- practicable to equip each man with an intrenching tool. According
to all experience, it is sufficient to furnish every other man with spade or pick. In addition to this, however, a company requires a large number of wire cutters. Only the French infantry is equipped with explosives, every regiment having 108 cartridges.
The following table shows the intrenching tool equipment available in each battalion:
+========+===================================+=================+=======
| FOR EARTH WORK. | FOR TIMBER WORK.|
-+-+-+-+-+-
|Small Intrenching|Large Intrenching| Small | Large |
| Tools. | Tools. |Intrenching Tools|
-+-+-+++-+-+-
|Spades.|Mattocks.| Spades.| Picks. |Hatchets.| Axes. | Total.
-+-+-+++-+-+-
Germany | 400 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 35 | 8 | 513
| | | | | | |
Austria | 400 | 64 | 8 | 16 | 8[1] | |
| | | | | | |
Italy[2] | 32 | 8 | 36 | 18 | 62 | |
| | | | | | |
France[3]| 448 | 128 | | | | |
-+-+-+++-+-+-
5. THE LOAD OF THE INFANTRYMAN.
The load carried by the infantryman should not exceed one-third of the man's weight (84 kg.), or not more than 28 kg. According to the "Regulations for the Employment of Infantry Equipment, M/95," the load of a soldier whose height is 1.67 m. (the equipment consisting of new experimental pieces) is about 27 kg., distributed as follows:
- ↑ Each company has 4 pioneers, which carry intrenching and carpenter tools
in addition to their rifles. These men are formed into a pioneer platoon of 64
men in each regiment. - ↑ The adoption of portable intrenching tools, 50 spades and 12-15 mattocks
per company, is contemplated. - ↑ The following demolition tools are available in each battalion: 64 picks,
64 fascine knives, and 16 wire cutters. Sappeur sections carry in addition a
mattock or a pick apiece, and each ammunition carrier also carries a pick, a
fascine knife, or a saw. The large intrenching tools are apparently being changed
at the present moment.
