40

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY. /~NOT TO BE TAKEN INTQ FRONT TRENCHES.

[S S 112] OB/1029

CONSOLIDATION OF ~RENCHES,

LOCALITIES AND CRATERS

AFTER ASSAULT AND CAPTURE,-

WITH A NOTE ON RAPID WIRING.

VI ‘~, GENERAL STAFF, WAR OFFICE.

1916

CONSOLIDATION OF TRENCHES AND

LOCALITIES AFTER ASSAULT AND

CAPTURE.

1.—CONSOLIDATION OF A CAPTURED SYSTEMOF TRENCHES.

‘The captureof a system of hostile trenchesis an easymattercomparedwith the difficulty of retainingit. A thorough know-ledge of the principles, a careful study and correct use of thenatural features of the ground,and a detailed preparationandorganisationof the work are necessary;but successwill onlyresultif thereis also an aisolutedeterminationon thepart of allranksto getth~work donepromptly at all costs.

The principl~sof the consolidation of capturedtrenchesare,briefly, asfollows :— -

(a) To establisha series of strong points or centres ofresistance,‘wired all round and mutually supportingeach other according to the ground. These pointsshould be provided with machineor Lewis guns atonce.

(b) ‘ro provide good communicationto the rearfrom thesepoints.

(ci) To fill in all hostile trencheswithin bombingdistanceof.thepointsoccupied.

(d~To establish,if possible,simultaneouslywith the con-.sohidationof strong points in the front line, anumber.of suppOrtingpoints in rear. Thesepoints should,if the ground is favourable, be placed to cover theintervalsbetweentheworks in the front line.

(ci) The strong ~dints can later be connectedto form acontinuousfront line.

~,Theaboveprinciples must be applied with due regardto thenaturaltactical features of the ground. The satisfactorysitingandconsolidationuf a position ~vihllargelydependon the powerpossessedby the Officers on the,spot’ to recogniseduring thevariousstagesof a battle the minor featuresof real tactic~i1ini-~portance. This ability is only acquiredby previoustraining,andIs a quality which every Olhicermust study to possess. The~izeandtraceof the “strong points,” as well as the intervalsbetweenthein,~wihlvaryaccordingto the lie of the groundand the planci! thehostile trenchescaptured. During the processof consoli.datio~‘,onceahnentfrom artillery observationis of importance.

(112338) W$.w. 8762—7584 120Z 8/18 XL & B, F. w/esl

2

4.4,’ .. — , ‘.—‘.‘ ‘. . A.’.

The first essentialis speedin renderingthecapturedpositionstrong~tiç~tghto r s~t1lofh~it.c ln’-attiiek,s. , It i~tl~eref,brenecessarythat a definite plan should bedecidedon beforehandasto which points first requft’h fltt~l~tidn.,,.Thiscan bedone, in themajority of cases,with greataccuracyfrom mapsand aeroplanephotographsandfrom astudy of the groundfrom anypoint in ourlines which commandsa view of it. In the.case of craterstheforecastof thetunnellingofficeisurn t be obt4 mod,

Although it isusually.,advi~blç,that as.~4lting. ~roqpssJrp~tli1be £‘~lkve~1.&s ~oonaspo~sible,tIc1~mnhs~ndt,be tak~rito implythat theduty of securinggroundgainedis the taskonl~’.bf ther0li0vi,~troops., It is ~cnut~ou7u1lp~’i~cipJefor troQps to e.r,,vectto be relieved1!nnhr~Iiate~ySfte~~uiathccfr,As it wastesv4ali;’iblotime atacriticaj,periodw1cei~pecc1inWo~’k~ ~ssentpcl.,Itiodstbem~dpçstoodthr~ttroo~s,~‘hiclitakea poMlion mustcommenéethework ~f éphsoliclatloumit iincrh,,, .

¶tJ~edistribplion 9f R.E. de,tacffluen~sreq}lires to ts~caiem~uflyco’nsidereclbbfdibluind., ,Iii all ca of,m~uas~apl~,or,adv~.n.c~,wlier,oit i.~intended,to s cure,,~he,g,i,’oii,n4~amec~t,,~hetToops ~1e~sUne.aforthepurposeshoOldincludeadetachmentof R.E.~ eççimrnar~de~owhich should be,detailed previouslyand attachedto thestdff oth’e uni~3i~for~hatiqR,ebnce~’ned.~,~ . ~ .~,

bai’ri~ore~,m~isthold on to theirground; t~h~yLava nothing to-fearf,rom4b~mg,ou,ti1anjce~1.,.~,, ~ ~

2.—CONSOLIDATION OF LOCAtJITIES.During anadvañce~whei~it becomesttec~sscti~yto ~oiis’c~Udate

somelocalit~yof tacticalimportance,suchasavillag~dr wood, thesathegeneral pilociplos hold gdod.as‘iii th’e eoiisdlldal4’oii of asystem of trenches. Some notes on the, pszrt1~tilarpblnts thatrequireattentionin theeas’e of villil~e~andw~odsaleap~en~’ed.

• Viliagos.—Enlat~etiieuit~fioln e~’c~11snirill, s’cltle flaps giveveryaccurateplansof mostvilla~êsmind i~ihkeIt ~o~it~l~to planthe defen~oitt sufficient detail bëforehrlnd. It, is essentialthatsubordinateconiniandersshould lie ~rovl(led s~iitli ~t1éhplans,inorderthmit thO generalideaof ~hodefeflc~nlaj’ lie quickly andproperly understood.

rue pniticipleS of the defenceof it ‘c’ill~tge are laid down InInfantry Training~Section 140. The ozdet of urgeec~’of lvdtkis SsfollowS

(cc) Barricade attd ~icquet all ~*itn ~~ablfsh centre ofrOsi~tah~efletmt exits to coverflpprditchesbr any streuutlsOr tracks which mightserveto ~uidd ~ cOunter-attack.Commencework cmi keap~pr~ferab1yitt ~‘illmt~ecioss-roads. Bai’Hcaderoads.

