Dress and Equipment (1918)

S.S. 135 — The Division in Attack; Issued by the General Staff, November, 1918
Appendix K – Dress and Equipment

1.     Officers. — All infantry officers taking part in an attack must be dress and equipped exactly the same as their men. Sticks are not to be carried.

2.     Fighting Order. — It is impossible to lay down definitely the equipment rto be carried in an attack. It must depend upon the distance of the objectives, the condition of the ground and other circumstances. Weight must always be the guiding factor in arriving at a decision in the matter of equipment. The following is suggested as a normal fighting order for all ranks of infantry, machine guns, light mortar and engineer units:—

(i.)     Clothing, etc. Worn on the man. — As issued.

(ii.)     Arms. — As issued.

(iii.)     Entrenching Tool. — As issued.

(iv.)     Accoutrements. — As issued.

(v.)     Box Respirator.

(vi.)     Solidified Alcohol. — As issued.

(vii.)     Articles Carried in the pack. — Mess tin, cardigan jacket, when issued, pair of socks, spare oil tin, holdall, iron ration, unexpended portion of day's ration, waterproof sheet, and two sandbags.

(viii.)     Ammunition. — 170 rounds, except for signallers, scouts, runners, machine, Lewis, and Stokes mortar gunners and carrying parties, who will only carry 50 rounds.

(ix.)     Bombs. — The number to be carried must be determined by the task to be carried out, the condition of the ground and the general physique of the men. (See S.S. 182, "Instructions on Bombing," Part II, para 28.)

(x.)     Aeroplane Flares. — Two, carried one in each bottom pocket of the jacket. They are not required by engineer, pioneer, machine gun and light mortar units.

(xi.)     Water. — One filled water bottle. A second water bottle is useful when there is likely to be difficulty in sending up water, or in warm weather.

3.     Disposal of Surplus Clothing and Equipment. — The surplus clothing and equipment of each man will be tied up in his haversack or a labelled sandbag, which will be stored under cover at the unit's transport lines or in some suitable building, if available.

4.     In addition to the munitions and stores mentioned in paragraph 2, the following ammunition stores, etc., may be required:—

(i.)     Wire Cutters and Breakers. — Wire cutters must be attached to the man's shoulder strap by a string, and cutters tucked into his waist belt.

(ii.)      Picks and Shovels. — The tools should be carried on the back.

(iii.)     S.O.S. Signals. — Twelve should be carried by each company, to be distributed among the reserves.

(iv.)     Artillery Flags or Discs. — One to be carried by a selected N.C.O. Or man in each platoon of assaulting troops.

(v.)      P. or K.J. Bombs. — Carried by parties especially detailed for clearing trenches and dug-outs.

(vi.)     Hand and Rifle Bombs. — Carried by bombers and rifle bombers, either in waistcaots, haversacks or canvas buckets. (See S.S. 182, "Instructions on Bombing," Part II, para 28.)

(vii.)     Very Pistols. — Two 1-in. Very light pistols should be carried with each company headquarters for signalling to the artillery.

5.     Issue of S.A.A., Tools, etc. — In order to save the men unnecessary fatigue, it may be possible to issue the S.A.A., bombs, tools, flares, S.O.S. Signals, etc., mentioned in paragraphs 2 and 4, which are not part of the man's ordinary equipment, at a forward dump. This dump must be sufficiently far back, however, to avoid the danger of heavy shell fire and the resulting confusion.

These stores, which are additional to the establishment fixed for the dump, should be laid out beforehand, so that no time may be lost in issuing them.

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The Infantry Platoon; 1942

Canadian Army, Training Pamphlet No. 1
A General Instructional Background for the Young Soldier; 1942

The Platoon.

Each platoon consists of:—

• Platoon H.Q. and 3 sections.
• Platoon headquarters:
  • Commander.
  • Sergeant.
  • One driver i/c.
  • One orderly.
  • Batman (in platoons commanded by an officer).
  • 2-in. mortar personnel (2 men).

The Section.

