You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: Showcase-Sunday: Goodbye cobber...
Howdy sir galenkp! Great telling of this battle! I've never heard of a charge with unloaded rifles!
Howdy sir galenkp! Great telling of this battle! I've never heard of a charge with unloaded rifles!
It was done a lot by the British. The enemy were only metres away so the idea was to drop into the trench and run people through with bayonets. The British never seemed to want to keep their men alive. The thing is that the Nek was Aussie soldiers commanded by the British...Still, they did their job I guess, despite knowing the outcome ahead of time.
That is the most insane battle tactic I've ever heard of. But the "acceptable losses" in WWI was insane.
It was done so the advance was not slowed. They saw speed as the key...Reach the trenches, drop in and start killing...They were afraid if the rifles were loaded the men would stop to shoot and reload slowing the impetus of the advance. They did this right across the Western Front too. Of course, the Aussies said, bugger you mate, and loaded. It has happened a lot over history, the unloaded advance.