Trench Warfare
Trench Warfare was where men would hide in trenches or dugouts during war. They would be protected from enemies that were on ground level, or in other trenches. But, they were not as safe from snipers, which was one of the issues with it. Another issue was rat infestation. There were millions of rats that infested the trenches, and there were two types, brown and black rats. They were both despised, but the brown rats were feared because they would eat the corpses of soldiers and could grow to the size of cats. Men would try to get rid of the rats by shooting, stabbing, or just clubbing them to death. But it did not work, and rats continued to spread disease and contaminate food for the duration of the war. One other issue with trench warfare was lice. Lice would cause Trench Fever, a painful disease where men would have severe pain followed by a high fever. Men would then shave their heads to prevent nits, or lice eggs. Trench Foot was also a problem, caused by cold, wet, unsanitary conditions. It is a fungal infection on the feet, and could get so bad that the foot would have to be amputated. Lastly, a big issue with Trench Warfare was the smell. The smell was repulsive and just plain horrible. It would reek of decaying corpses, feces, sweat, and feet. It would also smell like creosol and chloride of lime to keep them from getting diseases. And to add, there was the smell of cordite, lingering poisonous gas, rotting sandbags, stagnant mud, and cigarette smoke. It did not by any means smell good, and somehow the soldiers got used to it.