German Field Fortifications

German Field Fortifications in World War 2. In this video we look at various German field fortifications in the Second World War, like trenches, alarm systems, anti-tank ditches, tank traps, concrete positions, dugout for tanks, field artillery position and a Nebelwerfer position. Additionally, we discuss the general aspects of German field fortifications with quotes from army regulations and training pamphlets, like fighting power, camouflage, decoy positions and others.
Special thanks to Czeslaw and Mirko!
Visited Museum: bunkry.pl
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» SOURCES «
H. Dv. 316: Pionierdienst aller Waffen. Verlag E. S. Mittler & Sohn: Berlin, 1935 (1936).
Merkblatt 57/5: Bildheft Neuzeitlicher Stellungsbau. OKH, General der Pioniere: 1944.
FM 5-15: Engineer Field Manual - Field Fortifications. War Department: Washington, 1940.
FM 5-15: Field Fortifications. Corps of Engineers. War Department: Washington, February 1944.
#FieldFortifications #GermanFieldFortifications #WW2

[@largesoda1729]

When you were expecting an April Fool's prank but then you remember he's German. Well played... well played

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

it is still 31st March over here.

[@QWERTY-of8qh]

Did you just prank me across timezones? I've literally checked every device withing 3 metres of me just to make sure that it is still the 31st where i am.

[@markcantemail8018]

4:01 p.m Est Kodak town 3-31-2020 . Thank you , I really Dug this Video .

[@GermanEngineer84]

Well, he's Austrian...

[@monophthalmos9633]

@@GermanEngineer84 Same, but different, but still same.

[@MatoVuc]

Gah, this reminds me of bootcamp: "Soldier, pay attention. If you have reached your designated position and have not recieved any further orders, take out your shovel and start digging. It should take you no llnger than 10 minutes to excavate a triangle shaped ditch the height of your body whenn lying flat. Use the earth you removed to create forward facing berms. Be careful to retain as much of the top layer of soil with grass intact so as to use it as camouflage for the eart berms. Provided you have recieved no further order, proceed to dig the trench deeper to a depth where you can comfortably kneel inside. Provided no further orders have been recieved, continue digging until you have made a standard standing one-man trench. If no further orders have been recieved, extend the trench into a two-man standing trench. If still no orders have been recieved, proceed to dig to your right in the direction of your nearest section mate. (...) "

[@dangerawaits_bbx]

I'm writing this down.

[@mayamanign]

If still no orders...... We've been overrun and you are behind enemy lines. Break out your fake mustache and nose glasses and gather Intel as a spy.

[@theswagman1263]

@@mayamanign whack enemy combatants with shovel

[@promisedmillennium]

German Bundeswehr: Write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN!!!

[@schlawa]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6DRfHaKe69-eck :) The Video is 10 years old but building foxholes is still a must for every German Tourist on any beach :)

[@TheOdst219]

All of NATO: Hey can I copy your work? Bundeswher: Sure.

[@promisedmillennium]

@@schlawa Saw a video about one soldier that had the unfortunate honour to be stationed there. In his words "it was a backlash to the world wars. Pile boxes and trenches and rats everywhere". It's funny how unimportant our scientific progress is. Warfare seems not to change very much.

[@CallhimZombie]

It's questionable if most of such field fortifications would work against modern weapons.

[@mihaelkyoleyan1543]

Well, they really should. The size of the Bundeswehr is but a fraction of the size of the Wehrmacht or even the modern Russia army, so if they are to at least offer any resistance the few Leopard 2s are not going to be enough, they need to be as combat effective as possible

[@swagner58]

I can't be the only person who finds it particularly amusing that they specified that an asparagus can would be the loudest. Now we need a video on German field expedient asparagus steamers.

[@-Invero-]

13:46 Panther and Elefant moving into the tank trench: There is no going back now.

[@leonardusrakapradayan2253]

they passed the point of no return

[@TheCat48488]

Why?

[@CallhimZombie]

If it works for a King Tiger, why it shouldn't for a Panther or an Elefant?

