GRENADE FIGHTING

The Training and Tactics of

GRENADIERS

i'; 55105 . BY

LIEUT. G. DYSON

{Late Brigade Grenadier Officer, British Expeditionary Force}

WITH SEVEN DIAGRAMS

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COPYRIGHT, 1917,

BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

J. C. BRECKINRIDGE UBRABJ ~5+-1-

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS

PAGE

SUBJECTS OF INSTRUCTION. II

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT 12

TRAINING GROUND AND DUMMY GRENADES FOR PRACTICE IS

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS • 16

NOTES EXPLOSIVES, DETONATORS AND FUSES 25

IMPROVISED BOMBS 3°

SERVICE GRENADES 37

GRENADE THROwiNG . 38

(Throwing Practices I, 2, 3 and 4) 41

BAYONET FIGHTING 41

(Spring Bayonet Practices I, 2 and 3) 42

BARRIER AND BARRICADE MAKING 42

(Barricade Practices I, 2 and 3) . 43

ORGANISATION AND TACTICS 43

DEFENCE 44

ATTACK 45

STORMING PARTY 46

(Storming Practices I, 2 and 3) 47

NIGHT OPERATIONS 49

PATROLS 49

NIGHT STORMING PARTIES 51 V

ILLUSTRATIONS

l'IGURE PAGE

I GRENADIER TRAINING GROUND 13

2 CAST IRON SHELL 17

3 WOOD DUMMY PERCUSSION GRENADE 19

4 DETONATOR 27

S METHOD OF LIGHTING SAFETY FUSE BY HAND 31

6 IMPROVISED LOW-POWER FUSE BOMB (Grenade) • 33

7 IMPROVISED HIGH-EXPLOSIVE TIME-FUSE BOMB. 3S

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vii

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PART I. PRELIMINARY NOTES

PART I. PRELIMINARY NOTES

Section I. Subjects of Instruction.

Modern warfare has, in Europe, largely developed into the struggle between two opposing lines of semi-perma­nent field fortifications. The occupation of. these lines is often so dense, and the proximity so close, that a process of hand-to-hand fighting is almost constant. Tne rifle, heretofore the normal weapon of modern infantry, is powerless against opponents who have the shelter of a deep trench. A weapon has had to be evolved that shall have as much destructive force as possible, combined with such a high angle of descent as will render the mere depth of a trench no efficient protection. The howitzer of the artillery at the longer ranges, the trench mortar at the shorter, have been designed for this purpose. The further necessity of providing the individual infantry man with a weapon of similar quality, has developed the modern grenade.

Experience has so abundantly proved the necessity and usefulness of the grenade that it is now a highly impor­tant feature in all infantry training. In addition to the ordinary familiarity with grenades and their use that every infantry man should possess a large number of highly-trained specialists in this branch now form part of every infantry formation. To them the training and tactics of grenade-fighting is a foremost concern, and the experience of recent developments a chief study.

With these considerations constantly in view, it is the purpose of the following notes to suggest a simple scheme

11

12 GRENADE FIGHTING

of training, avoiding the more intricate technical detail and concentrating mainly on the practical qualifications which an efficient grenadier must possess.

There are seven main subjects of training:

1. Explosives, Detonators, Fuses, etc. 2. Improvised Bombs. 3. Service Grenades: 4. Grenade Throwing. 5. Bayonet Fighting. 6. Barricading. 7. Organisation and Tactics.

The first three are partly theoretical, and there is no need to teach more than a simple working knowledge of the subjects. Nos. 4, 5, 6, call for long and careful prac-tice,  and  a  high  degree  of  skill.  No.7  should  be  made the  final  stage of training,  and  must  not  be  attempted un-til  an  ­adequate  standard  in  every  other  subject  has  been reached. 

Section II. Materials and Equipment.

An  adequate  supply  of  service  explosives  and  gre-nades is  rarely available, but this is  not  an  insuperable bar-rier  to  proper  training.  The  following  materials  can  be procured  without  much  difficulty  or  expense,  and  with them  all  the  principal  subjects  of  instruction  can  be  ef-fectively  taught.  " 

1.   Dummy  Service  Grenades  with  the  mechanism complete,  but  unloaded. 

2.   A  reasonable  quantity  of  Gun  Powder  and Safety  Fuse  (Commercial  Safety  Fuse  will 

do).

MATERIALS  AND  EQUIPMENT  13

FIG.  1.­GRENADIER"TRAINING  GROUND.  SCALE  20  ~ A R D S TO  1  INCH. 

(FRON't) 

E  e: Key to Fig. 1.

Trenches  must  be  at  least  5  feet  6  inches  deep  and  2  feet  6 inches  wide. 

AA II. Fire  Trenches. BBB Traverses. 00 Island  Traverses. DDD Fire  Trenches. EE Traverses  (Support  Line).FDF Hhallow  Trenches  for  throwing  practice  only. GG Communication  Trenches. HH Machine  Gun  Emplacements.JJ Forward  Saps  or  Listening  Posts. 

15 MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

3. Small quantities of other Explosives, Detona-tors,. and  Fuses can  be  obtained,  or imitations made,  sufficient  to  demonstrate  the  appear-ance  of  those  most  likely  to  be  met  with  on service. 

