Wire Cutters for Prussian Pioneers (Model '07)

The German Armies of the First World War

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Recently, while doing a bit of research on German engineer units, I ran across a folder, dated marked “sketches of pioneer assault equipment, 1906-1909.” There, among drawings of scaling ladders and man-portable bridges, I found pictures of “engineer wire cutters, Model ‘07 [Pionier-Drahtschere ‘07].

The first thing that struck me about this piece of gear was its resemblance to the bolt-cutters used to cut locks off of lockers in high schools, barracks, and health clubs. Indeed, with handles that were 342 millimeters (13.5 inches) long, it was much bigger than the shears I had imagined when I read references to the wire cutters used in the First World War. This, in turn, got me thinking about the thickness of the barbed wire that German pioneers expected to encounter in the field, and, especially, when storming a modern fortress.

This thought challenged another one of my longstanding assumptions, that the wire used to build obstacles during the First World War got thicker over the course of the conflict. In particular, I had long assumed that much of the barbed wire used in the early days of trench warfare had been obtained from nearby farms, farm supply stores, and the like. I also assumed many months passed before significant amounts of sturdier wire, built especially for military purposes, began to arrive at engineer depots at the front.

The moral of this story, at least for me, is the power of small discoveries to change the way that a student of history makes sense of great events. Thus, I offer to my colleagues the advice that Frederick the Great gave to the young officers in his service, “Soignez les détails. Ils ne sont pas sans gloire.” (“Pay attention to details. They are not without glory.)

Sources:

“Sketches of Pioneer Assault Equipment” [Skizzen von Pionier-Sturmgeräten] Federal Military Archives [Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv] PH 14/219

For Further Reading:

German Pioneer Battalions 1893-1913

The Mobilization of Ordinary Pioneer Battalions

Fortress Pioneer Regiments in August and September of 1914

Field Pioneer Battalions Assigned to Fortresses in the West

Field Pioneer Companies Assigned to Fortresses in the East