[@leonardusrakapradayan2253]

Vito Hartanto because the panthers have really bad reverse speed so it would be very slow to get out of the trench, while the elefant is underpowered and overweight making it even harder for it to get out

[@TheCat48488]

@@leonardusrakapradayan2253 now I remember But torque and speed are different, tho it is a gasoline engine

[@Dylan-lw1xc]

Time to use what you’ve taught me to fortify my toilet paper storage.

[@cyrilchui2811]

using toilet paper as camouflage ? you shall be cursed for a thousand years...

[@korpimies8462]

I just finished taking a shit before watching the video, too late to grab my toilet paper.

[@nottoday3817]

Well, this is going to come in handy when The ToiletPaper Wars start

[@dmh0667ify]

The ToiletPaper Wars have started, they have.....

[@knutdergroe9757]

A Old MARINE Gunny once told me, "There is three things a MARINE can always find anywhere. Women, Beer, and toilet paper, You better share the third, And I better not hear or see the other two."

[@cyrilchui2811]

I can buy guns, weed, but no toilet paper, can I bring extra ration of weed instead?

[@jefferynelson]

No TP but lots of 60 grit sandpaper here

[@nottoday3817]

@@jefferynelson no. We need to be fully focused on our enemies

[@UnbeltedSundew]

Two years from now people are gong to be seeing all the videos being made now and not understand any of the toilet paper jokes.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

maybe, maybe not, I think that one might stay.

[@NothusDeusVagus]

we certainly hope so... and even more so that toilet paper isn't replaced by something else that's needed even more.

[@ingrainedquark474]

@Nothus Deus Vagus Something like ammo? One must protect one's toilet paper stock...

[@4T3hM4kr0n]

thought the toilet paper was a reference to digging latrines.

[@KatyaAbc575]

May 2021. No, we still remember very clearly.

[@ZaBrowski]

Kamp Kraft sounds like Minecraft if Nazi Germany took over Sweden before they created the game

[@humanbeing1675]

Sorry its Kampf Kraft...😉..

[@maschinen181]

meincraft

[@MrBigCookieCrumble]

@@humanbeing1675 Well kampf becomes kamp in swedish, so considering he used it as a name for a swedish game it's oddly appropirate!

[@humanbeing1675]

@@MrBigCookieCrumble Ok. Better than Krampf (cramp)😊😉

[@alberthofmann420]

@@humanbeing1675 HAHAHAHAHAHAHA XDDDDDD LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL :DDDDDDD

[@SouthParkCows88]

Classic German ingenuity and research, finding out what tin can is most effective. German Command is pleased.

[@Piromanofeliz]

Well, they had a lot of practical experience from 20 years before

[@jb76489]

SouthParkCows88 spent longer testing tin cans than designing the transmission or thinking about logistics “classic German” incompetence indeed

[@dsan8742]

@@jb76489 Well the reason is that tin cans could be afforded the time, tanks had to be rushed into service and transmission problems were widely fixed by most later models, the reliability issues were mainly from lack of spare parts and bad logistics due to the strategic situation than truely incompetence.

[@Kyle-gw6qp]

@@jb76489It's almost like, tin can designers and automotive engineers are different people. It's almost like designing a metal cylinder takes about 10 minutes, and designing a complex piece of machinery takes about 10 months.

[@krismakardikan9823]

So...buying beer in 500 ml. or 473 ml. cans is preferable, from a security standpoint, than the regular 355 ml. cans? At night, any two or three beer cans strung together with or without pebbles inside them, and with or without liquor or wine bottles to clatter against, will make enough noise to alert everybody within a two or three block radius the same way smoking weed or a cigarette will alert anyone downwind to the presence of a stoner or a smoker in the area. Exhaling a lungful of weed, meth, or tobacco smoke on a moonlit night can give away your position from a long ways away. There's a good reason why chewing tobacco is popular in the military.

[@sc6554]

The cops just said it's illegal to build an Atlantic Wall in my front yard help

[@8vantor8]

do it once it done they can't do anything about it cus it there now

[@quintiax]

As long as you keep your 1.5 meter of distance between you and other constructors they can't say anything about it!

