I.

Introduction

Trench Warfare, fighting from a network of dug or constructed fortifications at or below ground level. It arose as a protracted method of warfare after the machine-gun had become the main battlefield weapon, its longer range making free movement of troops impossible. Because massed artillery fire by land forces denied both sides the ability to manoeuvre, trenches were dug along battlefield fronts in World War I, and created a stalemate that lasted for the duration of the war. Firing trenches were backed up by cover trenches, which provided a second line of defence in case enemy troops overran the firing trench. “Resting” off-duty troops lived in dugouts in the support trenches. Supplies, and fresh troops were transported to the front via a network of reserve and communications trenches. Between the trenches of opposing forces lay an area known as no-man’s-land.