It meant to go over the top edge of the trench onto no mans land and charging at the enemy. It was not something that matched up with a long life.
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Going over the top is when soldiers were forced to run over the top of the trenches in which they were fighting from and walk out on to the battlefield to gain vital land in the war. hundreds of people would die while traveling through no man's land.
The phrase 'going over the top' - referred to the soldiers in the trenches climbing out and up to flat ground, and advancing towards the enemy over 'no-mans land'. Attacking the enemy's trenches~APEX
Over 200,000 men died in the trenches of World War 1.
These trenches were not easy to get rid of, if you went over the top to attack the other side, machine guns would strike men down.
Going over the top refers to coming out of the trenches to attack enemy trenches in an attempt to take them over. Unfortunately, since you were out in the open most of the time: 1. You were killed or maimed by machine gun/rifle/artillery fire 2. Got caught in the barbed wire 3. You made it to the enemy trench and a. Took the trench b. Got killed by the people still there