4.  Spring  Bayonet  Equipment. 5.  A  number  of  Cast  Iron  Shells.  }(S  b  1  )6.  A  number of  Wooden  Dummies.  ee  e ow 7.  Periscopes  of  any  pattern. 8.  Sandbags  and  Digging  Tools. 

The  provision  of a  suitable  training ground  is  most  im­portant.  Throwing  pitches  with  distances  accurately  and. plainly  marked  must  be  provided,  and  a  scheme  of trenches  must  be  designed  and  made  giving  opportunities for  throwing  practice  at  varying  distances,  and  contain-ing  traverses  and  communication  trenches  such  as  can be  used  in  the  various  stages  of  training. 

Clear  indications  of  distance  are  essential.  Only  by this  means  can  men  be  taught  to  judge  distances  ac-curately  when  observing  or  throwing. 

Figure 1 (page  3)  is  a  plan of such  a  training ground as  will  provide  opportunities  of  practising  both  the  pre-liminary  steps  in  training  and  the  tactics  of  trained grenadiers. 

DUMMY   GRENADES  RECOMMENDED  FOR 

THROWING  PRACTICE 

1.   Dummy  Grenade  (Iron).  (See  Figure  2,  page  6.) Hollow  cast­iron  shell,  %  in.  thick.  Length,  3  in.; diameter, 2  in.; weight, about 1% lbs,  Open at one end. 

17 16 GRENADE FIGHTING

This dummy can be used as a "live" bomb by insert-ing a  small  charge  of  gunpowder,  properly enclosed and  tamped  with  earth,  with  safety  fuse  attached. The  charge  should  be  so  small  as  merely  to  drive the  contents  of the  shell  out  of  the  open  end.  The shell  suffers  no  damage  and  can  be  used  repeatedly. 

(See  Fig.  6.) 

2.   Dummy  Grenade  (Wood).  (See  Figure  3,  page  19.) Weight,  about  1%  lbs.  Length,  1  foot. Head:  Cylindrical.  Length,  4  in.  Diameter,  2  in. 

Lead filling  in  centre  to  give  required weight. Handle: 8  in.  x  % in.,  with  three  canvas  streamers 

attached to  the  base.  Streamers, 2  ft.. x  2  ins. 

Section III. General Recommendations.

1.   Practice  in  the  manufacture  and  use  of  simple  live bombs  is  essential, but instructors must take the  great-est  care  to  insure that familiarity  with  explosives  does not  lead  to  carelessness  in  handling  them.  Adequate supervision  must  be  insisted  on  at  all  times. 

2.   All  field  work, must  be  practised under  service  condi-tions,  namely,  fully  armed  and  equipped.  Packs  may be  discarded,  but  in  other  respects  men  must  wear full  equipment.  In  the  case  of  throwers,  carriers,  or other men  who  carry  special  apparatus,  rifles  may  be slung.  A  suitable  method  is  to  sling  the  rifle,  not across  the  back,  but  vertically  from  and  behind  the left shoulder.  Hold the  sling  strap with  the  left hand and  grip  the  rifle  with  the  left  elbow  to  prevent  it from  swinging.  In  this  position  the  rifle  will  not 

GENERAL  RECOMMENDATIONS 

FIG.  2.­CAST  IRON  SHELL" 

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Weight empty:  1 ~ lbs, 

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19 GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

FIG. B.-WOOD DUMMY PERCUSSION GRENADE,

WITH LEAD FILLING (LLL).

W e i g h t : l ~ l b s . Tothe handle at A must be at­tacheo three streamers (strips of cloth). These control the flight of the Grenade and Insure Its fall­ing on the head.

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21 GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

, appreciably hamper the thrower, and it can be slipped llII' off for use at a moment's notice.

3. Squads under instruction must not be larger than the normal size of a grenadier party; six to twelve men. Each man requires individual attention, and large par-ties  make  proper  supervision  impossible 

4.  In all  exercises  instructors must  introduce  elements  of competition into the  training.  Scores must be kept of all  throwing  practices,  and  a  rigid  system  of  marks and  disqualifications  in  bayonet  work. 

5.  Grenadiers  must  be  skilled  in  all  branches  of  their work  and  ready  to  take  any  place  in  the  party.  In-structors  should,  however,  note  and  encourage  special aptitude  on  the  part  of  any  particular  man  and  de-velop  it to  the  full. 

6.   Instructors  will  further  bear  in  mind  that  grenadier training  for  modern  warfare  must  not  be  done  on hard and  fast  lines.  Experience  is  constantly modify-ing  and  adding  to  the  means  and  objects  of  instruc-tion.  With  regard  to  storming  parties  in  particular, experience  has  proved  the  value  of many forms  of or-ganisation  and  tactics.  Instructors  will  therefore  am-plify  the  various  branches  of  training  at  their  dis-cretion,  taking  note  of  any  developments  of  obvious value,  and  encouraging  well­conceived  initiative  in their men. 

7.   Trench  mortars  and  other  mechanical  bomb­throwers can  be  described  and  demonstrated  if  they  are  avail-able,  but  too  much  time  must  not be  devoted  to  them, to  the  detriment  of  the  more  important  subjects  of training  for  hand  grenadiers.