Trench warfare

‎Infantry weapons

← Previous revision		Revision as of 21:37, 31 August 2015
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	The common [[infantry]] soldier had only a few weapons to use in the trenches: the [[rifle]], [[bayonet]], and [[hand grenade]].		The common [[infantry]] soldier had only a few weapons to use in the trenches: the [[rifle]], [[bayonet]], and [[hand grenade]].
−	[[File:Chateau Wood Ypres 1917.jpg|thumb|Chateau Wood, Ypres, 1917]]	+	[[File:Chateauwood.jpg|thumb|Chateau Wood, Ypres, 1917]]
	A specialised group of fighters called ''trench sweepers'' (''Nettoyeurs de Tranchées'' or ''Zigouilleurs'') evolved to fight within the trenches. They cleared surviving enemy personnel from recently overrun trenches and made clandestine raids into enemy trenches to gather intelligence. Volunteers for this dangerous work were often exempted from participation in frontal assaults over open ground and from routine work like filling sandbags, draining trenches, and repairing barbed wire in no-man's land. When allowed to choose their own weapons, many selected grenades, knives and pistols. [[FN M1900]] pistols were highly regarded for this work, but never available in adequate quantities. [[Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless]], [[Savage Model 1907]], [[Star Bonifacio Echeverria]] and [[Ruby pistol]]s were widely used.<ref>Vanderlinden, Anthony ''[[American Rifleman]]'' (October 2008) pp.91–120</ref>		A specialised group of fighters called ''trench sweepers'' (''Nettoyeurs de Tranchées'' or ''Zigouilleurs'') evolved to fight within the trenches. They cleared surviving enemy personnel from recently overrun trenches and made clandestine raids into enemy trenches to gather intelligence. Volunteers for this dangerous work were often exempted from participation in frontal assaults over open ground and from routine work like filling sandbags, draining trenches, and repairing barbed wire in no-man's land. When allowed to choose their own weapons, many selected grenades, knives and pistols. [[FN M1900]] pistols were highly regarded for this work, but never available in adequate quantities. [[Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless]], [[Savage Model 1907]], [[Star Bonifacio Echeverria]] and [[Ruby pistol]]s were widely used.<ref>Vanderlinden, Anthony ''[[American Rifleman]]'' (October 2008) pp.91–120</ref>

via Chebli Mohamed