The war characterized by trench warfare on the Western Front was World War I. This brutal form of combat defined much of the war from 1914 to 1918, particularly along the Western Front, where opposing forces experienced prolonged stalemates with high casualties and little territorial gain. Soldiers lived in arduous conditions in extensive networks of trenches that were often muddy, overcrowded, and plagued by disease. The trench warfare not only resulted in massive loss of life but also dramatically influenced military strategies and innovations, including the use of tanks, gas warfare, and aerial reconnaissance, which shaped modern warfare in subsequent conflicts.