The First World War, also known as the Great War, lasted from the summer of 1914 until the late autumn of 1918. The war was fought between the Allies, which consisted mainly of the United Kingdom, France, Russian Empire and Central Powers, which mainly consisted of the German Empire, Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire and Kingdom of Bulgaria (Alliances - Entente and Central Powers). In total, it is estimated that twelve million civilians and nine million combatants died during this horrific and devastating war (DeGroot 1). When the war began in 1914, many thought it would be a war of movement that would end quickly. However, the situation changed when the Germans, who were trying to reach and capture the city of Paris in France, were forced to retreat during the Battle of the Marne in September 1914 (Ellis 10). German General von Falkenhayn, who believed that his troops must at all costs hold the parts of France and Belgium they had conquered, ordered his men to dig in and form defensive trenches (Ellis 10). The Allies failed to break through the enemy lines and were forced to create their own trenches (Ellis 10). This was just the beginning of trench warfare. On the Western Front the war of movement had quickly come to a halt. A huge line of trenches, 475 miles long, quickly spread and extended from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier (Ellis 10). With neither side budging, the soldiers were forced to live in the most miserable conditions. Simply put, life in the trenches was pure hell. A lieutenant in the 2nd Scottish Fusiliers Regiment wrote: “No one who was not present can fully appreciate the excruciating agonies and misery through which the men had to pass [crossing] in those... middle of paper.... ..oot , Gerard J. The First World War. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001. Print.Ellis, John. Eye-Deep in Hell: Trench Warfare in World War I. New York: Pantheon, 1976. Print. "In-depth articles - Life in the trenches". Firstworldwar.com. First World War and Web. 05 April 2011. "Fire Pass". Firstworldwar.com. First World War, nd wed. 06 April 2011. “In the trenches”. 1914-1918.net. The long, long path, nd mer. 05 April 2011. "Lice". Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational and Web. 05 April 2011. "Trench food". Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational and Web. 05 April 2011. "Trench Foot". Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational and Web. 05 April 2011. "Trench Rats". Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational and Web. 05 April 2011. "Waterlogged Trenches." Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational and Web. 05 April. 2011.