Life as a Soldier
Today, in this web quest, you will analyze how it was to be a soldier in Europe during World War I. Just follow along the page and answer questions as you go. At the end of the web quest, you will imagine you were a soldier during World War I and you will write about your life.
Section 1: Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare:opposing armies conduct battle, at relatively close range, from a series of ditches dug into the ground. Becomes necessary when two armies face a stalemate, with neither side able to advance and overtake the other.
"No Man's Land": area that contained miles of barbed wire, hundreds of corpses, and land mines. Sometimes as narrow as 15 yards or as wide as several hundred yards, No Man's Land was heavily guarded by machine gun and sniper fire.
Although trench warfare has been employed since ancient times, it was used on an unprecedented scale on the Western Front during World War I. Oftentimes, bloody wars would be fought for one army to only advance a few feet.
"No Man's Land": area that contained miles of barbed wire, hundreds of corpses, and land mines. Sometimes as narrow as 15 yards or as wide as several hundred yards, No Man's Land was heavily guarded by machine gun and sniper fire.
Although trench warfare has been employed since ancient times, it was used on an unprecedented scale on the Western Front during World War I. Oftentimes, bloody wars would be fought for one army to only advance a few feet.
Daily Life in the Trenches:
Click on the link HERE and answer the following question about life in the trenches.
Question 2. Pick two aspects of daily life in the trenches and give a sentence for each one explaining why it would make soldiers unhappy.
Click on the link HERE and answer the following question about life in the trenches.
Question 2. Pick two aspects of daily life in the trenches and give a sentence for each one explaining why it would make soldiers unhappy.
An Analysis: Trenchfoot
Click on the link to the right to read about a deadly problem of life in the trenches: trench foot. After reading the articles, answer the following questions.
3. According to the article, how did life in the trenches cause trench foot? 4. What was the only solution to trench foot? 5. Why do you think it was so hard to stop trench foot? |
Section 2: Mustard Gas
Mustard Gas: most feared of all weapons during WWI. Poison gas was indiscriminate and was used in trenches to stop the stalemate. If gas masks didn't work, mustard has could leave a victim in agony for days and weeks before he finally succumbed to his injuries.
Click on the link below and answer the following questions about mustard gas.
LINK TO MUSTARD GAS ARTICLE 6. Looking at the chart, why do you think so many cases of mustard gas were not fatal? 7. Looking at the symptoms of mustard gas poisoning, why was it a most feared weapon of World War I? |
Section 3: The Lost Generation
The number of soldiers who fought and died in World War I was tremendous. Because of the sheer number of deaths, this generation was known the "Lost Generation" because so many people were lost.
The chart on the left shows the number of casualties of various countries in World War I.
8. Which country had the greatest percentage of "Casualties % of Mobilized"? Meaning, which country had the greatest number of casualties? 9. How many men from all countries were mobilized? 10.How many men from all of the countries died? |
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
"Dulce et Decorum Est " Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind. Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! -- An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . . Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under I green sea, I saw him drowning. |
The text to the left is a poem by Wilfred Owen, a soldier who served in the trenches.
11. Explain two aspects of a solder's life that is in this poem. 12. In the second stanza beginning with "Gas!", what do you think is happening to the soldiers in that paragraph? 13. The title of the poem means, "It is sweet and right to die for your country". Based on what Owen has wrote here, do you really think he feels it is right and sweet to die for your country? Explain your reasoning. |
Section 4: The Doughboys
Doughboys: an informal term for a member of the United States Army or Marine Corps, especially members of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.
American Expeditionary Force: The AEF consisted of the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside French and British allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces.
John J. Pershing: was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.
American Expeditionary Force: The AEF consisted of the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside French and British allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces.
John J. Pershing: was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.
The American Expeditionary Force mainly helped fight with the French and British on the Western Front in the Trenches.....
Of the contributions made by American forces to the Allied effort in World War I, the most important may have been the Americans' role in reviving French morale. Arriving in June 1917 after a spate of mutinies within the French Army, the Americans initially did little to reassure French soldiers in the trenches, but their eager entry into battle against the German offensive in March 1918 soon contributed significantly to restoring French morale and assuring Allied victory. Without this assistance, the French Army might have disintegrated and the Germans emerged victorious.
Of the contributions made by American forces to the Allied effort in World War I, the most important may have been the Americans' role in reviving French morale. Arriving in June 1917 after a spate of mutinies within the French Army, the Americans initially did little to reassure French soldiers in the trenches, but their eager entry into battle against the German offensive in March 1918 soon contributed significantly to restoring French morale and assuring Allied victory. Without this assistance, the French Army might have disintegrated and the Germans emerged victorious.
In 1918, after World War I, General Pershing wrote General Order 203 and sent it to all the Doughboys who had served in the AEF. Read the following order and answer the questions.
15. What is the point of this order? 16. Name one thing Pershing thanks or compliments the Doughboys on doing. 17. What does Pershing say about their deeds? |
In the box below, write about your life as a soldier in World War I. This is your diary/blog. You will write about three separate days as your life as a soldier. This means there will be nine sentences total. Make sure to use at least THREE things you read about above! When you click "submit" your submissions will be sent to me! Make sure your name is included!