Each section consists of a N.C.O. Section Commander and 7 privates. There are an additional 3 privates in reserve to ensure that casualties do not bring the fighting strength of the section below this number.

Section Equipment.

All carry 50 rounds S.A.A. in pouches. All carry rifles with the exception of the man carrying the L.M.G.

Magazines will be carried as ordered by the section commander.

The above is the normal allotment of equipment which may be varied according to circumstances, but everyone in the section must be trained to fire the light machine gun and anti-tank rifle.

No spare barrel will be carried with the gun during movement. In the defence, if the light machine gun is required to fire on fixed lines the tripod mounting must be used. One man will he responsible for erecting the tripod. In defence he will carry a spare barrel and will assist the firer to keep the gun in action.

Personal equipment.

Each man has a haversack and pack.

The haverack will be worn on the back and should normally contain:—

• Water bottle.
• Mess tin.
• Emergency ration.
• Knife, fork and spoon.
• Cardigan (when not worn).
• Waterproof sheet or cape anti-gas under the flap of the haversack.

The pack will usually be carried on the platoon truck and will contain:—

• 1 pr. socks.
• Cap comforter.
• Soft cap.
• Holdall.
• Soap.
• Towel.
• 1 pr. laces.
• Greatcoat.
• Housewife.

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A Soldier's Load

From Dirty Little Secrets; Military Information You're Not Supposed to Know, James F. Dunnigan and Albert A. Nofi, 1990

A properly outfitted medieval knight was less burdened by his armor than a modern infantryman is by his full set of equipment. After all, though a knight's armor might occasionally weigh as much as 100 pounds, it was rather evenly distributed over his body, and he had a horse to help carry the load, while an infantry's burden rests disproportionately between his shoulders, and he has only his two legs to help carry it. In this century, the weight of an infantryman's equipment and arms has consistently been excessive. About eighty pounds has been rather common, a hundred pounds not unusual. The Russian "norm" for paratroopers is eighty-eight pounds. In extraordinary cases, the load could run much higher, so that some American troops went into Grenada and Panama with 120 pounds, and in the Falklands British troops "yomped" as much as 140 pounds.

Armies have been aware of the problem for almost as long as it has existed. Studies by the U.S. Army suggest that no soldier should carry more than about 30 percent of his body weight—say, forty-eight pounds—into combat, nor more than about 45 percent—seventy-five pounds—in other circumstances. Yet efforts to lighten the load have proven only moderately successful, and run counter to the trend toward more gadgets and specialized equipment needed to meet the changing character of the battlefield: In effect, any savings gained by using lighter equipment of one sort is canceled by the need to add yet another doodad.

Consider the rifleman's basic load:

• Clothing, Boots, Personal Items – 21.1 pounds
• M-16, Loaded and with 6 Spare Magazines – 16.3
• Grenades, 2 – 2.0
• Helmet and Flak Jacket – 11.6
• Sleeping Bag and Accessories – 10.0
• NBC Protective Gear – 8.5
• Entrenching Tool – 2.5
• Rations for One Day – 3.0

The total comes to seventy-five pounds, but includes only the most basic equipment, with just 210 rounds of ammunition. Now, think about the effect on overall weight caused by the need for additional ammunition, rations, and such commonly issued items as nightvision goggles (1.9 pounds), portable radios (2.9 pounds), LAW antitank rounds (4.7 pounds), and, soon, handheld satellite-navigation receiving sets (secret). Then think about special cold-weather gear. Nor is the rifleman's burden the worst. A grenadier's is about 8.9 pounds heavier (grenade launcherv and grenades in lieu of M-16). A man toting a SAW — "squad automatic weapon," formerly known as a light machine gun—carries 14.5 pounds more, and a mortarman something like 40 pounds more. The troops, of course, are very aware of the problem, and in combat tend to shed equipment rapidly if not closely watched and well-disciplined. Usually, the first things thrown away are those they consider least useful. But it's all likely to be useful, depending upon the situation. The root of the problem is that the infantryman should not carry too much equipment, but everything he has to carry will be desperately needed in some circumstance.

