--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem had been evident from the…" description: "\"“The problem had been evident from the moment the first Tommy tried to pull himself out of the trench by gripping a rotted sandbag and had fallen back ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/joseph-e-persico-10290_time_the-problem-had-been-evident-from-the-mo_739525.jpg" --- # The problem had been evident from the moment the first… ![“The problem had been evident from the moment the first Tommy tried to pull himself out of the trench by gripping a rotted sandbag and had fallen back to the bottom. The rain collapsed the sides of trenches, and men had to be heaved over the parapet bodily. Tanks sank, their treads unable to gain…” quote by Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/joseph-e-persico-10290_time_the-problem-had-been-evident-from-the-mo_739525.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/joseph-e-persico-10290_time_the-problem-had-been-evident-from-the-mo_739525.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aad/joseph-e-persico-10290_time_the-problem-had-been-evident-from-the-mo_739525.jpg) > ““The problem had been evident from the moment the first Tommy tried to pull himself out of the trench by gripping a rotted sandbag and had fallen back to the bottom. The rain collapsed the sides of trenches, and men had to be heaved over the parapet bodily. Tanks sank, their treads unable to gain traction. As the men finally advanced, they were sucked into mud-filled craters, where many drowned.”” [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes the chaotic, mud‑filled conditions of WWI trench warfare and the difficulty of advancing under fire. **In simple terms:** Trench warfare was brutal and often halted by mud and rain. Key Takeaway Recognize the harsh realities of historical combat. Themes war human endurance environment Mood somber reflective Type historical educational When to use this quote - historical reenactments - military training - museum exhibits Key Concepts military history logistics terrain challenges Questions to Reflect On - What lessons do modern armies draw from WWI terrain challenges? - How does environment shape combat strategy? A Different Perspective Even with technology, terrain can dominate outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Dig trenches? With our men being killed off like flies? There isn't time to dig trenches. 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Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) ## More by Joseph E. Persico > [“Sergeant Powell would never understand what compelled Henry Gunther to rise up and charge the enemy. Gunther had never been seduced by dreams of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/sergeant-powell-would-never-understand-what-compelled-henry-gunther/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Henry Cabot Lodge. Wilson rejected even reasonable compromises, and Lodge refused to budge. Hence, the United States failed to enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/senate-foreign-relations-committee-henry-cabot-lodge-wilson-rejected/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“On December 18, he asked each side to set forth its terms for ending the war. The Allies demanded conditions certain to be unacceptable:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/on-december-18-he-asked-each-side-to-set-forth-its-terms-for-ending/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The first-day casualties on the Somme totaled 57,470.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-first-day-casualties-on-the-somme-totaled-57-470/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The last deaths of the Great War on the western front occurred at midnight on the twelfth in Hamont, a Belgian town near the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-last-deaths-of-the-great-war-on-the-western-front-occurred-at/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“German resistance continued to present a hodgepodge of fanaticism amid disorder. A British patrol entering a deserted village east of Valenciennes in the northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/german-resistance-continued-to-present-a-hodgepodge-of-fanaticism/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The imperative of war is to kill, and thus all wars are exercises in sanctioned murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-imperative-of-war-is-to-kill-and-thus-all-wars-are-exercises-in/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The initial conclusion of the subcommittee was that “needless slaughter” took place on November 11, 1918. However, this finding was beaten back by vocal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-initial-conclusion-of-the-subcommittee-was-that-needless/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Moltke began to tamper with Schlieffen’s plan. Instead of investing 90 percent of the German Army in the French campaign, as required, he began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/moltke-began-to-tamper-with-schlieffen-s-plan-instead-of-investing-90/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Compounding the horror, German officials committed an act of staggering insensitivity: they struck a commemorative medal with a depiction of the sinking ship on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/compounding-the-horror-german-officials-committed-an-act-of/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“constant companions throughout the project: Stanley Weintraub’s A Stillness Heard Round the World, A. J. P. Taylor’s The First World War, John Keegan’s The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/constant-companions-throughout-the-project-stanley-weintraub-s-a/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Mustard gas was stubborn, clinging to the ground as long as three days. Heavier than air, it settled into craters and trenches where men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/mustard-gas-was-stubborn-clinging-to-the-ground-as-long-as-three-days/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Barely across the Ourcq, Donovan’s battalion began taking fire from three sides. One bullet grazed Wild Bill’s thigh; another tore off the heel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/barely-across-the-ourcq-donovan-s-battalion-began-taking-fire-from/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“A great many of the Army officers were very fine in the way that they took care of their men. But there were certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/a-great-many-of-the-army-officers-were-very-fine-in-the-way-that-they/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“MacArthur strode before his men, armed only with a riding crop, a cigarette holder clamped jauntily between his teeth, without the slightest suggestion in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/macarthur-strode-before-his-men-armed-only-with-a-riding-crop-a/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) [Explore all 66 Joseph E. Persico quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) ## More Time quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. 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Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. 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