BOMBERS’ TRAINING—PART I.

Discipline. Soldiers do not receive any training in bombing until they have passed the recruit stage, in which special attention is given that a very high degree of discipline is attained. In bomb fighting and trench warfare a higher degree of discipline is demanded. In addition to the discipline which enables a unit to go on parade and carry out the different movements as one man, it is necessary that every man be taught in such a way that, should circumstances arise, that he should be cut off from his comrades he can carry on intelligently as a little unit by himself, doing the right thing at the right time. It is only by training that enables him to do this in the absence of commanders that the necessary degree of efficiency can be attained.

Organization. The use of bombs was adopted by the British War Office early in the summer of 1915. The organization put into effect in England was as follows: In each brigade was formed what was known as the Brigade Bombers’ Company. Men were detailed from each of the units forming the brigade for their initial training, which lasted over a period of six days. During the first of the training periods at least one subaltern per battalion should be attached to the Brigade Company for training, so that the battalion is provided with an officer qualified to superintend the training of the battalion bombers’ section. This officer and others should return to the brigade company for short periods of training from time to time as it has been found that new technical as well as tactical ideas are continually being introduced into this important branch of work.

One sergeant, two corporals and 32 rank and file are detailed from each battalion. The company is commanded by a selected officer, who will be assisted by an additional N.C.O., who acts in the capacity of C.S.M. and C.Q.M.S. The Company is kept up to strength by a system of relays, so that at the end of each three days half the men of the Company are returned to their units for duty, their place being taken by others detailed for that purpose. It will be seen that by this method in a short time the entire brigade will have received their preliminary training in this subject. It must not be considered that their training in bombing is complete at the end of six days, further periods for practices being arranged for in their weekly training syllabus. The preliminary training having been completed, there is formed what was known as a permanent Brigade Bombers’ Company.

The Battalion Bombers’ Section. The Battalion Bombers’ Section, when complete, should consist of about 40 trained men, including N.C.O.’s, but the training of all men should be proceeded with so that ultimately every man in the battalion is qualified. When trained a thrower should be able, when standing in a trench behind one traverse, to place 75 per cent. of his bombs in a bay on the farther side of a traverse 30 yards away. To be an expert bomber, one must be fit. It is therefore necessary to take a certain amount of physical exercise each day while in training and when on active service. In this respect the grenadiers are especially cared for. They are given special privileges, given the best of billets and shorter hours in the trenches, which gives them plenty of time for exercise, and their favorite games, which keeps them in good condition. Drinking is not prohibited, but if a man expects to be able to keep cool and think and act quickly it is better to be temperate. A bombers’ duties in the trenches are looked upon as most interesting and lack monotony. If he understands his work and the grenades, that is, when they are safe, he has nothing to fear, although he will find that some of his more ignorant pals may shun him when he goes about with his full complement, in fact, they will make way wherever he goes. When our First Canadian Division went into the trenches, as also have many other reinforcing battalions, without a sufficient knowledge of bombs, the result was that many accidents occurred through carelessness and ignorance and lack of training in this important branch of work.

Practice in Making and Throwing of Dummy Bombs. In order that the men may become proficient in the matter of throwing live bombs it is necessary to have dummies which represent as nearly as possible in size, shape and weight the live manufactured types which are used in active service. The men are accordingly taught to make these by hand. There are four types of these, as follows:—

(a) The Jam-Tin Dummy, which is made with an empty jam tin, three-quarters filled with clay, the top being drawn together and sewn with wire. This type contains no explosives.

(b) A jam-tin made in the same manner but in the centre of the tin is placed half a cartridge of monobel with fuse and cap. These two types of bombs are made to weigh from one to two and a quarter pounds, and may be thrown from thirty to fifty yards.

(c) Powder Puffs: A powder puff is representative of a hair brush bomb and consists of a piece of wood 1” x 5” x 17”, 7” at one end being left full size, the remainder being cut away on each edge to form a handle. On the broad part of this is placed another piece of wood 2” x 4” x 6” with a hole 1?” in diameter bored through the centre. This piece of 2” x 4” is attached by wire nails to the 1” x 5”; the centre space is filled with gunpowder and covered with a small piece of 1-inch board, the fuse being inserted through a ?-inch hole, which is bored through the 1” x 5”. The explosive used in the hair brush, which this dummy represents is a slab of wet gun-cotton, 1¾” x 3” x 6” with a 1?” cone-shaped hole in the centre to receive a dry gun-cotton primer which has a ?” hole in its centre to receive the detonator, which in turn receives the fuse. The weight of slab 15 ounces; the weight of primer 1 ounce.

