Concertina Wire - Dannert Wire

Dannert Wire

Oil-tempered barbed wire was developed during the First World War; it was much harder to cut than ordinary barbed wire. During the 1930s, German Horst Dannert developed concertinas of this high-grade steel wire. The result was entirely self-supporting; it did not require any vertical posts. An individual Dannert wire concertina could be compressed into a compact coil that could be carried by one man and then stretched out along its axis to make a barrier 50 feet (15 m) long and each coil could be held in place with just three staples hammered into the ground.

Dannert wire was imported into Britain from Germany before the Second World War. During the invasion crisis of 1940–1941, the demand for Dannert wire was so great that some was produced with low manganese steel wire which was easier to cut. This material was known as "Yellow Dannert" after the identifying yellow paint on the concertina handles. To compensate for the reduced effectiveness of Yellow Dannert, an extra supply of pickets were issued in lieu of screw pickets.