The Use of Long Range Barrage Riflery in WW1

[Doug Bowser]

AN INCIDENT AT THE BATTLE OF ST. MIHIEL

My Father’s Unit, the Third Ohio Machinegun Battalion, was at St. Mihiel in September 12-15, 1918. The attack was made by 550,000 US Troops and 48,000 French Troops (14 Divisions) under the command of General John Pershing. They faced 10 Divisions of German Troops. There were 7000 casualties on the Allied side and 7500 casualties among the German Forces.

The attack was made by the Allies and rainy weather made it impossible for the artillery and needed supplies to keep up with the Infantry Units. The Germans were dug in with Artillery support. When the attack was stalled at the German lines, there was a German Artillery Observer Post at a farmhouse, 2400 yards from the American lines. They were directing deadly German artillery fire against our Infantry. The usual procedure would be to use Artillery to destroy it but the Artillery was far behind the Infantry Units. Machineguns could also be used in this situation but there was not an abundance of belted ammunition available for the task. The answer to this problem was the use of long range musketry. These techniques were developed by the British Army during the Zulu Wars of the 1870’s. This is why you see rear sights on older military rifles that adjust as far as 2800 yards. The 1903 Springfield is one of these rifles with long range Musketry capabilities. Even the 1873 Springfield .45-70’s sights adjust to 1400 yards.

The Unit commanders called up 500 Infantrymen with 1903 rifles and had them set their sights at 2400 yards. Each was given two bandoleers of ammunition (100 rounds) and ordered to get into the prone position and deliberately fire both bandoleers at the farmhouse. Fifty Thousand rounds of 150 gr .30-’06 bullets were launched at the farmhouse. This produces a beaten zone of about 75 yards long and 75 yards wide on the target selected. If you are in a trench there is a very shallow protection zone at the front of the trench due to the extreme trajectory of a bullet fired from 2400 yards. There has to be a hollowed out area below the edge of the trench to afford any protection.

When my Father’s Unit arrived at the farmhouse they observed nearly complete destruction of the area. There were many dead Germans, destroyed communications equipment and the farmhouse was no longer habitable. The menace of the observer post was eliminated. I think it shows American ingenuity and adaptability in solving problems that come up in Battle situations.

A similar situation occurred during the Korean War. I had a friend named Sergeant Major George Carrier. He was a Marine at the Chozen Reservoir. He was one of about 400 Marines armed with M1 Garand Rifles and faced with a Chinese Infantry Unit that was forming to attack his unit. The Officers estimated the Chinese were 800 yards from their position and they ordered the Marines to set their sights at 800 yards and rapid fire into the Chinese troops. They were also instructed to try and pick individual targets. After 10 minutes of firing the Chinese had to retire from the field. George Carrier was the Southwest Gun Club’s Chief Executive Officer from 1980-2000. He served in the Marines from 1936-1956. He was a China Marine and fought on Guadalcanal and other battles in the South Pacific. He was a true Southern Gentleman and Patriot. May he rest in peace.



1903 Springfield rear sight ladder and slide

a. 2800 yard fixed open sight notch

b. long range adjustable rear sight notch

c. 550 yard battle sight, designed to have a danger zone from 100-700 yards

d. close range adjustable open sight notch

e. close range peep sight

f. windage increments, each mark equals 4 minutes of angle deflection


Note sight increments on the sight ladder from 100 to 2800 yards



Doug Bowser

 

[someguy2800]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing that.

 

[chicharrones]

Another great story. Made my Saturday morning.

 

[Salmoneye]

You better be writing a book...

 

[Sunray]

Done by the Brits fairly regularly using MG's(those being thought of as Arty in W.W. I) and occasionally a Regiment(~ 600 rifles) of PBI. More for harassing fire on a cross road than anything else.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I sure do enjoy these essays Sir.

 

[JohnB-40]

The British Army used a volley sight mounted on the side of their No1 Mk3 Lee Enfields for "barrage fire" from the beginning of WW1. After the formation of the Machine Gun Corps,this eventually evolved into the "machine gun barrage". At High Wood at the battle of the Somme (1916),the 100th Machine Gun Co fired their ten Vickers Guns in barrage fire for 12 hours and fired nearly 1 million rounds of .303 at a target 2000 yds away. There were reportedly no issues with the guns during or after said barrage.
The Canadians took this tactic and expanded it greatly,using combined massed batteries of Vickers Guns,creating a massive cone of fire causing massive beaten zones where projectiles rained down vertically on German troops. There was no safe place except in a dug out in the front face of the parapet of the trench,which was not possible when they had to stand to during an attack. In the open,laying down just made them a bigger target.
This tactic was even used in the Korean War against massed Chinese formations using the same Vickers Gun. No wonder these guns stayed in service so long,as long as there was water in the jacket and belts of loaded rounds,they were unstoppable.

 

[22250Rem]

Thanks for another excellent post. Over the years I've come across references to that type of shooting in WW 1 while researching the history of that conflict. My paternal grandfather spent 17 months in France as a member of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps. Have seen accounts of that being done with both rifles and machine guns. During that war the machine guns were crew served weapons (at least in the Canadian army) and were used in that role more often than I would have imagined. That type of long range firing may have indeed evolved in the 1870's but WW 1 was the first time it had been used on such a widespread, large scale based on what I've seen while researching some of my grandfather's military service.

 

[csa77]

the volley sights on my 1907 No1 MK1*** also go to 2800 yards.

makes me wonder what kinda of energy a 30-06 or 303 would have at those distances.

 

[Archie]

Thank you, Mr. Bowser. I collect WWI era infantry rifles and regularly get the question about the 1600 to 2400 range marks on the old rifles. I have been aware of the reason you display here, but yours is a fine and concise explanation.

Historical information resolves a good deal of uncertainty.

Keep up the good work.

 

[czhen]

Thank you Mr Bowser, interesting reading.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Volley fire was the norm for about 300 years. From about 1600 to about 1900, military units were primarily maneuvered like chess pieces on a board, loading, aiming (or, rather, pointing) and firing on command. Right up to the first world war, many commanders complained that sights on shoulder arms made soldiers think that they could aim as they pleased rather than as their sergeants directed them. Those commanders would have preferred a means to somehow interconnect all of the weapons of their units so that one man could direct all fire at all times. Soldiers would be reduced to bearers and loaders.
By the way, one of the original goals of the NRA was to counter this philosophy. Aimed fire by massed sharpshooters was the NRA's preference.