The Western Front was the main theater of war during World War I, located in France and Belgium.

After the failure of the initial German advance in 1914, both sides dug into a continuous line of trenches stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss border.

Trench warfare was characterized by a static, defensive stalemate.

Life in the trenches was horrific, with soldiers facing mud, rats, disease, and the constant threat of artillery shells and sniper fire.

The area between the opposing trench lines was known as 'no man's land,' a barren landscape of craters and barbed wire.

The machine gun gave a massive advantage to the defender, making frontal assaults across no man's land almost suicidal.

Major battles on the Western Front, such as Verdun and the Somme, were brutal wars of attrition that resulted in millions of casualties for minimal territorial gain.

New and terrifying weapons were introduced, including poison gas, flamethrowers, and tanks.

The psychological toll on soldiers was immense, leading to a condition known as 'shell shock' (now known as PTSD).

The image of trench warfare has come to define the futility and slaughter of World War I.