. The warfare of to-day. during thefirst phase of the attack. The enemy is in hisholes, where he can be reached only by hightrajectory weapons. Of course he may be en-countered in the boyaux and spitted with thebayonet, but this performance should not beglorified into a sort of cruel sport. Moreover, thesport may become cruel for the participants ifthey take a notion to try to capture a nest ofmachine guns. A few men may reach the objec-tive and take it, but how many will remain deadon the field, while the same result could have beenaccomplished without loss by using artillery, ora tank, or ev
. The warfare of to-day. during thefirst phase of the attack. The enemy is in hisholes, where he can be reached only by hightrajectory weapons. Of course he may be en-countered in the boyaux and spitted with thebayonet, but this performance should not beglorified into a sort of cruel sport. Moreover, thesport may become cruel for the participants ifthey take a notion to try to capture a nest ofmachine guns. A few men may reach the objec-tive and take it, but how many will remain deadon the field, while the same result could have beenaccomplished without loss by using artillery, ora tank, or even a 37! In war we should consider,not the artistic appearance of a success, but itscost in human life. The rifle is of very little use in the first phaseof combat; the automatic machine rifle may beof some use in spraying a trench or boyau. With regard to other means, clouds of smokemay serve to hide the advance of the attackingwaves from the enemy; clouds of gas may forcehim to put on his gas mask, which diminishes 208. #
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