manual for commanders of infantry platoons. - US Army Combined ...

maNUaLvr FOUWCOIIlV(ANDE~s OF INFsANTJRYS PL;ATOONS.~17&
used ia rep~ulsing attacks. W~e should not expose all of our
machine guns at one time to the danger of being dlestr~oyedlby
placing them all in the first: line. We should echelon them
beforehand and dis~tribut~e the greater part of them between the
line of sup~por~ts aznd the line of' reserves, in order that they miny
be able to ~rush an enemy who ilas penetrated the f-irst-line
trench azt the conclus~ion of a bombardmlen~t or of an attack with
asphyxiating gas.
Study in advance all sections of the foreground andl mark;
their boundaries in order that every wave of an attazckring enemy
which appears in our front may receive malchine-gun fire, and: do
not reqyuire machine gunls to sw~eep long sections of the front.
The sector of fire of each machine gun should be marked by
three xvooden stakes as explained in the instructions for d~g·ging
trenches. (F~ig.47.)
In no case should a machine-gun detachment abandon its
post; if need.be i-t xviii permit itself to, be besieged there and
will defend itself to the lasxt. The tenacity and heroisml of a few.
m~achine-gun mnen has often enabled us to retakie lost positions,.
To makze it possible for them to do this, place the machine g-un
in a small eazrth~work, surroundesd by well-hidden wire entangolements,
and provided with· several ftiring positions and furnished
with food and water ndq an albundalnce of ammunition. F~or
remarks on the subject of the ventilation of machine-gun shelt~ers
see p~arazgraph 8, Chapter XIV, Bookr III.
2Via~chine guns in maneuver warfare,-In mzaneuver xvarfare.
the machine-grun company often fights as a uiii~tand is fr~equently
placedl near the head of the column behind the security detach-:
mrents in order· to support the infantry at the begrinning of; the
action. 'Whenit has no special independient mission the machine-gun
company should be plalced at; first under the orders
of a battazlion commander, xvho may assign one or more platoons
of it; to companies. In maneuver xvarfare machine guns are
used in pits xvithout; head cover, as shown in figures 46-48.
Thle principal tactical roles of machine guns.-On the. offensive
they dleploy xvith the advance guard and cover tbc deploymenlt
of the main body; they reinforce lines temporatrily halted;
and gain time for a preparaltion for continuing the advance;
they assist in the artiller'y preparation with rapid a~nd concentrated
fire, and takre the place of artillery in a very rapidi pur­