WW1 Trench Schematics

Here you can find plans of WW1 Trenches, most contemporary and taken from wartime manuals. They are of course ideal and idealistic representations of what in reality could be nothing more than a couple of hastily inter-connected holes in the mud. However, the compexity of the WW1 Trench Systems should not be under-estimated. One of the reasons that much of the War in the West stalled into bloody stalemate, was the fact that the defensive systems there got more and more advanced, and thus harder to penetrate - in all dimensions.

This is just a first instalment. It will soon be updated.
 

 

British Plan from 1917-18: Normal Section of Fire Trench, Order of Work and Final Section of Trench
British Plan from 1917-18: Normal Communication Trench Sections
British Plan from 1917-18: Diagrammatic Sketch of Portion of Front Line and Support Line with Communication Trench
British Plan from 1917-18: Machine Gun Emplacement
British Plan from 1917-18: Latrines
British plan from 1917-18: Fire Trench, Forward Traverse to Existing Line & Wavy Fire or Communication Trenches
British plan from 1917-18: Alternative Trace of Trenches: Zig-zag, T-Head
British plan from 1917-18: Alternative Trace of Trenches: Curved without Traverses, Dog Legs
British plan from 1917-18: Simple Weather-proof Shelters, Elephant Iron Shelter
British plan from 1917-18: Splinter Proof Shelters
British plan from 1917-18: Portable Armoured OP's
British plan from 1917-18: Portable Unarmoured OP's
British plan from 1917-18: Typical Arrangement of Galleries and Accessory Dugouts
British plan from 1917-18: Improvements to Shell Hole
German Plan from 1915-16: Trench
German Plan from 1915-16: Typical Front Trench & Communication Trench Layout
German Plan from 1915-16: Simple Trench
German Plan from 1915-16: Simple Weather Roof & Barbed Wire Schematic