Page:Machine-gun tactics (IA machineguntactic00appl).pdf/133

 the war between Russia and Japan that the latter brought up mountain guns on more than one occasion to silence the Russian machine guns.

At Kinsan on June 26th, 1905, when the Japanese were attacking the position, the Russians brought up two machine guns against the 43rd Regiment and a mountain battery at 3 p.m. The battery at once silenced the machine guns, and by 5.30 p.m. the hill was in the hands of the Japanese. Captain Niessel, of the Russian Army, gives another instance. "It was on August 31st at 7 p.m. that the Japanese decided to drive the machine guns out of the village of Goutsiati by artillery fire. Knowing that their infantry had been checked, they posted at the village of Datchaotsiati a battery which showered on us shrapnel and high explosive shell. Although the men had taken cover behind a wall of earth, we had many wounded and could not breathe freely until nightfall, when the enemy ceased their fire, to which we could not reply on account of the distance. At 9 p.m. I was ordered to evacuate the position."[B]

The moment the infantry assault is successful, the machine guns must be pushed forward into the captured position to secure the ground gained and to repel counter-attacks. As the confusion at this moment will be considerable, it will seldom be possible for the machine-gun