Switch
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by
Stork
What's a 'switch,' in day 3? My dictionaries and Wikipedia have nothing that applies. It's probably something to do with trenches, so should it be tagged as a place, since trenches get tagged?
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by
cyngast
moderator
Yes, it is a trench. In this case, because it is referred to as Hermies Switch, you can tag it as a place. Sometimes they are just called Switch Line and in those cases, I don't think tagging is very useful as there are too many of them on the Western Front.
A switch line connected the front system of trenches to systems farther back, rather like a communication trench but on a larger scale. The Germans constructed two complete trench systems in the area of the Somme, so a switch line would connect those two systems.
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Another article re a switch line: A switch line was a trench that connected two trenches that ran in parallel to the front line. They were created in locations where the enemy might or did overrun a trench system, thereby exposing the flanks. The switch line would then act as a frontline trench protecting the flanks.
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by
Stork
Great, thanks. Now what about a Support, in the first 2 days here AWD0003swm What is a support, and should it be tagged?
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by
cyngast
moderator
A support is a second trench behind the the front, or fire, trench. You may have seen in some of the diaries where a battalion has gone into the line and the author will state that two companies are in front and two in support. That's where they were.
In this instance, on the page you have linked to, these are enemy trenches that were captured in the British attack. So they took Cantaing Trench--the enemy's front line--first and then Cantaing Support behind the front trench.
You can tag a trench labeled as a support trench, such as Cantaing Support, as a place.
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by
Stork
Got it!
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