In todays article, Tom Laemlein looks at these trench weapons.
Almost any time World War I is mentioned, the term trench warfare inevitably comes up.
The Doughboys had to learn the difficult and very specific lessons of trench fighting.
Bats, batons and maces: A British collection of trench maces and clubs made in field workshops, circa 1917. Image: NARA
The Germans are coming in the form of a wedge.
Boys, Im dying.
Dyers warning gave his unit enough time to turn back the German raiders.
With its powerful blade (10.25″ blade, 15″ long overall), the U.S. M1910 Bolo Knife was useful for clearing away brush and foliage. It was also a fearsome weapon for trench raiders. Image: NARA
It was part of the hellish introduction to trench warfare that fresh American troops received in early 1918.
If Intelligence desired a raid, with a prisoner brought back for interrogation, it was understandable but deplorable.
What the Doughboys lacked in experience in the conduct of trench warfare, they made up for in aggressiveness.
This Austrian mace-club was captured in 1918. Nothing fancy, just a cruel instrument of WWI hand-to-hand fighting. Image: NARA
The trench raid was a nasty, brutal business, conducted almost exclusively at night.
Our raiding party consisted of five groups, each under the command of an officer.
The first party moving in a northwesterly direction located a lighted and occupied dugout.
Originally intended as a tool for engineers and pioneer troops, the German “Butcher Blade” drew so much ire from Allied troops that it was withdrawn from service in 1917. Image: NARA
On the occupants refusal to come out, it was destroyed by the use of phosphorus and other grenades.
The second party encountered fire from an automatic rifle as they entered the woods.
The gun was rushed, three of the gun crew killed, and the gun captured.
An American trench raider, smiling with a blackened face, standing next to some of the previous night’s haul of German prisoners. He holds a simple trench club. France, March 1918 Image: NARA
One was killed and the others taken prisoner.
The third party was also fired on by a machine gun.
The fourth party encountered a group of the enemy and opened fire with rifles.
A tough-looking Doughboy in the Ardennes during October 1918. In addition to an M1911 pistol, he also carries a captured Mauser C96 “Broom Handle”. Image: NARA
Four of the enemy were seen to fall.
Several shelters and dugouts were located and destroyed by incendiary bombs.
They moved in three sections.
Men of the 166th Regiment returning from a trench raid pause for a photo in May 1918. In addition to wire cutters, these Doughboys are carrying the M1911 pistol. Image: NARA
Of the latter, one MG furnished special protection for each section of the attacking party.
Equipment of the attacking troops included eight stick grenades and four egg grenades on average per man.
Double rations were carried.
This American sergeant wears a handmade sweater, balaclava, scarf, and gloves to go along with his rifle and bayonet. Image: NARA
Luger pistols were repeatedly cleaned and oiled, bayonet studs looked to.
The Doughboys quickly learned the deadly game on the Western Front.
From the city slickers to the country boys, Uncle Sams troops proved themselves to be fearsome fighters.
This Austrian mace and a companion war-pick were captured in 1918. These could just as easily have come from the 14th century. Image: Author’s collection
American daytime patrols grew more frequent through the summer of 1918, and the nighttime trench raids more effective.
By September, the great Allied offensive was ready to begin.
Melee weapons included bayonets, fighting knives and daggers that were lightweight and silent killers.
Hand-to-hand combat training with Mike Gibbons (right), the middleweight boxing champ. His opponent uses the M1917 trench knife. Gibbons wears anexperimental helmet, issued in small numbers during 1918. Image: NARA
American forces had two specialized trench knives available to them.
M1911 Pistol
As most pistol shooters know, the .45 ACP M1911 is a handful of handgun.
The .45 automatic was greatly favored by American trench raiders for its man-stopping firepower.
Designed to pierce heavy coats and jackets, the M1917 trench knife is less a blade and more of a nasty pick with a knuckle duster handguard. Image: NARA
(Read more about theM1911 in World War I here.)
Uncle Sam wasnt messing around, and the Germans quickly backed down.
For its part, the trench gun was a fearsome close-range weapon.
The ominous M1918 trench knife with a 6.75″ double-edged dagger blade, a knuckle duster grip, and a “skull crusher” on the pommel. Image: NARA
Two buckshot blasts and the twenty-three performers left on their feet surrendered.
Conclusion
Combat in the trenches of World War was simultaneously modern and medieval, but always brutal.
And these capable yet terrifying close-range weapons made it even more so.
The M1911 was the American trench raider’s ace in the hole. The incredible stopping power of the .45 ACP round made the M1911 indispensable equipment for raiders and patrols. Image: NARA
The .45 caliber M1917 revolver was introduced as a stopgap measure for the lack of M1911 pistols. It soon became a favorite among Doughboy trench raiders. Image: NARA
The famous M1897 12-gauge trench shotgun, equipped with the M1917 bayonet (17″ blade). Image: NARA
Doughboys armed with M1903 rifles learn trench assaulting skills at the French training center at Gondrecourt in the spring of 1918. Image: NARA
This German trench, taken by U.S. troops in 1918, was the battleground of trench raiders carrying medieval melee weapons. Image: NARA
