If on the 4th of December we had known the terrain of attack before the night engagement instead of not having the slightest notion of it, we would not have awaited the dawn at the first German trench for fear of falling into a wasps’ nest, and we should have taken not only the second but the third trench and made many prisoners.
Very detailed maps are distributed before the attack to company commanders and to chiefs of section, but one should try to complete them oneself by attentive and repeated observation of one’s sector. Before the attack of the 9th of May, I had recopied for each noncommissioned officer the part of my map concerning the zone of attack of the company, entering on it all known information.
Matériel.
Real superiority over the enemy is obtained by superiority of weapons; courage cannot make up for destruction, one must tax one’s brain to furnish the men with matériel which may be useful to them.
Grenades.—Every grenadier or member of a patrol should carry five grenades; each man should have one, not to throw himself but so that it may be possible to get a certain number of them together in case of need. If a fight with grenades is foreseen in a region cut up with trenches or boyaux or in a town, the supply should be increased.
Furnish suffocating grenades, especially to patrols going into boyaux.
Familiarize everyone a long time beforehand, if possible, with the handling of the different grenades. On the 8th of May, I sent 5 kilometres for suffocating grenades, which I had just heard of, in order to be acquainted with the effects of this useful weapon. Have hooks prepared, fixed to the left wrist, for the purpose of lighting the friction grenades by hand.
Revolvers and knives are indispensable for the fight in the boyaux.
Have individual sand bags to establish a rapid barrier in the boyaux or to build up a line of cover such as we have before described.
Also the Filloux apparatus, with the use of which the men should be familiar.