Machine-Gun Tactics

by R. V. K. Applin

USE OF MACHINE GUNS IN A RETREAT

During the battle the Protective Cavalry will be used in the way already described in the previous chapter, in which we also dealt with the Pursuit; we will therefore now see how they may be used to assist a Retreat.

“When retreat appears inevitable the routes to the rallying position should never be so close to the battlefield as to come at once under the fire of the enemy. It should be occupied as soon as possible by some portion of the artillery, and by complete infantry units. The cavalry and other mounted troops, aided by a strong force of artillery, will meanwhile check the enemy’s advance, and the remainder of the force, with the exception, if possible, of a rear guard in support of the mounted troops, will move as rapidly as possible to the shelter of the rallying position and there reorganise. Steps should be taken immediately to secure any bridges, defiles, or other vital points on the line of retreat, at which the enemy’s mounted troops might intercept the force. Commanders of retreating troops must recognise that their greatest danger will arise from attacks in flank delivered by the enemy’s mounted troops and horse artillery; if possible, therefore, they should take precautions that all ground commanding their line of retreat is occupied by flank guards.”[14] The action of the Protective Cavalry is indicated in the first paragraph quoted in italics, while the second gives the only method by which a retreat can be rendered successful or secure. In no phase of modern war are machine guns so valuable as during a retreat, and it is quite probable that, properly organised and handled, they may make the pursuit so difficult and costly as to render the retreat a far less dangerous undertaking than it has been in the past. It is not difficult to realise that an arm possessing such great mobility, together with rapidity and concentration of fire, before which no closed bodies can exist at effective range, will be able not merely to check and delay pursuing cavalry, but may even prevent any effective pursuit by mounted men alone.

The lack of machine guns on the side of the Russians in the late war renders this point still to be proved by a future campaign; but it is well known that the machine guns with the 1st Siberian Army Corps constantly checked the Japanese pursuit, and more than once rendered a flanking movement abortive.

The moment that it is evident that a retreat is necessary it will be the duty of the Protective Cavalry commander immediately to collect all his cavalry, with a view to checking the enemy’s advance, and at the same time he should apply to the G.O.C. for as many machine guns as he can spare, and this is certainly the occasion when all the mounted machine-gun batteries should be sent to the commander of the rear guard.

The first step will be to allot one or more batteries to the troops forming the two flank guards and to the main guard covering the centre. The general situation at this moment will of course govern their use. “The commander will determine, in accordance with the features of the ground, whether delay is best brought about by the occupation of positions blocking or flanking the enemy’s line of advance and the employment of fire action, or by a vigorous and timely attack by a body of horsemen. Frequently, however, opportunities may be offered for acting wide on the flanks, where even the threat of a mounted attack or a sudden dash from ambush may cause the enemy’s pursuit to be delayed without the force becoming too deeply committed.”[15] In either case the important thing for machine guns to do at this stage is quickly to seize ground from which to bring effective fire to bear across a wide extent of front. Dealing first with the commander of the batteries allotted to the centre, he will consult the O.C. cavalry and arrange with him his plan of action. It is of the first importance to stop the forward movement of the enemy on the direct line of retreat, as this is the easiest line of pursuit and the one upon which the most shaken portion of the troops will be found. The probable course of action for the machine guns here will be to break up into sections and form a line along the nearest feature of ground immediately in rear, from which fire can be brought to sweep the front and check direct pursuit. The more broken the country and the more commanding the ridge or other features, the more effectual will be the check, for at this stage guns will certainly be prominent in the pursuit and shelter from their fire will be very necessary.

The fact that the machine guns are working in pairs on a very wide front should make it exceedingly difficult for artillery to locate them, except singly, and thus it will take them a considerable time to silence more than one or two of the scattered line of guns. Alternative positions and the constant change to a fresh one after opening fire will render the majority of the machine guns capable of remaining in action until closely engaged by the infantry. This will cause considerable delay, and by the time a serious infantry attack develops the machine guns will be able to retire to a fresh position. In anticipation of this, the battery commanders will have sent scouts to the rear directly the guns are in position, and they should personally examine the new line to be taken up, and select the gun positions for each section. One scout should remain in the new position of each section and the other return to the gun horses of his section, to guide them when the moment for retiring takes place.

The gun horses should be as near the guns in action as possible; but should the position be such that this is impossible without exposing the horses to fire, then all the spare rifles of the gun-team must be used to open rapid fire to conceal the fact that the gun is being moved. The guns of each section must arrange with each other to cover their own retirement, but the battery commander must issue the order in the first instance and will arrange which sections move first.

Where the pressure is great and co-operation difficult, it may be advisable to retire by half sections along the whole front at the same moment; thus the right guns of sections may be ordered to retire on a given signal, while the left guns cover them by a heavy continuous fire. If this method of retirement is adopted, it will be necessary for the second position to be within long range of the first, which is not always advisable in covering a retreat. It will seldom be possible to select a concealed position in the early stages of the retreat, but it must be borne in mind that if a concealed position can be occupied, and fire reserved until the pursuing cavalry are at close range, the effect of such a surprise will do much to check the pursuit, and impose such caution on the enemy that they will hesitate to press on without those precautions which necessitate deployments and thus cause much delay.

The machine guns allotted to the flanks should form the supports to the cavalry there; and if two batteries are available on each flank, one should accompany the cavalry to enable it to remain mounted, while they provide the fire action necessary to support it in the attack and to cover its retirement in the face of superior numbers. The detail of such action has already been given with the Independent Cavalry. The other batteries will break up into sections and move parallel to the line of retreat in single file at wide intervals, keeping touch with the cavalry by scouts on the outer flank. The object of this battery is to seize and hold good positions on the flank of the line of retreat until the main body has passed. The scouts of the rear section of this battery should get into touch with the scouts of the flank gun of the centre battery from time to time, to ensure proper co-operation between the various batteries.