What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
In the First World War British tank context, these wooden devices solved three different problems: a log on an unditching beam helped a tank pull itself through soft ground; a fascine was a bound brushwood bundle dropped into a trench to make a crossing; and planks or duckboards provided a walking surface inside muddy trenches. They were not interchangeable equipment.
How the three devices differed
| Device | Purpose | Where and how it was used | Who or what benefited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Log on an unditching beam | Help a tank escape marshy or crumbly ground | The tank laid a log in its path and pulled itself over it | The tank carrying the device |
| Fascine | Fill or bridge a trench | A tank released a large bound bundle into the trench | The tank and potentially following tanks or infantry |
| Plank or duckboard | Provide a walking surface above water and mud | Laid along the floor of a trench | Soldiers moving or living in the trench |
What was a tank log used for?
A log carried on an unditching beam was a self-extraction aid, not a trench bridge. Tank Corps officer W. H. L. Watson described Major Johnson’s device as enabling a tank in marshy ground or crumbly soil to lay a log in its path and pull itself through slush or soil. The log gave the tank something to haul against when the ground itself could not provide reliable traction. Watson, A Company of Tanks (1918).
What was a fascine on a WWI tank?
A fascine was a bundle of brushwood bound together. British tanks carried these bundles to drop into trenches, filling enough of the obstacle to let vehicles cross. At Cambrai in November 1917, fascines were used to help tanks and following troops negotiate trenches that were too wide to cross directly. The Tank Museum reproduces an unnamed Mark IV commander’s recollection of releasing a fascine into the Hindenburg Line trench and wondering whether the tank would get across. The Tank Museum’s account of Cambrai fascines.
How large were the Cambrai fascines?
The Tank Museum’s 2017 description says each Cambrai fascine comprised 75 ordinary fascines bundled in a frame. It weighed about 1.5 tons and measured approximately 4 feet 6 inches in diameter by 10 feet wide. Those figures describe the large fascines in that account; they should not be treated as standard dimensions for every fascine used in every army or period. The Tank Museum.
#1 Best Overall
What happened after a fascine was dropped?
A tank carried one fascine, and after releasing it that tank could not recover it. Other tanks could cross the bundle, although the crossing soon forced it out of shape. A fascine was therefore a one-use obstacle-filling device for the tank that carried it, even if it could help more than one vehicle pass.
What were planks or duckboards for?
Plank duckboards were laid along trench floors to create a firmer walking surface above water and mud. They helped soldiers move through and occupy wet trenches; they were not the tank-carried bundle used to fill a trench. The National WWI Museum and Memorial describes duckboards as part of ordinary trench life. National WWI Museum and Memorial: Trench Life.
Rank #2
Why did tanks need fascines?
The Mark IV could cross trenches only up to a limited width. The Tank Museum gives its maximum trench-crossing width as 10 feet (3 m) and notes that German defenses widened trenches to impede tanks. A fascine offered an early way to fill the gap rather than asking the tank to cross it unaided. This width is specific to the Mark IV in the museum’s account, not a universal figure for all tanks. The Tank Museum’s Mark IV account.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Soldiers
- WW II
- Rescue
- Mission
- Phillipines
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →
