foxhole
Publié le 22/02/2012
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In contrast to World War I, which, particularly on
the western front, was a brutally static trench war,
World War II was characterized by great mobility
and rapid movement. When troops needed to hold a
defensive position or to pause in an advance, they
dug hasty defenses. A slit trench could be dug if time
permitted. It held several soldiers and was often
excavated in the shape of an L. More common, especially
among American forces, was the foxhole. At its
most basic, the foxhole was nothing more than a
hastily dug pit meant to shelter one or at most two
soldiers from enemy fire. Some foxholes were shallow
and meant to be used by a soldier in a crouching
or even prone position. If time permitted, the foxhole
could be dug more deeply and became what the
U.S. Marines called a "fighting hole." This type of
foxhole resembled a small section of crude trench.
Deep enough to accommodate one or two standing
troops, it featured a rudimentary parapet on which a
rifle could be rested, a dugout shelf running along
the rim of the hole to serve as an elbow rest for the
shooter, and a build up of earth at the bottom front
of the hole to serve as a firing step. The soldier could
mount the step in order to fire, then step back down
for full defensive over-head-height cover. Well-constructed
fighting holes also included a dug-out water
sump to collect water and keep the floor and firing
step reasonably dry.
The foxhole was essential to infantry tactics in
World War II, but some commanders, most notably
George S. Patton Jr., decried its use or, at
least, its overuse, claiming that soldiers were safer
(and far more effective) the faster they advanced.
He pointed out that foxholes made soldiers easy
targets for an artillery barrage, against which they
offered little or no protection. By digging a foxhole,
Patton believed, a soldier dug his own grave.