<P> Trench warfare occurred when a revolution in firepower was not matched by similar advances in mobility , resulting in a grueling form of warfare in which the defender held the advantage . On the Western Front in 1914 -- 1918 , both sides constructed elaborate trench and dugout systems opposing each other along a front , protected from assault by barbed wire , mines , and other obstacles . The area between opposing trench lines ( known as `` no man 's land '' ) was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides . Attacks , even if successful , often sustained severe casualties . </P>
<P> Trench warfare occurred when a revolution in firepower was not matched by similar advances in mobility , resulting in a grueling form of warfare in which the defender held the advantage . On the Western Front in 1914 -- 1918 , both sides constructed elaborate trench and dugout systems opposing each other along a front , protected from assault by barbed wire , mines , and other obstacles . The area between opposing trench lines ( known as `` no man 's land '' ) was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides . Attacks , even if successful , often sustained severe casualties . </P>
what caused trench warfare in world war 1
what caused trench warfare in world war 1
a revolution in firepower was not matched by similar advances in mobility
a revolution in firepower was not matched by similar advances in mobility