Table of Contents
What were shell holes used for in ww1?
During the First World War many soldiers had to spend hours, days and sometimes weeks in muddy trenches. These were holes in the ground dug for soldiers to protect themselves from the enemy. People didn’t expect the War to last long so they were made in a hurry and sometimes collapsed or flooded.
What happened to the bodies in the trenches?
Many men killed in the trenches were buried almost where they fell. If a trench subsided, or new trenches or dugouts were needed, large numbers of decomposing bodies would be found just below the surface. These corpses, as well as the food scraps that littered the trenches, attracted rats.
Why was there so much mud in ww1?
Much of the land where the trenches were dug was either clay or sand. The water could not pass through the clay and because the sand was on top, the trenches became waterlogged when it rained. The trenches were hard to dig and kept on collapsing in the waterlogged sand.
Is ww1 worse than ww2?
World War II was the most destructive war in history. Estimates of those killed vary from 35 million to 60 million. The total for Europe alone was 15 million to 20 million—more than twice as many as in World War I.
How many soldiers drowned in mud in ww1?
A more gruesome legacy can be found in the remains of unknown soldiers still buried in Flanders Fields. The bodies of 42,000 from the battle were never found, lost in the muddy wasteland. Their names are commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres.
What is PTSD called now?
The potential new moniker: post-traumatic stress injury. Military officers and some psychiatrists say dropping the word “disorder” in favor of “injury” will reduce the stigma that stops troops from seeking treatment. “No 19-year-old kid wants to be told he’s got a disorder,” said Gen.
How many British soldiers died in WW1?
World War I resulted in huge losses of life with an estimated 10 million military deaths and another 20 million injured. Cenotaphs remember nearly a million British soldiers who died in World War One and more than twice as many were injured — however, the plight of the wounded and the work of the medics and carers are not often spoken about.
What was inside the shells that fell on the Russian lines?
Gen Hoffman watched as 18,000 gas shells rained down on the Russian lines, each one filled with the chemical xylyl bromide, an early form of tear gas. But the results left him disappointed.
What really happened at Lochnagar Crater?
Another mine with 30,000lbs of explosives was laid beneath Hawthorn Ridge for the next attack, which wasn’t until November 13 th, 1916. Remains were found at Lochnagar Crater in October 1998 of British soldier George Nugent of the Tyneside Scottish Northumberland Fusiliers.
How did soldiers get wounds in WW1?
Soldiers arrived at casualty stations and field hospitals with wounds from the fast bullets of rifles and machine guns, which often hit deep. Shrapnel fragments from shells often created jagged wounds that bled constantly and provided the ideal environment for infection.