TRENCH RAIDING

By Dr. Gavin Hughes Painting: EVM. Scenary: ESLO. Miniatures: RENEGADE

Psychologically, going out into No Mans Land in the dark, especially if you are alone, is a distinctly eerie business.

Major H. Hesketh-Pritchard, D.S,O., M.C., Army School of Scouting, Observation and Sniping

One of the most infamous localised tactics of the Great War was the implementation of dangerous (and frequently costly) trench raids and patrol parties. These were both greatly admired by High Command and dreaded by the poor bloody infantry who had to carry them out. Yet, regardless of their worth, or otherwise, soldiers on either side of the wire frequently had to undergo these severe tests of nerves. Whether their objectives were to capture prisoners, observe the enemy, or simply to rattle the other side, trench raids and patrols were a common feature of the First World War. As such, the following article hopes to give a brief historical background and provide a suggested scenario (based on raids conducted by the East Lancashire Regiment in winter 1915/1916) for recreating raids on the tabletop.

As the Germans dug-in along the Aisne river line in early September 1914, the ragged trench lines took form and became all-but immovable. As such, the war for these entrenchments and lines developed too, albeit with only slight variations. The all-out assault was certainly the most dramatic strategy, whereby Divisions, Corps and Armies were flung at a sector in an attempt to break through an enemy trench line. Such offensives ran the risk of being little more than vast co-ordinated slaughters, especially when they met with stiffer than expected resistance (such as the Somme) or hard-won gains were quickly lost (such as Passchendaele). Consequently, the armies of the Entente and Central Powers also initiated less costly smaller actions ~ trench raids~ which were designed to keep their own side active whilst sapping the enemys morale and resources. In practice, however, these raids sometimes became synonymous with dangerous and risky skirmishes, especially when they seemed to be

ordered for any other reason than to simply keep busy. A raid was frequently made at dusk or in the dark and, usually, turned out to be a bloody and swift hand-to-hand combat in a forward trench line. This, of course, is a great simplification of the grand concept behind trench raiding which had many local motives. Even their frequency varied greatly from sector to sector and from commander to commander. With the British in particular, some battalion commanders believed the trench raid to be an important method of keeping their men out of mischief and battle-keen; although it is certainly believed that with the latter it had the reverse effect. Having said this, raids frequently had a direct military purpose. The aim was usually to capture prisoners and assess the quality of the enemys front line troops, whilst also testing their capability to mount an adequate defence. Such raids could be undertaken by any number of men from a dozen to a battalion (although this was rare) and platoon or company raids were more commonplace. During larger, more organised and co-ordinated, raids the attackers had access to support artillery. Whilst raids could be complicated combined operations, by far the most normal local offensive tactic was the patrol. The objective of patrols was more limited than raids but, as they required a higher level of fieldcraft skills, the numbers involved were often smaller. Indeed, the maximum number of a patrol could be as high as 30 but this was almost unheard of, the standard number being a ten man squad or below. Unlike raids, patrols were a regular trench routine and could be sent

out on an almost nightly basis, often to observe the enemys working parties and to determine the nature of suspicious features (likely to be observation posts) in No Mans Land. However, a British Army Order demanded that no officer above the rank of Company Commander should lead a patrol - due to the danger of wastage on an already stretched resource - and, consequently, junior officers and senior NCOs normally commanded these groups. Despite this, many senior field officers did lead patrols out personally even though they were threatened with court-martial if they did so. On these occasions it was generally as a result of their experience being needed to rectify a failed raid or that their specific military expertise was required. In particular, observation patrol missions sent out into No Mans Land were especially dangerous as, naturally, the best conditions for observing an enemy position was in daylight. The drawback, of course, was the greater chance of being seen by an enemy. Although all manner of cunning and ingenious devices were constructed for this purpose, the best solution was to employ trained No Mans Land scouts who could traverse the dangerous terrain. Two such scouts came from the 4th Royal Berkshire Regiment who volunteered to reconnoitre Hill 63 at Messines Ridge shortly before the planned assault of June 1917. One, a very Biggles-like character called Captain Gaythorne-Hardy, had been a Big-Game hunter prior to the war and was skilled in camouflage and

concealed movement. Both he and his corporal crawled up to the German wire, in broad daylight, and successfully recorded a full plan of the ground and entanglements. All the time, they were under the watch of the entire German line but, amazingly, both soldiers returned to British trenches unscathed and - more importantly - unseen. For this valuable work, Gaythorne-Hardy was awarded the Military Cross, whilst his corporal was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Another example can be shown by Major R.T. Rees of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, who felt compelled to undertake an observation patrol himself. It had followed a failed (but not costly) raid, which the Major had ordered and planned but, not being allowed to lead it, had lost direction and ended in confusion. Consequently, the next day, Major Rees crept out into No Mans Land (in daylight) to make notes of the enemys position, accompanied by Sgt-Major Pasquill. Whilst crouching in a shell-hole, he turned around to find Sgt-Major Pasquill gone - only to see him crawling back from the German position moments later. The Sgt-Major had discovered a German dugout close by and tried to enthusiastically motivate the Major that, between the two of them, they could capture it. The Majors response was apparently to remind the Sgt-Major that ...he was too old and too valuable to be such a fire-eater, I recommended a speedy and careful return to our own lines. [Major R.T. Rees, in A. Simpson, Hot Blood & Cold Steel, pp65-66 BCA 1993]