(1’) Itheotutoltr~for ‘celltrs;(c) ~~tghlish cmoxhnU1i1cn~ions- givIng c’dvOr f~Okti ‘vi~t~

Fadlatlugfrom keeptsl oute~centresbf t~&tttncce,from keepto the rear.

3

~d)~bbii~itr~ctbO~bpioof~iii ce11ár~iii cèn~Fes~ resi~taiic~- , tthd tcOe~—Falser’oof~to cellars,etc.(e~Complete~ - , - ‘ ‘- -

(f) ~miiprOvo‘ccniimuOicit~ionsat (ci) abo~ie’tO give coverfrom tire. ‘ -

f~Makelittem-ki liii’e’s bf ~o~hn~’unmic’atioiibetween‘ceñtidit of- resistance.- , ‘ -,,.,,‘, ‘ -

dOuti~esof’ resistpi’i~es~r’ouJdbec~ti~ilish~d(i~it’i~~‘oss~bletodo so) to the fiabic ‘of conspicuOusbuihuihg.S likely ,~b.ãI’fofd goodta~’getsfor hosti1~am’tf1te’r~fire. 10 the case of lcce~i’s~ villagesthis is often impossibleowin~to thep’res’enceo~~h’urchs~mFe~s.I~is, hOwever,preferabletO lia~e‘a kOej~,04/enwith tbi~‘disc L~~alclage~that is central,accesiibleandstrong againstinfantry assault. ftshouldberememberedin this connectionthatby the tithe ho~tileinfantry~can assaulta village keep, hostile &rtillery fire’ willnecessarilyhaveceased. ‘ -

‘WôOds.—Asin th~caseof villages, plansshould bepreparedof thelocality. - , ,, - r, • , . ‘ .

Therehasbeenmuchdiscussionin thepastas to what part ofawoodshouldbeoccupied. Experienceh~sprovedthat, oW~ngtothegroat,cvlyantage~afEotdeml by coverfrom view, the pos~tiOri,totako,up,iii, aWo9d, is, -just so, far witliiii the outer,cç1~e~swillpetmit of good view into the open. I~nthis connectionit shouldbe rememberedthat in Oqt~r~eof tunecmli and ritle, fire thtitis outtheedgesof woodsconsidetabl~,,. It l.s therefore’advantttgeousinthe first instancetp ~titkeup positions slightly in’reaF, of tho~owhi,~hmay appearmr~th~momentto be toostadvantageotis.

If,, as is , of~n, th~case,the wood is surroundedby atherei~,anatural’,tendepcyt~utako trenchesagainstthi~lied~e.This is to beavoided. A hedgeIons averygood,obstacleagainstassault,with tl~esçldition of a little wire. If it screenstheviewit caum, be quickly thinned,--,,, - , -

The,orderor,ti’rgency,ofwork is asfollows :— ‘‘, ‘,,

(a) Establishcentresof resistancefor all round defenceatthe conmc~’s,and salients of time wood. ‘ These‘are thepointswhicharemost liableto counter-~ttack.

- Establishcentral reserve,reconnoit~O,blaze at’id ~clenrcommunications. ‘ -,.,, ,

~‘me~iefcaceof, cm,. ~vood should ‘be vcr~,actii~s’,anticounter-attacksroust, ~e launchedmigniust. any hastilotl’oop~thrnit may,reacl~theedgeof tIme wood, iii ordertopreventa lodgnment that placesthe enemyon canal

• -,ternr~~(6) Establishinteriediatecenti’e~of resistancemind ‘lateral

~çom,mflnication.,- ,-,,, ‘ , .. .,,, -

(ci) Establi~hcentt’aI keepat junction of rides,or ott naar,.edgeofc’Ieaning~,,, r. •‘ - ‘,‘ .,. ‘~

In thecaseof large woods atid forests,where tho genermtl line(n12338) A2

/ . 4

of defenceruns througha wood, a line of strong centresof re-sistanceshould be establishedacrossthe wood, if posáiblebehindaroad or other clearing. The near edgeof the clearingshouldbe entangled,and tho intervals betweenthe “centres”shou]4besweptby fire. As time perniits “rays” should be cleared,radia- -

ting from time centres’of resistanceand’crossingsimilar “rays “.

from adjoining centres,so as to addto the depthof the fieldof fire.

These maya should be wired amid obstaclesarranged,so as tobreak up an attackamid-force the attackeisinto the openings.

A line of in.teriiicdiatecentres,comnniunicatuons,&c., should alsobeestablished,asindIcatedin (6) above.3.—OCCUPATION OF CRATERS..

i, The occupationand consolidationof mine cm’aters presentsmany difficulties, and all ranks should understandtheprinciplesto beactedupon in the eventof the explosion of mines,on theirfront. -

- ii. Cratersare usually formed as a result0f one of the fol-lowing’ ruining operations:— , ‘ -

(a) An attackby us on time enemy’strenches; ‘

- (b) An attackby theenemyon our ‘trenches;(ci) Undergroundfighting.

iii. Thepossessionof ~crateroffersthe following advantages:—- (a) It canbeturnedinto astrongpoint capableof holding

a amsil garlison;(6) It givescommandof thegroundin the vicinity;(ci) It forms a cOnsiderableobstacle.

iv. (a) When mines areexploded by us in connection,with anattackon theenemy’strenches,our objectshould beto ssizeandhold thewhole of theminecrateror craters,or a line in front ofthem. Thelatterplan Is usually thebest,amid the cratersin rearcanthen be turnedInto strongpoints.

