Elements of Trench Warfare: Bayonet TrainingWaldron, William H. (William Henry)
History
Elements of Trench Warfare: Bayonet Training
Waldron, William H. (William Henry)
Bayonets
The enemy's sojourn in the trenches should be made as disagreeable
to him as possible. He must be kept continually on the alert. Our
operations must be made a constant menace to him. It is in this way
that casualties are effected and he is gradually worn out. One of
the best methods of accomplishing all of the above is the employment
of snipers, who are specially selected and trained in this branch of
trench warfare.
The snipers are on duty all day, but they have their nights in bed.
They conduct their operations in pairs and are given a definite post
to occupy and in exceptional cases may be given a roving commission.
The advantage of having the same men regularly on the same post is that
they learn thoroughly the appearance of every square foot of the ground
included in their area of observation and are able immediately to note
any change that may take place. They soon learn where to look for the
enemy and in fact learn the habits, etc., of the enemy occupying their
sphere of observation.
The sniper must be an expert in:
1. The construction of loopholes by day and by night.
2. The use of telescopic sights, field glasses, periscopes and all
optical contrivances designed for observation purposes.
3. The selection of good positions for sniping.
4. Judging distances and estimating or measuring ranges.
5. Rifle firing. He should be an expert rifleman in order that full
advantage may be taken of the opportunities to inflict losses on the
enemy.
6. In trench warfare each pair of snipers will be required to report
each evening to the company commander the result of their day's
operations.
WHAT TO FIRE AT
When the enemy makes his attack you will generally fire at those who
appear in the sector that has been allotted to you to cover. You may,
however, abandon your target on your own initiative under the following
circumstances and fire:
1. On officers and non-commissioned officers. These can be recognized
by their gestures. They are generally in the center of groups and get
up and start first. They should be disabled, as this is the surest way
of breaking up the attack.
2. At a group on the move. Fire should be concentrated on an advancing
group. The time when the group is preparing to start its rush may be
indicated by rifles being raised and the movements that take place
along the line. After a rush has started, look out for the late comers
trying to rejoin their comrades. They make good targets.
3. When the enemy attempts to build up his line to the front by a
process of infiltration, that is, by having single men crawl from one
point to the other, each man should be fired on during his advance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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