Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1917 — INFANTRY ATTACK IS REVOLUTIONIZED [ARTICLE]

INFANTRY ATTACK IS REVOLUTIONIZED

Result of Forty-Five Years’ Train-’ ing Thrown Into Scrap Heap by French Army. NOW MOVE IN OPEN ORDER Neglected. Lessons of the South African War- Anr Regalled- — Com- -j’ “jpan|§¥ Tn Operate a&JJeparare Units. French I</ont.—The result of 45 years’, infantry training has been thrown on to the scrap heap by the French army. ' At ; the beginning of the war the French infantry, like that of all other ■ continental nations, marched shoulder to shoulder to the attack. Soon, however, the power of the very numerous machine guns with which the Germans were proYided-coutfiumbetiiig' at least four ■ times . those of other armies—brought about the adoption of more open formations and recalled tlie les r sons of the South African war, which had been neglected. Change Their Tactks*. After the battle of the Marne, when the Germans dug themselves into deep trenches, the French found it TrnposTo carry infantry attack in the formations until then in use without losing a number of men disproportionate to the advantage gained. They increased the number of their machine guns, but those of the Germans were placed in positions which enabled them to sweep away any frontal attack even befqye it had been properly developed. At the present no infantry officer of the ole} School would recognize an infant ry unit going Into action, so much has everything beep, The Associated Press correspondent was present recently at a demonstration of the new infantry formation at a school. of, as formerly, a battalion being composed of so many hundreds of men armed merely with rifles and bayonets jyid intrenching clear the way for it during an advance, the battplion is now a little army perfectly equipped for offense and defense and able at . all times to take care of itself without any assistance

except in the case of an attack on a fortress or strongly fortified field work. Not only the battalion but each company is able to act independently, and the various smaller units/are so composed that when acting together they form a complete whole without any confusion. Hand grenadiers, rifle grenadiers, marksmen with automatic rifles, bombardiers with bombs and ordinary infantrymen with rifle and bayonet compose each unit. The specialists have companions In action to carry their ammunition and able to replace them in case they sustain a casualty, while every man in the section, even the simple rifleman, is trained to do one of the special tasks.