This passage was written by a 10th grader
Trench warfare was an unexpected development during World War I. It essentially saw the creation of trenches, protected by barbed wire as a means of defense. Here, machine-gun nests would be placed as well as other heavy artillery further back and gun batteries. Troops tended to stay within the trench itself. Trench warfare heavily impacted World War I. This new development was not something military leaders had been prepared for. The general plan developed to break through to someone else’s trench was by throwing masses of men against enemy lines that had been battered with artillery. This proved to be a huge failure, as when the men went out into open fields they were shot down by rapid machine gun fire. Trench warfare was evidently the reason for the stalemate in the West.