Death wire (n. De Draad ) - an electric wire barrier installed by German occupants during World War I on the territory of Belgium along the border between Belgium, which was almost completely occupied by them, and the neutral Netherlands . In German official documents, this fence was called Grenzhochspannungshindernis (high-voltage border fence).
The fence was under fatal stress for a person and was intended primarily to prevent the flight from Belgium who did not want to remain under German occupation. In addition, the fence was supposed to prevent the sending of espionage reports from the occupied Belgian territories to the Allied intelligence centers in the Netherlands and the smuggling movement. It is estimated that the death wire caused the deaths of hundreds of people, but thousands managed to cross it in one way or another. After the war, it was quickly dismantled.