Front Lines by James Stowell

FRONT LINES A WORLD WAR ONE MAGAZINE

Jack Stowell F Block 1914-1918

Life On The Front Lines On July 28 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated and the war to end all wars started. This was the name given by the soldiers in the front lines.

Was it a coincidence? World War 1 was a very hard time for people to be living in but especially for people on the front lines due to the advancement in technology, horrible living conditions, and the chance of dying at any moment. Soldiers fighting in the war were respected and thanked for serving their country because of all of the horrors of being on the front lines.

Technology Advancements At the beginning of the war, many armies were utilizing technology and war tactics from the 1800’s until countries started experimenting with new weapons. Weapons like the bayonet, for example, had lost their importance in the war. The bayonet made guns heavier and would stay in the enemy. “But the bayonet had practically lost its importance. It is usually the fashion now to charge with bombs and spades only” (page 92). Although the war saw great advancements in war technology not everyone knew how to fight using these new tactics and weapons. This led to countless deaths that could have been saved if leaders had stepped up to the challenge and spent more money on the war. According to NCpedia, ”One of the saddest facts about World War I is that millions died needlessly because military and civilian leaders were slow to adapt their oldfashioned strategies and tactics to the new weapons of 1914.” The death tolls kept increasing for all sides of the war. There was a comeback in defenses though. For example, all armies started supplying soldiers with gas masks now so they could survive a gas attack.

Fun Facts:

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The top five weapons that caused the most casualties were: 1. Artillery 2. Machine Gun 3. Tanks 4. Poison Gas 5. Mortars

Conditions on the front lines

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Conditions for the soldiers during the war were terrible. They weren’t supplied with much to keep them alive mostly due to the vast number of soldiers the armies had to supply. Each soldier got a ration each week that contained a biscuit, preserved meat or bacon, preserved vegetables, and salt.

They also received 5 cigars, 10 cigarettes and a pipe of tobacco. “What's more important of an issue is the double ration of smokes. 10 cigars, 20 cigarettes, and two quids of chew per man; now that is decent” (page 7). As the war was nearing an end, the Germans suffered more losses than the opposing side because of the fact that the Germans had less rations. The German soldiers got tired and had no will to fight. According to International Encyclopedia, “As the war progressed, the British (Entente) blockade strangled the Central Powers, creating misery and economic turmoil. The blockade produced many deaths and mass starvation, increasing the people's war-weariness and popular unrest. Living conditions obviously suffered as material exhaustion accelerated. Quality food became more difficult to obtain, leading to widespread malnutrition and, ultimately, mass starvation.” So as the war moved on the German troops got no rest and not enough food. In addition, American troops were just arriving so there was back up for the Allies and none for the Germans. So with not enough troops on the front lines for Germany, all of the tired troops already there had to fight to the death.

The normal rations for a soldier on the front lines (The food would usually be moldy)

Death tolls nearing the end of the war As the war continued on, the Germans became desperate. They started sending inexperienced soldiers to the front which resulted in death tolls that were higher than ever. The new recruits usually received two weeks of training before they came to the front lines. With such limited training, they had no idea what actually happened on the front lines, how to fight, and how to survive. This resulted in new recruits dying in stupid situations and the experienced soldiers getting frustrated because of their inexperienced fellow soldiers. As explained in Wikipedia. “The new German replacements were under-aged youth or embittered middle-aged family men in poor condition. They were not inspired by the elan of 1914, nor thrilled with battle—they hated it, and some began talking of revolution.” Now that the Germans became desperate, the soldiers on the front lines knew the war was coming to an end.

When there was a battle they did not want to fight rather they just wanted the war to be over. When a soldier died near the end of the war you could hear their screams saying “no not now!” “Never was life in the line more bitter and more full of horror than in the hours of bombardment, when the blanched faces lie in the dirt and the hands clench at one though: No! No! Not now! Not a the last moment.”

This shows how the Germans had no will to fight after the Spring Offensive because they knew the war would be over once the American troops arrived.

This is why life on the front lines was hard for the Germans and other nationalities. Their leaders were not aware of the hardships of being on the front lines.

World War One was a hard time for people to be living in, but especially for people on the front lines due to advancements in technology, terrible living condition, and chance of dying at any moment. There were 38 million casualties in World War One the were 20 million wounded and 18 million dead.

This is why the soldiers on the front lines named it the War to end all Wars.

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Citations: "WWI: Technology and the Weapons of War." WWI: Technology and the Weapons of War | NCpedia. Web. 05 June 2017.

Jalter. "Transport And Supply During The First World War." Imperial War Museums. 23 Oct. 2014.

Web. 05 June 2017.

"History of Germany during World War I." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 June 2017. Web. 05 June 2017.

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