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The Soldier's Load (1871)

The Soldiers' Pocket Book for Field Service
By: Colonel Sir Garnet Wolseley, C.B., K.C.M.G.
Assistant Adjutant-General, Horse Guards
1871

Infantry in our army, is really only of two sorts, the guards and the line; for although the latter are divided nominally into fusiliers, light infantry, rifles, and heavy regiments, there is no material difference in their arms or practical equipment. The standard of height in the guards is always some two or three inches higher than for other regiments. All are armed with Snider (converted Enfield) rifles, weighing 9 lbs. 2 oz., bore .577. Bayonet weighs 13 ½ oz. The two rifle regiments and all sergeants of other regiments are armed with the short Snider rifle and sword bayonet; weight of rifle 8 lbs. 12 oz., sword bayonet lib. 11 ½ oz., scabbard 7 ½ oz. The new pattern Arm with which all our infantry is to be armed, is the Martini Henry, measuring from end of butt to muzzle 4 ft. 1 in., or with bayonet fixed 5 ft. 8 in. The rifle weighs 8 lbs. 12 oz., the bayonet 1 lb. 8 oz., and the scabbard 9 oz., the bore is .451 inch.

Infantry Soldier's Equipment in the Field

To see the full image, visit the Cowboy & Western Action Shooting Forum where is it has been posted by member RattlesnakeJack.

 

When the new rifles have been issued, the weight carried will be 10 1/4 oz. more.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: Saturday, 11 January 2014 12:21 AM EST

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The Soldier's Load; a historic problem

The 1700s

Meanwhile the strength of the army was being eaten away by the physical demands of the march. Until the truck and the armoured personnel carrier were invented in the twentieth century, those requirements had differed very little over the centuries. With remarkably consistency the load of the foot soldier has amounted to as much as any man can bear over a length of time, which comes to about 60 pounds. By English, Hanoverian and Prussian calculations the approximate weight of the components amounted to 10 or 11 pounds for the musket and its bayonet, 10 pounds for the cartridge pouch with sixty rounds, 3 pounds for the sword and its belt, the empty knapsacks at 3 1/2 pounds, brushes, shirts and other small items of clothing or equipment at 8 pounds, and bread for one or two days at 2 pounds per day, to which must be added the clothing which the soldier wore on his person, the water bottle, and extra items like shovel, axe or light pick, tent pegs or tent poles, or the Kameradschaft's field kettle.

Over the course of history the soldier's burden has been carried in styles which have proved equally uncomfortable in different ways, according to which part of the anatomy bears the main load. For most of our period the belts of the knapsack and haversack crossed with that of the cartridge pouch over the chest (with the sling of the musket sometimes added on top), which caused deep and permanent bruising and an actual indentation in the chest. Towards the end of the century a fashion set in for transferring the weight of the knapsack to small straps which passed over the shoulders and under the armpits. The soldiers considered the new style unmilitary, and they found that it caused the arms to swell up and grow numb. - Christopher Duffy, The Military Experience in the Age of Reason, 1987

The American Civil War; A Study in Contrasts

In speaking of our soldiers [in May 1863],…[e]ach man had eight days' rations to carry, besides sixty rounds of ammunition, musket, woolen blanket, rubber blanket, overcoat, extra shirt, drawers, socks, and shelter-tent, amounting in all to about sixty pounds. Think of men, (and boys too) staggering along under such a load, at the rate of fifteen to twenty miles a day.

