The Front

The Front. . , The muddy roads, camouflaged trails, and the maze of communication trenches ultimately brought Soldiers to the front line trench. These positions, as laid out in the manuals, were supposed to be dug deep with reinforced walls, a firing step, sand bagged lip, and floor boards to keep a Soldier's feet out of the mud. Often, due to shelling and the ebb and flow of the battlefield, these trenches were little more than muddy ditches. The zig-zag nature was intended to minimize the effects of flying shrapnel from artillery rounds, and the possibility of easy enfilading fire should the enemy gain entry into a portion of the line. A normal tour in the front lasted about two weeks, with two weeks in the reserve line, followed by two weeks in the rear area, which was to be out of reach of enemy artillery. In reality, this ideal timeline varied greatly for the AEF.,

My platoon was the last one of the company to enter the trench. We followed along a constantly curving and gradually deepening one, for perhaps a mile, before we came to the position we were to occupy. The trench at that point was on high ground and about seven feet deep in the middle. On each side, was a dirt or board shelf on which to stand to fire one's weapon. The trench curved in a zig-zag fashion, or bay, as they were called. The trench led forward to a cross trench where another platoon had taken position. , Mechanic Donald D. Kyler, Company G, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division

, [Captions:] , Men of the 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division at the "Front," firing V-B type rifle grenades, Hecken Sector, Germany, June 14, 1918., Procedures to be observed during unit relieve of front line trenches, as required by General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, in "Trench Orders for the American Forces in France. No. 1308," July 1918.