MACHINE-GUNS AND STRATEGY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1749, 6 November 1917, Page 2

MACHINE-GUNS AND STRATEGY.

THE modification of tactics in modern fighting necessitated by the ever-present machine-gun was discussed recently by a correspondent at the front, who emphasised in particular the narrowing of objectives and the localising of attacks. What the German would like, he wrote, would be for us to advance in dense masses across country protected by scores of strongholds and machine-guns without artillery preparation. We have shown no desire to oblige him, though he sometimes sees visions of such masses in his communiques'. Instead, we strike always at limited objectives behind the protecting barrage of our guns, with not the remotest intention of being taunted into an effort at that wonderful manoeuvre which the enemy calls “breaking through.” We deal with the German defences a mile or half a ■mile, or three miles, at a time. Such of the* machine-gun positions or redoubts as survive our' barrage jp# s?t.a% pi’ the tujj&l settle,

The more men the enemy puls into the hit of ground attacked the more losses he has in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Having grasped theslice which we set out to grasp, we settle down and wait for the coun-ter-attacks. Such is the present formula of this war. It is a very terrible war, because the German garrisons of the ground which wc attack are almost certainly doomed; such machine-guns as escape demolition by our artillery may, on the other hand, inflict very heavy casualties on us before they are reduced, and after winning the ground we may suffer badly from the enemy artillery, while finally the slaughter of the enemy in his counter-at-tacks is often prodigious. It is warfare sanguinary beyond anything which has formerly been devised or dreamed of, and in proportion to its terribloncss are the courage and heroism of our men.