Page 90 - History of War - Issue 05-14

TRENCH WARFARE

a battery of steel springs. Downward pressure
on a cocking lever by two or three men set the
mechanism. It could be carried into position by
stretcher-like handles, and required sandbags
on its base to prevent it bucking crazily on
discharge. Guy Chapman thought that the
West was likely to decapitate its user, and its
dangerous reputation was certainly confirmed by
a November 1915 report in the 144th Brigade
War Diary: Lieutenant Schwalm, 6th Glosters,
Brigade Grenadier Officer, was killed whilst firing
the West bomb thrower, his foot slipped and his
head was hit by the arm of the machine, after
the spring had been released. This is not the first
accident which has occurred with this machine,
a very cumbersome one from which the results
obtained are no means commensurate with the
dangers incurred by the user and the difficulty in
manoeuvring it.
Experimentation with the weird and wonderful
continued even after the demise of the West
and Leach. In June 1916 the Munitions Design
Committee looked at a “Rotary Apparatus for
Throwing Grenades” designed by a Sergeant Day. The “new type” 7.6cm
This operated on the centrifugal principle, and Minenwerfer could fire an
once cranked up to speed the user consulted 11lb shell over half a mile
a speedometer which indicated how far the
bomb would fly on release. Though the machine
was deemed portable, and a test determined
that grenades could be flung fairly accurately to weapon – since it was very short range and for
150 yards, it was decided that the weapon was many it was totally demoralising – but not all wire. The men would be dressed in “assault
“unsuited to the service”. Another eight-armed were daunted. Captain Hitchcock reported that order”, and have with them at least two grenades
centrifugal device was also rejected by the same the Leinsters were taught to aim specifically at and 200 rounds of ammunition. These were
sitting of the Committee. those carrying the Flammenwerfer tanks, who had followed by a “consolidating party” whose
a heavy burden to carry, and could on occasion job was to hold the trenches captured. In the
Flamethrowers ignite with “a colossal burst”. Later the 2nd Royal rear followed a “carrying party”, to bring up
Flame weapons had existed since classical Welch Fusiliers were treated to a demonstration grenades, ammunition and other stores, and
times – but a portable, practical device for with a captured flame-thrower, which they found the “communication trench construction party”
the battlefield had only been perfected in more amusing than expected because, “its whose much longer and laborious task was to
Germany in the years leading up to war. The first premature operation scorched some of the staff”. connect the works captured with existing saps.
Flammenwerfer attack was made against the An eyewitness of a flame attack was Guy As the attack unfolded artillery and mortars
French at Malancourt in February 1915. Before Chapman at Third Ypres: “The enemy were would open fire, shelling selected positions –
long “liquid fire” was also turned on the British attacking under cover of Flammenwerfer, hose thus supporting the assault as it unfolded rather
at Hooge. In part the flamethrower was a terror pipes leading to petrol tanks carried on the backs than giving the enemy prior warning.
Captain P. Christison of 6th Cameron
The Leinsters were taught to aim specifically at Highlanders faced the peril of the flamethrower
at the Battle of Passchendaele: “There was no
those carrying the Flammenwerfer tanks, who immediate counter-attack, but towards dusk one
came in – headed by flamethrowers to add to our
could on occasion ignite with “a colossal burst” misery. This was a new one. Our rifles and light
machine guns were now useless, being gummed
up with mud, and we had to hurl grenades and
of men. When the nozzles were lighted, they use pick handles in close combat. One had no
The British 2-inch threw out a roaring, hissing flame 20 or 30 feet time to feel frightened it all happened so quickly.
trench Howitzer, or long, swelling at the end to an oily rose, 6 feet I saw a large Hun about to aim his flamethrower
“Toffee Apple” packed in diameter. Under protection of these hideous in my direction and Company Sergeant Major
a heavy punch
weapons, the enemy surrounded the advance Adams with great presence of mind fired his
pillbox, stormed it and killed the garrison.” Verey pistol at the man… The round hit the
Remarkably the German flame attack soon flamethrower and with a scream the man
generated its own very specific modus operandi. collapsed in a sheet of flame.”
As outlined in late 1915 the textbook assault In terms of producing flame weapons the
began with the blowing of charges to create holes Allied response was patchy. The French learned
in the barbed wire, then on the sound of a siren the techniques most quickly, and a patent for
or whistle the discharge of large, static flame- a French portable flamethrower was lodged by
throwers. The conflagration from these fixed March 1915. The British concentrated on fixed
devices was vicious, but lasted only a minute, at flame projectors. An American devised a bizarre
the end of which the attackers would swarm from “flaming bayonet”, which, perhaps fortunately,
their trenches – often up short ladders that had never reached the battlefield. But as so often
been specially positioned. happened, response then met with counter-
Taught that small amounts of burning fuel left response as the Germans issued instructions
on the ground posed no serious threat they would that their own artillery should be concentrated
hurry on before the defenders had a chance wherever possible on enemy flame projectors,
to react. The first wave were the “assaulting whilst the infantry focused on attempting “to
party” with man pack flamethrowers, grenades, shoot the men carrying the small apparatus”,
rifles with fixed bayonets and engineers with whose dangerous burdens would then become a
charges for blowing strong points or stubborn hindrance to the men around them. w
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