Why does the German line (trenches) look similar to the British line?
At the start of the movie 1917, they are walking in British line's trenches where they have names for each section.
After they come to the deserted German line trenches, it looks exactly as the line they came from, only with German names.
Did they use the same location for both lines? Did they want to show lines were similar, meaning is it reflecting real lines in WW1?
from YouTube, british trenches vs german trenches
Best Answer
As you probably noticed in the trailer - there is no one in those trenches. This is what made World War I so tragic. When front could be moved it wasn't because the order wasn't given. And, worse, the orders were given when the attack was doomed.
Now, the War of the Trenches was fought in that manner. One day the Germans moves 100 metres, taking english trench, then month later the English/French counter attack taken it back moving even into German trench.
This is what the scene invoke. That they are in english-made trench previously occupied by Germans, now vacant. The longer the army stayed in the trench the more "naturilasied" it looked as each nation repaired and fixed them with their own methods. (From what I remember the English ones were more keen to use sandbags while the germans used wicker to weave the wall holders.)
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How do the German trenches compared to the English trenches?
Differences Between German and British Trenches: Main difference between the two trenches was that the Germans dug their trenches first, which meant they got the better soil conditions because they dug their trenches on higher ground compared to the British trenches. The Allies used four "types" of trenches.Did the British have better trenches than Germans?
They were just the same as us. But in some cases the German trenches were already better than the British \u2013 as officer Peter Jackson found out during the Christmas Truce of December 1914. I went inside the German trenches down to the German officers' dugout.What did the British trenches look like?
Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed. These conditions caused some soldiers to develop medical problems such as trench foot.How far apart were British and German trenches?
The space between the opposing trenches was referred to as "no man's land" and varied in width depending on the battlefield. On the Western Front it was typically between 90 and 275 metres (100 and 300 yd), though only 25 metres (30 yd) on Vimy Ridge.Why The Allies Couldn't Overcome German Trenches in Spring 1917 (WW1 Documentary)
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Answer 2
They look the same because both sides are fighting the same type of war
When militaries are stuck in static trench warfare, there is strong selective pressure to develop defences that work, otherwise you run out of soldiers fairly quickly and you lose. Given the level of technology at the time, both sides would have developed similar techniques. That is why things look the same.
But they don't look that similar. From memory the Germans have used different techniques to shore up the walls (I think the german trenches look less makeshift than the allied ones and are deeper at least in parts). They are certainly differentiated by far more than the "street" names on the walls.
Answer 3
From memory: they are not similar at all, apart from both being trenches.
The British trench is built from wood and sandbags mostly. The German trench has concrete lining its walls. The main characters enter a sleeping area and are amazed by the size of the dugout and comment on this. They are impressed by the Germans having real beds to sleep on. Earlier we saw the British soldiers sleeping in the trench itself, or in a tiny excavation underneath the parapet.
I once read but do not have the source, that the explanation for the difference in trench quality was because the Germans expected to live in them for a long time, so make them slightly more comfortable. Whereas the allied commanders thought it bad for morale if the trench was seen as a longer stay.
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