LIFE IN THE TRENCHES

Incredible never-seen-before photos of WWI through the eyes of a German soldier on the frontline emerge

Taken by a medical officer the snapshots document daily life in the trenches and beyond

Carl Stroud

Published: 13:18, 6 Mar 2017
Updated: 7:17, 7 Mar 2017

AN incredible collection of never-before-seen World War One photos provide a fascinating insight into life on the German front line.

Taken by medical officer Robert Lichte, the snapshots document daily life in the trenches and beyond.

A soldier sits outside his trench while a colleague gives him a shaveCredit: Marius Moneth/Guzelian

A soldier sits amid the debris of a building that is almost completely destroyedCredit: Marius Moneth/Guzelian

A medical team are seen in an operating theatre in collection taken by medical officerCredit: Marius Moneth/Guzelian

The same medical team pose together with one member holding a newspaper from the German city of DusseldorfCredit: Marius Moneth/Guzelian

A PhD student unearthed the extraordinary trove while researching for his thesis.

Marius Moneth, 33, describes Lichte’s shots as a “real historical treasure” showing the conflict from a German soldier's point of view.

He said: “Normally a soldier leaves behind one or two of those albums, but he created nine of them. That speaks of dedication. I guess he created several of them to share with each family member.

“It is also the diversity of his photos because of his position as a non-commissioned medical officer he had access to the air force and the army. You can discover tanks from the later course of the war, aircrafts, guns and you can get an impression of the area behind enemy lines in his photos.”