The War in the Trenches

In August 1914, the armies of Europe marched to war expecting cavalry charges and decisive battles. Officers packed dress uniforms for the victory parade in the enemy's capital. The French army went to the field in red trousers and blue coats. The prevailing military doctrine held that sheer offensive spirit, the elan of charging infantry, would carry the day. The war would be over by Christmas.

By October, everyone was digging.

The problem was simple and brutal. The technologies of defense had outrun the technologies of attack. A single machine gun, properly positioned, could mow down an entire battalion crossing open ground. Artillery could obliterate formations from kilometers away, using observers and telephone lines to adjust fire onto targets the gunners themselves could not see. Against these weapons, men on foot had no chance. So they went underground.