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A shell scrape is a type of military earthwork dug at a shallow but sufficient depth in the ground where a soldier can take shelter from weapons fire. While similar to a
A shell scrape is a type of military earthwork dug at a shallow but sufficient depth in the ground where a soldier can take shelter from weapons fire. While similar to a defensive fighting position
A defensive fighting position is a type of Earthworks (engineering)#Military use, earthwork constructed in a military context, generally large enough to accommodate anything from one soldier to a fire team (or similar sized unit).
Terminology ...
in that the purpose is to shield a single soldier from artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
, mortar and direct small arms
A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions).
The first firearms originate ...
fire, it is not intended to be used for fighting from.
Shell scrapes are generally hastily excavated manually, with immediately available means such as the entrenching tool
An entrenching tool (UK), intrenching tool (US), E-tool, or trenching tool is a digging tool used by military forces for a variety of military purposes. Survivalists, campers, hikers, and other outdoors groups have found it to be indispensable i ...
, and are temporary constructions. They are shallow, and large enough to accommodate at least a single soldier lying down or kneeling. In some situations they can be dug to accommodate two soldiers and their equipment. For protection from the elements a poncho is often tied off or staked out at the edges, or bungeed to a nearby tree. This way a soldier can sleep in the shell scrape more comfortably with cover overhead.
Shell scrapes offer better concealment than traditional tarp bivouacs because the majority of the soldier's body mass is below ground level. This catches their body heat, making them harder to spot with thermal imagers.
A properly prepared shell scrape should be deep enough that the soldier's entire body is beneath the level of the surrounding ground, thereby offering protection from both direct- and indirect-fire weapons. However, it provides little protection against indirect fire that bursts in the air or among the trees.
References
{{mil-stub Fortifications by type