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Dragon's teeth (German: Höcker, "humps") were square-pyramidal fortifications of concrete used during the Second World War to impede the movement of tanks. The idea was to slow down and channel tanks into "killing zones" where they could easily be disposed of by anti-tank weapons. In practice, however, the use of combat engineers and specialist clearance vehicles enabled them to be disposed of relatively quickly, and they proved far less of an obstacle than many had expected. US Army troops passing through dragons teeth on the Siegfried Line, Germany, 1944 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
US Army troops passing through dragons teeth on the Siegfried Line, Germany, 1944 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Bunker on the Siegfried line The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany along their border with France in 1916-1917 during World War I. However, in English, Siegfried line more commonly refers to the similar World War II defensive line, built...
1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Tank traps at the Siegfried Line, Germany From German wikipedia image of same name. ...
Tank traps at the Siegfried Line, Germany From German wikipedia image of same name. ...
Bunker on the Siegfried line The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany along their border with France in 1916-1917 during World War I. However, in English, Siegfried line more commonly refers to the similar World War II defensive line, built...
2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ...
This is about the polyhedron. ...
Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ...
This article is about the construction material. ...
Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (60,000 ft) into the air. ...
The US M1A1 Abrams tank is a typical modern main battle tank. ...
Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ...
A US army combat engineer setting up a communications cable. ...
Vehicles are non-living means of transport. ...
They were extensively used by all sides in the European Theatre. The Germans made extensive use of them in the Siegfried Line and the Atlantic Wall; typically, each "tooth" was about four feet (1.2m) tall, often with landmines laid between the individual "teeth." The French employed them in the Maginot Line, while many were laid in the United Kingdom in 1939-1940 as part of the effort to strengthen the country's defences against a possible German invasion. German Führer Adolf Hitler Preceding events (See also Events preceding World War II in Europe and Causes of World War II.) br Germany was in debt after World War I, due to the Great Depression and the forced payments to the victors of World War I. Germans wanted a leader...
The Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ...
Bunker on the Siegfried line The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany along their border with France in 1916-1917 during World War I. However, in English, Siegfried line more commonly refers to the similar World War II defensive line, built...
The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the German Third Reich during the Second World War along the western coast of Europe (1942-44) in order to defend against an anticipated Anglo-American invasion of the continent from Great Britain. ...
A landmine is a type of mine which is placed onto or into the ground and explodes when triggered by a vehicle or person. ...
France - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...
Maginot Line fortification, 2002 The Maginot Line was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defenses which France constructed along her borders with Germany and with Italy in the wake of World War I. Generally the term describes either the entire system or just the...
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the British Commonwealth and European Union. ...
1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Due to the huge numbers laid and their durable construction, many thousands of dragon's teeth can still be seen today, especially in the remains of the Siegfried and Maginot Lines.
Switzerland, which is heavily militarized, continues to maintain lines of dragon's teeth in certain strategic areas, and has roadways rigged with teeth that are ready to 'pop up' and complete defensive lines that stretch past the roadways themselves. The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. ...
The term has survived into the present day and now also can be used to describe any line of posts or pegs set into the ground to deter vehicle access, for example in rural car parking areas, or alongside roads.
Mythology In Greek myth, dragon's teeth feature prominently in the legends of the Phoenician prince Cadmus and Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. In each case, the dragon's teeth, once planted, would grow into fully armed warriors. Greek mythology comprises the collected legends of Greek gods and goddesses and ancient heroes and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ...
Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ...
Cadmus Sowing the Dragons teeth, by Maxfield Parrish, 1908 Cadmus, or Kadmos (Greek: Κάδμος), in Greek mythology, was the son of the king of Phoenicia and brother of Europa. ...
This article is about the Greek mythological hero Jason. ...
For the order of chivalry, see Order of the Golden Fleece. ...
