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

MvrANUAL FORCOMMl~ANJDEIRS OF INFANTRY PLATOON;S. 247
These straight parts of the trenchl
should
sh~ould
end
be
by
55 yar'ds
adefensive
long and
arrangement, this distaznce
of range
being out
of the h~andlgrenade, even if the enemy does
a
construct:
barr~icade a~t the other end of the stret~ch. Means for obstructing
trenches, such as gabions,
writh
h~erissonls
bar1bed w~ire
(wooden
stretchedl
frames
upon -them and having length, breadth,
and thickness), etc., are p~reparedaiizndkept at
purpose
hand for
of
the
holding
very
the enemy under fire of these inlterior
ing defenses.
flaznkr­
A dlisposition to be recommended is
in
that
figure
shown
241, which consists in encirclno,- a trench junction
a nlumber
wvith
of ot~her t-renches, thus · transfoi ning it into az smllli
wqrk whicr xviii form one of the active elements of
of
the
the
system
defense, and the defense of which
sqluad
can
or
be
half
assigned
sqluadc.
to
Ba2rricadles
a
furnish the means of quickly
obstr~uctingr a trench in case of a~ttackC, andd must;.be carried by
the enemny one
at a~ t~ime.. WhTlerever it isF desired to dispute
the enemy's p~assage, a double or a tr~iple
ma~y
platform
be prepazred,
for Xrenadiers
the entrance to ~vhich xviii be defended by the
squadl. The niches for the grenades are arranged as shovn
figure
in
42, or xvith a g~abion buried horizontallyr
ter1iorin
the
being
slope,
left
the
emupty.
in­
All of these wrorks for husbandling
strength
aznd fort defensive organization in the area of a point
of support, are to be dlone by the company which garrisons the
ipoift.
Sif-IEIT~ER.
1. BOMB~rPRt0or 5HEIETFP
Shelter is of value only xvhen it affordls complete protection
and enables its garrison to
to
leave
consider
it in
in
time.
the organization
The only shelter
of a position is thant wVhich is
bombproof, and principally cave shelters under 20 feet of undlisturbsed
earth, xvhich have been
Chapter
dlescribed
VIII
in
of
"Trench
Part III.
school,"
Shelters formed by excavating
hole in
a
soft earth xvith a roof forme~d afterwa~rds of earth, supported
by logs or rails, are only used in special cases, such
inl wet
as
ground, observing stations, shelters for machine
etc.
*guns.
They reqluire more marterialsr thanl cave s~helters hut
tak-e
do
as
not
long to construct when the excavation can be8 mlade in