-(6) Whencratersareformedas the resultof an attackby theenemyon ourtrenches,or in thecourseof undergroundfighting, -

ourobjectwill usually be to seizeandliold thenear“lip” of the -

crater. - ‘ ‘ ‘

Partiesmust‘be rushedOut at onceto seizethe lip. It maybe impossible ‘to open up ~communicationto these parties tillafterdark, - Theyshould, tuerefore,takesufficientgrenades,water, -

&c., and must be prepaueclto hold on though isolated,v. I3efore the explosion of a mine a forecastshould be made

of the state of affairs to be expectedafter the explosion,and alldetailsof probable requirementsshould be worked out. Thesewould’include’:—’ ‘~ , ‘

(a) Theformation of,~dumpsof engineermaterialsas clo~aup as possible.

(b) The organizationof working and carrying parties.Work should startimmediatelyaftertheexplosionof themine,

sad no ‘time should be lost in turning Into account the quietintervalwhichusuallyfollows theexplosion. ‘ - , ‘

5

The personnelof RE. Field Companiesshould be freelyusedfor this work under instructions given through the General Staff. -

vi. Thefollowing are themain points to beattendedto in theactualconsolidationof thecratersm—

(a) All trenchesshouldbestruttedasthey are constructed.Specialframes for this purposemust be madebefore-hand,-

(6) All works on a crater, whether inside or outside tIme“lip,” shouldbe providedwith a parades.

(ci) Dug-oatsshould ‘be made by tunnellinginto the sides, and,not at thebottomof acrater.(d~At leasttwo communicationtrenchesshould be con-

structedleadinginto eachcrater. ‘

Entrancesto cratersshouldbe made’atthe sidesand- riot through time rear“lip.”

(e) All trenchesleading imp to a crater from the enemy’sline shouldbestraightenedor tilled in for adistanceof’at least40 yardsfrom the positionof thedefenders,so’asto keepthe enemybombersatadistance.

- , ‘ This work can usuallybe carriedout with the leastdifficulty immediatelyafter the explosion.

(f), Collapsibleknife-rests, I~’renchwire andother forms ofportablewire entanglement,should be brought up inlargequantitiesandthrownoverthe“ lip” of acrater.

‘-vii. Therearetwo main methodsof holdingcraters(a) M~~t/~od“A.” (Seesketchon p. 6 andPlate A.)This methodshould usually be’employedafter thee4losionby -

us of a mine in the enemy’s trenchesor in the areawhei’e it isknownthat time enemyis not engagedin mining.

Thefront “lip” of thecrateris heldby meansof severalposts.Two ‘communicationtrencheslead into the crater,one on eachside,andgive lateral communicationbetween’the posts. On~ortwo dog-outsareconstruct9din time sides of the ctater.

6

-! ,tri it it

4.’‘p

1$

‘5

~4

‘5.

7~

(b) Met/1

od“B.” (SeesketchbelowandPlate13.)Tins~riéthodshouf4 usually b~e~nplo~ed~ch~ntheenemyhas

explodeda~thinbin or nett~ourticnche~Or ‘wherf~eh,~vo~xpIod&1i~defensivei,dnecipseto our o’~vntr~nclies.~ ‘Th’d ~Tar~tllp“~of’the crater is lIeJd Wirp i~tl}rowr~insidethecrater. O~~r tWo~d’~~bMcsá~e’cut~thróu~th‘tile re~J~‘~t1p”so ts to eomii~a~dthe~ns1deof tho cl’ater

1~ 4~. ,4-‘~

•3~~

x

/ -

8

Plate C a~jowsa scheme-for convertingthear?abehind thelips of a series of craters,’ which have been‘occupied, into ‘astrongpost.

The importanceof renderingthe meansof accessto the lipsecurefrom bombitmgattackis not alwaysrecognized.

(viii.) Work should becarriedout in the following order:— -‘

(a) Construction‘of one or two postsin the “lip” of thecrater; -

(6) Wiring the front of postsandfilling in or straightening- trenchesleadingfrom it towardsthe enemy; /

(c) Digging of communicationtrenchesup to time crater.And, if f/u’ lip hasbeenoccupied

(ci) Digging trench for lateral communicationinside thecrater; ; ‘ -

- (e) Completion‘of wiring front of craterandconitructionoffurther postsin far “lip”;

(f) Constructionof dug-outs;’(y) Improvementsto the above.

It shouldusu~hlybepossibleto do (a), (b~and (ci) together.

4.—NOTES ON RAPID WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS.’

Oneof the first requirementsin consolidatinga position is toget somewire out in front of it. ‘

The following generalprinciples regardingtheconstructionofwire entanglementsshouldbeobserved:—

(1.) The rear edgeof tire entanglementshould be about20’yardsfrom thetrench;if the traceof theentanglement-is, irregularand doesnot follow, the traceof the trench,it will make the task of the hostile artillery moredifficult. ‘ ‘

(IL) The depth’of the,entanglementshould be as greatas-,,, possible and at least 30 feet. The wire available- should ~e expendedin forming a deep entanglement-

rather than a “heavy” ‘one (i.e., one ‘with a largeamount of ‘wire between each set of posts). Theconstruction of two belts with an interval betweenthem ratherthanonebelt of twice the depth,givesthe~

, hosthie’ artillery a deepertarget to destroy,‘without- increasingthe material requiredfor constructingthe

