Anti-tank trench

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Men of the Volkssturm-militia digging an anti-tank ditch during the Battle of Berlin at the outskirts of the city (February 1945)

Anti-tank trenches, also called anti-tank ditches, are ditches dug into and around fortified positions to hold up the advance of enemy tanks.[1][2] Anti-tank ditches were first used in World War I by Germany in an effort to protect their trenches against the newly developed British tanks. An anti-tank ditch has to be wide enough and deep enough to prevent a tank from crossing. Armies have been known to disguise anti-tank ditches[3] to enable the ditch to disable an enemy tank. Anti-tank trenches can be defeated by use of a fascine.

According to the United States Army, there are several methods by which combat engineers can dig an anti-tank ditch on the battlefield. Using only hand tools, a platoon of soldiers can dig a triangular-shaped ditch 100 feet long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet deep in seven and a half hours; a trapezoidal-shaped ditch of similar dimensions would take fourteen hours. Equipping the platoon with a 3/4 cubic yard power shovel cuts these digging times to four and a half hours and nine hours respectively. Alternatively, a squad of soldiers with a power auger and sufficient demolition charges can blast a ditch 100 yards long, 30 feet wide and 12 feet deep in twelve hours.[4]

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References[]

  1. ^ "12. Antitank Obstacles and Road Blocks: Beach Obstacles: German Coastal Defenses, WWII Military Intelligence Service, Special Series No. 15, June 15, 1943 (Lone Sentry)". www.lonesentry.com. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
  2. ^ Rottman, Gordon L. (2012-12-20). Soviet Field Fortifications 1941–45. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-061-3.
  3. ^ The Military Engineer. Society of American Military Engineers. 1919.
  4. ^ Engineers' Reference and Logistical Data. (1971). United States. 11-6


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