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 buildup 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.

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