‘entanglement,exceptby onerow of pickets.(iii.) Therewill ,seldombetime in rapidwiring to “dig in”

the wire for concealment. Everyadvantageshouldbe- taken,however, of natural folds in theground,long

grass,or brushwood,or other-meansof concealment.- (Lv.) Wire entanglementsshould be 2 feet6 iitchesto 3 feet

- highs - ‘ ‘ -

9-

(v.) The posts in a row should be about 6 feet from eachother, and time rows about 6 feet apart. If woodenposts are used they must be strong; light posts are

- useless.-cvi.) The difficulties of crossiflg an entanglement are

increasedif it is ‘not too regular,e.g., if theheights ofthepostsabove‘ground amid thedistancesbetweenthem -

are varied, For rapid wiring drill, however,a regularentanglementis easierto construct. , -

To ensurethatan obstaclecanbeerectedwith rapidityand insilence,everyoneof the workingparty mustknow whathe hastodo andwork so thathedoesnot getiii the way of theothers.

This necessitatessomeform of drill. Therearealargenumberin use, of which a selectionis given on-pages14 to 20.* Thefollowing notes’andi-nieswill be ~und usefulin carrying out anyform of drill for constructingwire entanglements:— -

(i.) The party should,as far as possible,work so that theobstacle is -always between them mind time enemy.Each wiring party should haveadoublesentm’y lying

- down about30 or 40 yards towards the enemy toprevent patrols sniping or bombing th~‘party.’ Ifcircumstancesnecessitateit, a special covering party -

shouldbe provided. -

(ii.) The party should work extendedand not bunchedttigether. - - ‘ -

(iii.) Large parties, in which eachgroup of m~nhasouly,~oneoperationor duty to perform, ‘will erectentangle-’

- - mentsquickerthana small party, in which each manhasseveraldutiesto perfoi’m in s~ccession,‘unlesslatter

-‘ ‘is verywell drilled. -‘ -

(iv.) Thebestunit of entanglementis about40 or 50 yardslong. Its constructioncanthenbecontrolledfrom one

-~ - point. This distance is ~alsoa convenientinterval to‘ ‘ leave’smallgapsfor patrols. - -

(v.) A line of posts is best laid out at night by putting-‘ , downatapeor string with the intervals of the posts

- - markedby bits of ragor sandbagtied on to it. , ‘ -

(vi.) The endof a coil of barbedwire will be found securedon the drum tucked uflder the standingpart. In t1me~

‘ dark it is very hardto find andrelease. Coils should,therefore,-be preparedby daylight. A good method i~-’to - attach-,a piece of string to the end, ~mncoiltheroll’half a turn,- re-coil it on a,pieceof old sandbagand

- , - fasten it hp by the string. The end of the wire can- - then bereadily foundin time dark. Thepiecesof tin on -

- thewoodendrumss~ionldbe removedto preventnoise. -

A. French ‘method will be found - in Appendix ~3“~otcsfor infantry O0lcer~on TrenchWarfare.”, ‘ - - ‘ ~-

(a12338) A3

10

It maybe found convenient,to makecarryingeam~ier,to re~coi1the barbedwim’o’ln sitiall~r~coils omi’a stoutstake. ‘ -

(vii.) ‘~i~ketsshould be made up into bundlesof onemanloads. They should be firmly tied with plaip ~viroorbm~oughtup in ~andUa~s.-- TheIatte~’is to sur~erwayofkeepIngtlieth’tptheF,at an’y iLath ~itb ~mall woodenpick t~.‘‘A dmkxmm~of b~rIJ&l~vlt~ t~best~arried overthe boulder,’~‘ifh ii stout4tak~~‘)a4se~tb ~‘ou~liit, ~luch

-also so \e~fort uOct~liii~t’~u~w~e.Plc1tot~arid wireshould be düin~ëd‘b~’t1j~car’m~mgparf~out~ide’~ietretich’, beh1hd~-li&ceritr,~’Ofth~~~eigti~f~dbe wfr~)..~-

(viii.) M~u’l~,if”u~cd,~ould ~ ~he~ ~ p~afling on aleat~idrfaCe‘or ~ m ~andb~g~.- ‘About ~ t~cknesse~of sfiPd~agm~tpfir~ar~nec,e~saryto of ~ny u~e. -

(ix.) ‘E~imi~i~p~sJiop~c)~not, unless necesary, be worn byw~m-ingf~r,tie”s,’asit is liableto causenoisc.

- (x.) Stq.~‘a~dIO fa~s ~e’Fig. 1). -

~‘om”~’atdstays are ipt mibsolmitehy necessaryi~the’er1~anglepientpostsareweBdrjvenjn. TIic,~’arCusually -

r~quire~‘~itlmiron itcr~vpost , whicharenot very still’unlessd~’iv~n~n~ to tbd bottomeye. F~rwardstayscannotbe put on, without great lossof tinie, until thefepc9op the(~rstrow o~’ppstshas’ beencoffi~letOd; for~heywould interferewith thefencewires being loopedover th~post~.’ . - -

,~3~ickstaysshoitid invaçiablybe providedandanchoredwelllaeh,c,soas to pesistanyattempt to pull the entangle.m9ntaway4by grapnels. -

Side staysat the ends of sepal-atelengths of eptnn’glement‘~‘~ are’usua1l~’desirable. ~ - .‘ -“ U - I

Picketsi,i~e’das hiol(l~~sfor stays should ~o “staggered,”r~,hôtdrlvenatm v~rtic’all~,b~itIlmelirbed-~‘~yhorn the

that they.stay. - -

(xi.) W~ns~T ip~’lio~zonta~wiresfpr a~~aprononastay- - o~’~l!agona1;th~~a~ersho~4~e givenma Icink or bend

th placesot’prossi~g,so thatthere\yll~~‘0 lasscli ancoq~~‘ewires l~ppin~d,~o;. ~rholwrizollt4 ~\‘iresmay~,eseepied,by bmnclin wi~’ or by taicin a bight andlôop1~ig’itrocind‘the $ay. ~j~’meco~1,sbouk~otbepassedpyer~i~4~r~dor,’tiq~i~isi~a~?oWprocess.