World War I 1914-1918

Although patrols were normally information gathering missions, they were sometimes sent out to disrupt enemy working parties that were out to repair wire or rebuild their parapets under the cover of darkness. In this case, a subaltern and senior NCO would be briefed on the overall objective of the mission and be sent over the top to strike at the enemy quickly and decisively. For example, by winter 1915, the volunteer battalion of the 8th (Service) East Lancashire Regiment was holding the front line trenches along the Foncquevillers-Monchy au Bois Line. This area of line, defended by the 37th Division, was near to Gommecourt and the trenches here were in an abysmal condition. In fact, by December the trenches were so waterlogged by the wintry rain and sleet that movement along them was severely limited. It got so bad by the last few weeks of the month that platoon reliefs of the front line were rotated every twenty-four hours. Warfare too was hampered by the weather and most British offensive engagements were restricted to disruptive bombing raids, regular nightly patrols and wirecutting missions. On the night of 21st December, a patrol party of the 8th Lancs, advanced cautiously towards positions at Little Z (east of Foncquevillers) and came under accurate German gunfire. There followed an exchange of fire, where patrol Sergeant Allan was wounded in the thigh and, in the murk and mud, left for dead in No Mans Land. The next morning, Private William Young (a Scot living in Preston) saw his Sergeant lying out in front of the wire and resolved to bring him back to the British lines. Under enemy fire, he climbed over the parapet and, despite being urged to go back by Sgt. Allan, Pvt. Young was hit twice by machine-gun fire as he assisted the NCO. By now another comrade, Private Green, had followed Young and, helping him, they dragged Allan back to safety. Having been hit in the chest by one bullet and with his jaw shattered by another, William Young then walked back to the village of Foncquevillers for medical treatment. As domination of No Mans Land became a particular priority in the years of 1915-1917, patrols of either side went out at night to establish their authority over an area. As German tactical practices advanced (with the creation of stormtrooper units) the Allied response had to be equally forceful. The Canadians, for example, developed a counter raiding tactic known as the Silent Death, which became as much of a psychological weapon as anything else. Canadian raiders would stealthily work

their way into No Mans Land once it got dark and lie there waiting for German patrols. When one stumbled across them, the Canadians would kill them one by one, with bare hands and trench daggers, making absolutely no sound as they did so. It is easy to imagine the terrifying effect on enemy morale this had, as whole German patrols disappeared in the darkness. Consequently, the Germans opposite the Canadian sector began to get extremely nervous at sending any patrol off into No Mans Land at night. In conclusion, across the war fronts, trench raids and the need for endless patrols were a constant feature of the Great War. Yet nowhere were they more apparent - and dreaded - than on the Western Front. Trench-raiding may have been one way of keeping battle spirit keen but it always came at a price, be it to nerves or lives. For example, many months following the Little Z raid, Pvt. William Young of the 8th Lancs was gazetted for the Victoria Cross (on the 30th March 1916). Yet, by this time, he had been invalided home for hospital operations as a result of the wounds received on the 22nd December 1915. He was heralded as national hero back in Preston and was shown genuine relief when he appeared to be recovering by April 1916. In July, Pvt. William Young V.C. returned to Aldershot for a routine final operation - from which he never regained consciousness. His wife, Mary, was at his bedside when he died. Whilst Youngs courage was exemplary, the costly nature of that December patrol and its ultimate consequences were all-too familiar for many soldiers on the Western Front.
SUggested fUrther readIng S. Bull & A. Hook, World War One Trench Warfare (1) (Osprey, Elite 78, 2002) F. Davies & G. Maddocks, Bloody Red Tabs (Leo Cooper, 1995) J. Laffin, A Western Front Companion, 1914- 1918 (Sutton, 1994) D. Nash, German Infantry, 1914-1918 (Almark, 1970) R. Prior & Prof. T. Wilson, Command on the Western Front P. Haythornthwaite, World War One Sourcebook (BCA, London, 1992) H. Hesketh-Pritchard, Sniping in France (London, 1994) D. Richter, Chemical Soldiers (Leo Cooper, 1994) Dr. G. Sheffield, Forgotten Victory - the First World War: myths and realities (Headline, 2002) A. Simpson, Hot Blood and Cold Steel (BCA, London, 1993)

WargaMing RaidS and PatrOLS

The suggested scenario is based on a composite number of historical events and can easily be used to recreate a typical patrol or raid of the general period. The wargame follows Chris Peers Contemptible Little Armies rules system and will hopefully give a balanced, accurate and short game. The scenario should be considered as a Meeting Engagement and, although it is written with an unusual daylight raid in mind, if desired, players may opt for a nighttime version using the night fighting optional rules ( CLA p.33). The scenario is set in early 1916, near Gommecourt, and focuses on two opposing patrols, in this case British and German (although any nationality could be used) and ends when one side concedes defeat or loses more than half its initial strength. Alternatively, the game can continue (at both players discretion) until one side has no further troops to fight with. The tabletop should have two baseline areas representing the static trench lines, one German and one British. The middle of the tabletop should be termed a crater field to indicate No Mans Land. The players may then roll a D6 to determine who may set up first and deploy their forces accordingly. The player who gains the initiative becomes the attacker and may choose whether they wish to make a prisoner raid (see Special Rules below) or offensive patrol. The forces used in the scenario may seem limited but reflect the small number of troops involved and the specific objective of the scenario. Of course, they can be enlarged to re-fight a larger raid or patrol, in which case supportive machine-guns (1 HMG for every 3 British units and 1 HMG for every 2 German units) can also be used. One unit, 8th (Service) Battalion East Lancashire Regiment: New Army Volunteers. Tactical 3, Morale 5, armed with bombs (8 points). They may be accompanied by 1 Lewis gun at 12 points. One unit, German Line Infantry Regiment : Regulars. Tactical 4, Morale 4, armed with bombs (8 points). They may be accompanied by a captured Lewis gun (or equivalent) at 12 points. Off-table Artillery: Each side may have one off-table artillery battery (p.37) if desired.