CHAPTER VEMPLOYMENT IN THE FIELD WITH INFANTRY
The employment of machine guns with infantry seems at first sight to be obvious, for they fire the same ammunition and have the same range and kinetic effect. Nevertheless the first machine gun was used by the French in 1870 as artillery, and its name “mitrailleuse” indicates “grape shot” rather than rifle bullets. This initial error in its tactical employment, together with its crude mechanism, artillery carriage, and short range (about 500 yards), enabled the artillery to silence it early in the battle, so that it rarely proved of any use.
On the few occasions when it was concealed from the artillery and used at short range against the infantry, its effect was as astonishing as it was decisive. At Gravelotte several batteries of mitrailleuses concealed near St. Hubert’s Farm reserved their fire until the attacking infantry was on the glacis within close range. The result was decisive, and the German attack was repulsed with terrific loss. Again at Mars la Tour, the German official account describes the repulse of the 38th Prussian Brigade by mitrailleuse batteries placed on the crest of thehill, as causing them such losses as to amount almost to annihilation. The brigade lost more than half its numbers and two-thirds of its officers.
When it is remembered that this mitrailleuse was not automatic, but had to be operated by hand, that it had 25 barrels and a maximum effective range of only 500 yards, and that it cheerfully engaged in the artillery duel at ranges between 2,000 and 4,000 yards, the only wonder is that, having accomplished so much, the reasons for its failure were not immediately apparent, and that it has taken nearly forty years to convince the world that tactics are as necessary for the effective employment of machine guns as for infantry. The general principles for their tactical employment have already been dealt with in Chapter II., but they are so excellently condensed in Sect. 187 of the German Regulations, that at the risk of repetition they may be quoted here.
“Machine guns enable commanders to develop at fixed points the maximum volume of infantry fire on the smallest possible front. Machine guns can be employed over any country that is practical for infantry, and when they are unlimbered they must be able to surmount considerable obstacles. In action they offer no greater target than riflemen fighting under like conditions, and they can, in proportion to their fire value, support far greater losses than infantry. They can utilise all cover that infantry are able to use. Cover which is barely sufficientfor a section of infantry (60 men) can protect an entire machine-gun detachment (six guns).”
In order to see in more detail how machine guns should be employed with infantry and the limitations of their tactics, it will be necessary to follow the sequence of the infantry combat in attack and defence, and to assume such situations as seem likely to arise.
The action of the infantry of an advanced guard will follow the same lines whatever the dimensions of the force, and the battalion is a convenient unit with which to deal. There are four battalions in a brigade, and three brigades in a Division; consequently the Divisional General will have six batteries of four guns each, or 24 machine guns, under his command. We will assume that the battalion we are dealing with forms the advanced guard of its brigade, and that the Brigadier has given it a battery of four machine guns, two of which will probably belong to the battalion.
Field Service Regulations, 1909, page 79, says: “An advanced guard is divided into a vanguard and a main guard.... The special duty of the vanguard is reconnaissance. It will therefore generally be composed of the advanced guard mounted troops, with or without a body of infantry as a support. By day, when the country is open and the advanced guard is strong in mounted troops, infantry will not as a rule formpart of the vanguard.... The main guard comprises the troops of the advanced guard not allotted to the vanguard.”
We will first take the case of infantry with the vanguard as a support to the mounted troops, and suppose that two companies are allotted for this duty and have been given a section of machine guns. The formation of the infantry of the vanguard will largely depend on the nature of the country and the proximity of the enemy. Where the country is open plain they will probably be extended in a long line of skirmishers, in which case the machine guns should march close in rear of the centre on the road. Should the country be close or broken, the vanguard infantry may be confined to the road—with small parties pushed out to the front and flanks—in which case the machine guns should march in rear of the advanced party, and not in rear of the vanguard. It must be remembered that machine guns are able to come into action and open a heavy and accurate fire in less time than it would take infantry of equal fire power to deploy and to open fire from a position; it is therefore the machine guns of the vanguard that should be the first to open fire and give the infantry time to deploy and find fire positions. When the enemy is encountered the object of the vanguard infantry must be to support the cavalry as quickly as possible, and enable them to mount and push forward round the flanks.
The section commander must go forward atonce with scouts from each gun, and quickly grasp the situation, consulting the officer commanding the troops engaged as to the action to be taken; he must then select the positions for his guns to come into action. The scouts should take ranges and have everything ready for the guns to open fire on arrival. The moment the guns open fire, the section commander should send scouts off to find alternative positions to the front and flank from which it may appear possible to enfilade the enemy. Should the target be unsuitable,e.g.a line of well-concealed skirmishers, etc., fire must bereserved, and the guns should take up positions of observation while the section commander and scouts seek for a position on the flanks from which to bring an effective fire.
