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Posted by Northern_Andy (U2943874) on Thursday, 26th August 2010
Hello.
I have been trying to find the answer to the following but have had little luck, so was wondering if anyone was able to help:
During the trench Warfare of WW1 I have wondered what operations / activities (if any) took place at the extreme ends of the trench system (i.e. the North Sea coast and the Swiss Border)?
I know of the main campaigns and phases of WW1 on the Western Front, and during or after battles that troops were withdrawn to 'quiet' sectors of the line. So I am assuming that these quiet sectors were obviously were no fighting was taking place (relatively speaking), and further wondered if these such sectors were at the extreme ends of the trench system.
If this is not the case, I would be very interested (as all of the numerous books I have read on WW1) have made no mention of what took place at these extremes of the trench system.
Any information and help will be gratefully received.
Regards.
Andy
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
NA,
You might find these links of interest;
The Vosges sector and the Swiss frontier
{memorials to Corporal Peugeot,the first French soldier killed in WW1 and to Driver Robertson, the southernmost Commonwealth grave on the Western Front}
and the Front at Nieuport
In some places near the coast the "trenches" were actually sandbag redoubts because the water table was too high to permit digging.Much of this sector was also deliberately flooded.
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
And a bit about the Battle of the Yser in 1914;
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
And a little about the RN's oldest operational battleship at the time :-
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Monday, 30th August 2010
the Swiss BorderΒ
Not sure about provenance of this photograph but there's no reason to doubt its authenticity. The message, however, is clear - 'Don't dig beyond the flag!':
Also - here a remarkable colour photo of Swiss soldiers 'just beyond the wire':
And here's an even more remarkable one of French soldiers standing in front of the wire with the Swiss soldiers behind:
These photos are said to be taken at Pfetterhouse - the village in Alsace where the trenches reached the Swiss Border.
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
Isn't it amazing, the mentality of the Human race?
We will slaughter each other by the million, using the most awful means at our disposal, but we must not go beyond that line on the ground, 'cos the nice little fellow next door owns that bit!
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
There was an amphibious landing on the Belgian coast planned for the summer of 1917 called Operation Hush.
The Germans got their retaliation in first with Operation Strandfest,it's been discussed on the Great War Forum,
an associated thread,
some pictures of breastwork defences in WW1,one of a German one in the coastal dunes.
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
And a little about the RN's oldest operational battleship at the timeΒ
Ive always had a soft spot for HMS Redoutable,there is a great picture out there showing her with a self imposed list to increase the range of her guns.
At the other end of the spectrum is this
Bonkers!
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
Of course, we still have this one :- now the Dardanelles memorial ship.
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
, in reply to message 2.
Posted by Mike Alexander (U1706714) on Tuesday, 31st August 2010
In some places near the coast the "trenches" were actually sandbag redoubts because the water table was too high to permit digging.Much of this sector was also deliberately flooded.Β
Absolutely, and this was one of the areas where an unofficial truce was often observed. The soldiers were working so hard to stay dry and maintain fortifications that they didn't much bother to shoot at each other, save in a ritualised and harmless way. Doing so would simply draw unwelcome return fire. In any case, the mud made aggressive territorial warfare pretty much impossible. After the 'race to the sea' and subsequent Battle of Yser of 1914, the northern coastal end of the Western Front stayed pretty much unchanged throughout. The key focus of conflict in the north after that was the Ypres Salient and surrounding areas.
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
, in reply to message 10.
Posted by Northern_Andy (U2943874) on Friday, 3rd September 2010
Excellent.
Very interesting.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply.
Regards.
Andy
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
To finish off the story of the left flank;
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
, in reply to message 6.
Posted by Mikestone8 (U13249270) on Thursday, 16th September 2010
Isn't it amazing, the mentality of the Human race?
We will slaughter each other by the million, using the most awful means at our disposal, but we must not go beyond that line on the ground, 'cos the nice little fellow next door owns that bit!Β
More a question of the fellow on the other side of that line having his army ready to oppose such a move, and the country being mountainous and ideal defensive terrain, so that he could do so effectively.
The "line on the ground" was no guarantee in itself, as the Belgians found out.
Link to this forum: Trench Warfare at North Sea and Swiss Border
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