Middlesex Township near Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Trenches
The machine gun and massed artillery fire of World War One combat dictated an extensive development of below-grade fortifications, used by both sides, that were simply known as the "trenches." Ranging from concrete structures to simple ditches, these systems allowed for secure movement of troops and supplies as well as providing facilities to defend and launch attacks. Soldiers often spent many long days and nights in these trenches, enduring enemy fire, poison gas attacks, as well as the elements. AS you walk through the trench, see if you can identify the features that one would have found in any trench in World War One.
The trench system that we entered had been stable since 1915, and both sides were deeply dug in, with extensive communication trenches, second-line trenches, belts of barbed-wire entangles, dugouts, and protected gun emplacements. Many of the trees had been broken by shell bursts in the past and the land was pitted with shell holes, partly eroded, and overgrown with weeds.
Mechanic Donal D. Kyler
Company G, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division
Erected by The United States Army War College; United States Army Heritage and Education Center.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World I
this page online
Location. 40° 12.402′ N, 77° 9.492′ W. Marker is near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in Cumberland County. It is in Middlesex Township. It can be reached from Army Heritage Trail south of Soldiers Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 95 Soldiers Dr, Carlisle PA 17013, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania and in Greater Harrisburg. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Aid Station (a few steps from this marker); Command Post (a few steps from this marker); Splinter Proof (within shouting distance of this marker); No Man's Land (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Machine Gun Post (within shouting distance of this marker); Sniper's Nest (within shouting distance of this marker); The Front (within shouting distance of this marker); Meet Private Donald D. Kyler (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carlisle.
Other markers no longer nearby. Machine Gun Post (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Welcome to the World War I Trench System Exhibit (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Post of Command (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. - The original marker at this location.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 166 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
