|
The most important weapon was artillery.
Artillery shells killed about twice as many men as machine-gun bullets.
Trenches were dug to provide cover from shells as much as bullets.
The shape of the battlefield was defined by the range a gun could fire a shell. If the trench lines extended back beyond that range, then attacking infantry would be without support and would be unable to breakthrough.
Techniques such as the 'creeping barrage' later in the war enabled infantry to cross no-mans-land without suffering unacceptable losses.
Hope this helps a bit!
|