As soon as the vanguard infantry are deployed the section commander must co-operate with them entirely, and must take his instructions from the vanguard commander, who should leave him a free hand, merely telling him his intentions and how the guns may best assist him.
When the main guard comes up, in the case where the vanguard is checked, the section commander should take the earliest opportunity of placing himself under the battery commander, and at this stage the guns should be used to seize and hold positions of importance, especially artillery positions. If the advanced-guard action discloses the fact that the main body of the enemy has been encountered, and the G.O.C decides to engage, the advanced guard will berequired to seize all positions of tactical value and to hold off the enemy until the main body has had time to arrive and deploy. Their action will vary according to whether the G.O.C. decides to act on the offensive or defensive. The latest German Regulations say: “On becoming engaged, that side will have the advantage which gains the start over its opponents in readiness for action, and thus reaps the benefit of the initiative.” No arm is better able to assist in this than the machine gun, and every available battery should be brought up at this stage to take part in the advanced-guard engagement.
The Germans say: “The advanced guard will fight on a wider front than that ordinarily allotted to a force of its size, so as to seriously engage the enemy. It will be disposed in groups more or less detached, which will occupy those positions the possession of which will most protect the deployment of the main body.It will be assisted by detachments of machine guns, which will be placed for preference on those positions which it is most necessary to prevent the enemy from capturing.”[16]
The commander of the machine guns of the advanced guard is under the immediate orders of the O.C. advanced guard, and must co-operate with him throughout the engagement. All officers with machine guns must remember that isolated action is useless, and that however effective their fire may be locally, unless itdirectly furthers the object of the action, it is an unjustifiable waste of fire power.
The seizure of ground likely to be of use to the main body—particularly artillery positions—must be the first consideration of machine guns with the advanced-guard infantry, once the infantry are in action. That they can hold these unsupported is certain. “There never has been and cannot be such a thing as a successful attack on a line of machine guns in a favourable position in action, until the machine guns have been well battered by artillery fire,” says Lieutenant Parker in his bookTactical Organisation and Uses of Machine Guns in the Field.
In the cases where the infantry of the advanced guard forms the main guard, the battery of machine guns should march with the foremost body of troops and should never march in rear, where they are useless, and where, if on a road, they can only be moved up with difficulty. The battery commander should remain with the O.C. advanced guard until he is fully acquainted with the situation and his intentions. Should the situation be such as to enable the advanced guard to brush aside the opposition, the machine guns must be used vigorously to support the infantry attack, and should be pushed forward to seize positions before the infantry deploy, and cover their deployment by fire. In the preliminary stages these positions will probably be on the immediate front, and the four guns should be able to occupy a front roughly coinciding with the first deploymentof the infantry. As soon as the infantry come into action the machine guns may be withdrawn and used on the flanks to bring a cross fire to bear, and to fire on any closed bodies, led horses, etc., that may offer a target. At this stage the guns should work in pairs in mutual support, and may be used on one or both flanks as the situation requires.
Machine guns should rarely be used in the firing line after the infantry deploy, as they offer a rather marked target and can be far more profitably employed in pressing the attack on the flanks.
There are several instances of the successful use of machine guns with the advanced guard in South Africa in 1900 to support the mounted vanguard, and on many occasions they were able to brush the enemy aside without deploying the main guard or delaying the march of the column.
Under cover of the advanced-guard action and the subsequent artillery duel the infantry will deploy for the attack. The first advance of the infantry will probably be covered and supported by the artillery, and they will generally be able to push forward to within long range of the enemy’s infantry, without the necessity of covering their advance by rifle fire. From here, however, the firing line will begin to suffer from rifle fire, and it will be necessary to reply to this fire in order to cover the further advance.
“To enable the attack to be prosecuted it is clear that from this moment the hostile fire must be met by fire of greater power,its intensity and duration being dependent on the effect produced. Moreover, from this point forward movement will as a rule be contingent on the mutual fire support afforded to one another by neighbouring bodies, and on the effects produced by thecovering fire brought to bear on the enemy’s linewherever the ground admits of such action, by supports, reserves, and the troops specially told off for this purpose. Covering fire should be delivered so as to strike the enemy, disturb his aim, and compel him to seek shelter when the assailant is exposed or in difficulties.In such circumstances intensity of fire is of the first importance; but fire should be reserved when the assailants’ progress is satisfactory, or when he is under cover.”[17]
No one who has controlled the covering fire of infantry, even on manœuvres, will dispute the immense difficulty of timing the opening and ceasing of such a fire, with even a company, to coincide with the advance of the troops covered; while the necessity for observation of fire and its concentration on certain parts of the enemy’s position make it still more difficult effectively to cover the advance of troops with rifle fire at long range.
