Wednesday 30th May 1917
Just because 1st
Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, is in billets it does not mean they are idle.
They have been finding working parties doing such things as road and railway
construction and maintenance. They have also been drilling and practising other
aspects of military skill. For example, at two o’clock this afternoon officers
and non-commissioned officers have been trained in bayonet fighting. It is true
every officer carries a pistol but they all use a rifle too, which is a far
more effective weapon, more accurate and with a longer range. It is also more
effective at close quarters on account of its bayonet - I know of no officer
who still carries a sword into battle. Moreover, using a rifle does not
distinguish an officer to the enemy, as using a pistol or a sword does and this
means they are less likely to get picked-off by enemy marksmen, to the
detriment of the men they lead.
As well as
this activity, Lieutenant Hansen and one sergeant per company have spent the
day reconnoitring No man’s land and the enemy positions east of Willerval,
itself north-east of Arras. Second Lieutenant Everett and two other ranks have
been to Wailly, south-west of Arras to see a display by tanks. These weapons
are potential war-winners, certainly potential battle-winners, though it is
fair to say that their performance is not always equal to their promise as they
can be mechanically temperamental and they are difficult to operate - being
inside a huge tin box, as hot as a furnace and as loud as a factory is a very
disconcerting pastime and leads to officers commanding them becoming
disorientated and losing their way. Nevertheless, tank design and the army’s
understanding of how best to use them has come on leaps and bounds since they
were first used only just over eight months ago and demonstrations like this
are designed to help infantry units work out the best ways of co-operating with
them to benefit the attack.
To round off the day there was a football match. The
Battalion played 1st Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, winning by
two goals to one.
No comments:
Post a Comment