Foxhole
A foxhole ( English : foxhole ) is a single hole in the ground to protect a soldier against a flat fire, especially from small arms , mostly within a position . Shrapnel and explosive projectiles from the artillery can, however, wound, kill or spill the soldier in his hole in the ground.
A field position for two soldiers is called a combat position.
construction
The foxhole is dug so deep that a soldier can stand or kneel in it. It is ideally applied so that the width of the soldier corresponds ( Klappspaten broad), which opening is narrower than the bottom to the throwing in a hand grenade to aggravate and give a soldier the ability for bombardment in the depth of the battle article cover to and put down equipment and additional ammunition. The ground is padded with branches to protect against rain and moisture, and a seepage and hand grenade hole is dug in the front wall. A hand grenade thrown into it can only have a limited effect. Through a tunnel or a covered crawl channel, foxholes can be connected to other field fortifications as alternating positions. Covered foxholes are a transition to the earth bunker . The cover also serves as a camouflage against aerial reconnaissance.
In 1963, the Reibert stated that the working time for a soldier to build a foxhole for a standing soldier was 1.5 hours for light ground, 2.25 hours for medium ground and 3 hours for firm ground. There was also a type of construction with a so-called foxhole, in which a recess was dug in the enemy direction at a depth of 1 m, in which the soldier could sit and was thus covered against splinters etc. However, this was only possible with solid ground. On solid ground, a foxhole also protects against being run over by a tank.
It is also currently the case that as soon as soldiers stay in one place for a long time, earth coverings should be created. The simplest form of earth cover is the Schützenmulde . Wherever possible and where time and resources are available, larger positional structures in the form of field fortifications are to be built. Foxholes are no longer a subject of training in the Bundeswehr, the instead taught combat position differs from the foxhole in that it is usually designed for two men and does not necessarily have to be sunk into the ground. The other statements about the construction of a combat arena are transferable. So, wherever possible, the combat post should be covered against fragments of artillery shells; it can contain a covered space. If an earth cover cannot be built deep enough, it can be reinforced above ground with sandbags or on-site material such as boulders. The combat post is adapted to the environment with camouflage means so that it is noticed as late as possible and the reconnaissance is difficult.
A few rules contribute to camouflage. If possible, the grass sods are cut off and stored with the roots up. The excavated earth is stored on a tarpaulin and deposited inconspicuously at a distance from the fighting stand. The initially cut grass sods can then be used to cover reinforcements (sandbags, stones, etc.). Furthermore, when setting up the combat post, landscape features that make it easier for the enemy to sight should be removed. These include B. individual trees.
History and commitment
At least since the advent of artillery and automatic weapons, it has become necessary for soldiers to use camouflage and entrenchments to protect themselves from fire. Trenches, protective walls or the like to protect against shelling z. B. sieges have been known since ancient times. Combined fighting positions with connecting trenches or trenches are referred to as field fortifications . This was most pronounced in the trench warfare of the First World War .
Even today, soldiers usually set up field positions in the form of fighting stalls. However, the extensive expansion has become less frequent due to the mobility of the combat command, changed weapons technology and above all because of reconnaissance equipment such as thermal imaging devices. In modern warfare an attack is prepared by artillery and air attacks; A combat post or foxhole still offers protection against near hits by high-explosive projectiles and bombs. In the past field fortifications were mostly laid out in open terrain in order to be able to advance your own troops there, today they are laid out in (heavily) covered terrain in order to achieve better camouflage.
Well camouflaged field positions are difficult to see from armored vehicles. In areas with loosely laid earth fortifications, tanks therefore run the risk of rolling over foxholes unnoticed due to their restricted view, from which their poorly armored rear, sides or even the ground can then be attacked. Undisguised and recognized field fortifications, on the other hand, can also be investigated from armored vehicles. There are reports from the Second World War that tanks drove over recognized foxholes, turned over them and caused the walls above the affected soldier to collapse.
Disadvantages of the foxhole
Foxholes cannot be created, or can only be created with great effort, in very hard or very sandy subsoils or when the water table is high. The construction of a foxhole creates so much excavation that in less indented terrain the position of the foxhole is revealed by it. The construction takes up to several hours depending on the nature of the soil. During a battle, therefore, only shooting hollows are created. The soldier is isolated in a simple foxhole and under certain circumstances can hardly leave and reach it unseen.
literature
- The friction . Updated new edition. Mittler & Sohn , 2009, ISBN 9783813209051 , p. 175 ff.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The friction . Mittler & Sohn, Frankfurt a. Main 1963. pp. 409-411.
- ^ Bernhard Weber: My struggle for survival in World War II . Verlagsgruppe Mainz, Mainz 2003, p. 129
- ↑ On the spot Der Spiegel 53/1967