Glossary of Terms
Term
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Definition
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Dugouts
No Man’s Land Salient Hindenburg Line Infantry Bayonets Shell Shock Stalemate Trench Foot Dysentery Trench Fever Total War War of attrition |
Shelters dug into the sides of the trenches
The area separating opposing enemy armies in trench warfare A military position that bulges forward into enemy territory and, as a result, could be vulnerable to attack from three sides. The German trench system, devised by Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff and constructed in northern France between 1916/17. The system shortened the front line and enabled the Germans to transfer men to reserve trenches. It incorporated concrete pillboxes armed with machine guns. The goal was to maximise the effectiveness of men and munitions at a time when both were in short supply. Soldiers that fight on foot, generally with bayonets, machine guns and mortars A knife blade which soldiers attach to their rifles and used in close contact with the enemy. PTSD A deadlock from which neither side can progress A problem caused by long term exposure to conditions where feet could not be kept dry. Untreated, it would result in amputation. An illness related to the inflammation of the lining of the large intestine. Symptoms include stomach pains and diarrhea and perhaps vomiting. A disease caused by lice, affecting up to 15% of any army. It kept men out of battle but wasn't fatal. A government's mobilisation of all its resources to support the efforts of its own troops and undermine those of its opponents. A war in which competing sides attempt to achieve victory through the tactic of wearing down their opponents' armies, fighting power, moral and economies to the point of collapse |