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324 WITH THE GERMAN ARMIES IN THE WEST
that his men had stood in water up to the knees for twenty-
four hours without complaining and without anyone collapsing
from the effects. When the soldiers got back to the rear they
told their comrades with much droll humour of their adven-
tures. One would have thought that it would sour the temper
to lie steeped in mud for twenty-four hours on end. I am
speaking now of the Grenadiers of the Guard, of whom one
expects that they will go through anything. But the same
applies to all German troops. You never see any gloomy faces
amongst the German soldiers, nothing but good spirits and
laughter. To fight against the inundations, the General
ordered drainage trenches to be dug, through which the rain-
water escaped into cisterns, likewise hollowed out in the soil.
In places communication between the trenches is made
easier by real saps which lead in zigzag to the front line from
some suitable declivity in the ground. In this way the work
of relieving and replacing the returning units is greatly
facilitated.
The trenches do not run in straight lines, imless, as in the
country south of Antwerp, the ground is absolutely fiat.
Usually their length and outline depend on the formation of
the ground. As a rule they are situated so as to offer an un-
interrupted view of the enemy positions opposite and so as
to avoid dead angles. A free field of fire is the most important
consideration. A trench thus often receives a very irregular
shape, resembling a curve with numerous bends and salients.
As I have already had occasion to mention, the trenches
are often interrupted by traverses. If the trench runs in a
wavy line it is not always possible to prevent parts of it from
being flanked and enfiladed by the enemy’s artillery fire.
The traverses not only prevent such enfilading from becoming
effective beyond a certain distance but also limit the effective-
ness of an explosive shell. As a rule the distance between the
traverses is only ten paces, provided always that there has
been time to improve and extend the position occupied.
Behind the various sections one often finds—as I have men-
tioned more than once—deep caverns which afford more or
less complete protection against direct hits. These spaces
are used as refuges if the artillery fire becomes too unpleasant,
but the trench must immediately be manned if the enemy’s
infantry shows signs of advancing to the charge.
When, as at Monchy-au-Bois, both sides have been stationary
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