[@krisanludwiczak6377]

Well, just build it, and if it's done right, they can't storm it or arrest you🤷‍♂️

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

What is pretty interesting about entrenchments, is that they are similar to a lot of the later above-ground castles and fortifications. By that I mean instead of just being a straight line which a lot of people think in terms of.I remember reading that Napoleon instructed an officer to plant the defense of the border and the officer returned with evenly spaced troops along the length of the border. Napoleon berated him and asked him if he was trying to prevent smuggling or trying to defend France.

[@andrebartels1690]

I'm German. My grandfather sometimes told a war time story when he had to build a Knüppeldamm (improvised heightened road out of small logs) on the eastern front.

[@curium9622]

Everyone: is locked inside MHV: FELDBEFESTIGUNGEN

[@AudieHolland]

Also, make sure that each artillery placement is reachable through interconnected trenches. If the attacker manages to infiltrate the communication trenches, they will be able to use it against the defenders. Don't know if that scene from "Band of Brothers" where they assault the "88's" (which were clearly 105's) was realistic.

[@asliceofbanana2243]

But all english and american soldiers called german guns 88s. Just because 88s was the most famous gun.

[@AudieHolland]

@@asliceofbanana2243 That's rubbish. I know the Americans were seeing Tigers everywhere they spotted any German tank but I have never heard that or read about that occurring with the 88 mm guns.

[@QueenTheCossackTongued]

Americans also mistook every single tank that fucked their sherman for a Tiger. Even though they were most likely Stuhs or Stugs

[@boxcarz]

@@AudieHolland The Flak 88 was rather effective at getting through tanks and fortified positions as it turns out, and got the same sort of fame that the Tiger did for being very effective at killing allied soldiers dead. MilHisVis did another video on this subject before: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eonReZZvbddka80

[@AudieHolland]

@@boxcarz Completely irrelevant. The reason the Airbornes attacked the artillery guns was because of the danger their fire posed on the invasion beaches. So even if they were 88s, which they were not, the reason to take them out was not because of the danger they posed against their tanks.

[@DirtyHairy1]

@11:44 *Nebelwerfer & Ammunition not for sale.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

lol

[@ericferguson9989]

@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized Maybe Elon Musk will come up with at "Not a Nebelwerfer"

[@rolfnilsen6385]

That panzerkampfwagenstand is just nuts :-) The tank crew would want to back out of position and into cover, meaning that the ramp would go down, into cover, not up into full exposure. In addition they would want several positions as to be able to switch between positions, with access roads in cover. So typically behind a higher feature in the terrain with positions dug into the higher terrain. Then they could move between the positions without exposing the vulnerable sides of the tanks.

[@twostep1953]

Excellent point, but beyond the purview of the pamphlet. The American Field Manual on A.T. tactics stressed the need for a route to alternate positions be covered from enemy observation. Finding such paths was one of the main functions of the T.D. recon platoon.

[@SandRhomanHistory]

Ah digging. Some things never change.

[@Sofus.]

Your channel also gets better and better

[@MrLucasVelten]

Awesome job with the video my man! Thanks for the upload!

[@chrisca]

0:16 _Happy Krieg noises_

[@yochaiwyss3843]

Let the Shoveling Commence!

[@80krauser]

I understand that reference!

[@ChemySh]

love and krieg

[@Pub4si]

The emperor protects

[@loneraider6500]

Some of these videos has helped me dearly in regards to tactics for when i play warthunder.

[@milanzivanovic5809]

If you have big enough backyard this is a good idea to bild during self isolation.

[@playsgofficial]

Thanks. I was looking for this information. This is going to be of great help.

[@carlistasycia]

Great video! You should do one about the layout of platoon, company and batallion sized strongholds!

[@davidbrennan660]

The Soviet doctrine is interesting as well, they were/ are good at digging holes.

[@dakotarizza9314]

Yeah, mass graves.

[@commanderkun3344]

@@dakotarizza9314 lol hahahaha

[@freppie_]

@@commanderkun3344 babi yar

[@comunistubula4424]

Perturabo would be proud of them....

[@artificialintelligence8328]

@@dakotarizza9314 For all the massacres by Germans, F.

