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The Rise, Fall, & Rebirth of the 'Emma Gees' (Part 1)

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The Rise, Fall, & Rebirth of the 'Emma Gees' (Part 1) The Rise, Fall, & Rebirth of The ‘Emma Gees’ (Part 1) by Major K.A. Nette, PPCLI First published in the Infantry Journal, No 8 - Winter 1979 The term “Emma Gees” was the nickname used The formation, in 1974, of the Tactics Doctrine for machine gunners during World War I. I Board to study the tactical employment of thought it an appropriate title for this series of machine guns was the first of the labour pains articles as World War I was the Canadian accompanying the rebirth. The document they machine gunners’ finest hour. They were the first produced is well on its way as an amendment to to perfect the machine gun barrage and the first the official machine gun CFP. It also forms the to form machine gun units. They became the basis of the tactics instruction given students on recognized authority on machine gun the Advanced Machine Gun Course, employment and their techniques were eventually reintroduced in April 1977. adopted by the British, French, Belgians and Italians. Between the wars and during World War As Small Arms Platoon Commander at the II we still maintained dedicated machine gun Infantry School, these past two years, I have been units. The state of the art remained high until the closely involved with everything concerning late 60’s when the machine gun became a “hey machine guns. I have preached to students at you” weapon. In five short years we came close every level, from the potential platoon 2IC to to losing expertise that had taken 50 years to future company Commanders. There is one develop. group, however, that I have been unable to reach - the regimental officers currently in command When I was first commissioned in 1963 (not positions in our battalions. I am hoping that really all that long ago) our battalion machine through the Infantry Journal I can reach this gunners were considered specialists, the same as important group. the mortarmen, pioneers and anti-tank gunners. On exercises, we normally had a machine gun I first decided to write this article while a DS on section attached to the company. Their guns were the Infantry Officer Phase Four Course, last always well sited and carefully coordinated with summer. During a TEWT, one of the other DS, the battalion plan. This all changed; however, an officer I respect as a competent professional, with the introduction of the APC. Suddenly we criticized a student on the way he had deployed became a machine gun battalion. and went one of his platoon machine guns. The DS was a through the motions of teaching the troops how graduate of both the Company Commander’s to load, unload and fire these weapons but their Course and the CLFCSC at Kingston. The tactical employment was neglected badly. A few student, however, had recently attended an dedicated souls attempted to keep the art alive Advanced Machine Gun Course. The gun in but their efforts were doomed from the question was sited perfectly and complied with beginning. The machine gun wing at the School one of the basic principles of machine gun of Infantry disappeared and the advanced employment. The DS simply didn’t know. How machine gunner qualification was deleted from many other blissfully ignorant people do we have the books. commanding in the field right now, I asked myself. Thus this series of articles was launched. 1 This is not a fire and brimstone presentation battalions. They were organized into four damning every officer who has ever misused a batteries, each of four two-gun sections. They sat machine gun. I am not without sin myself; around in their section groups waiting for the therefore I am not qualified to throw the first signal to move out. Some were still finishing their stone. Neither is it an outlet for my own theories. supper of bully beef and biscuits, but the more It is strictly an elaboration on how Infantry experienced ones slept, for it would be a long machine guns should be employed according to night. Official Canadian Forces Doctrine. The young private was too nervous to either eat It is often said that the secrets of the future can or sleep. He turned to the lance corporal lying on be learned in the lessons of the past. Canada’s the straw next to him and said, “What’s it really machine gun heritage is most worthy of study and like in the trenches, is it really as bad as they say?” for that reason, I have devoted the entire first “Worse at times,” the NCO replied, “but don’t article to it. The article is in two parts: World War worry, lad, the Old One was up on a recce last I and World War II. The World War I segment is night and he says these holes are pretty dry right as authentic as a thorough study of official now. You may have lucked in for your first tour.” histories can make it. All of the events described “What is going to happen tonight?”, the young actually happened. The Old One, however, is a soldier continued. “I know the Old One briefed figment of my imagination. The World War II us all this afternoon, but would you believe I characters are all real. Lance Corporal Doug can’t remember a word of it.” Riggs exists and is currently a Major in the Cadet Services of Canada, working out of Oromocto, “Don’t worry about it, lad,” the veteran assured New Brunswick. To him go my thanks for his him. “We all went through the first tour jitters. patience during those hours when I tried to You’ll settle down after a few days.” (I’ll have to match his memories up with the official Canadian keep a close eye on him for those few days, Army history. though, he thought to himself.) Let us now slide our minds back 60 years and join “The company will probably start moving out in the Old One and his “Emma Gees” as they about 20 minutes. We’ll be the last to leave as we prepare to take their place in the front lines. don’t have as far to go as the other batteries. We’ll leave our limbers at the beginning of the The Old One communications trench and pack everything forward from there on our backs. There will be a A low overcast hung over the pock-marked field guide from the section were relieving and he’ll east of Arras that night in August 1918. All was take us forward to the gun pits. The guns go in quiet in the small French farming community just first with as much ammo as we can carry. Then behind the front lines. The men of the machine we’ll make as many more trips as are necessary to gun company lounged around, making get the rest of the area, water, rations, etc up. If themselves as comfortable as possible, waiting for we are lucky, the guns we’re replacing won’t have the sun’s last rays to die. They had moved into been in much action lately and will have lots of the village that morning and now waited for the ammo on the position. If that’s the case, we just cover of darkness before relieving their sister take it over from them and they replace it from company of the 2nd Battalion of the Canadian- our limbers on their way out. It saves us all a lot Machine Gun Corps. They were a mixed lot. of work. We do the same thing with tripods, but Some were veterans of many battles while others for a different reason.” were new to France and had recently graduated from the Canadian Corps Machine run School at “Yes, I know all about that.”, the young soldier Aubin-St Vaast. Some had been Machine interrupted. “By leaving their tripods and aiming Gunners for years, while others had only recently stakes in position, we just take over their range joined the Corps from the various infantry 2 cards and don’t have to worry about registering we wake him up?” the young soldier asked the targets.” lance corporal. “That’s right,” the lance corporal answered. “Not just yet,” he replied. “As I said before, we “There will be lots to do for the first few hours will be the last to leave, so we’ve got a little while and we probably won’t get any sleep tonight, but yet. Let him rest.” It wasn’t long, however, until don’t worry. I’ll be right beside you to tell you one of the battery runners appeared and said: what to do.” “get ready, Captain says we’ll be moving in about 10 minutes.” “I couldn’t sleep anyway,” the soldier replied. “Don’t those guns ever stop? They’ve been going The lance corporal carefully nudged his left all day.” shoulder and the Old One awoke instantly, his reflexes honed to a fine edge by his years in the “After a while you get so tired you don’t notice trenches. Instinctively, he reached for his gas them until they do stop. Then, you’ll be wise to mask, and reassured by its comforting presence, stay alert because it is sure as hell a signal that took quick stock of the situation. He listened to something is going to happen. You had better the gunfire and by its tone, knew he wasn’t in the concentrate on keeping your head down anyway front lines. He glanced around and suddenly it all for the first few days and don’t get too curious came back.
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