Abandoned British trench, World War I. Remains of an abandoned British trench being inspected by German staff officers on horseback. Extensive trench systems were dug by both sides during the Great War (First World War, 1914-1918) as the opposing armies fought to a standstill on the Western Front in northern France and Belgium. The trench system helped to protect soldiers from shell fire and sniper fire. Many millions, based in trenches like this, fought and died in terrain devastated by heavy artillery bombardment. This photograph is from the Rehse Archive for Contemporary History and Journalism.