Tactics and duties for trench fightingBertrand, Georges Etienne
History
Tactics and duties for trench fighting
Bertrand, Georges Etienne
Intrenchments
=Work.= Daily trench work consists of (1) maintenance and (2) new
construction.
(_a_) Maintenance: The daily work of maintaining the elements of the
position is considerable, and its importance often escapes those
responsible for the same. They are:
Repair of parapets, boyaux, and shelters damaged by bombardment, water,
or frost.
Replacing or completing accessory defenses, revetments, ammunition
recesses, emplacement of machine guns, observation posts, depots, etc.
Cleaning and Draining of Trenches and Boyaux: The garrison of each area
is responsible for their own maintenance work, which is done usually
during daylight hours. Sometimes during severe bombardments this repair
and maintenance work becomes too great for the garrison and workmen have
to be called in to help.
(_b_) New Construction: New elements of the position are constructed in
carrying out the Plan of Organization. These are usually carried out at
night. This work is carried out by troops in the doubling trench, the
support line, or detachments of workmen from the reserve of the sector.
There may also be special parties from the headquarters detachment of
pioneers or of the engineer battalion of the brigade.
For all these special works the personnel for whom they are built must
be present during the construction to furnish necessary information and
for inspection. A machine gun crew helps in building its emplacement;
the intelligence officer directs the construction of his observatories.
The medical officer present during the work on the medical aid station;
the telephone officer superintends the establishment of his telephone
exchange, etc.
The battalion commander is responsible for all the work done in his
center of resistance, and in conjunction with the sector leader draws up
a time-table for the work.
All this work must be continued by each succeeding relief. When a new
unit takes its turn in the trenches the orders and plans of new works
are turned over to its commander.
=Arms, Equipment, and Ammunition.= Full equipment will always be worn in
the firing trench, except the haversack, water bottle, and entrenching
tool. In the support and reserve trenches the equipment to be worn is
subject to the will of the sector commander. Every man will always carry
a gas mask in any part of the position and even as far to the rear as
ten miles.
The men in the firing line and in the doubling trenches will at all
times be in possession of their rifles and bayonets. The rifles of men
in the support and reserve trenches may be kept in protected racks in
the same shelter as the men.
All rifles must be kept scrupulously clean at all times.
Ammunition is protected from bad weather by being placed in boxes
located in the sides of the trenches.
Ten to twenty hand grenades are placed in a sandbag. These are usually
kept at the depot and carried in these quantities for the supply of the
fire trench in combat. One or two of such sandbags are kept at a bombing
post.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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