World War 1 Compared with Our Present Day

World War 1 compared with our Present Day

Introduction:   ThThis battle was supposed to go for 8 months, instead the campaign went for a staggering 4 years. With over 250 000 lives from Australian and British forces within the first week post “The Landing”. So what’s changed in a 100 years of fighting and serving our beloved nation proud? The battle conditions, the food rations and the training methods are just some of the topics that have changed severely. Good Morning, fellow war enthusiasts my name is Hamish Naylor I am here to inform you all on the differences in the daily life soon becoming a routine of a World war I soldier to a modern day soldiers serving in the Middle east in Afghanistan.

Hypothesis: The life of a WW1 soldier was far more complex, compared to our modern soldiers today.

How were the battle conditions in Afghanistan different to ones in World War I?

The battle conditions in WWI required sheer persistence, bravery and strength. The other side to win the battle was to stay as healthy as you could be. If you were healthy, you were considered as The Lucky One. As many men fell ill from diseases or from malnutrition, food became scarce due to plantation being in drought. In the space of 6 months over 125 000 men died from a single disease. Even a small or gash, lead to disease. Apart from sickness, the terrain was part of the battle too, when British agents hand drew the landscape for fighting many didn’t realize the amount of trench trails. Also every four weeks the weather and climate changed. After many years of research, doctors found that paracites and rodents were the cause of some of the broad sicknesses. Once a soldier died the corpse would rot, therefore leave an unbearable stench. When soldiers needed to fight hand-to-hand combat the transition of diseases passed through one another. Therefore the battle fields in world war one were harsh due to the amount of diseases and wounds occurring on a frequent basis.

The battle conditions in Afghanistan were completely different mainly due to the difference in terrain. The terrain was mainly sand, dirt, muddy and dunes. And not suitable for trench warfare such as world war one. The climates changed every 8 weeks. Food was easy to bring through, as meals that soldiers have to stay healthy were cheap but nutritious. Storms only occurred when there was peak in heat and humidity. Injuries that were inflicted were quickly treated. Therefore, the modern wars were definitely easier to battle as health, terrain were thought out precisely.

What were the difference in ration portions from world war one to the modern day soldier?

The rations given out in World War one depended on the ranking of the soldier. Even though the sizes were the same, if you were a Private – Lieutenant your ration for the week was basic with a few specialties and delicacies. Whereas if you were a General – Major general your rations were very expensive as they had the rarest ingredients picked and they ate good quality proteins, rarely ever ate canned proteins. Every month the soldiers were given a wage/ allowance for a Private to a Lieutenant it was 10 pounds and for a General to a Major General 70 pounds. After many years trading between troops occurred as they became fussy with their meals, in result to this officers punished those whom started conflict by taking away the precious resource of food for 6 weeks at a time. This action caused malnutrition this was common; over 40% of soldiers who fought from 1914-18 endured malnutrition.

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