FRENCH INFANTRY.

Evening Star, Issue 16280, 24 November 1916, Page 6

FRENCH INFANTRY.

EFFECTIVE NEW TACTICS. CASUALTIES GREATLY REDUCED. Reuter's Telegrams. LONDON, November 23. (Received November 24, at 9.10 a.m.) New infantry tactics, whereby fewer men are employed, though they are much more powerfully armed, 'aro described by Router's correspondent at French Headquarters. Hand grenades, rifle grenades, and ma-chine-gun rifles are largely displacing rifle and bayonet. Tho users of the newweapons are called specialists. A demonstration showed that tho hand grenadiers are trained in groups .so as to combine- like a football team. They aro interspersed with voltigeurs—namely, men armed in regulation fashion, whoso dutyit is to protect them at close quarters and clear a way in dillicult moments. These methods make greater demands on the intelligence and initiative of the men, especially where waves of assault are necessary, when speed and combination are of essential importance. The demonstration showed that the attacking line is able to bring a terrific and impassable tiro to bear. Equally convincing was a lesson in the art of smothering "places where, enemy groups are holding out after the wing's have been driven hack. Tho value of the new tactics is evidenced by the fact that the French sustained fewer casualties in the first four months of the Somme offensive than in the few days' fighting in the Champagne offensive last year. Furthermore, tile French casuidties in tho advance south of the Somme and tho recapture of Douaumout and Thiaumont at Verdun were well under lialf the number of German prisoners taken. New methods are also being taught to the artillery and engineers.