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Photo Diary: A Reconstructed WW1 Trench [1]
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Date: 2022-07-02
I visited the US Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle PA a couple years ago and diaried it here, but back then parts of it were closed off for some remodeling, including the WW1 trench system. So when I visited again this week while passing through, I focused on the WW1 exhibit.
For those who don't know, I live in a converted campervan and travel around the country, posting photo diaries of places that I visit. I am currently in Pennsylvania.
Within weeks of the start of the First World War, both sides, unable to advance against the other, dug defensive positions. At first, these were simple temporary rifle pits, but as the deadlock continued, they were transformed into intricate trench systems, which stretched unbroken from the shores of the English Channel all the way across France to the Swiss border. “Trench warfare” became the iconic characteristic of the Western Front.
The typical trench was about seven feet deep and four feet wide. The sides were reinforced with wooden planks, corrugated metal, or wire mesh, to prevent the sides from collapsing. The bottom of the trenches quickly filled with water, and to help prevent “trench foot” (caused by constant immersion of the feet), a pathway of wooden planks called “duckboards” ran through each trench. On the front of the trench, sandbags were piled up to make a parapet; a shelf running along the inside of the trench, called a “firing step”, allowed soldiers to shoot through small gaps in the parapet called “loopholes”. There were also machine gun emplacements (called “pill-boxes”) built into the parapets from sandbags, cement, or stones, placed together closely enough so that their interlocking arcs of fire covered the entire front, even if some of the guns were knocked out.
The trench was built in a zig-zag or corrugated shape, turning every twenty feet or so, to protect each segment from any artillery fragments or grenades that exploded in adjacent segments.
At intervals along each trench, an underground shelter called a “dug-out” was made, 10 or 20 feet below ground, where troops could rest in relative safety. In places where the ground made this impossible, individual soldiers dug their own little caves into the back side of the trench.
The trench system was usually built in two or three parallel lines. The forward trenches were used for observation, sniping, and defensive or offensive combat. The rear trenches were used for storage, sleeping, and emergency medical treatment. The parallel trenches were connected to each other by a series of perpendicular “communications trenches”, which allowed troops to move in safety from one trenchline to another. The artillery units were located some distance behind the trenches, and the rear area was also used for training, medical areas, and billets for troops who were not on frontline duty.
In most areas, the opposing trenches were 200-300 yards apart. In some areas, however, they were as close as 30 yards. The area between opposing trench systems was known as “No Man’s Land”. In general, when the war bogged down in 1914, the Germans withdrew to the best nearby defensive positions, and dug their trenches on the higher ground. British and French generals, on the other hand, believed that any retreat, of any distance, would be bad for the troop’s fighting spirit, so they ordered Entente troops to dig in at whatever position they found themselves in. As a result, the German trenches were typically stronger and drier than the Allied trenches, which were often built on unsuitable soggy ground in valleys, where the water table was close to the surface. It was the first of many blunders made by the Allied generals.
Some photos of the trench system. It’s … mostly accurate. There have been concessions for the tourists, so it’s a lot roomier and a lot cleaner than an actual trench would have been. It’s more akin perhaps to a German rear-area trench: the Brit frontline trenches would have been a lot less nice.
An overlook of the trench system, from a German position towards a British line.
A German observation post or machine gun pillbox.
Achtung! The entrance tunnel would have been covered with enough dirt to protect it from artillery fire.
The pillbox would have had bunks for sleeping, and observation ports.
The pillbox was protected by a thick layer of concrete and barbed wire.
Looking across No Man’s Land towards the Brits. In reality, this whole area would have been cratered by artillery shells and there would not be so much as a blade of grass.
No Man’s Land would have been filled with immense tangles of barbed wire, as much as 100 yards wide at some places.
These wire posts were specifically designed to be screwed into the ground instead of hammered, since the pounding of a hammer would give away one’s position at night
Entering the British trench
A trench. British trenches were sometimes lined with wood, but were often just bare mud. The wooden A frames were intended to hold up the wooden duckboards so the rainwater would collect underneath and keep troopers’ feet out of the muck.
Some trenches, particularly the Germans, were lined with corrugated metal
“Firing steps” would allow troopers to peer over the edge of the trench with a periscope, or to fire a rifle at attacking Germans.
British observation post/machine gun nest. Protected by sandbags.
Looking towards the German pillbox
The trenches were a confusing maze. There were frontline trenches, rear trenches, and communications trenches running from one to the other.
Since every trench looked alike, they were all given street names so troopers could find their way around without getting lost
Widened areas like this allowed trench mortars to fire on the enemy from within the protection of the trench walls
Most trenches were juuust wide enough for two soldiers to squeeze past each other. Communications trenches were often very narrow and “one-way”, with foot traffic limited to just one direction.
Dugouts would be built into the sides of the trenches. This one serves as a unit HQ.
Covered by dirt and sandbags, the dugouts provided some protection against artillery and poison gas
HQ dugouts were connected to higher officers in the rear by telephone and telegraph wires
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