There was a systematic defence pattern to these barbed wire entanglements which were extremely difficult to breach even with the use of high explosive shells.

The British artillery tried to cut the wire unsuccessfully prior to the Battle of the Somme with a barrage that lasted for ten days and set off one and a half million shells. At the end of this ‘hell on earth' all they had succeeded in  doing was to make the barbed wire entanglements even more dense as the  disturbed and often buckled wire became festooned on the entanglements in front of it.

One of the more onerous tasks of the soldier from both sides was to be ‘volunteered' summarily to  ‘barbed wire patrol' duties. Such patrols took place at night and were designed to infiltrate into no mans land and attempt to cut the enemy's defensive wire screen, or replace that of ones own defences which had been cut by the enemy.

It was a nightly ‘cat and mouse' affair  as the opposing force sent up starburst shells to illuminate the area in no mans land where much of the activity took place, and thereby facilitating the use of machine guns at night.

The main defensive pattern of laying wire was a belt laid about 20 metres in front of the first line fire trench then a second and even third belt some 30 to 60 metres beyond that.

Towards the end of the war the Germans perfected a high tensile wire that was virtually indestructible by  high explosive shells

The barbed wire entanglements of the German defensive line on  the  Somme entered folklore of the British army as the fear and loathing of the entanglements became embodied in many of the soldiers songs.

This fear and loathing came directly as a result of the perceived wisdom of the British armies regulations that instructed advancing infantrymen confronted by a barbed wire line to 'stand erect with the rifle at the port position and step calmly over the wire'

Such advice rendered the infantryman sitting ducks to German heavy machine guns and whole sale slaughter ensued. Soldiers often fell onto the wire and hung there for days until a cease fire was agreed to collect the dead. The words of a popular soldiers song tells the story

‘If you want to see the regiment
I know where they are

I know where they are

If you want to see the regiment

I know where they are
They are hanging on the old barbed wire
I've seen them
I've seen them
Hanging on  the  old barbed wire
I've seen them
Hanging on  the  old barbed wire'

Barbed Wire Patrol

Star shell burst
Here  it comes
Right on time
Lighten our darkness please
The old star shell light shine
Brings us to our knees
In ‘no mans' land
And wouldn't it come
Just as we're done
And heading for ‘ome
Nobody's gone until now
On your belly boys
Crawl under a snake

For heavens sake
Don't bloody shake the wire
It will only draw their fire
To where you are.
Were heading for ‘ome
Jobs all done for the night
Don't worry boys
Tomorrow night
Gerry's out and then
Hooray amen then
It will be our bloody turn
Star shell burst