Name: ___________________________________________________________
Trench Warfare Web Quest

World War I forever changed the face of warfare. New technology yielded millions of casualties. The conditions in the trenches created untold hardships on the men who had to endure them. People on the home front were subjected to shortages and hardships as the emergence of Total War infiltrated all aspects of their life.

http://spartacus-educational.com/FWWtrench.htm
I.	The Trench System

1.	Which side the Allies or the Central Powers built the first trenches? 

2.	Where did the Germans choose to build their trenches? Why? 

3.	What were the dimensions of the trenches? 

4.	What is a parapet? 

5.	What was the purpose of the sandbags on the rear side of the trench? 

6.	Why weren’t trenches dug in straight lines? 

7.	Draw a basic diagram of a trench and label the following (it does not have to be a Picasso!): 

a.  Parapet	b. Parados and sandbags	c. Barbed wire	d. No Man’s land	
e. Funk Holes	f. dug-outs			

Draw your diagram here

II.	Daily Life and Disease

Trench Foot

1.	What is trench foot? 

2.	What could happen if your foot wasn’t treated? 

3.	What are some remedies for trench foot? 

Body Lice

1.	What percentage of soldiers had body lice during WWI? 

2.	What was Trench Fever and how was it caused? 

3.	What was the “preferred” method of delousing? 

Rats in the Trenches

1.	Why were the trenches prime breeding grounds for rats? 

2.	What about the rats did the soldiers find so revolting

3.	How did soldiers get rid of the rats?

 

Food in the Trenches

1.	What kinds of food did the soldiers on the Western Front eat? 

2.	What did Richard Beasley say about the food in the trenches v. the food in training camp? (Scroll to the bottom of the page) 

Shell Shock

1.	What is shell shock? In your own words please! 

2.	What did doctors believed caused shell shock? Explain. 

3.	What percentage of soldiers suffered from shell shock? 

4.	In what ways did soldiers deal with shell shock? 

5.	What was a common punishment for disobeying orders

III.	Tools of War
http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/index.htm
1.	Describe the use of machine guns
-	Who invented the first machine gun?
-	Were they accepted right away?
-	Were they problem-free?
-	Approximately how many rounds per minute could they fire?

2.	What types of poison gas were used in WW1? What were the effects on the body?

3.	Which were the major battles in which poison gas was first used?

4.	Were tanks useful in the First World War? What was their purpose?