That machine guns will be able to perform this duty far more effectively and easily than infantry is manifest from the nature of the firerequired, the features beingintensity,control, andconcentration, all of which are characteristic of machine guns. When required to cover the advance of infantry, machine guns should be used in batteries and must be so placed that they are able to see the infantry they are covering, and to sweep those portions of the enemy’s position from which fire can be brought to bear on the advancing troops. If the enemy’s artillery is not silenced or at least dominated by that of the attackers, it will be necessary to conceal the machine guns from view and provide cover from fire. That machine guns well concealed and provided with cover (pits) are able to remain in action under artillery fire for considerable periods, is proved by instances in the Russo-Japanese War (seeChapter III. p. 28). Major Kuhn, who was with the Japanese Army in Manchuria, in his report states: “Importance is laid on concealing the guns, and it was claimed that none had been knocked out by the Russian artillery.” Covering fire from the flanks is more likely to be effective than frontal fire, because it will enfilade entrenchments, reach men behind natural cover and have a more disconcertingmorale effectthan frontal fire. It will not always be possible to find suitable fire positions on the flanks for machine guns at this stage of the attack, and it will then be necessary to place them in rear of the attacking infantry and fire over their heads. This can be done with perfect safety—indeed, there is far less danger of accidentally hitting the attacking infantry with machine guns than withartillery fire. Direct fire should only be used when it is impossible to use indirect fire on account of the nature of the ground in the vicinity.
Indirect fire from the reverse slope of a hill has the advantage of concealing the guns and rendering them immune from artillery fire. The position must be carefully selected with due regard to the slope in its relation to fire from the enemy as laid down in chap. ii. p. 67, ofTraining Manuals Appendix, 1905. The best position is just below the crest of a steep slope, as observation of fire is rendered easier and the effect of shrapnel minimised. The safety of the infantry in front will depend entirely on the range, height of the guns above the infantry, and the position of the target (enemy). On level ground the range must not be less than 800 yards,[18]and the infantry will be perfectly safe at all distances between 200 yards from the guns and 200 yards from the enemy. (See table, Appendix A.) The methods of employing indirect fire have been given at the end of Chapter II., and its success will depend largely upon the careful observation of fire by the section commanders, who must concentrate their attention on this alone—the battery commander giving the signal for opening and ceasing fire, and the target or direction of fire for each section. Machine guns used as covering fire have ample time for preparation; and as ranges can be accurately taken, and great deliberation usedin selecting positions, observing fire, and correcting errors, the maximum of accuracy should be attained. If the enemy is entrenched against frontal fire, good results may be expected from accuratedistantfire, owing to the angle of descent of the bullet causing the low parapet or shallow trench to be no protection.
They were successfully used by the Japanese as covering fire for infantry in the attack, as the following examples will show: “At Mukden on March 1st all the machine guns of a whole Japanese division (12 to 18 guns) were brought into action upon a Russianpoint d’appui. The Russian fire was silenced, but burst out again whenever the machine-gun fire slackened. The Japanese infantry used these pauses in the enemy’s fire to press forward to close rangeunder cover of their machine-gun fire.”[19]On March 2nd the three machine guns of the 10th Japanese Infantry Regiment acted in the same way against a Russian fieldwork. This method of employing machine guns requires the closest co-operation with the infantry from the commencement of the attack.
Again, during the Japanese attack on Namako Yama the infantry were greatly assisted by covering fire from their machine guns directed on the Russian trenches. These guns were used from behindscreens, and their success was largely due to their being well concealed.
It will rarely be advisable for machine guns to follow infantry into the firing line, where theypresent a conspicuous target which attracts fire and renders their withdrawal difficult.
We made this mistake in the South African War more than once. At Rietfontein the machine-gun detachment of the Gloucester Regiment, which had followed the battalion into the firing line, was almost annihilated. At Modder River the Scots Guards Maxim gun accompanied the firing line, and the detachment was annihilated by pom-pom fire, and the gun was left on the field alone all day.[20]In the attack on Cronje’s laager at Paardeberg, machine guns were used in the firing line on the left bank of the river, and when the attack failed the machine guns, having suffered severe losses, could not be withdrawn and had to be abandoned till nightfall.
