The War on Frogs, Rats and Lice

During the First World War, trench life was something quite horrifying. Soldiers, especially those who were just young men, didn’t expect any of the horrors they encountered. The infestation of rats came in millions, invading the trenches and many soldiers saw first-hand, day after day, the rats chomping away on their dead comrades, firstly gauging out the dead mans’ eyes and liver.

There were 2 types of rats, one which was black and the other brown; they were both feared greatly. The soldiers tried to get rid of them with clubbing, gunfire and even bayonet. However, all of this was in vain because no matter how many they accomplished in killing, one rat couple could produce over 900 offspring in one year alone.

Not only were the rats an enemy, the men also had to battle it out with lice, which were also the culprit for trench fever. Lice would breed in the seams of the soldiers’ clothing, making them itch unceasingly. Despite washing and delousing, many of the eggs were still hidden, and after a couple of hours with the generation of body heat, it would cause them to hatch once more. Trench fever was a very painful disease; it all started off with extreme pain and then followed by high fever, recovering could take up to 12 weeks. Trench life during World War I was not pleasant at all.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YYMeAu4i7gA/Sx9foNCiC6I/AAAAAAAAHNM/SYBkUAN8Z6c/s400/first-world-war-ww1-one-pictures-photos-images-amazing-rare-incredible-german-soldiers-rats-trenches.jpg

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm

Video Analysis Post

 

This video is about trench life during World War I. It tells us that the winter conditions were particularly bad; the trenches would always be half-full of mud and it was wet almost all the time.

The video states that the soldiers lived in dig-outs and had no protection from the weather, apart from a thin sheet.  When they woke up in the morning, there would be snow over their feet.

We see that in one scene, they are given a small bowl of what looks like soup. This seems hardly enough for a meal. In another scene, there are soldiers who are getting their heads shaved. This was to get rid of lice and fleas in the hair, and to make managing it easier. Another scene shows the soldiers bathing in a small and crowded shelter.

From this, we can conclude that life in the trenches was extremely difficult.

A young, inexperienced soldier

It had been such a fine day; the sun was out, the sky, a clear blue. We sat hunched against the trench wall, the rats nearly the size of cats, feasting off the remains of dead soldiers, gorging out their eyes, ripping out their innards. While we slept at night you could feel them scurrying along your face and all over your body.

“Hey, you think there’ll be any attacks today?” Jack asked. Jack was my older brother and we decided to enlist in the army together, our parents were so proud. We had only been here for a few days but there had been no attacks, this would be an adventure, not as bad at all!

I laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder. “Of course not! Calm down Jack!”.  I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

*

 “Hurry up Charlie! Get your gas mask on! My eyes snapped open. What was going on? The sky was dark. Large, heavy raindrops landed on my face.

“There’s been a gas attack! Hurry!” I panicked. I had left my gas mask back at camp. I really didn’t think there would be any attacks today. What was I going to do? A hand grabbed my shoulder, I tensed. It was Jack.

 “Take it!” Jack proclaimed while shoving the masks in my hands.

 I hesitated.

“B-but... what about yo-”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

 I shook my head, but he forced the mask onto my face. I stared back at him, helpless.

 “Goodbye” he mouthed.

“NO!”

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm

http://trenches.jynx.ca/?page=home

Trench Life and Trench Warfare-Introduction

The Great War was known for its lack of movement and the stage of stalemate. After the first advance from Germany on France it slowly turned into trench warfare, whereas the movement was not restored until later on when the war was nearly coming to an end. Trench Warfare is a field fortification where there are parallel rows of trenches which ran along the Western Front in WWI.

The frontline were those who were directly in front of the enemies. For protection, they used the mud which was dug out to form the trenches as a parapet. Behind the frontline, there was another row of trenches called the reserve trenches (the second line). This was just in case the front line were to be attacked upon. In some cases there would have been a third row called communication trenches that were used to send fresh troops, water and supplies. Trenches were in the form of zig zags and not straight lines; the purpose of this was for many strategic reasons, one being that it reduced the damage and impact that shells would cause.

Life in the trenches were hard. The water was a haven for bacteria to grow and invest. The men were always subdued to infections and disease because of the wet climate mixed with the mud and bacteria. These diseases spread like wild fire, and because there were no antibiotics, wounds often turned into gangrene. These conditions were the cause of many deaths during WWI. There are many more aspects of trench life that cannot be spoken about because of this word limit!

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm

http://www.harris-academy.com/departments/history/Trenches/Joanna/joanna1.htm

World War I

World War I also known as "The Great War" lasted 4 years, from 1914 to 1918. A total of around 11 million people died, and many cities were destroyed. This was a war that caused more destruction and conflict than anyone could have imagined resulting in its referral as ‘The Great War’.

Alliances:
In 1871, Germany invaded France and was granted a good portion of French territory. France, to prevent another invasion, made an alliance with Russia and Britain and became known as the ‘Triple Entente’. If France were to be attacked by Germany again, Russia would declare war on Germany immediately and aid France. Nervous from being surrounded by enemies, Germany made an agreement with Austria-Hungary and Italy, forming the ‘Triple Alliance’, also known as the Central Powers.

On June 28^th 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The killer was Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian terrorist. This assassination was viewed by Austria-Hungary as a direct challenge from Serbia to their position as a ruler of Bosnia, and their standing as a Great Power. Germany planned to attack France by going through Belgium; however the French met the Germans before they could take any steps further, this war tore on for 4 years on the Western Front, something nobody would have expected. This sparked the beginning of World War I.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/origins/causes.htm