By the summer of 1864 Major Robert Stiles drew a much neater picture of the veteran Southern infantryman in what he called, "Campaign trim:"

This meant that each man had one blanket, one small haversack, one change of underclothes, a canteen, cup and plate of tin, a knife and fork and the clothes in which he stood. When ready to march, the blanket, rolled lengthwise, the ends brought together and strapped, hung from left shoulder across under the right arm; the haversack— furnished with towel, soap, comb, knife and fork in various pockets, a change of underclothes in the main division, [of the sack] and whatever rations we happened to have in the other—hung on the left hip; the canteen, cup and plate, tied together, hung on the right; toothbrush at will, stuck in two button holes of jacket or in haversack; tobacco bag hung to a breast button, pipe in pocket. In this rig,…the Confederate soldier considered himself all right and all ready for anything; …and this "all" weighed about seven or eight pounds. - Gregory A. Coco, The Civil War Infantryman; In camp, on the march, and in battle., 1996

The British Army in Africa; the 1870s

Accouterments had finally received some professional attention in 1868, and ammunition pouches, knapsack, mess tin, waterbottle, greatcoat, blanket and spare boots had been strapped and buckled into a complicated unit. Properly worn, the ammunition pouches were in front, a haversack for rations and loose gear on the hip, and everything else behind, where the various items stretched from the ears to well below the hips.

The equipment cut into the small of the back and banged into the buttocks on the march, and on campaign the men carried the pouches and a haversack and slung everything else into a company wagon. Fully accoutered, with rifle, seventy rounds of ammunition and two days' rations, each man carried 57 pounds.

The Army was equipped with an excellent single-shot breech-loading rifle. The Model 1871 Martini-Henry fired a black-powder .45 caliber center-fire Boxer cartridge of thin rolled brass, with a heavy lead slug weighing 480 grains, paper-wrapped at the base to prevent its melting in its passage down the bore. The breechblock was hinged at the rear and dropped to expose the chamber when the lever behind the trigger guard was depressed, flipping out the expended case. A fresh round was laid atop the grooved block and thumbed home, and the piece was cocked when the lever was raised. There was no safety. …

The men carried no arms except for the rifle and the old triangular bayonet they called the "lunger." Their cartridges came in paper packets of ten rounds; each man carried four packets in the leather ammunition pouches on his belt, ten loose rounds in a small canvas ex pense pouch and two additional packets tucked into his knapsack. If an alarm was sounded in camp, he would grab his rifle and belt and fall in with fifty rounds; on the march he carried the full seventy. - Donald R. Morris, The Washing of the Spears; The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation, 1965

The CEF in 1917

Some problems seemed almost insoluble. Obviously soldiers in the Somme battles were hopelessly overloaded. Experts concluded that a healthy man could carry up to sixty-six pounds (modern thinking puts the maximum load at under a third of body weight). A post-Somme reform was "fighting order," but what did a soldier actually need to fight? The list had to include his uniform, a weapon and ammunition, a shovel, a respirator, a haversack with food, a waterproof sheet, a mess tin, a water bottle, and his share of the grenades, machine-gun belts, and aircraft flares. Despite imaginative efforts, the load never got close to sixty-six pounds. In 1917, a rifleman carried at least sixty-eight pounds of clothing, kit, and arms, a bomber or rifle grenadier seventy-eight pounds, and the Lewis-gunner ninety-two pounds. The tactics of the war were governed by a soldier's back and legs. After endless debate, the major reduction of a soldier's load was elimination of a second water bottle: "Men must be trained to drink sparingly." - Desmond Morton, When Your Number's Up, The Canadian Soldier in the First World War, 1993

1959 – The British in Oman

Our main load was ammunition." recounts Cpl. "Lofty" Large of the Jebel Akhdar campaign in Oman, 1959: "I remember having two 3.5 rockets, four 90 (Energa) grenades … Eight No 36 grenades, six No 80 (white phosphorous) grenades. Five 20-round magazines of rifle ammunition, plus 100 rounds in bandoliers. One 250-round box of .30 calibre machine-gun ammunition … My bergen rucksack, loaded and ready to go, weighed 98lb. My belt weighed 22 lb. – 120 lb total [without] my rifle. Everyone had similar loads to carry. - Lofty Large, One Man's SAS

1962 – The US Army

Concerning the load each man had to carry, SLA Marshall once recommended that the soldier be extended the same courtesy as the pack mule--not to load either with more than 1/3 his body weight. He went on to say the average soldier weighed 153 pounds; therefore, his load should not be more than 51 pounds.

