WWI, German Sentry with Hand Grenade, 1916

"Caption: "German sentry of the 127th Regiment, armed with the potato-masher hand grenade and looking through a trench periscope in the Ypres area, 1916." The most prominent case of trench warfare is the Western Front in WWI. Both sides constructed elaborate trench and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (no man's land) was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties. The common infantry soldier had only a few weapons to use in the trenches: the rifle, bayonet, and hand grenade. The Model 24 Stielhandgranate was the standard hand grenade of the German Army for both World Wars. It is one of the most easily recognized infantry weapons of the 20th century. The British Army nicknamed them the "potato masher"."

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127th Grenade Infantryman Infantrymen Masher Munitions Periscope Potato Salient Sentry Weaponry Ypres

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