weapon, although it was used very well later on in the war for barrages (which it could be argued were used to ‘defend’ the attacking foot soldiers). Artillery fire killed more men in World War One than any other available weapon at the time. Developments like shrapnel shells were only reasonably accurate as they ‘fired’ in all directions, and so they could not be used during an attack made by their own side, only in defence against an attacking enemy. Also, attacking barrages weren’t as accurate as some people thought, so the attacking men were sometimes hit by friendly fire. But shells were only mainly used to bombard the enemy before an attack early in World War One, which was a defensive measure. All in all, artillery was best used as a defensive weapon protecting all the soldiers from the enemy. Barbed wire was another weapon to aid in defence, it left the attacking forces without a way into their enemies trenches so they could be picked off whilst trying to find a gap. But, it was only any good for defence; it couldn’t do anything else. Almost every single weapon at the beginning of World War One could only be used for defence. But to defend a position properly, the area had to have ‘defences’ which protected the soldiers from artillery and gunfire. The best defences in this case were basically holes in the ground known as dugouts, fox holes or better known as trenches.
The level of industrialisation also played an important part in contributing to trench warfare. Before the First World War, Britain had never fought against an industrial equal. All of the countries that Britain had conquered and turned into colonies had been underdeveloped and at a technological disadvantage, so Britain had no problem in overrunning them. Germany on the other hand, was not weak in comparison to Britain. Britain and Germany were industrial equals and had almost unlimited resources. Right in the beginning of the war, both sides decided to ‘starve’ the other of vital equipment like shells, ammunition and guns. The more weapons a side had, the bigger their chances of winning the war. But with their ‘unlimited’ supply of materials and resources they couldn’t get the effect they wanted, and all though there were a few close calls (1915 Munitions Crisis in Britain), they just kept going. The sides could not be overrun and some trenches hardly moved from their original positions at all. The trench warfare was being prolonged by the ‘war in the factories’.
Some people believe that the leadership and tactics on the Western Front during World War One also aided trench warfare. Commanders like General Haig (British Commander) were criticised with nicknames like ‘the Butcher of the Somme’. But many other commanders (like Falkenheyn, a German commander) were no better. Haig’s tactics were to bombard the Germans with artillery right before an advance and then ‘throw’ men at the enemy in a hope of overrunning them. Even French Commanders like General Nivelle wasted their men’s lives. Because World War One was a ‘war of attrition’, all the countries fighting against each other tried to wear their enemy down by killing as many men as possible. General Haig believed that if he was given more men and guns than the Germans had, a breakthrough could be achieved. Generally, tactics revolved around the number of men available. Because there were millions of men to spare, tactics revolved around outnumbering and swarming the enemy. Obviously, these tactics have been criticised over the years. If commander’s a hundred years previously had used similar tactics to Haig’s, they would have been defeated almost immediately. The idea of having thousands of men from the enemy’s side of the battlefield rushing at the defending side prompted, even forced soldiers to dig defensive trenches, thus helping to cause trench warfare.
There are many reasons why trench warfare developed on the Western Front during World War One, but there are also many reasons why trench warfare eventually ended. One of the reasons why trench warfare eventually came to an end was the advance in weapons technology. There was one main objective for all the countries involved in the war, kill more of the enemy than the enemy kill of you. Along with superior numbers of soldiers, weapons became an important part in the outcome of a battle. Weapons like gas and tanks were invented to help create a breakthrough in the war of attrition, and in many cases they led on quite successfully helping to capture land. But these secret weapons were only ‘secret’ until they were put into use. Gas was only effective when it was first used in April 1915. This was easily counteracted with gas masks and in total, only 3000 British men died during the whole war. But the main significance of gas was the psychological effect. If men felt threatened of an imminent gas attack they kept their masks on. The masks restricted the men from talking, eating and even sleeping. Masks also restricted soldier’s field of vision. These effects on the enemy made attacks very easy. Tanks were also used very successfully during the war. When tanks were first used in the battle of the Somme they crushed barbed-wire defences and sprayed the enemy with machine gun fire, alarming the Germans and boosting the British morale. But the Germans eventually overcome the tanks with armour-piercing machine-gun bullets and adapted field guns, but only after the tanks helped the British take a large amount of land. Even the war in the air played a part in ending trench warfare. Reconnaissance flights over enemy land showed weaknesses in the defence and enemy positions. Planes were also used to spot troop movement, spot and help adjust artillery fire, and even drop bombs on enemy trenches. All of these things helped the Allies win the war. Even if they only helped a little, they brought victory one step closer, along with the end of trench warfare.
