In Ypres, Belgium, the sky, already devoid of sunlight, gradually darkened.
The weather grew increasingly cold, and the once wet and muddy ground had turned into solid ice. A shovel struck down would only create a small white spot.
Captain Claude hoped to carve out a "ladder" on the side wall of the trench. That way, it would be easier for him to poke his head out and take a look at the situation.
But he eventually gave up, throwing the entrenching tool aside and crawling into the tunnel while rubbing his hands and complaining: "We might just have to hope that the Germans' shells help us complete those damned fortifications."
The soldiers crowded in the tunnel laughed, passing around the few remaining cigarettes under the dim and flickering candlelight.
One good thing about winter is that the fortifications become much harder, and the German artillery would often freeze up, lowering the intensity of the war.
