Most of the companies producting composition toy soldiers also manufactured features and trenches to expand the entertainment value of their offerings. For example, Hausser-Elastolin began producing combat trenches in 1931 which were expanded to include bunkers, artillery emplacements, and running trenches. Early versions were largely modeled on the trench warfare of World War I with later versions incorporating more modern designs.
Hausser’s first set of trenches were of a simple design including wire fencing and could be combined in a number of arrangements to produce multiple layouts. By 1933, two additional trench designs were introduced to give the impression of soldiers fighting behind a wall of earth as cover with and without a back wall to the trench. In 1939, they introduced their last trench versions based on the Westwall (also referred to as the Siegfried Line) which were more consistent with modern defensive emplacements of the time.
Other companies including Lineol, Morgoma, Kienel, and Moritz Gottschalk also produced similar designs for use with compostion toy soldiers. Most of the different manufacturers included some form of first aid post or field hospital as one of the design elements.
Composition Fortifications Gallery
My collection includes a number of medical and non-medical composition fortifications. I’ve tried to identify and group them by manufacturer but many of these pieces are unmarked. The references below include scans of Lineol and Hausser-Elastlin bunkers as well as a link to some great on-line information.
Reference
- Hausser-Elastolin composition trenches, bunkers, and emplacements from 1938/1939 catalog.
- Lineol composition trenches, bunkers, and emplacements from 1935 catalog.
- Photo of trench system 13470/x from the Hausser archive. Image from The Toy Soldier Gallery, an excellent online reference for composition toy soldiers makers including Wiki articles detailing the Hausser-Elastolin battle positions and terrain building sets by MORGOMA.
Elastolin #13472/8: Medical shelter
Elastolin #13472/8: Medical shelter
Elastolin #13472/8: Medical shelter
Kienel corner trench piece with medical shelter?
Kienel corner trench piece with medical shelter?
Moritz Gottschalk (?): Medical bunker
Lineol #5/508: Medical Shelter
Lineol #5/508: Medical shelter
Lineol #5/508: Medical shelter
Tilpple-Topple #13010/50: Field hospital
Tilpple-Topple #13010/50: Field hospital
Tilpple-Topple #13010/50: Field hospital
Moritz Gottschalk: Medical bunker?
Elastolin #13472/8: Sanitary hut with kennel
Elastolin #13472/8: Sanitary hut with kennel
Medical bunker made by Kiwa (Kienel)
Manufacturer unknown: Small first aid station
Elastolin #988/15: Field hospital
Kienel corner trench piece with shelter?
Kienel corner trench piece with shelter?
Kienel #1280 series trenches
Lineol and Elastolin trench pieces
Elastolin vs Lineol trench systems
Lineol #5/500: Combat trench, angled
Lineol #5/502: Combat trench with machine gun stand
Lineol #5/502: Combat trench with machine gun stand
Lineol #5/530: Tank turret
Lineol #5/505: Combat ditch
Lineol #5/506: Trench, long piece
Lineol #5/530: Tank turret
Elastolin #13445/3: Wire entanglement, straight
Elastolin #13466/3: straight trench
Elastolin #13472/8: Sanitary hut with kennel
Elastolin #13470/4: Trench with shelter on right
Elastolin #13470/4: Trench, straight
Elastolin #13470/4: Trench, straight
Elastolin wire entanglements and trench
Elastolin #13470/9: Prototype trench
Elastolin #13470/9: Prototype trench with bomb crater
Elastolin #13470/9: Prototype trench with bomb crater
Elastolin #1347/1: Trench, straight
Unknown manufacturer: Wire fence
Elastolin #13470/7: Bunker
Elastolin #13470/7: Bunker
Elastolin #13470/7: Bunker
Elastolin #13470/1 and 13470/2: Combat trench, angled
Elastolin #13470/1: Combat ditch, angled
Elastolin #13470/2: Combat trench, angled
Elastolin #13470/14: Combat ditch with two protective nests
Elastolin #13470/14: Combat ditch with two protective nests
Elastolin #13484/1 and /2: Tank barrier, curved
Elastolin #13484/1: Tank barrier, curved
Elastolin #13484/2: Tank barrier, curved
Elastolin #13484/3: Tank barrier, straight
Elastolin #13484/6: Tank obstacle, roadblock
Elastolin #13484/6: Tank obstacle, roadblock
Unknown manufacturer: Trench
Unknown manufacturer: Tank barrier
Unknown manufacturer: Wire entanglements
Unknown manufacturer: Wire entanglements
Unknown manufacturer: Wire entanglements
Unknown manufacturer: rocks
Unknown manufacturer: Wire entanglements
Various trench pieces