Hand Grenade, No. 1, Mark 1, Dummy.

(d) A piece of 2” x 2” wood, 17” long, one end shaped for a handle, the other end made partially round, a 1¾” gas pipe union being put over the handle end and driven tightly on to the large end of the stick. A groove is cut around the stick about 8” from the handle end, to which is wired three pieces of cotton about 1½” x 24” long. These act as streamers and tend to keep the business end of the bomb forward in its flight.

Note: The idea of the explosive being used in the dummy bombs is to accustom the men to handling explosives, the lighting of fuses and gauging of the time required per inch for a service fuse to burn, at the same time not sacrificing distance and accuracy in throwing. It has been noticed that men in their eagerness to get rid of the live bomb lose sight of the main object for which they are being trained, namely, accuracy and range.

Throwing Position. The correct position for throwing is as follows:—Spread the feet slightly and brace them firmly on the ground, the shoulder opposite the throwing hand being in the direction to which you are throwing. Bring the other hand containing the bomb upwards with a straight arm and circular motion, releasing the bomb when the hand is above the head. It is impossible in a narrow trench to move from a standing position when throwing. The men in throwing practices should therefore be made to maintain a standing position.

Sandbags. It is necessary that all men engaged in trench fighting should be specially taught in the uses of sandbags and the methods of filling, tying and passing them in the trench. The method of passing sandbags in a trench is as follows: The men place themselves from two to three paces apart with their backs in the direction to which they are passing the sandbags and pass them between their legs from one to another. This method has the double advantage of enabling them to pass them very quickly and keep their heads down out of danger from rifle and M. G. fire at the same time. The men should receive further practice in the manner of building them up to form blockades and breast works, etc., in order that they may acquire speed in this matter. In the absence of a full supply of sandbags, grain sacks or flour sacks may be used.

Training in the Use of Digging and Cutting Tools. Frequent practices should be carried out in order that the men are efficiently trained in this work. It is very necessary that the men should be taught the use of these tools in the different positions, that is, standing, kneeling and lying. This can only be accomplished by frequent practices.

Training in Reconstruction and Repair Work. This can be carried out with success in the dummy trenches which we use for practices in bomb throwing and by changing the front of these trenches and wrecking them it is possible for the men to get practice in the use of the different materials employed in reconstruction and repair work, such as earth, sandbags, sods, timber, brushwood, bale wire and material obtained from old packing cases.

Means of Egress from Trench. On taking up a position in a trench men should be taught to provide means of egress therefrom at their first opportunity. This is done by cutting steps in the walls of the trench, just sufficiently large enough to enable them to get a foot-hold; the bottom part of this being reinforced with a small piece of board to keep the earth from breaking away. A hand hold is provided at the top by means of a stake driven into the ground or a small piece of wood secured by bale wire to a “dead man” buried in the parapet. By these means the whole line is enabled to go forward at the same time should occasion demand it.

Passing of Orders and Information in the Trenches. Men should be taught the art of passing of orders and information correctly, by word of mouth. This is a very important part of the soldiers’ training, and should always be practised when the trench practices are being carried out; a sender of messages being placed at one end of the line and a receiver at the other to keep a record of messages, etc.

Trench Comforts. A little study in the matter of personal comforts in the trenches will prove to be of great advantage to the men. The clothing should be tight fitting about the neck and waist to prevent falling earth and pebbles getting inside the clothing and working down into the boots. The men should be instructed to take a change of socks when they go in the trenches and it is also necessary not to forget to have a supply of smokes; in short, by paying attention to these small matters there may be many comforts enjoyed in the trenches which would otherwise be overlooked.

Uses of Bombs.—The uses of bombs may be classified under two heads, Defensive and Offensive.

Defensive:

(a) Throwing from sapheads to prevent the enemy from pushing their saps too close to our trenches or strong places.

(b) To combat the enemy’s enfilade attack in our trench should they be successful in gaining entrance thereto.

(c) From concealed positions bombs may be used to break up and throw into confusion an enemy’s attacking force; this especially applies to night attacks when enemy is advancing in close formation.

Offensive:

(a) By throwing from sapheads when destroying the enemy’s keeps and strong places.

(b) Supplying cover fire for wire cutters, sappers, etc.

(c) Assisting in a frontal attack on an enemy’s position.

(d) Following up advantages gained in a frontal attack by an enfilade attack to the flanks and our front from position gained in enemy’s trenches.