Noteswit~ireferenceto Iron screw ‘postsi~ndpickets.‘~‘ -~(~e)TheLpo~~ti~~mLte%ftcefl~gcvitlrio1~e~e~L1m8picketsare

13 feet ~ inches Io~ig‘with.’ ~wo eyes,o1 h~5Inches longwith Ii lOo~fat tlm~ehd~If f1m’~gm’btind’is ti~ft, the postsimi~ti ~ps~t’es~ipmltim, ~i f~eeftlyep o~’mnore.~ -

Angle in,,, postsam-cSfeet 10 inchesand C fç~ot ft lnehosJoO~. “~

- 11

(b) In rapid work thewire can simply be placedin time eyes” byfotiminga loop’in thewirearidshipplmrg’it’bver the

post. ‘‘ If 1s~not” intended that tlmd wire~should be-‘ threaded through ‘the--dye. - If- tjrne tilhows, the

horizontal wires-canlie put on slack, mind when time- fence is strung time’ ~~st’ean - be given a comnplete

turn, so as~ojrovent thewire slipping out shouldit beCut~”or the barbe4-wiremay be tWlste(1’rP~ifl(I time

- posts, throughan eye,’ as It ,is put omi; or it Imlay bes’ecimred‘to the‘eyesby binditm~wire. ‘ ‘

(c) To permit ofthe loopsbeingslipped overthmo posts,at st~ obvious‘That the lo~e,stwiro~1mm a fencemustbe put on -

- first, and’no fdrward or backstays can be fixed untilthefenCOhasbeetiCompleted.

(d) Cate ‘must -be ‘taken that all time posts are originally -

‘screwe4 in so th~t~tlmeoyespoint tbe~~;amew~ay,other~-wisedelayswilt occur in thewiring.

(e) Loosebundlesof irOmi scre*postsandpicketscannothe‘dim-tied -noiselOssiy. It is ‘advisable,’therefore,to \Vrapth~niroundwith a sandbag,securedby alight turn of

- wire with the ends twisted together. Enoughend- to~jij~ hyire should lie loft sc1 that it canbe untwisted byhmiuid ‘w1thdut’~hIer~,’~ ~‘‘ ‘ ‘

(f) Shortstakë~’brbatimnusthe providedto fit time top eyeof the posts im~order’tosca-qw timem in. Time helvosof

• t1~ppt~’ppp,~aing~LnplezuCn~servethe~tmrpPso.,

‘ EXAM~I1ES OF WIRE DRILLS.Picket is usedto meana~hort packetused~s~ l~o~dfastPostis usedto mcianC iongprupright. , ‘ -

Fenceis usedto mean ‘i ~eraesof wireson alow of postsTire conventiOiiti( ~i~tis‘uked ip the t~1a~r~rn~m~ro4explained

in Fig. 2. , ‘. ~‘ 1

- In all the drills given, pm~e~sotherwisestated,it is assumed- that:—’ - I ‘‘I,,,

(a) The length to beerectedis 50 yard~-

(6) TIme stem-es requiredarecollectedaV~apoint behindthecentreof thelength in a convenientorclei’; -‘

(c) The line of ~hefencehasbeenmarkedor indicated(ci) Thedrum~o~\~ir~arC’openede,hd’ time ‘~rid~rethly(e) Bars or sticki’ar’h roil through time (Irumlis, sbthat the

wire cmiii be uncoiledr’eadhl~’(f) Short -sticlc~’~or‘~m’awingin j~ie~pieke~‘ire carh’ipd by

-‘ the men requiring timeni (or in mIs ~f ~vgodepor cingleiron piclcetsare~i~bd); -- - “ -

(g) All wirp~’shia~ehedginggloycs id ~virecutters; and- 1m~vethcjr legs protcpte4by gaitersor ~l)db~gs. -

- - - -‘ - A4- (B 12338) -

12

(/1) -Each numberconsists of two men who work together,and the numbers commencework in successionat a

- suitableinterval(say4 postsapart). Thus Nos.al moveoft as~oonasNos. I have the desiredstart, Nos. 3 atthesameinterval behindNos.2 ; -‘

(i) All work is commencedon time left;(j) The menwho put thetop wire on a fencestay the end

post to short pickets;-

(k) On completionof eachoperationor ,“duty” detailed in,- thedrill, all menshouldreturnto afixedplace,iii order

to preventconfusion,if somework fasterthan others.- (1) Sparemenareat handto replaceanycasualties.

- Thedrills areprimarily intendedfor usewith tron ~crewposts,but can be used for. wooden ,or angle iron posts with slightmodifications. If the soil permits of postsbeimig screwedin to thebottom eye, no stays arenecessary,andthreehorizontalwires in -

thefemice, insteadof four, -will besufficient. -

No estimatesof storesrequiredaregiven,as thedistanceapartof the postsamid theamountof wire used must dependon whatis availabis. - - ‘ - - - -

, DRILL No. - -, 1.—DOUBLE APRON’ -

ENTANGLEMENT. - ‘

- ‘ ‘ - (See ,~Ygmcre3.) ‘ -

- Working Party: 12 men’exclusive of N.C.Os. -‘

- -- - - ‘ - First Duty. , , - -

- Nos. 1., Laypostsin position on groundA. - ‘ - -

- f Front rank—assistsNos. 1. -‘

,, 2.-i Rearrank—holdsup postsfor Nos. 3 to screwin.-,, 3. Screwin posts,separately.

