tranchée

Tranchée is the French word for a trench, a long, narrow ditch dug into the ground to provide cover from enemy fire and to anchor a defensive position. In military use, trenches are built by digging and reinforcing with earth to create protected corridors from which soldiers can observe, fire, and move with some security.

Trench warfare became a defining feature of the Western Front during the First World War (1914–1918), when opposing armies dug extensive networks of front-line, support, and reserve trenches separated by no man’s land. These systems included parapets (the forward wall), parados (the rear wall), fire steps, and duckboards on the trench floor, along with dugouts for shelter. Communication trenches linked the main lines and facilitated movement of troops and supplies while reducing exposure to shellfire. In addition, saps and listening trenches were used to approach or monitor the enemy and to mine or counter-mine.

Life in the trenches was harsh and dirty, marked by mud, water, cold, and poor sanitation. Soldiers faced artillery bombardment, gas attacks, frostbite, and disease, while routine duties covered sentry duty, maintenance, drainage repair, and regular rotations to rest and recuperate.

Beyond the WWI Western Front, trenches appeared in other conflicts as defensive works, though the rise of mechanized and mobile warfare reduced the prevalence of large static trench systems. In contemporary operations, trenches may still function as defensive positions or bunkers, but they are generally less dominant than in earlier decades. Related topics include no man’s land, dugouts, parapets, and the broader concept of trench warfare.