Advantages of Bomb and Grenade Fire Over Rifle Fire. It must not be supposed that when advantages are claimed for bomb and grenade fire over rifle fire that the latter has not its advantages, too. The advantages of bomb and grenade fire must be at short range and are, therefore, specially adapted to the type of warfare waged at present on the Western front and may be considered as follows:

(a) Owing to the high and pronounced trajectory we are able by the use of bombs to reach the enemy in his trench, whereas with rifle fire the only precaution necessary on the part of the enemy is to keep his head below the parapet, the trajectory of rifle fire being practically flat at point blank range.

(b) It is possible with a single 2-pound bomb to obtain an effective zone of 20 yards and a danger space of 40 yards in the enemy’s trench which is dead ground to rifle fire.

(c) The moral effect of bomb fire is much greater than that of rifle fire.

Means of Protection Against Enemy’s Bombs.

(a) The Use of Wire Netting: Trenches, machine gun pits, etc., are covered with close wire netting to prevent the entrance of enemy’s bombs. Low screens of wire netting may be placed in front of the parapet to prevent rolling bombs getting into our trenches.

(b) The Digging of small Ditches and the Breaking up of the Surface of the Ground in front of our position is an effective way of preventing bombs from rolling towards our position.

(c) The adoption of shallow Sleeping Pits in the rear of our trenches to provide quarters for the reliefs has been proven a success.

(d) Trenches should not be made wider or deeper than is absolutely necessary, as the effect of high explosives in deep trenches is much more deadly than in shallow ones, and the highest part of the parapet and parados should be next to the trench and sloping slightly from the trench, the idea being not to aid bombs in rolling into the trench.

(e) Bomb and splinter proof shelters may be built over keeps, trenches and other strong places.

(f) The use of sapheads from which bomb fire is provided to keep the enemy from getting into bombing range of our positions. (See Fig. 1.)

(g) Obstacles should be placed in front of our trenches at sufficient distance when possible to prevent enemy throwing bombs into the latter from behind these obstacles. This will disallow of bombing covering fire for their wire cutters.

Storage of Bombs in Trenches. Each platoon commander in the trenches is responsible that he has a supply of bombs and grenades and procures the same from the brigade bombers’ magazine, which is located anywhere from 1,500 to 2,500 yards in the rear of the front line trenches. They are stored in the trenches in bomb and splinter proof pits provided for that purpose.

General Efficiency and Resourcefulness. When a unit goes into the trenches the success with which it meets depends entirely on the degree of efficiency and resourcefulness and physical condition of the men. We are taught in the different Training Manuals that the British forces do not retreat and should it be necessary that from a tactical or strategical standpoint the commanders of our forces consider it necessary to give ground, the movement is carried out under what is known as a rear guard action and must not under any circumstances be considered in the nature of a defeat, the reason for this being that with anything like equality in numbers, equipment and armament, we are more than a match for the fighting forces of any other nation. Assuming this to be true, it is not so much the training in the building of our trenches that our men require as the training that will enable them on occupying the enemy’s trenches to reconstruct and repair them to meet our own requirements. This work has often to be carried out in daylight and under fire, making it necessary for the men to work in a prone position. It is therefore necessary that the men be skilled in the use of the digging and cutting tools used in trench warfare in order that accordingly as we occupy the enemy’s trenches they may be consolidated for our use and kept in repair as long as they are required for fighting, communication or storage trenches. By this means the ground we gain is consolidated for our purposes as we advance. On the other hand, if we do not consolidate our position as we advance we are left more or less in a state of unpreparedness and give the enemy a chance to launch a counter-attack with good results. All the training that our men can possibly receive on the subjects of musketry, bomb throwing, etc., that fits them for trench warfare is practically lost unless they are thoroughly skilled in the use of the trench digging and cutting tools, in which they require as much training as in the use of the rifle. This can only be accomplished by a systematic arrangement and carrying out of practices in trenches which are built for that purpose. To accomplish the desired results special attention should be given to the instruction and training that will enable a soldier to use intelligently the different kinds of material which may come to hand. For example, our men may be taught to repair a trench by the use of sandbags, sods and brushwood, but might not be able to obtain these materials. At the same time back of the lines there might be all kinds of bale wire, packing cases, cull lumber, etc., by means of which, with a little instruction, the same work of repairing the trench might be accomplished. It is only by getting down into the ground and working out these problems for ourselves and making note of the little things, not being above taking suggestions from the last private in the ranks, that we will be efficient to a degree necessary to outwit and defeat our ever industrious and systematic enemy.

Note.—In the following lectures blackboard illustrations may be used with good results.