Hindenburg Line

The Hindenburg Line extends 160 kilometers from Lens to Soissons, incorporating concrete bunkers, steel reinforcements, and extensive barbed wire networks throughout its length.

German forces constructed this defensive system between September 1916 and April 1917 as a strategic response to mounting casualties on the Western Front.

The Germans named sections of the line after mythological figures like Siegfried and Wotan, while British forces used the name of General Paul von Hindenburg.

The defense network included three parallel trenches spanning ten kilometers in depth, with machine gun positions arranged for crossfire coverage of approaching forces.

Russian prisoners of war and Belgian civilians performed much of the construction work, using 50,000 laborers to complete this massive military infrastructure.

Made from material: barbed wire, concrete, steel

Part of: World War I

GPS coordinates: 49.50000,2.83333

Latest update: May 27, 2025 20:19