Re: Help! Please! I am trying to analyse this source but don't know what this quote m
What the quote is saying is that to be a good soldier you need to have tough and strong shoulders, back, and core body strength to carry all your gear and to 'grunt' through it and to be not bright enough to question your orders or to use your common sense to realise and voice out that trench warfare and the tactics being employed are stupid. That's why riflemen (infantrymen) are nicknamed 'grunts' in English speaking armies. In all armies and through the ages of warfare, one of the main facets of the life of an infantryman is to carry very huge loads on your back and to march (it's known in the infantry as 'tabbing' or 'yomping') very long distances. That's one of the main things the infantry does and trains for regularly as it is a crucial skill to master. Fitness, and physical and mental toughness are very important to be a good rifleman. In the army, if you are an enlisted man or woman you never question your orders from your superiors, no matter how retarded they may seem. You must always follow them and in the armed forces you are inculcated this idea. Insubordination, even if it is bleeding obvious that that's the most rational path to achieving an objective or to save lives must never be done and the effects of this could be fatal to an army, as your questioning of orders may delay your unit's part in a synchronised attack on the enemy and thus increases the likelihood of the mission to fail. It also costs the loss of needless lives lost in an attack that could have been succeeded, but didn't due to the lack of support from your unit that was delayed from your remonstrations to your commanding officer. That's explains why you need to be 'weak in the head to be a good infantryman'. In a nutshell, the quote is saying that to be a good soldier you need to be tough and to be resilient to pain and to always follow orders from your superiors, no matter how silly they may seem to you.
'The physical demands are extreme. All of the combat necessities such as ammunition, weapon systems, food and clothing and shelter are literally carried on the backs of the infantrymen. Combat loads of 80lbs are common and greater loads in excess of 100lbs are not unheard of. [1] These heavy loads, combined with long forced foot marches and patrols of up to 25 miles a day, in any climate from 110 degree heat, to -20 degree cold, there is no escape from the elements, ensure the development of strong bonds and mutual respect between infantrymen, in and out of the armed services. [2]
Despite these extreme physical demands, an infantryman is expected and highly trained to continue on with the mission despite personal fear, despair, fatigue and injury. This is exemplified in the United States Army by an excerpt from the infantryman's creed
In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous; Armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country's trust. Always I fight on: through the foe, to the objective, to triumph over all. If necessary, I fight to my death.[4]
United States Army Rangers, a specialised light infantry, have their own Ranger Creed that demands faithful service from the infantryman even "...though I be the lone survivor."
Though the skill of infantry has no direct civilian correlation, valuable life skills that cannot be taught in any classroom, such as discipline, courage, team work, initiative, loyalty, trust, empathy, stress management, "lead by example" leadership, as well as many others contribute to the success that many face in the civilian world regardless of occupation.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry
It is unlikely that the quote has to do with a trench raid as trench raids were usually done with the lightest and necessary of gear possible. nothing superfluous or unnecessary was carried. The purpose of a trench raid was generally to disrupt the enemy, to collect intelligence that might be useful for your side, and to reconnaissance the enemy's position, defences, firepower, manpower, and readiness for a future possible attack in the area. It wasn't to gain territory as a small party of men would be massacred and overrun very quickly in the German trenches when it hit daylight. So, all that was usually carried by the one of the soldiers of the trench raiding party on a raid was pliers to cut the barbed wire, an SMLE rifle (revolvers for officers in the British Army or Luger pistols for those enlisted men lucky enough to capture one or to steal one from a German POW) and Mills bombs and as much ammunition as possible. Empty bags would also be carried to put the captured enemy material in.
Also, rolling barrages were only done in large offensives from 1916 onwards and not done for a trench raid as it would alert the enemy of your incoming presence. Trench raids required stealth, speed, momentum, surprise, and the violence of action to succeed and were only carried out by small parties of men.
In my opinion, the quote probably has to do with Aussie infantrymen coming up to the forward trench line for an offensive early tomorrow morning. Seeing that the quote is from a Digger's recollections of the Somme, most likely the quote is from a Digger of the Australian 1st Division about to mount the first Australian action on the Somme at a place called Pozières. This probably explains why he has written about all that heavy gear needed to occupy an enemy trench that they carried with them and the heavy bombardment before the attack (the AUS 1st Division attacked Pozières at 12.30am on 23 July, 1916).
Sorry for the prolix post.