[@arnekrug939]

0:54 Das Prinzip "Wirkung vor Deckung" wird auch heute noch gelehrt.

[@Adler133792]

Absolut korrekt.

[@emilj9399]

Ist mir aus meiner BW-Zeit (92/93) auch noch vertraut :)

[@michaeldunagan8268]

Thank you for these great videos. I especially like the part where you break down the materials in a list and their amounts. I was taking back of how excessive the materials were for just the square footage footprint it takes up and for how few Personnel are inside it. This kind of answers a question I've had for years of as to why not more fix fortifications were made use of during World War II. I have also recently read a monograph where it is about defending against the Russians in the 1980s coming across Europe. The author mentioned that fixed fortifications are expensive and take time to build and furthermore need to be staffed with huge forces an order for them to be more insurmountable than not.

[@crazylady201162]

love, and enjoy your videos, thank you for sharing

[@ihtfp01]

This is a clever plot to get me to reveal my toilet paper stash... It won't work!!!

[@logoseven3365]

11:00 “750kg round steel” Is that reinforcement steel or bar/rods? Also known as ‘rebar’

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

Yeah

[@johnlansing2902]

Again thank you for a very instructive video

[@kryts27]

The British build several "stop" lines in Southern England by September 1940, which were a band of fortifications made mainly from steel & concrete, but also of concealed explosives and incendiary devices, designed to slow (actually not stop) an invading army. There were several lines, but the "GHQ Line" was the largest. Some of the stop lines components, such as pill boxes and tank traps, have been preserved as historical fortifications. Can u do a video on this?

[@MGB-learning]

Great video!

[@nirfz]

Wow, it took 20 years for me to learn how old the saying actually was. Thanks! During my conscript time the platoon commander always reminded us "Wirkung for Deckung!". (So one could say this principle was taught in Austria at least until 2000 :-D )

[@dylanmilne6683]

Very good video. The defences of WN62 at Omaha are a good example of a combination of these field fortifications with a decent portion still intact. On that note it'd be really awesome if you could do a video about a defence position with a mix of footage and graphics.

[@raseli4066]

Omg thank you! I wish I had this info like afew years ago... better late then never

[@samradowick8050]

"Furdermo..." (furthermore) is his favorite word. His accent sounds like all my relatives, makes me nostalgic. Excellent vids.

[@jacobbuxton932]

Excellent video

[@samiamrg7]

It’s very interesting that the formation of trenches is basically the same as has been used for hundreds of years, since pretty much the late Middle Ages. Trenches back then, though, were mainly dug as siege positions and at well-established defensive positions since firearms still weren’t the standard for infantry, only some infantry.

[@JonasUllenius]

Great video interesting and well made.

[@arsenal-slr9552]

Videos getting me through these weird days. Stay safe

[@gavnonadoroge3092]

10:50 so you work for 25 days 8 hours a day, and then commander says, ok these were decoy trenches, now we start digging real trenches

[@masteraussie4395]

Thanks, this will help greatly with my new planned apocalyptic fortress

[@danielf1506]

A few years down the line i wonder how many heads that TP joke will go over

[@8vantor8]

plenty we will keep it as a inside joke

[@holgersurray]

Digging in for pretty unsocial distancing then ... ;-)

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you

[@tk-5268]

I love German fotifications!

[@billd.iniowa2263]

My 3rd grade teacher said if I didnt shape up, I'd end up a ditch digger. From what I gather, all soldiers are proficient with a shovel. They literally dig for a "living".

[@gmanawesome5773]

I SEEN THIS GERMAN STORAGE IN SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL MANGA

[@nobleman9393]

Ah, I See You're a Man of Culture As Well

[@Duke_of_Petchington]

Cold War scenario- German soldiers: so we’re gunna be here for a day. British soldiers: *Laughs in Combat Engineering Tractor*

[@bly2489]

The moment when you forget to dig your Annäherungsgraben 20cm wider.

