The story of the electric wire barrier on the Belgian-Dutch border during the First World War is an interesting, but often forgotten part of history.
During the First World War, Belgium was largely occupied by the German Empire. The Netherlands was neutral. Dutch neutrality posed a problem for Germany because many Belgian citizens were certain to flee to the Netherlands to escape the war, occupation and forced labor. In addition, there were also Allied soldiers and spies who had gathered through the Netherlands to escape.
To control and destroy these movements, the Germans decided to build an electric wire barrier along the border between Belgium and the Netherlands in 1915. This barrier was known as the "Death Wire" or "Electric Border". It was almost 200 kilometers of high-voltage wire fencing that stretched from the north at the Dutch coast to the south at the Belgian-French border.
The wire was deadly: it was electrified with 2,000 to 6,000 volts. Hundreds of people, including civilians guaranteed flights, as well as smugglers and soldiers, have been electrocuted or seriously injured by the wire over the years. In addition to the electric barrier, there were also watchtowers, patrols and German soldiers who were the barrier experts.
This measure was effective in discouraging border crossings, but it also caused much suffering among the local population. Families and several were divided, and simple daily activities such as visiting a market or church in a neighboring village could become life-threatening.
After the war, with the armistice in 1918, the Death Wire was dismantled quite quickly. Although the physical structure has disappeared, the memory of this barrier and the suffering that created life in the local doctor along the border remains. Several monuments and information boards have been erected in memory of the Death Wire and those who lost their lives due to this barrier.
The story of the Wire of Death shows the profound impact of war on the daily lives of ordinary people and how technology and infrastructure were used as tools of control and repression during conflict periods in history.