The Development of Infantry Doctrine – part four
Regiments attacking first broke up into their battalions, one next to another, and then again into company columns. A company forming an attack column had its first and second platoons adjacent three lines deep, each line following the other. The third platoon was put in front, usually half of the platoon forming a skirmish line advancing about 100 meters ahead of the battalion. About 50–100 meters behind the skirmish line followed the second half of the platoon as soutiens(French word for reinforcements) to fill losses and to “swarm in” in case the firing line needed reinforcements. There were contentious experiments in dispersed formations in 1872; however, by March 1873, there was a royal decree codifying the company as the normal offensive formation. Lines would be permitted but not in a dispersed formation. Each battalion had two companies advancing next to each other in the formation described above. The third company followed in pure column formation (without a skirmish line) about 150 meters behind the first two companies and also flew the battalion flag. During the Franco-Prussian War, there was a strong tendency to break up the company columns into skirmish lines earlier in order to avoid heavy losses caused by Chassepot fire. The establishment resisted this change as the army reprinted the official regulations in 1876. The army corps commanders continued to influence training and doctrine, and the company commanders continued to drill in column formations. This formation was repeated during the maneuvers in which thin skirmish lines were followed very closely by the attacking columns of the second wave from which a decision was expected. Maneuvers were often conducted on open terrain to allow for easy movement.
Shortly after the Franco-Prussian War, an improved infantry rifle, the model 1871 designed by Paul Mauser, was introduced. This rifle replaced the outdated and difficult-to-handle Dreyse rifle with its fragile firing needle. The Mauser had an improved bolt-operated lock and fired stable brass cartridges instead of the quite fragile Dreyse paper cartridges. In short order, the model 1871/84 improved repeating rifle replaced the 1871 rifle; it used the same lock as the model 1871 guns but had an eight-round tube magazine under the barrel. Although the model 1871/84 still fired black powder cartridges, it was a repeating rifle allowing a murderous rate of infantry fire at distances up to 1,600 meters. Starting with the rifle model 1871/84, there were long discussions trying to justify the need of a special Jäger rifle. Still the French were faster in taking the lead in the arms race by introducing their model 1886 Lebel rifle that fired 8 mm smokeless powder (cordite powder) cartridges. Those “small” caliber rounds had not only a much higher range and higher muzzle velocity, but they were also much lighter.
The Prussians tried to compete against the Lebel rifle with the model 1888 “commission” rifle that was hastily designed by the Royal Prussian Rifle Commission (Königlich Preußische Gewehr-Prüfungskommission) that also fired smokeless 8 mm rounds. The initial technical design of the rifle revealed severe teething problems and required numerous redesigns before it was really operational by the mid 1890s. The technical requirements of the new 8 mm caliber were widely unknown and were often discovered only after numerous accidents with bursting barrels. There was also an issue of cracking ammunition shells that led to explosive gases blasting into the shooter’s face. The French seemed to face basically the same problems with their Lebel rifle since they also had to go through numerous redesigns until the final Lebel rifle M. 1886/93 was used until the end of the Great War.
Bavaria was equipped with Werder rifles and all other contingents with Dreyse rifles. The model 71 single-loading rifle was introduced in the 1870s and replaced by the improved model 1871/84 during the second half of the 1880s. When the last 71/84 rifle was produced in 1888, the introduction of the model 1888 had already been decided. In 1898, the Gewehr 98—again designed by Mauser—followed and was redesigned for the 8 mm “S” cartridge in 1903. Although the model 98 rifle was the standard gun of the German army in 1914, many reserve and Landwehr formations were fielded with model 88 rifles, carbines, or model 91 rifles (a short and carbine-like version of the model 88 used by the foot artillery). It took until 1916 for almost all German formations to be equipped with model 98 guns.