Anti-tank trench

[1][2] Anti-tank ditches were first used in World War I by Germany in an effort to protect their trenches against the newly developed British and French tanks.

An anti-tank ditch has to be wide enough and deep enough to prevent a tank from crossing.

Anti-tank ditches can also be crossed by use of bridges either laid by armoured vehicles or built over them, they can also be defeated by demolition of each side, using explosives, to make inclines that can be crossed or can be filled in by earth moving equipment.

According to the United States Army, there are several methods by which combat engineers can dig an anti-tank ditch on the battlefield.

Alternatively, a squad of soldiers with a power auger and sufficient demolition charges can blast a ditch 100 yards (91 m) long, 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and 12 feet deep in twelve hours.