Stalemate in the Trenches

• Machine gun technology and chemical warfare made traversing open ground dangerous and difficult for the common foot-soldier in World War I. Because of this, soldiers began to dig trench lines in November of 1914. These trenches provided safety on the front line. However, their implementation led to a virtual stalemate, where neither the Allied Powers nor the Central Powers gained much ground.
  
  

Types of Trenches

• There were four basic types of trenches. The first and most dangerous trench was the front-line trench. It was usually located less than one mile from the enemy's trench line. A few hundred yards behind this trench was the support trench. Support trenches were filled with soldiers and supplies that could immediately help those in the front-line trench. Reserve trenches, located behind the support trenches, also contained soldiers and supplies. Soldiers used these dugouts in emergencies, when front-line and support trenches were overrun by the enemy. Communication trenches connected the previous three, allowing for the movement of messages, supplies and men.
  
  

Trench Cycles

• The establishment of trench cycles on the Western Front kept soldiers as fresh as possible. A battalion of troops would begin their assignment by serving time on the front-line. After this, they moved to the support trenches for a period of time, and then the reserve trenches. Once they had completed all three duties, battalions would usually be granted a short period of rest away from the battlefield. More often then not, however, trench cycles were determined by the necessities of the war.
  
  

Rats and Lice

• Brown and black rats infested trenches in large quantities, spreading disease and contaminating food. They would feed on the remains of deceased soldiers and reproduce by the thousands. A single pair of mating rats could generate up to 880 offspring per year. Soldiers tried to rid the trenches of rats by shooting them or clubbing them to death. Lice was also rampant in the trenches. These wingless insects caused Trench Fever, a painful disease accompanied by a high fever.
  
  

Modern Day Warfare

• Trenches are not a part of modern day warfare primarily due to military advancements in aircraft and armored vehicles. The inventions of the fighter plane and the armored tank brought an end to the trench warfare era.