How did trench Warfare affect the lives of soldiers during and after the war?
Trench Warfare had a massive impact on the lives of soldiers during and after the war. Soldiers were forced to live with the discomforts of nature such as mud, ice, rats, and lice. Rats infested trenches, feeding on the bodies of dead soldiers. Trenches filled with water, ice, and mud making life in the trenches miserable. In many cases soldiers stood thigh high in mud for days. Soldiers where living in horrible conditions, as well as living with the horrors of war and the fear of dying. Machine guns, gas, barbed wire, tanks, and grenades killed and injured thousands of soldiers in the trenches. Soldiers feared for their lives daily, not knowing if they would see tomorrow. Soldiers suffered from physical trauma such as disfiguration, deep wounds, trench foot, disease/sickness and the affects of chemical gas used during the war. Soldiers also suffered from emotional trauma. Shell shock cases were seen frequently during the first world war. Soldiers would have nightmares, uncontrollable tics, or even hallucinations. Doctors hurried to find the reason for these cases and to understand why they were happening. Even after the war was over many soldiers still suffered from injuries. Some soldiers resulted to plastic surgery or wore masks over their faces to cover their facial wounds. Many soldiers never fully recovered and refused to be seen in public, withdrawing from their family and friends. The memories of the war haunted many soldiers, forcing them to suffer from physical and emotional wounds the rest of their lives.