How far were the airfields from the trenches in WW1?

Crashes were frequent, and many paid with their lives. I've gathered photographs of the Great War from dozens of collections, some digitized for the first time, to try to tell the story of the conflict, those caught up in it, and how much it affected the world. This entry is part 5 of a 10-part series on World War I. read more

The minimum practicable distance was about 15-30 metres, or the distance a 'bomb' (grenade) could be thrown. Trenches could be this close but would be thinnly manned, or just patrolled. Much over about 500-700 metres and it was scarcely necessary to establish a trench, as this was about the limit of accurate rifle fire for most troops. read more