The Western Front

What is The Western Front?

The Western Front started on the 4th of August 1914, due to the German’s plan of attack known as the Schlieffen Plan and ended on the 11th of November 1918. It was a large, 700-kilometre stretch of land from the Belgian Coast to France through the Swiss border Over 295000 Australian soldiers served on The Western front between March 1916 and November 1918. Within the 295000 soldiers who had served, over 46000 lost their lives and more than 130000 were wounded These soldiers served in several different locations on The Western Front including Fromelles, Bullecourt, Passchendaele, Villers-Bretonneux, Messines and the Somme The Western Front was a 700km stretch of land known as no-man’s land and was between German trenches and British trenches.

Conditions on The Western Front

During 1916, soldiers who had served on Gallipoli considered The Western Front more comfortable As there were army canteens selling groceries, tobacco, and clothes; soldiers could also buy champagne and beer from the shops. However, this luxury changed with the arrival of winter, the most severe cold northern France had experienced in 36 years. The ground, thoroughly mixed by the battles of the Somme, became extremely waterlogged and turned into a quagmire that was almost impossible to pass through Large rainfalls throughout October and November were followed by everlasting frost and snow, which worsened the unpleasant living conditions near the front