[@MrEstebanSzucs]

I love this channel

[@pat0652]

Excellent

[@MrFerreti]

It's interesting to see how many of those concepts survived even until today. With the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria we have seen increased use of fieldfortifications again and the old mantra of "Wirkung geht vor Deckung" is still very much alive in the German armed forces today.

[@ryancook6452]

I will utilise this to defend my home from people trying to steal my tinned food

[@logoseven3365]

Good video

[@mf4976]

you should make a video about the non combat structures you talked about in the end

[@whya2ndaccount]

Very informative. Interesting that there was no "step" in the tank positions. Modern "tank scrapes" tend to have a a lower position where the vehicle parks (while still giving the Commander observation) and then a higher forward position that it drives up onto, exposing the barrel so it can fire. A lot like a "firing step" in an Infantry trench.

[@artificialintelligence8328]

I guess that became important with modern aiming generally being better?

[@DBSG1976]

Would you consider a video on the Ordungspolizei in WW2? My Opa was dragged into the invasion of Poland in 1939 because he was a young police officer from Munich. Your channel is sehr geil!

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

Well, I don't speak personnally of your granddfather but however military police is in each army, German military police had some controverse actions like back front repressions against civilian population on Eastern Front. They were dislike by 1945 by their own army soldiers "Kettelhunde" they were called. But as you know probably your grandfather had not much choice...How sang one French singer sth like "I would not what I'do if borned in Germany in 1925

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

I've found that song kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5-2q2iPjqqWZ7s

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

Here is maybe your Opa 😷 😉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3yWamqEotx6rsk

[@tincano-beans2114]

I worked with Bradley tracked vehicles in the Army and you'd best believe that you won't see every trench of dip as you go, especially at night.

[@yoseipilot]

SHORT INFO about *Aircraft Carrier* (Würde ich mich freuen

[@steelmagnum]

What are the german terms for foxhole and anti-tank ditch shown in the video?

[@bungwater1052]

Was there any instance where German defenders setup wire panzerfaust booby traps? Like the panzer Faust is facing up from the ground in a barely visible hole as a T34 drove over wires could be triggered propelling the shaped charge up through the weaker floor?

[@mikebrase5161]

I own an original copy of the 1936 Pioniere Fibel. It has good diagrams for obstacles and shows how to place demolition charges.p

[@Mr.Beauregarde]

You got a repository for PDFs by chance that you'd be willing to share?

[@josefroque5551]

what software do you use for your illustrations?

[@thedarkzibba7059]

Hull Down Cost:20 muns Increases damage and reduces incoming damage

[@davidbrennan660]

Nice video, I do like military field works.... they are not trenches suitable for a water pipe.... reenactors take note, each army has its own methods, preferred materials and doctrine.

[@ethnicsovereignty2369]

Hey, the open alpha of Enlisted (MMO infantry squad based game by gaijin) launched, are you going to make a video on infantry tactics?

[@ninovalenzuela1019]

Is there any guide for AA emplacements along the trench line it wasn't mentioned here

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

yes

[@marktstanic2352]

Possible Translated Manual in the future?

[@petergregory1307]

I think that tin can noise generator is really interesting and I would honestly like someone to demonstrate how to make one and I would totally do it too.

[@coast2coast00]

Get a wire, stretch it tight with a can attached to the end. Maybe tie a loop in the wire and thread it through a hole in the can, put a nail through the loop and have it pull the wire tight. When the wire is touched, by soldiers hitting it or tools touching the wire, it will make a noise. You can make the old cans and string thing kids used to play with in the old days, you can talk to each other through the tight wire over some distance.

[@Lawrance_of_Albania]

i read couple of books about yugoslav civil war, they used familiar tactics to these

[@bjorntorlarsson]

These days of the quarantine is your light. I hate it but I heed it. This is the order (this is the charter of the land), there would come no thing good out of breaking it. Now post post and post. I'm clicking here several times a day searching for something interesting.

[@nathanhough8156]

Could you make a video on the differences between the Yamato and the Bismark

[@pilotman9819]

The depths of those tank trenches seems to a danger to the Elefant and Ferdinand...

[@dredlord47]

Could you please do a video on U.S. field fortifications next?

[@TheKingofbrooklin]

How are frontlines organised, manned and how many troops can you expect per km² ?

