Tactics and duties for trench fighting

by Georges Etienne Bertrand; Oscar N. Solbert

The hand grenade is the principal weapon in trench combat—that is, to obtain progress laterally and in depth in the trenches after a breach has been made at one point, as every foot of trench has to be fought for. Each section of trench, between traverses, is cleared of the enemy by throwing H. G’s into it. It is then occupied and the next section cleared and occupied in a similar manner.

In a raid on the enemy’s trenches hand grenades are used to clear up the particular stretch of trenches before the raiding party jumps into them. This will be taken up in detail later.

Rifle Grenades. The rifle grenade in the offensive is employed similarly to the hand grenade, to reach an enemy under cover, but at a greater distance.

It is used to help reduce all nests of resistance that the assaulting infantry runs up against, and when the artillery barrage is not obtainable for that purpose.

They may be used as a barrage to cut off the retreat of a small group of the enemy that is being attacked in front.

Rifle grenades are very useful against counterattacks, especially before machine guns can be brought up and the defensive artillery barrage obtained.

The A. M. R. The A. M. R., with its great mobility and ease of control, makes it possible to carry this weapon in the assault and to be used immediately the wave is halted for any reason. In this connection, it can be instantly employed against a nest of resistance.

It is used in the assault to protect the flanks of the assaulting waves, especially when stopped.

As the A. M. R’s are brought up in the first wave, they are immediately available against counterattacks upon the captured position. In a similar manner they are employed to hold ground gained until an artillery barrage can be obtained to support it and before the machine guns come up.

The Riflemen. The riflemen, with bayonets fixed, do the necessary fighting in the interior of the enemy’s position. As was stated before, the H. G. and the R. G. break the enemy’s resistance and the rifleman does the hand-to-hand fighting required to occupy the objective lines of trenches.