AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

WWI Trench Warfare Flashcards

Vocabulary about Trench Warfare during World War One

Terms : Hide Images
570577825"All Safe"a signal, given by siren, to announce that it is now safe to remove gas mask after a gas attack.
570577826Artilleryweapon used to fire very large projectiles. (Howitzers, guns and mortars) They are also called cannons.
570577827Bayonetsteel blade, shaped like a short sword. It is fixed (put) to the end of a rifle and used for hand-to-hand combat.
570577828Billeta place that is designated for soldiers to receive food and shelter.
570577829Bully beeffrom the French word boulli, meaning boiled. Meat that is pickled or canned, usually corned beef.
570577830Communication wiretype of wire used for establishing telephone connections between posts.
570577831Companya unit of soldiers, normally consisting of 100 men.
570577832Cockedto "cock" a rifle means to draw back the hammer to prepare it for firing.
570577833Decorationa badge of honour; a medal awarded for bravery.
570577834Duck-boardsfloor sections made of wooden slats which can be laid on wet, muddy or cold surfaces.
570577835Dugoutshelter dug on the side of a trench, in the ground, used as living quarters, for storage of supplies or for protection.
570577836Firestepsnarrow ledge, located inside a trench, that allows soldiers to see over the parapet.
570577837Fritznickname used by Allied soldiers to describe Germans.
570577838Gas maskcloth and/or rubber mask connected to an air filter and used to protect the face and lungs from poison gases.
570577839HQshort form for "Headquarters"; a place from which military commanders perform their duties.
570577840Home leavepermission given to soldiers to go home for an extended period of time.
570577841Jerrynickname used by Allied soldiers to describe Germans.
570577842KaiserGerman word meaning "emperor". During the First World War, the Kaiser of Germany was Wilhelm II.
570577843Liceplural form of "louse"; a small, flat, wingless insect that lives off the blood of its host.
570577844Lipas in "crater's lip"; the edge of a large hole.
570577845Lollygaggingto waste time.
570577846Mortara type of cannon used to fire projectiles at high angles.
570577847No Man's Landthe narrow, muddy, treeless stretch of land that separated the German and Allied trenches during WWI. There were very large holes in the ground from shelling. It was very dangerous for a soldier in No Man's Land because they were out in the open (no place to hide).
570577848Parapetthe inner wall of a trench, made of earth and wood and topped with sandbags, to protect soldiers.
570577849Platoona unit of soldiers, normally consisting of 50 men.
570577850Poison gastype of gas which gives off a poisonous vapour, designed to kill, injure or disable a soldier by inhalation or contact.
570577851Putteescloth strip made of wool and wrapped around the leg, from ankle to knee, to prevent trousers from being torn or getting dirty.
570577852Sapa tunnel within a trench, dug to a point beneath the enemy's trenches.
570577853Sectora portion or division of a large military area.
570577854Shellan artillery projectile containing an explosive bursting charge.
570577855Snipera soldier, armed with a rifle and usually well hidden, who shoots at exposed individuals of an enemy's forces.
570577856"Stand Down"permission given to soldiers to leave their defensive positions when an attack by the enemy is over or not going to happen.
570577857Stick grenadeGerman hand grenade; small, metal container, attached to a stick, which explodes after it is thrown.
570577858Tommynickname used by German soldiers to describe British, Irish, ANZAC and Canadian soldiers.
570577859Trencha long, deep and narrow hole in the ground, with the earth thrown up in front, dug to protect soldiers from bullets and other projectiles.
570577860Webbingsoldier's back-pack, made of heavy canvas. It has a lot of pockets for ammunition, water bottle, bayonet, food, clothing and personal belongings.
570577861Western Frontthe area of military operations during the First World War which ran from Belgium, through northern France, and to the Swiss border.
570577862Work detaila specific task assigned to a soldier or group, usually physical labour (digging trenches, burying the dead, clearing land)..

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!