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TRENCH RAIDINGBy Dr. Gavin Hughes

Painting: EVM. Scenary: ESLO. Miniatures: RENEGADE

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 ung 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

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

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Wo

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1914-1918

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 simplication 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 froma 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 eldcraft

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 ofcer

above the rank of Company Commander

should lead a patrol - due to the danger

of wastage on an already stretched

resource - and, consequently, juniorofcers and senior NCOs normally

commanded these groups. Despite

this, many senior eld ofcers 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 specic 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 camouage 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-Hardywas 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 NoMans 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 nd

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 re-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]

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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 wire-

cutting 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 gunre. There followed

an exchange of re, where patrol SergeantAllan 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 re, he

climbed over the parapet and, despite

being urged to go back by Sgt. Allan, Pvt.

Young was hit twice by machine-gun re

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, developeda counter raiding tactic known as the

Silent Death, which became as much of

a psychological weapon as anything else.

Canadian raiders would stealthily work

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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 Germansopposite 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

nal operation - from which he never

regained consciousness. His wife, Mary,

was at his bedside when he died. WhilstYoungs 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.

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 scenarioshould 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 night-

time version using the night ghting 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 ght 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

eld to indicate No Mans Land.

The players may then roll a D6 to determine who may set up rst 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 reect the small number

of troops involved and the specic objective of the scenario. Of course, they

can be enlarged to re-ght 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.

WARGAMING RAIDS

AND PATROLS

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. Lafn,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. Shefeld, Forgotten Victory - theFirst World War: myths and realities

(Headline, 2002)

A. Simpson,Hot Blood and Cold Steel

(BCA, London, 1993)