Before rifle grenades and mortars became widespread, soldiers in the trenches of World War I relied on improvised mechanical catapults like this one to hurl grenades toward enemy lines. Built from wood and stretched elastic cording, these 'trench catapults' were an early and often unreliable solution to the stalemate of trench warfare. This example, numbered '55' for a trophy or relic inventory, was likely photographed as part of a collection of war memorabilia displayed in Cincinnati, Ohio, after the 1918 Armistice. Project: 218708