[@owenhostetler3717]

Do one bunkers of the Atlantic wall next

[@hammel2241]

imagine watching this video in some years and people asking theirselves about the toilettpaper :D

[@TBreezy17]

One question I have always wanted to know after watching firing demonstrations of tanks and anti tank guns. Was the ground ever wetted down with water or whatever in front and to the side of the muzzle to lessen the large burst of dust/dirt after a round is fired?

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

I remember reading it somewhere for AT guns, maybe it came up in my anti-tank gun company video. (did that in 2016)

[@TBreezy17]

Military History Visualized thx it just seems to make so much sense as to not expose your position.

[@TBreezy17]

Military History Visualized ps love the channel and content. Keep it up

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

thanks, glad you enjoy it!

[@PelicanIslandLabs]

This looks like the perfect COVID-19 defense setup.

[@gervariola7172]

Prochorowka might have been a great example for the visibility of an anti-tank-ditch during a combat situation ;)

[@nicklab1927]

Plus, I guess they used to hide these ditches with tree branches or stuff...

[@gervariola7172]

@@nicklab1927 ... and obviously, they even covered it on their own maps :D

[@BotherRed]

7:50 Anit tank Ditches The timeline we all wanted, UK: *Laughs in TOG II*

[@mappam3160]

Finally i will start the construction of our defense

[@user-pc5sc7zi9j]

11:53 The areas further away from the Enemy, nämlich hier: XD

[@bezahltersystemtroll5055]

:D

[@Brahmdagh]

Are there any other WW2 weapons besides those German MGs that are still in use and production?

[@sliceofbread2611]

1:16 there shall be no buttplugs in my line of fire..

[@jamesonaudette528]

Thank you, I now know where to hide my 10.5 cm artillery pieces and Königstigers I had sitting around.

[@bezahltersystemtroll5055]

love your profile pic :D

[@105Artillary]

German youtuber making videos about german history ... NICEEE 🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽

[@twostep1953]

In Vietnam, the Americans put rocks in the C-ration cans; the best Viet Cong sappers could come through without making them rattle. I'll keep it in mind that tall, thin cans work best. Make sure you wash out the can (smell, roaches, ants). The pull-top of a can, dropped back inside makes a very sensitive and loud rattle. The American 46 ounce can would probably hold asparagus nicely. ("C" stands for prepared food that can be eaten without heating, even soft packaged M.R.E.'s. Think Chefardee Spaghetti without the meatballs, cold out of the can; yum...)

[@yellowjackboots2624]

I think we would all liked to have seen the latrines.

[@peterthepeter7523]

I wonder if that bit about effect over cover at 0:55 would be seen as evidence of not caring about losses if this manual was made by soviets.

[@AarsKuff]

0:15 Shovel, and a helmet and toilet paper Whhaaa toilet paper are you gunna take a sh*t.

[@buckplug2423]

Yes, that's the main use of a shovel.

[@8vantor8]

it all ready flew over his head

[@hauptmanndosman]

You joke about TP but then neglect to show us how to build a proper latrine.

[@pnutz_2]

0:10, you had this planned for your first year in operations? this developed about as fast as the german jet aircraft program

[@claytontindell9939]

Will this help me play steel division 2?

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

I haven't played Steel Division 2 since I made this video, but I think no.

[@crazyandlazy2669]

7:53 Not everyone was in a T-34. You're right, but also wrong. Some tanks had (at least) decent optics, if not entirely the best. So, it's possible to SEE it should you be in tanks such as an IS-2, a Sherman, or a Panther, etc (but seriously, I'm not entirely sure all Allied tank optics were that good, but it's debatable.).

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

"decent optics" in a tank still means you can't see shit, especially when buttoned up.

[@crazyandlazy2669]

@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized But still, depends on which tank it is.

[@666like616]

and "matsch matsch more" oh nice, i laughed so hard :D

[@ThePooba26]

I spent about an hour tring to understand how at 6:22 a tin can could make a buzzing sound... they don't. Its just a difference in languages. Unless im missing something

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

no it is not, try to build it.