. Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography . work of smalldrainage ditches, the marshes, the larger canals, and the and even infantry find the drainage ditches an obstaclewhich forces them to keep to the roads or to the larger dikes ofrivers and principal canals. Submerged Trenches and DugoutsThe presence of an excess of water on or close below the surfaceproved a serious embarrassment in the operations of trenchwarfare. Where water stood in ponds or marshes in faint depres-sions of the low plain, trenches were impracticable. El
. Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography . work of smalldrainage ditches, the marshes, the larger canals, and the and even infantry find the drainage ditches an obstaclewhich forces them to keep to the roads or to the larger dikes ofrivers and principal canals. Submerged Trenches and DugoutsThe presence of an excess of water on or close below the surfaceproved a serious embarrassment in the operations of trenchwarfare. Where water stood in ponds or marshes in faint depres-sions of the low plain, trenches were impracticable. Elsewhereeven shallow trenches might encounter the zone of permanent 8 Fortescue, Vol. 4, Part I, Chs. 5 and 10. CLAY BELT 29 saturation close below the surface, and so be permanently inun-dated. Even where the land was slightly higher, trenches in theclay caught rainfall which could not drain off through the imper-vious material. Hence the terrible sufferings of men compelledto stand in cold water or liquid mud ankle-deep, knee-deep,sometimes even waist-deep. What this means to an army can. Fig. 10—A canal used as a defense line and crossed by a temporary footbridge.(Belgian official photograph.) only be fully understood by one who has experienced it; butsome idea of the truth can be gleaned from reading the reportsof officers of all grades, now become part of the British WarOffice archives. As one report modestly observes, The difficul-ties of this part of the country are worthy of note. The trenchesare very wet, and the water is up to the mens knees in mostplaces. Such phrases as men knee-deep in water, trenches fullof liquid mud 2 to 3 feet deep, trenches full of water 3 feet deepin places, trenches untenable owing to flooding, ground sowet only able to dig down 2 feet, occur in endless repetition. 30 BATTLEFIELD OF FLANDERS One officer reports his men as in pitiable condition coming outof trenches; wet through, caked with stinking mud from headto foot, and perishing with c
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectworldwar19141918