- ,, 4. Lay front andrearpicketsin position. U

- U~, 5• Screwin frontpicketsB. - ‘ -

,, 6. - Screwin rearpickets0. ‘ -

- - ‘ SecondDuty. -‘

Nos. 1. Bottom wire of fence’A. - ‘ ‘ U ~

2. Second- ,, ,, ‘ ,, - - -~ - U -

,, 3. Third ,, ,, - ,, -‘ ‘ - ‘ -‘ -

,, 4. Top ,, ,, ,, - - -

,, 5. FrontdiagonalbetweenA andB. - -

,, 6. Rear - ,,‘ ,, , A and C. - -

- - - ‘ - - “ - ThirdDuty.~’ --

- Nos. 1. Top horizontalwire on front diagonalsA B.- ,, 2, Second - ,, ,, ,, , - - -‘ ‘ -

- ,,: ~. Bottom ,, ,,- ,, ,, ‘ ,, ,, - -

,,‘ 4. Top horizontahwire on backdiagonalAC. -

- ,, 5 Second ,, - - - ,, - ,, - - ,, - ,, ,, - - ‘ ‘- -

,, 6 Bottom mm mm ,, ,, ,, ,,

U-U --

-- ‘-U’-:?’ - -

13

This drill’involves Nos.5 in “SecondDuty,°andNos.1,2 and3- in “Third Duty,” working in front of time fence.

in the “First Duty” No. 2 rear rank holds up-a post for No. 3front rank to screw in until it getsabite in theground.- lIe thenholdsup apost for No. 3 rearrank,etc.

This obstacleandothersof the santenaturecan be deepoped-

by adding similar bays behindit, The posts in successivebaysshould coverthe intervals betweenthose in front of them. (SeeFig. 4.) - - -

If two baysaremache,the obstaclecan be in9reasedby tossingloosewire into the valleybetweentheposts. - - -

DRILL No. 2.—TRIP, FENCE AND APRON.(SeeFigure 5.) - -

- ‘ - Working Party:’ 10 men exclusive of N.C.Os.- - First Duty. - -

- Nos. 1. Lay postsin positionA. - - -

- , - 2. Hold up posts. ‘,‘- - U

,, 3~ Screwin posts. -

- ‘mm 4. Bring up andscrewin front picketsB. - -

,m mm mm ,, ,, ,, rear, ,, C.- - SecondDuty. U

- - Nos. 1. Front trip wire oii picketsB. - - - -

, - - ,, 2. Bottom wire on fenceA. - - - - U

mm - 3. Second ,, mm - ,, ‘ -

- ‘ -‘ ,, 4. Third ~ mm ,~ - - -

- ,,‘ ~.- Top ,, - ,, ,, -- -

- - ‘ - - - - Tlmircf Diet!,. - U

- Nos. 1. FrontdiagonalbetweenA and13. -

,, 2. Back - ,, ,,, Aiand C. -

- - ,,- 3. Tdp horizontalwire on the diagonalsA C’. -

- ,, - 4. Second ,, ,~ mm - mm mm -

,, 5. Bottom m, -- mm mm mm mm- Nos. 1 haveto work in front,of time fencein “Third Duty.”

-‘ -- U DRILL -No. 3.—TRIP AND - FENCE.’

- , ,: - (SeeFigure 6.)

- - -‘ Working Party: 16 men exclusive of N.C.Os.- - / -- First Ditty. , - -

Nos. 1. Screwin posts6feetapart,A.- -‘ - -

-~, 2. U Screw in pickets B and C; B first.,,‘- 3. Trip wire B. - ‘‘ - - -

mm 4. Bottom ‘wire of fence£,, 5. Se~ondwire mm - mm m~ - : U -

-,, 6. Third wire ,, ,, - ,, -

,, 7. Top wire - ‘,, ,, - ,, - - -- -

,, 8. D~agonalwire betweenAand C.

14

- - SecondDuty. -

~os~1. ~a~ohál ~vi~eb~e’eliA andB. -

,, 2. ‘~‘ripwire C.- ,~ 3. U~cOi1Ioo~ei‘wire. -

- ,, -~. tYnco’il 1oo~ciwiiv. , -‘

- ,, 5. TO~sIC loo~èwile uhcbil~d.- - -

0. Tossin loosewire uncoiled., 7. l~a~tOmm‘lOoee \ve. - - -

,, 8. FastenloosO ~vii’e. -

I~tthe‘~Secondduty,”~No~.1,have ,tow~rkin, front of the-fenep.Nos.3 an’d 4~mn6oilthe ldóie ba’rle”l wn-o U’n tli’e ~rômfl~ well

clearof the entanglement. Si~’coil~for each 25 yards.Nos.,5,ah,dGwimh largewoodenpickets lift the loosewire and

tossit on to theentammglemneut.- - - - - - U

Nos. 7 amid 8 spreadthe loonh ‘~viréoutandfastenit by twistinga bightat intervals to thediego’oahs d fen’c’e wires. -

- DRILL No. 4.—FEI’TCE, WITH CROS~ED -

- - DIAGON~.LS ,AND - TRIPS.(.SeeFz9ure ~‘)

“Working Party: 14 men exclusive of N.C.Os. -

The’picketsareplacedopposite’theposts. - , ‘~ -

This drill involves four menworking oji the’enetny’sside ofthefence. - - -

Fh~s’t.hity.

