Emsland 1945 #2 Der Schützengraben

[Eng]

The Trench

 To the retreating German Wehrmacht prepare retreat positions, the end of 1944 a pioneer unit with about 20 soldiers had been "pioneering special staff 119" set up in the upper rooms of the elementary school Aschendorf.
At this time, no lessons were held for a long time, because the school had long since been converted into a hospital.
The object of the pioneers consisted particularly in the application of trenches. The purpose of the trench is the protection against bullets and shrapnel. It should also allow the covered transport of soldiers, ammunition and supplies to the front line and the wounded back in the hospitals.
In contrast to the battlefield-trenches of this trench is not intended for active combat. These missing loopholes. Usually also appearances in to overshoot the grave edge missing.
The trenches were so deep that a grown man could move it. In addition, all 20-50 meters bulges were created, some of which were covered with logs and earth. These makeshift bunker served as hideouts and ammunition dumps. Depending on the terrain but. As a firing position for (machine) guns and Monitoring The cache is also well camouflaged and bottom.
The trenches in the area of ​​Aschendorf / Tunxdorf were created by the Volkssturm and older students, but mainly by Soviet and French POW and prisoners of the concentration camp II Aschendorfermoor (GC2F4R2). The workers of the camp were treated especially badly. For trivial reasons, they were beaten with rifle butts and were hardly meals. They were at the mercy of their captors.
As the team leaves to the Jewish cemetery on the road to Tunxdorfer moved, the order came: "No consideration! The trench will be built through the cemetery. "
In late 1944, the trenches were completed. They ranged from the restaurant Goldfish in Herbrum about Hermbrumer Esch, by today ADO-Factory terrain, continue on the elementary school and the fields and forests up to Tunxdorf.
A majority of these trenches was filled shortly after the war.
At this point, the trench with two-sided mounds and intervening trench is still visible. It runs from the Jewish cemetery in north in continuous zigzag through the forest in the mountains Tunxdorfer. This design should limit the fragmentation effect on a small area at a direct garnet or bombs. Overall, it may be a few hundred meters.

(Source: Das Kriegsende 1945 in Aschendorf, Herbrum und Tunxdorf, Band II, by Dieter Simon 2010)

Over time, a lot of leaves and woody debris has collected in the trenches, so they are only 0.5-1.0 m deep. Subsequently, the projections of the positions are also very good to see.

Detailed logs and photos are very welcome!