Marching for Honour Recognition and Adventure

Below is my personal analysis of the conditions involved in trench

warfare and the reasons why Australian losses were so great.

TRENCH WARFARE

The following observations of the tactics and conditions created by the

systems of trenches are my views but I hope will stimulate more thought

by the reader, of why such terrible casualty rates occurred and how the

trenches contributed to the carnage.

Trench Quality

Trenches had different standards of sophistication and effectiveness.

The photo of the trench shown earlier in Trench Warfare, being repaired

by the 18

Battalion, seems to be badly affected by poor weather and

would have afforded the occupants little protection.

The trench shown below is strongly constructed and is not badly affected

by water.

AWM Photo EZ0007

Australians near Bois Grenier, 3 June 1916.

The trench’s main features include:

1. The

parapet

or overlapping

frontage to protect the

occupant;

2. The

parados

raised area at the back to protect soldiers from a rear

attack and to avoid forming a silhouette for sniper attack;

Sandbags

as building bricks;

4. A

periscope

to see over the parapet;

5. The effective

Lewis machine gun

;

6. The

fire step

to allow soldiers to go “over the top”, or to fire at the

enemy;