In spite of historical examples and combat experience, the soldier's load is still too heavy. Machinegunners carry a load of 78 pounds; rifle squad leaders, 62 pounds; and M14 (modified) gunners, 61 pounds. If the platoon leader is made to carry all the equipment so often required, he would carry 68 pounds!

The soldier cannot fight with the burden he inherited… - Maj Joseph J. Ondishko, Jr., Infantry; "A 32-pound Rifleman," from [US Army] Infantry, January-February 1962

The US Army in Vietnam

All these studies and experiments notwithstanding, the Vietnam Gl was frequently loaded down with close to 60 pounds of ammunition and equipment. One battalion of the 1st Infantry Division required each rifleman to carry fourteen magazines of ammunition, two smoke grenades, two fragmentation grenades, a gas mask, weapon-cleaning equipment, two canteens, three boxes of C rations, a Claymore mine, trip flares, an entrenching tool, twenty sandbag covers, poncho, and poncho liner. On operations where commanders expected to need extra ammunition or specialized equipment, the GI's combat load could easily exceed the normal 50-60 pounds carried in the tropical heat of Vietnam. Echoing the German medical students of seventy years before, an infantryman with the 2d Battalion, 35th Infantry in Vietnam observed: "It doesn't take long to get you run down when you're carrying everything you own on your back."

"Extra gear or ammo deemed personally useless was frequently dumped at the first opportunity," recalled Igor Bobrowsky, who served with the Fifth Marines, "… in spite of the knowledge that what was only dumped but not destroyed would probably end up in Charlie's hands. As frequently as possible extra loads were eased by unloading them via the expedient of "lighting up" some target of real or invented opportunity. This of course lightened the individual's load of "useless" ordnance, such as LAWs, mortar rounds, etc.—and also tended to level a lot of the surrounding countryside. Of course, there were many times when it turned out that what had been thus unloaded was very much missed when the "fit hit the shan." - Ronald H. Spector, After Tet, 1993

1982 – The Falklands

Lying before us was about twelve kilometers of ground and a river. My kit alone weighed about a hundred pounds, possibly more. Many lads in our group had to swap kit throughout the march – a machine gun for a tripod for example. Milans, being bulky and awkward, went from shoulder to shoulder. As daylight faded I could see the thin line of troops disappearing into the darkness, struggling with their kit … - Vincent Bramley, Excursion to Hell – The Battle for Mount Longdon

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

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Infantrymen of Lieutenant D.S. Barrie's platoon of The Highland Light Infantry of Canada relaxing during a rest period, France, 20 June 1944. Location: France. Date: June 20, 1944. Photographer: Ken Bell. Mikan Number: 3205673. From the Library and Arcives Canada virtual exhibit "Faces of War."

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Cover and Title page from Corporal to Field Officer (1925)

A Lewis Gunner of The Royal Canadian Regiment, 1919.

The Canadian Army finished the First World War with the Lewis firmly entrenched as the principle source of firepower within the infantry platoon. This would not change until the introduction of the Bren Gun in 1939. The following extracts, from a 1925 guide for officers and non-commissioned officers of the Canadian Militia, describes the Lewis Gun and its Section.

Corporal to Field Officer (Infantry)

An Aid to Qualification for Officers and N.C.O.'s
In the Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada
1925

By: Capt H.P.E. Phillips, and Lieut.-Col. R.J.S. Langford

Infantry in Battle

Lewis Gun

There are two Lewis Gun Sections per Platoon. Each Section has one Lewis Gun and consists of 1 N.C.O. and 7 Privates. There are 2 Lewis Guns in the Headquarters Wing of each Infantry Battalion for Anti-Aircraft work. Total Lewis-Guns per Battalion, 34. The characteristics of the Lewis Gun:—

(a)     Rapid production of great volume of fire which can be turned instantly in any direction.

(b)     No fixed tripod , therefore less accurate than the Vickers and cannot be used for indirect fire.

(c)     Air cooled therefore not capable of sustained fire.

(d)     Delicate mechanism and openness to mud and sand render it liable to stoppages.

