Composition Fortifications

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.