When the covering fire of machine guns is no longer considered necessary, they should be withdrawn and concentrated in batteries in rear of the reserve or in such other convenient position as the G.O.C. may direct. They should take this opportunity of refilling belts, replenishing ammunition, water, etc., and if the guns have fired many thousand rounds, of exchanging barrels.[21]They are now at the immediate disposal of the G.O.C. and will be used by him as a mobile reserve. Circumstances vary so in war that it is impossible to particularize in their use at this stage, but their great mobility will render them extremely valuable in the following cases:
1. To assist a turning movement.
2. To reinforce a distant flank.
3. To repel a counter-attack.
4. To hold a captured position.
When the infantry reach close range, the point for the assault will have been selected and the reserves massed behind this point. When the reserves have been thrown in, and the fire fight has reached its height, the moment will have arrived when one side or the other will obtain superiority of fire. “The climax of the infantry attack is the assault which is made possible by superiority of fire.”[22]To assist in the attainment of this superiority of fire is the true rôle of machine guns with infantry, and, as their beaten zone at short ranges is so small, they can safely fire over the heads of prone infantry, even when the latter are within a hundred yards of the target. The guns should now be pushed up to the closest ranges, and fire of the most rapid description concentrated on the point of assault. When it is remembered that the machine guns of a single Infantry Division, as at present organised, can bring a fire of more than ten thousand shots a minute from close range where its accuracy is assured, at this crisis, there will be no need to say any more on the tactical importance of the probable result.
In bringing machine guns into action for this purpose, they will generally be used in batteries, but may come into action in sections or even single guns once the objective has been pointedout. The object being to obtain superiority of fire regardless of cost, rapidity and concentration of fire must be the principal points. The guns must therefore press forward to the closest range, and where it is possible to bring a cross or enfilading fire to bear, the opportunity must not be neglected. It may be necessary to fire over the heads of the infantry or even to push guns into the firing line itself, though this is seldom desirable if good positions can be found in rear. When any portion of the line advances to the assault, fire must be concentrated over their heads on the position assaulted; and when they are so close to the position as to render such fire impossible, fire must not cease, but be directed over the position so as to strike the enemy as they retreat. Fire from machine guns may be kept up from 500 yards’ range over the heads of prone infantry within 100 yards of the target with perfect safety, and from 800 yards over infantry advancing to within the same distance. General Nogi, speaking of the use of machine guns in the attack, says: “Our troops trained machine guns on the most advanced lines of infantryto overwhelm with fire the points at which resistance was greatest. Sacks of earth were used to mask them.They have often enabled the infantry to advance with success.”M. Ullrich, war correspondent of theGazette de Cologne, was present in many engagements in which machine guns were pushed up to support the firing line in the final stage. He says: “In the offensive the Japanese frequentlymade successful use of machine guns.When the infantry were carrying out a decisive attack, they were supported by their machine guns, which concentrated their fire on points arranged beforehand.... When machine guns have been skilfully employed, their action has been infinitely more effective than that of field artillery, more especially when they fire at infantry ranges.” The following is an example of their actual use in this way. “The Japanese,” says a Russian eye-witness of the fighting round Mukden, “brought up during the night dozens of machine guns with hundreds of thousands of cartridges to their front line of skirmishers, from 400 to 500 yards from our positions, and entrenched them there.When the assault commenced, at dawn, the machine guns opened fire with fatal accuracy on the parapets of our trenches and on our reserves, preventing them from coming up. We could do nothing with the enemy, because when the machine guns showed the least vulnerability, they were at once protected by shields of bullet-proof steel.”[23]
The machine guns of the enemy will all be in action during the final stages, but they should not be engaged by the machine guns of the attack except when exposed. They are very difficult to put out of action by small-arm fire at any time, and when employed by the defence are sure to be well concealed and provided with cover. It is the duty of the artillery to silence machine guns, and this was so far recognised inthe war between Russia and Japan that the latter brought up mountain guns on more than one occasion to silence the Russian machine guns.
