World War i
Through the eyes of a fighter
Article by: lilly durante
Your hearing is drowned out by gunshots and commanding orders to do the unthinkable to any man outside of war--kill. Your entire body is weak and heavy, your breaths have become shorter and your legs barely able to plod on through the dark, daunting trench. Lifeless bodies lay limp in your path. The scurrying of rodents at your feet becomes more and more resonant as you lumber forward towards the glooming cloud of gas that will soon immerse your weakened body as it suffocates you from the inside out. The trenches carried with them preposterous happenings that would leave a mark on those who experienced them for the rest of their lives. Life in the trenches of World War I was one of the most horrific experiences known to mankind, and brought with it unthinkable atrocities that often lead soldiers to insanity.
Agony was a widely known feeling during World War I, especially during gas attacks. Soldiers were forced to wear enormous, heavy masks to protect themselves from the poison that would deteriorate their lungs. After an attack, soldiers could be in excruciating pain for days, or even weeks before giving in to the severe misery. Tear gas, mustard gas, chlorine, and phosgene gasses were the most commonly used gases due to their extremely harsh and dangerous effects on the human body. The weather surprisingly played a fundamental role in this carefully crafted warfare technique. The wind had to be blowing in exactly the right direction, at exactly the right speed for the system to work properly. If the wind suddenly changed direction, all would go awry, redirecting the poison back towards the administering soldiers themselves; the gases would cause the suffering and hardship that they wished upon their enemies, to backfire and poison them and their own men. A World War I veteran described a horrific scene caused by a gas attack, stating that, “With my first glance I saw what looked like half a dozen bodies, mingled with sandbags, and then I smelt gas and realised that these were gas shells. I had my respirator on in a hurry and most of our men were as quick. The others were slower and suffered for it. One man was sick all over the sandbags and another was coughing his heart up. We pulled four men out of the debris unharmed. One man was unconscious, and died of gas later. Another was hopelessly smashed up and must have got it full in the chest.” Overall, poisonous gas attacks were a painful and inhumane method of battle, killing every unprotected soldier that lay in it’s reach.
Death was expected in World War I. While there were numerous contributing factors leading to death, disease lead the way, specifically in the trenches. Whether due to battle or disease, soldiers were almost always buried at the very spot of their death. The most malignant disease in the trenches of World War I was Trench Fever. Trench Fever originated from body lice and caused soldiers to have high fevers, body aches, searing headaches, and sore blisters on the skin. Trench Fever was similar to the deadly disease, Malaria, in that it was caused by parasites and brought on the same brutal symptoms. One of the very few survivors of Trench Fever described, “The death clock is ticking slowly in our breast, and each drop of blood measures its time, and our life is a lingering fever.” Another widely known disease was Influenza. Although Influenza was not highly contagious, it had deadly effects on those it did reach. Infecting the lungs, breathing became more and more difficult, as did the ability to maintain fighting. An unthinkable number of casualties were caused by Influenza, with the total resulting in 100 million by the end of World War I. During the war, numerous severe and sometimes catastrophic diseases spread, adding to the long list of pain and suffering. To add insult to injury, many of the diseases experienced in the trenches continued to plague soldiers and their families even after the end of war.
In the duration of World War I's four years, shell shock, or what is now known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), was a significant issue. Whether it be the vibrations of a gunshot ringing throughout a soldier's ice cold, shivering body, or the very sight of a beloved ally's blood spilling out of his chest, tears welling in his eyes, shell shock was an eerie and terrifying mental health disorder, commonly propagated by war. As a result of shell shock, soldiers often spoke to the dead as if nothing was wrong, a WWI survivor telling us that, “The illusion was so complete that often the living would speak to the dead before they realized the true state of affairs.” This highly concerning mental health issue had a massive effect not only during the war but, after the war as well. Flashbacks of living in the trenches and having to protect one's self using violence was common among soldiers diagnosed with shell shock, reoccurring often once they were home from war. These flashbacks could be terrifying not only for the veteran but for their loved ones who experienced the effects second hand. Although, in the modern world PTSD is treated properly as a trauma disorder, shell shock was never treated in the way it should have been. People who suffered from shell shock were looked down upon, and thought to be mentally ill. Certain hospitals refused to treat these patients, saying they should be shot for being a coward. A British military commander spoke about this, saying, “There can be no doubt that, other things being equal, the frequency of Shellshock in any unit is an index of its lack of discipline and loyalty.” Nevertheless, by the year 1915, the numbers of soldiers with shell shock grew so rapidly that treatment finally began to be implemented. Because of the extremely high numbers of victims of shell shock, there were not enough hospital beds to treat all that suffered this disease. By the end of World War I, shell shock was known globally as living proof of those who survived the terrors of this ghastly war.
World War I was one of the most violent wars of all time, with some of the most exceptionally bloody and violent battles soldiers had ever experienced. In addition, life in the trenches saw deadly diseases and mental trauma. Taking into account diseases, mental health issues, and violent battle, a soldier's physical and mental state was fragile at best. Post war society saw homelessness and severe mental and physical disabilities among veteran soldiers. Given all of these factors, countless soldiers were driven to insanity, a tragic and senseless causality of World War I. Teaching about WWI is of high importance, because without passing this knowledge on, the same disastrous events may occur again. Not only is it essential to pass this information on to future generations, but to dig deeper and use the modernized tools we now have to learn more. Endless possibilities have appeared in the field of science, so we now have the potential to explore the diseases and artifacts of WWI. Convulsively, WWI is a fascinating series of events, enriched with information and knowledge that does and always will hold an unthinkable amount of value.
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