Nos.‘1.’ Screw~ ~ A. -

2. Screw,‘i p’ickèts,B ‘ilrst, thmthu C. -

- ,, 3.- Trip wire B. - -

4. Bottoth wit-c o~ffomiceA.- ,, p. ‘$~c~nâw~1e ,, - ,, - -

- - ,m ~ Third wire ~, ‘,,

- ,, 7. To~~fre - ;‘~ - -,~

- S o d D~ct,~j.

Nos. ~. ~ropare ~ in m~ex~I’emi~tia. ‘ -

-‘3. Front diagonal between,A and B, commencingat.U picket~ theti to A2, ~j, etc. - -,, -4. Front diagonal bet~veenA ~i.ndB, cominn�hacibg~t

- - top of postA1, then~ B~~

- ‘ ~m‘5~” Back diagonal bet’we~nA ahä C, Lconrninc(~lglit- nicketC~,thmeii t~An C

3m A’,”etc.

- ,, o.-1, Back diagonal between A &nä ‘O~cdmiiñiencing mCt~,,7.-f top of postAj,’then to 0n A3, etc.

- 15

DRILL No. 5.—SUCdE~SIVEEbWS OF FENCES.

- (&s Figure 8.)

Wbri~ ~: i~i~ei~,di~iaeai~i~b~ij~~- 3 é~h;W, X; Y~Z: - - -

TI~eposts muus~be prep~credbfmtttcthhhtI~biIi~limi~wire th ~hebottomil ej~e~tb thls ~lie ~r~i’ticaldimtgoMls betw~on-thefl,’r1e4~aremadefast. -

- - -

Group‘m*.mm, X.,, Y.,, Z.

‘ Fi~8tDuty. ,

Lay out postsin row B.Scrow’in abov~.,,,--

- Lay out picketsihrdwA. -

Screwin above. - - -

-

Third Duty.GroupW. - Seccndwire on-f~hce13. -

,, X. Third wire oh fo~ico33.,, Y. Top wil-n om~fenceB.,, - Z. Ftont diagonal between

AandB. -

GroupW.,m X.,, Y.,, Z.

SecondDuty. - ‘ -,

Lay out postsin iow C.Screwin above. ,

Bottomnwim’e of fenceB.Trip wire on row A. -

‘ koiirth Duty. -

GFotI1~W’. Bdttohm:wirb of fei’ice C.U ,~ -X~USeCotidwire of fenceC.- ,~- Y. Third ~ire pf fenceC.

,, - Z. Top*ii~êof fenceC. -

- Fifth. Duty.’

- GroupW. Diagonal ‘between B and bdttom of Cj t~top of13, bottomn,of’C2,,ytç. - ,,,, - - U, -

X. ~b~’o{~ddlii~oM1bct~6dn1~andC~toil oI dj tJ bottom- ,‘ - of B~,to~of. (~,‘ etc. - , , U -

- - ,, Y. Lay out and r~i~v~1la~,~ti~rof postsD, if the- in pickets D. [ J fencesare to be continued,

- - ;~- Z~ Ditgoual betwmmen1or-1 screwiii above;etc. -

OandD. - J L - - -‘ -

In “Third Duty,” Z-dh~liii “Fifth Dtit~;” W amid X; work on- enemny’sside of fence. — - - -

- - - In “Fifth Duty,”,W dind X lod~-tliedia~bnii1so-t’~rtop of -

-‘ - picketsandmnakath~ihf~st,tbtheb~ttormieyeb~ibihdin~wire.- Insteadof puttingthe ie~-ct’ois~hhig~HItlsbëtwben-fences B —

andC asabove,whichinvolvesbitmchin~wirèahd takeasomelittletime, it would be suffiCient, if- tIni~pfeese’~to stay,tile pickets

- merely by connecting thi~ihi~bds.(~deFit. D.) - “Gbo~eberries,”-- etc.,canbe thm’owmm ixit.ô tlmesjiaehbet’tvc~iiB amid 0. - ~, -

- - Ahotbervkrlittion is to ~tib looie ‘~v1i~Oor Frenchwire b’et~wè~nfencesB amid C andcriss-crossplain wire to connectthe topsof the

- - pickets. - (SeeFig. 10,) - ~ ,, U’ “U -‘

A fiifther ~Jl-caUoncan~Sihtrodtle’ed ~y plm~cc~mgd10 postsso- , - asto form squaresinsteadof triangles. (SeeFig. 11.) -/ -

16

- - - DRILL No. 6.—DOUBLE FENCE. - -,

- (SeeFigure 12.) -

Working Party: 28 men, exclusiveof N.C.Os. -

This ‘entanglementis designedfor stout wooden posts well3riven in, or screw posts screwed in down to the bottom eyeno holdfastpicketsarethemi required. -

The drill only requiresone duty from each pair of men.Theapron is of a diil’eremit pattemnto thosepreviouslygivemi,

the wires miss alternatepickets. ‘ : -

Threehorizontalwires can be used for the fence insteadof the“gate” patternshown. U - -

- ‘ - - Ord.er of Woi’k. - - ‘ -

(1) ‘Under superimitondenceof two N.C.Os.all hammdscarry u~’‘andplace the posts~ the ground.-

