Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

In the late 1930s and early 1940s the German air force carried our aerial reconnaissance of British defences. They identified a number of sites of possible military nature and depicted them on a 1940 map. The map was at 1:50,000 scale, however, and reflects the uncertain nature of the Germans' information. The map included a short trench system here. The 1946 RAF vertical photo shows a single trench parallel to Plumpudding Island, with interrupted ramparts of soil on either side (possibly an anti-tank defence?). May have associations with First World War practice defences to the east being taken for new defences by the Germans.

Monument Types

• TRENCH? (Modern - 1940 AD? to 1945 AD?)

Full description

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Luftwaffe map shows short trench system here. The 1946 RAF vertical photo shows a single trench parallel to Plumpudding Island, with interrupted ramparts of soil on either side (possibly an anti-tank defence?). May have associations with WW1 practice defences to east being taken for new defences by the Germans. (1,2,3)

<1> RAF, 1946/7, 1946/47 RAF aerial photograph run (Photograph). SKE31381.

<2> 1940, Aerial reconnaissance map created by the Luftwaffe (Germain Air Force) in 1940 (Map). SKE31323.

<3> Mark Samuel, 2015, Defence of Thanet Project: verbal communication from Mark Samuel (Verbal communication). SKE30957.

Sources and further reading