What is the name of the ditch dug out by soldiers for them to hide from the enemy?

Trench. a long, deep and narrow hole in the ground, with the earth thrown up in front, dug to protect soldiers from bullets and other projectiles.

Why did soldiers dig trenches what weapon were they trying to protect themselves from?

Trenches provided relative protection against increasingly lethal weaponry. Soldiers dug in to defend themselves against shrapnel and bullets. They were usually used to hastily dig basic, shallow trenches or holes for protection, but were also sometimes used as weapons in hand-to-hand combat. …

What were the protective holes dug out of the sides of trenches called?

Dugouts were protective holes dug out of the sides of trenches. The size of dugouts varied a great deal and sometimes could house over ten men. A manual published by the British Army recommended dugouts that were between 2 ft. and 4 ft.

What did soldiers use to protect trenches?

The Germans evolved an extremely elaborate defense system using pillboxes, i.e., concrete shelters for machine guns. Behind the pillboxes were more lines of barbed wire and more trenches and dugouts reinforced with concrete to withstand artillery bombardment.

Why did the trenches smell so bad?

The trenches had a horrible smell. This was because of the lack of bathing, the dead bodies, and the overflowing toilets. They could smell cordite, the lingering odour of poison gas, rotting sandbags, stagnant mud, cigarette smoke, and cooking food.

Do ww1 trenches still exist?

Trench Remains There are a small number of places where sections of trench lines can still be visited. Nevertheless, there are still remains of trenches to be found in remote parts of the battlefields such as the woods of the Argonne, Verdun and the mountains of the Vosges.

Why are the trenches so disgusting?

They were actually quite disgusting. There were all sorts of pests living in the trenches including rats, lice, and frogs. They made the soldiers’ itch horribly and caused a disease called Trench Fever. The weather also contributed to rough conditions in the trenches.

What was the morning hate?

Stand To and the Morning Hate Accompanying stand to, as the light grew, was the daily ritual often termed the ‘morning hate’. Both sides would often relieve the tension of the early hours with machine gun fire, shelling and small arms fire, directed into the mist to their front: this made doubly sure of safety at dawn.

What was morning hate?

What did the rats in the trenches eat?

Robert Graves remarked in his book, Goodbye to All That: “Rats came up from the canal, fed on the plentiful corpses, and multiplied exceedingly.

Why did they use sandbags in the trenches?

Periscopes and mirrors were also used to see above the sandbags. The rear wall of the trench, known as the parados, was lined with sandbags as well, protecting against a rear assault. Because constant shelling and frequent rainfall could cause the trench walls to collapse, the walls were reinforced with sandbags, logs, and branches.

Why did the allies dig trenches in World War 1?

They subsequently “dug in” to avoid losing any more ground. Unable to break through this line of defense, the Allies also began to dig protective trenches. By October 1914, neither army could advance its position, mainly because war was being waged in a very different way than it had been during the 19th century.

What was the difference between a defilade and a ditch?

Defilade: Depressions in the natural contours of a landscape that allowed an attacking force to seek shelter from enemy fire. Ditch: The deep trench dug around each earthwork. The ditch was typically in front of the fortification, but some advanced works had the ditch built behind the raised surface.

Why did people get hurt in the trenches?

Constant exposure to wetness caused trench foot, a painful condition in which dead tissue spread across one or both feet, sometimes requiring amputation. Trench mouth, a type of gum infection, was also problematic and is thought to be associated with the stress of nonstop bombardment.