(2) Nos, 1 drive or screwin postsin front femmee A. - -

,, 2 ,, - ,, - ,, - back ,, B. -

,, 3 bottom wire 3 of fencöA. - -

4 diagonal ,, 4 ,, ,, ,~ -‘ - ‘ - - ‘

- - -‘ ,, 5 diagonal ,, 5 mm mm ,, -- - U

,, 6 top - ,, 6 ,, - mm mm - -

- - ,, 7 bottom ,,, 3 of fenceB. - -

U, - 8 diagonal ,, mm mm - mm -

,, 9 diagonal ,, - 5, ,, mm m~ -

, - mm -10 top ,, 6 - mm’ - ,m - mm -

- ,, 11 apron wire ~ U’ ‘ U - -

,, 12 ,, ,, 12 - - ‘ -

,, 13 ‘,, ,, 13 - , - -

- m, 14 festoonedwire 14 ~‘ - - ‘ U ,

- DRILL No~- 7.—ORDINARY LOW --

-- ‘U - ,‘. - EN~ANG~JEMENT.* - -‘

- ‘ , , - -- (SeeFigure 13.) - -‘ - - - ‘ U

Working party-: 30 men In 10 groups,with. a N.~LO.,U ~roup A, front row of picketsA. - ‘ - , - - - U

B, straight‘wire A row of pickets.’ - . U - -

- C, C’econd row of picketsC. - - ‘ ; ‘ - ‘ - ‘ -

,, D, zig-zagwire A1, C1, A2, C~,etc. -‘ --

- ,, E, loesewire on zig-zag A1, 0m” A2, C~,etc. - -

F, straight wire on C row of pickets. -- - - :‘ - -

U’ U, third row of picketsG. - -

,, H, zig-zagwire G1, C~,G2, 0~,etc. - - - - ‘ -

mm - J, loosewile on zig-zagU1, C~,G2, 02, etc. -

‘mm K, straightwire on U row of pickets., - - - ‘- - Pickets may be 12” to 18” out of the ground and, three -feet ,‘ -‘

apart. - , -- - U ‘ - - - ‘- - U-

* A Low Jlmitanglemi~ntis not., as ii rule,’auiScient by itaelt but rosy be combined- -

with~high limitangiemnent (seel~’igs.is, ie,17, 18). - - - U

17 -

DRILL No. 8.—FRENCH WIRE OBSTACLE.-- -

- - (SeeFigure 14.) - -

The o~’stac1econsistsof two rows of Frenchwire, placedjustfar enoughapart for a man-to passbetweenthem. Lachcoil is

- stapled (town ~fl five places—ateachend, andat ~,~ and~ of itslength. Whentwocoilsmeet,thesamestaplefastensdownbothcoils.

Posts,five feet long, are di,iventhrough thecentreof thecoilsin five places, as in thecaseof thestaples; time endsof adjoining

- coils are intem’lacedalittle so that thepost will go throughboth,A strandof barbedwire is runalongthe to1, of eachrow and

- fastenedto thepostswith aroundturn. It is pulled as taut aspossibleandtwistedon to the ui-ench wire, b~astaple,pegor wirecutters, closeto eachPOStm andin severalplacesbetweenthe posts.

Oneor more strandsof barbedwire arerun alongto time frontasan “apron.” - -

Diagonalwiresarerun from thetops of postsof the front rowto topsof postsof secondrow. - ‘ -

Working party:’ 24 men In three parties, with N.C.O,- U ‘, ‘ - Front Row. -

PartyA. - 1 hold~endof ‘Frenchwire andstaplesit down. -

- ‘ , U, 2 pulls wire out 20 yards. - -

-, - 3 shakeswire clear of obstructionsandputs in staples-‘ ‘ - ~,i-and -~ wayalong. ‘ -‘

PartyB. 1 maulsin anchoragepicketsandposts.2 hOlds posts. - ‘ U ‘

- 3 suppliesposts. - ‘ ‘ -

- - ,, ~C. 1 uncoils barbedwim’e. ‘ - - -‘

- - - - 2 makesfastendto anchorageand twist’s wire round-‘ , topsof pickets. -‘ - - -.

U - 3 twists barbedwire on to the Frenchwire.,, P. 1 U runs coil of barbedwire alongthe front. - - - -~J.twist it onto thefront of theFrenchwire. “ ‘ - -

-i - ‘ - ‘ , BackRow.mm E. Sameas A, - - ‘ - - ~, ‘ -

- mm - ~. SameasB. - - , - U , ,, - -

- - ,, 0. SameasC. - - , - - U ‘ - -

- — - ,,- H. 1, with coil of ‘barbed wire, ,movbs between the two -

- - row’s, uncoiling thewire, - “ -

- - . - ç~noveon either side of the entanglementand -

- 2J makethis barbedwire fast to the posts as the3 ~ diagonal,whiieH1 holdsthecoil so that H2andII~ -

- -- - U L - can reachit. - - - - ‘-

Theobstac~esdescribedabovec~nhe combinedin variousways- eitl.~im’by placing onebehind,timeothers(seeFigs. 15 atid 16), or - -

-by placingahigh wireentanglementovera low one (see Figs. 17 -

and18)

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24

Fig. 2.CoNv~TxoNAL SIGNS ~IS~D IN PLATES.

PLAN. EI.EVATXON.

—iiii4 ilorizontal Wires.

7,;

Top end.

Inclined Wire. Low end.

Gate.

Gate and 2Horizontal ~Wires.

Posts(long).

Pickets(short). •

In fence.1 iiori~~ntaiWire.

2H~riionta1Wires.I I.

H

. . .‘_ .

25

FIg. 3.

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a ~

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0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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Fig. 5.

27

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9. -

B-

C

-- I

4

28

Fig. 11.

EtavArmoNor A ~n B. -~

- - -. U~ U- ~“ - -- Fig. 13. -

~1~

20

FIg. 14. -

,~O~’e.rIapa~Fn~’nch J~,’e

~tU, .r,lpron iVire

BapAed~

- - FIg. 15.

I — —

Fig. 16.

30

Co.,inmNErm hem & Low ENTANOL~ME~eTS.

Pig. 17.

£

-- - Pig.,18I - —