At Kinsan on June 26th, 1905, when the Japanese were attacking the position, the Russians brought up two machine guns against the 43rd Regiment and a mountain battery at 3 p.m. The battery at once silenced the machine guns, and by 5.30 p.m. the hill was in the hands of the Japanese.[24]Captain Niessel, of the Russian Army, gives another instance. “It was on August 31st at 7 p.m. that the Japanese decided to drive the machine guns out of the village of Goutsiati byartillery fire. Knowing that their infantry had been checked, they posted at the village of Datchaotsiati a battery which showered on us shrapnel and high explosive shell. Although the men had taken cover behind a wall of earth, we had many wounded and could not breathe freely until nightfall, when the enemy ceased their fire, to whichwe could not reply on account of the distance. At 9 p.m. I was ordered to evacuate the position.”[25]
The moment the infantry assault is successful, the machine guns must be pushed forward into the captured position to secure the ground gained and to repel counter-attacks. As the confusion at this moment will be considerable, it will seldom be possible for the machine-guncommander to receive orders from the G.O.C., but this must not prevent him from immediately directing guns to occupy and quickly entrench themselves in positions which it may appear vital to secure, and to order the remainder of the guns not so required to follow and fire on the enemy wherever he may show signs of rallying. In order that these two distinct duties may be carried out instantly and without confusion, it will be advisable to tell off beforehand those batteries that are to pursue the enemy.
Theoretically every available gun should be launched in the pursuit, but the recent war between Russia and Japan has shown how often a position that has been stormed and captured has been retaken by a rapid counter-attack before the attackers have had time to rally and prepare to hold what they have taken. Machine guns can render a position safe from counter-attack so quickly and effectually that this duty should be thefirstconsideration of a machine-gun commander with infantry in the assault.
Fresh ammunition must be brought up, and every endeavour made to conceal the guns and construct good cover from any material found in the position.
“During the battle of Mukden, on the evening of March 1st, a position at Sha-shan was captured by the Japanese. The Russians had taken up another position some 500 yards in rear, from which they opened an effective fire upon the Japanese infantry in the captured position.Another Russian force about 1,000 yards further to the west threatened their flank. The Japanese, however, succeeded in bringing upthe machine guns which had taken part in the attack, and brought them into action under cover of a number of sandbags abandoned by the Russians. The effect was decisive: all counter-attacks failed before the annihilating fire of the machine guns.”[26]
When infantry are acting on the defensive, it is advisable that the majority of the machine guns should be held in reserve, and used to check turning movements, to reinforce distant portions of the line of defence, and to deliver counter-attacks, but their principal rôle will be the repelling of the assault. Guns allotted for this purpose must be placed in very carefully selected positions in the line of defence, from which they can command narrow approaches, and sweep ground in front of trenches or important works by cross fire, especially any dead ground likely to afford temporary cover to the attackers. Concealment is of the first importance, and cover from fire absolutely necessary, but the combination of the two requires great skill both in choosing positions and in constructing an inconspicuous shelter. In certain positions where the country is flat or undulating and has no abrupt features, pits will be found the best form of cover; but where the groundpresents marked features, emplacements providing overhead cover will not only conceal the guns, but render them immune from shrapnel. The Japanese used these emplacements with great success, the guns often remaining concealed even when the enemy were within 300 yards.
The positions for machine guns should not be in one and the same line, and they should be placed at wide intervals. At least two positions should be provided for each gun, and a second series of positions in rear, commanding those in front, should also be provided. The machine guns should be allotted to their positions by sections, each gun being so placed that its fire crosses that of the other when possible. Section commanders should be responsible for having all ranges from their respective positions taken and written up in each emplacement. They must arrange with the O.C. of that portion of the position to which they are allotted the time and signal (if any) for opening fire; the exact moment should be left to the discretion of the section commander as a rule, the O.C. merely indicating the stage of the attack up to which fire is to be reserved, and great care should be taken not to open fire before this stage has been reached. Every endeavour should be made to ensure co-operation between the machine-gun units in reserving fire till the shortest range has been reached by the attack and a really good target presented. Nothing can justify a machine gun opening fire from a concealed position until its fire will give the best results that can beexpected from that place, and to ensure this it is necessary that the target is big and vulnerable, the range close, and the fire unexpected by the enemy. Captain von Beckmann, speaking of the Russo-Japanese War, says: “Premature fire upon unsuitable targets at long range is to be deprecated. The greater the surprise, and the shorter the time within which heavy loss is inflicted, the greater themorale effectproduced. At the battle of Hai-kou-tai on January 27th, 1905, a Japanese company attacked Sha-shan. Four Russian machine gunsopened fire at about 1,100 yards upon the extended firing line, without causing any serious loss or affecting its advance. On the other hand, the Japanese on March 1st hadapproached to within 200 or 300 yardsof the Russian position at Wang-chia-wo-pang and were beginning the final assault. Two Russian machine gunssuddenly came into action, and the Japanese assaultwas repulsed with heavy lossowing to the annihilating fire.”
