2 - Enduring the Western Front

Summary

The physical world could drain and erode morale. The weather proved to be a central feature in the infantrymen’s experience of war. This chapter considers key themes that emerge from soldiers’ descriptions of winter: the cold, the rain, the mud, the snow, all of which were exacerbated by soldiers’ exhaustion. It discusses in turn the experience of winter 1914, winter 1916, and winter through spring 1917/18. These experiences fed negative perceptions of the military and encouraged men to view the war more pessimistically. They complained about trench conditions, clothing, and food. Furthermore, the anticipation of winter (as much as the experience of it) harmed motivation and morale. It undermined soldiers’ ability to visualise the future as they became frozen in time. Yet, soldiers’ negativity and pessimism after Passchendaele indicate that a deeper, more problematic, and increasingly pervasive gloom descended over the BEF in winter 1917/18. Yet, even then, men fell back on coping mechanisms. Their resilience shone through as they were able to project their discomfort onto the enemy and rationalise their winter experiences as a necessary (and temporary) trial. In fact, the experience of winter transformed soldiers’ perceptions of the campaigning season, which they viewed in a much more positive light. Spring and summer were preferable to the impotence of winter. Even if the warmer months promised more fighting, there was some agency to be found in battle. Furthermore, military action might end the war before the onset of the next winter.