Eastern Adelaide Teacher resource.pdf - Army Museum of South ...

These figures above demonstrate the extremely high loss of life of which a major
contributing factor were the conditions encountered in trench warfare, which typified
the fighting during World War I.
Students’ answers should mention the causes and consequences of trench warfare in
explaining the loss of life.
One major cause of this immense loss of life is that the countries involved didn't
realise the destructive power of the weapons developed since the last European war
almost 50 years earlier. These included;
The bolt action 303 Lee Enfield Rifle, which by 1915, had a range of nearly a mile
(approximately 1.6 kms) and could fire 15 rounds a minute.
The even more devastating Vickers Machine Gun that fired 600 rounds a minute.
The impact of modern artillery such as the howitzer (cannon) which could fire
shells eight miles (approximately 12 kilometres).
The toll that would be taken by grenades, flamethrowers and (eventually) gas that
progressively became part of World War I arsenals.
It is no surprise that by the end of 1914 both sides had dug into the earth like moles in
a desperate attempt to stay alive.
The resulting trench system on the Western Front not only covered the equivalent
of 25,000 miles (enough to encircle the world) but also stretched non-stop from
Belgium to Switzerland.
The effect of the appalling conditions in the trenches resulted in all manner of
diseases and deaths related to poor sanitation, extreme weather conditions and the
lack of modern medicines.
Soldiers who did not die by gunfire were often buried in the mud, which was the
result of incessant shellfire, whilst others drowned in water in shell holes whilst
seeking cover from enemy fire.
Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/trench.htm and for information on the
Lee Enfield rifle http://members.optushome.com.au/lee-enfield/gh1.htm
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