These two instances well illustrate the right and wrong way of using machine guns in the defence. Where a battery is allotted to one section of the defence the guns should be distributed two or four along the front and one or more on each flank. Single guns may be used in the defence where a section cannot be spared, as the assistance of a supporting gun is not essential to its safety when behind entrenchments. In the first instance guns may be kept in rear of the position until the directionof the attack has been ascertained, provided they are able to occupy their positions unseen.
Machine guns at salients and on the flanks are of great value in defending a position.
If sufficient machine guns are available, one or two batteries should be reserved for the counter-attack. They should in this instance be pushed right into the firing line when necessary and used with the greatest boldness. It will be their duty to cover the retirement of the Infantry in the event of a repulse, and for this purpose positions in rear should have been selected beforehand.
Although the principle of reserving machine guns in the defence must be strictly adhered to, there may be occasions when the use of a battery or two well in front of the defensive position will compel the enemy to deploy prematurely, cause him loss, and delay his advance. Machine guns so used may also find opportunities for surprising artillery while unlimbering, and thus render great service to the defence. They should be withdrawn when their mission is accomplished, and be reserved for further use as already indicated. The following are examples from the Russo-Japanese War of the use of machine guns in the defence of a position.
General Nogi has written: “Our most formidable foes were wire entanglements placed 100 yards in front of the Russian trenches, well lit up by search-lights and covered by the murderous fire of machine guns. The defendersmade use of them to flank dead ground in their front and also had them at other points, kept carefully in reserve and under good cover, to make use of continuous fire against the attackers at the moment of the assault.”
“On January 28th, 1905, near Lin-chin-pu at about 7 p.m. the Japanese attacked the forts of Vosnesenski and the trenches near by, in which were posted two machine guns.These latter opened fire at 200 or 300 yards on a Japanese company in line. In one or two minutes they fired about 1,000 rounds, and the Japanese company was annihilated.”[27]
“At Mukden on March 1st, the left of a Japanese Divisionbeing within 300 yards of the enemy’s positionand about to assault, the Russians suddenly opened a very heavy machine-gun fire from cleverly concealed positions,causing such loss that the Japanese attack was temporarily suspended. On August 20th, 1904, the Japanese captured a lunette near the village of Shin-shi after severe fighting.The Russians made a counter-attack with three machine guns, and drove the Japanese out again with a loss of over 300.The three machine guns retired from the lunette before the attackers got home, and, taking up a position behind the open gorge of the work, showered such a hail of bullets on the victorious Japanese that they were compelled to retire.”[28]
“On February 27th, 1905, the Russianstried to surprise the railway bridge over the Sha-ho on a very clear night, when one could see as far as 500 yards. Four Japanese machine guns opened fire on a company of the 10th Light Infantry, which was almost wiped out.”[29]
At the battle of Hei-kow-tai, the Russians at Shen-tan-pu made no less than five determined attacks against the Japanese entrenchments, in which was a machine gun, but were repulsed each time. The machine gun is said to have done great execution, andone thousand dead Russians were reported to have been found before it.[30]
The 8th Division of the Japanese Army are reported to have made several fine attacks upon Hei-kow-tai,but were each time repulsed mainly by the fire of the Russian machine guns.[31]The same report says, “Throughout the campaign in Manchuria the Japanese have suffered severely in attacking those points of the Russian front which have been armed with machine guns,” and proceeds to quote an episode in the operations of the 5th Division at the battle of Mukden, to show to what lengths the Japanese went in order to silence these weapons. It appears that the Japanese were so galled by the fire of four machine guns that the attack was materially affected. They decided to bring up two mountain guns to within 500 yards of these machine guns, to try to destroy them. Themountain guns were brought up behind a wall and fired through two holes bored for the muzzles. Two machine guns were at once destroyed, but so well had the others been concealed that they were able to be withdrawn in safety.
Sufficient has been quoted to show that both the Japanese and Russians made the greatest use of machine guns in the defence, and that when employed on sound tactical principles they not only afforded material assistance, but were often the predominant factor. On the other hand, when these principles were neglected or ignored, the machine guns merely wasted ammunition and were impotent to affect the situation. The lesson to be learned is this:that machine guns are only useful when their tactical handling is thoroughly understood, and then their effect is more decisive than that of any other arm.