(e)     Easily concealed.

(f)     Cone of fire is long and narrow, therefore suited to deep targets or enfilade.

(g)     Range 2,800 yards. Rate of fire 8 rounds per second. Weight 26 lbs.

(h)     Ammunition is loaded in magazines holding 47 rounds. Loaded magazines weigh 4 lbs. 6 ozs. Empty magazines 1 1/2 lbs. Magazines can be changed in 2 seconds and loaded in 75 seconds. 20 magazines per Lewis gun.

(i)     Mobi1ity of Lewis Gun Section slightly less than Rifle Section.

(j)     Fire of Lewis Guns fitted with Anti-Aircraft sights and mountings is dangerous to planes under 3,000 feet.

The normal number of magazines carried by the Section in warfare is 20 (940 rounds), but in case of necessity an additional 18 can be carried.

Lewis Gun Sections operate with their Platoons and should only be separated from them in exceptional circumstances.

Lewis Guns use up ammunition very rapidly. Their fire should therefore not be used for targets at long range. Fire should be reserved for covering the advance of rifle sections, for surprise, or for specially good targets. The Lewis Gun will always fire in short bursts, except when used in anti-aircraft defence. In attack when the advance can no longer be continued without opening fire Lewis Guns can:

(a)     Be used to beat down enemy fire while the rifle sections work around the flanks of the enemy centre of resistance to within assaulting distance.

(b)     Be used to effect surprise and enfilade by working round the flanks while the rifle sections pin the enemy to the ground.

(c)     Be pushed forward so that the remainder can advance covered by the fire.

In the platoon it will often be advisable to hold one Lewis Gun Section in reserve to meet any unexpected event.

Lewis Guns in Defence

In the defence Lewis Guns should be sited with a view to oblique fire and to cover any ground where natural or artificial features will cause the enemy to bunch.

In position warfare the lines of fire of the Lewis Gun must be co-ordinated with those of the Machine Guns to ensure that all ground is adequately covered.

Lewis Gun Sections

1 N.C.O. and 6 Privates. Each section carrying into action:

• Lewis Gun with spare parts – 1
• Magazines – 20
• Pouches – 19
• Carriers – 2
• Rifles – 5
• Bayonets – 5
• Cutters, wire – 1
• Periscope – 1
• Small Arms Ammunition, .303
  •     Rifle; 50 x 5 – 250
  •     L.G., 27 x 20 – 940
• Revolvers – 2
• .455 Ammunition, 36 x 2 – 72

   

(War Establishment lays down the strength of sections as 1 N.C.O. and 7 Privates, but for demonstrations the strength will be 1 N.C.O. and 6 Privates.)

Distribution of Weapons, Ammunition and Equipment

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Wednesday, 12 June 2013 5:41 PM EDT

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The book that the following extract is taken from was originally published in France (1902) as Comparative Studies of Field Equipment of the Foor Soldier of France and Foreign Armies details the soldier's kit carried by the armies of Europe up to the start of the First World War. Having first been published in 1902, the publishers of the translated edition added the British Web Equipment 1908, since Britain was the only country to change it's soldier's equipment before 1914.

Field Equipment of the European Soldier 1900-1914

By Commandant Emile Charles Lavisse, of the French Army; Translated by Edward P Lawton
Published by The Battery pres, in association with The Imperial War Museum & Articles of War, Ltd., Skokie. Originally published 1902, English translation published 1994.

A German lookout in a Waterproof Trench.

Germany

Nomenclature and weights of the effects and objects composing the field equipment of the foot soldier.

1.     The Knapsack and its Load.

2.     On the Man.

(a)     The weight of the load mounts up, when tools are carried as follows:

Other nations included in Field Equipment of the European Soldier 1900-1914 are:

• France
• England
• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Spain
• Italy
• Norway
• Holland
• Russia
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

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Field Service Pocket Book, 1914
The Soldier's Load

The following equipment carried by the dismounted soldiers is detailed in the Field Service Pocket Book; Edition 1914 (Amendments 1916).

