Men from the 1st Battalion Herefordshire Regiment

The ditches were a common type of temporary defence which were thrown up throughout the whole of the Siegfried line. They caused little difficulty to the infantry and could be bridged in seconds with specialised armoured bridging equipments. Covering fire smoke and a determined attack meant that the troops and tanks could be over the ditch in a very short space of time. The secret was in trying to keep the enemy occupied whilst the breach was made.