Cadmus, bringer of literacy and civilization, killed the sacred dragon that guarded the spring of Ares. The goddess Athena told him to sow the teeth, from which sprang a group of ferocious warriors called the spartoi. He threw a precious jewel into the midst of the warriors, who turned on each other in an attempt to seize the stone for themselves. The five survivors joined with Cadmus to found the city of Thebes. Cadmus Sowing the Dragons Teeth, 1908 Source: http://mcduffskeep. ...
Cadmus Sowing the Dragons Teeth, 1908 Source: http://mcduffskeep. ...
Cadmus Sowing the Dragons teeth, by Maxfield Parrish, 1908 Cadmus, or Kadmos (Greek: Κάδμος), in Greek mythology, was the son of the king of Phoenicia and brother of Europa. ...
Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 - March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator. ...
The term dragon, according to context, may be referring to: Dragons of ancient mythology Chinese dragon, mythical creature European dragon, mythical creature Persian dragon (Azhi Dahaka) Living things named after ancient dragons Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), a big lizard (a reptile) Some small species of lizards in Australia, in the...
This atricle is about Ares, the Greek god of war. ...
Athena from the east pediment of the Afea temple in Aegina After a sculpture of Athena at the Louvre. ...
In Greek mythology, the Spartes (sown) were the men who grew from the sown teeth of a dragon. ...
Jewel can refer to Jewel, a famous singer. ...
For the ancient capital of Upper Egypt, see Thebes, Egypt. ...
Jason obtained the remaining dragon's teeth with the aid of Aeetes of Colchis. He offered the Golden Fleece to Jason if Jason would sow them into the ground. Jason did this and successfully overcame the warriors with the aid of Medea, who gave him the means to resist fire and steel. Aeetes (in Greek Αἰήτης, Georgian Ayeti) - King of Colchis (Georgian name Kolkheti, territory of modern West Georgia) in Greek mythology, Aeetes figured prominently in the story of Jason and the Argonauts. ...
Colchis, or Aea-Colchis ( Georgian form - Kolkheti), in ancient geography district of Asia Minor, at the eastern extremity of the Black Sea, bounded on the N. by the Caucasus. ...
See Medeia for the Euripides play of the same name. ...
The classical legends of Cadmus and Jason have given rise to the phrase "to sow dragon's teeth." This is used as a metaphor to refer to doing something that has the effect of fomenting disputes, rather akin to the law of unintended consequences. In language, a metaphor is a rhetorical trope where a comparison is made between two seemingly unrelated subjects. ...
Unintended consequences can be either positive, in which case we get serendipity or windfalls source of problems, according to the Murphys law definitively negative: perverse effect, which is the opposite result to the one intended The Law of unintended consequences holds that almost all human actions have at least...
Literature The novel Dragon's Teeth, written in 1942 by Upton Sinclair, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1943. It deals with the Nazi takeover of Germany during the 1930s. 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Upton Beall Sinclair (September 20, 1878 - November 25, 1968) wrote in many genres, often advocating Socialist views, and achieved considerable popularity in the early twentieth century. ...
The Pulitzer Prize is a United States literary award given out each April. ...
1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ...
The Nazi swastika symbol The National Socialist German Workers Party ( German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ...
The Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ...
Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Science Nuclear fission discovered by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann Pluto, the ninth planet from the Sun, is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh British biologist Arthur Tansley coins term ecosystem War, peace and politics Socialists proclaim The death of Capitalism Rise to...
Stephen Baxter's novel Evolution includes a segment where 21st century soldiers are placed into suspended animation in hidden bunkers, ready to wake up and fight behind enemy lines if their territory is occupied. In the novel this is referred to as "sowing dragons' teeth". Stephen Baxter (born in Liverpool, November 13, 1957) is a British hard science fiction author. ...
(20th century - 21st century - 22nd century - other centuries) Definition In calendars based on the Christian Era or Common Era, such as the Gregorian calendar, the 21st century is the current century, as of this writing, lasting from 2000-2099. ...
Suspended animation is the technical term for the slowing without termination of life processes by external means. ...
A bunker is a defensive warfare fortification to protect oneself. ...
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