Dismounted Men

This table applies primarily to infantry. Certain exceptions (prescribed in the Equipment Regulations) are necessary in the case of dismounted men of other arms. Range takers of infantry carrying the one-man instrument will be armed with pistols, and will carry neither rifles, bayonets, nor intrenching implements.

Marching Order Without Packs

The above arrangements allow of the soldier having normally with him the whole of his equipment; but in circumstances the commander may decide to increase the amount of S.A.A. carried on the person, and to discard temporarily certain articles of equipment, e.g., pack and contents.

	lbs.	ozs.
Marching order (as above)	60	11 ¼
Deduct pack and contents (F)	11	11 ¾
	48	15 ½
Add 100 rounds S.A.A., in two 50-round bandoliers	6	2
Total "fighting equipment" (without pack, but with 250 rounds S.A.A.)	55	1 ½

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Equipment

The battalion attacked wearing battle order, i.e., ammunition pouches with Haversacks on shoulder straps. Leather jerkins were worn and waterproof sheets carried. Rifle Grenadiers carried in addition 20 No. 23 Mills Rifle Grenades, 4 Smoke Bombs with attachments for firing from Rifle, cup attachment for firing grenades, 50 rounds blank ammunition. Bomber carried 20 No. 5 Mills Bombs and 2 Smoke bombs.

Riflemen carried two Mills Bombs in Haversack, 170 rounds of ammunition, pair of wire cutters, pair of hedging gloves and 4 riflemen per platoon carried Turnover wire cutters for attachment to Rifles.

Each man carried a ground flare for Aeroplane contact and a VERY light (large or small) and S.O.S. rockets were distributed among all ranks proportionally.

Stores Carried

The first wave (attacking platoons) carried only their fighting equipment.

Each man of the two remaining platoons per Co. carried either a shovel or pick (350 shovels, and 50 picks were taken across).

In addition, these two platoons per Co. carried 20 rolls of barb wire or its equivalent of concertina or French wire each and 35 large screw stakes.

Rations and Water

Each man carried two Iron rations and one days rations.

Each man went over with a full water bottle.

A hot meal was issued at the latest possible moment before the attack and Rum ration issued within hour of jumping off.

Even within these few short paragraphs, we can see that the battle these troops were trained to fight was very different from the stereotypical media portrayal of First World War attacks with static waves of infantry sweeping forward. The assaulting platoons have rifle grenadiers and bombers, to force entry into enemy trenches with high explosives and to deal with dugouts and bunkers. Flares and rockets, in the absence of radios and not trusting wire to remain intact, provide a basic means of communicating with over-watching aircraft and protective artillery batteries. Tools to cut enemy wire, and then supplies to establish new obstacles at the point of consolidation are brought by the immediately following troops. And also the necessary picks and shovels to dig in where the attack ends, ready to defend the ground taken and to keep it against the inevitable German counter-attacks.

"The Battalion went over, the leading two companies in waves at 20 paces distance and three paces interval, the two rear companies following at 50 paces distance in Artillery formation in file."

An officer of the Regiment, in diary notes, described the tasks assigned to The RCR:

"The task allotted to the regiment was the capture of two objectives, the first a line of trenches about 800 yards forward, the second the Ecole Commune, the chateau and western edge of La Folie Wood some 400 yards further on. The frontage was approximately 250 yards with 4th Cdn Mtd Rifles on the right and P.P.C.L.I. on the left. Assisting were four guns of 7th Cdn M.G. Co., two guns 7th Cdn Trench Mortar Battery (Stokes guns), a party of 7th Field Co. Cdn Engineers with the Brigade wiring party, and two platoons of 49th Cdn Battn (Edmonton Regt) which acted as "moppers up"."

See his notes for a description of the day's fighting. Section "C" OBSERVATIONS of the "Summary of Operations" provides a detailed description of what preparations were most effective and which, due to the thorough artillery preparations of the battlefield, were not needed as much as they might have been.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: Friday, 8 March 2013 12:38 AM EST

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