Chinese barrage

[manxman]

I was reading a Regimental history where mention was made of a "Chinese barrage", can some one please explain what this is please.

thanks

[paul guthrie]

Well a Chinese attack was a diversion, not real, must be the same.

[John Milner]

A barrage would commence in preparation for an infantry attack, then it would cease and the infantry would prepare to attack, as normal, but the infantry attack was a feint to get the Germans to man their parapet, once manned the attacking infantry would take cover in their own trenches, and the artillery would open up again on the, now manned, enemy trenches.

John Milner

[manxman]

thanks, anyone know why "chinese"?

[John Milner]

Manxman

Perhaps, "in those days" the Chinese had a reputation for being sneaky and underhand, and of course, inscruteable.

John Milner

[Greg]

I think Ormonde de l'Epee Winter who was RA and later head of Intelligence in Ireland admits it somewhere - he was the devious one- he even managed to get away with killing a 'yob' who threw stones at him whilst putting on the Cam before the war- smashed his head in with a punt pole. A real 'character' if that is not too polite. Not sure about the attribution and I have definitely read a quote somewhere

Greg

[Clive Harris]

A chinese barrage is exactly as John puts it, all indications were given to the enemy that a raid is about to take place, a sector of the German line would be targetted by divisional artillery and then after a brief pause (giving the enemy time to "Stand To") the barrage would commence again, it was not uncommon for our own troops to leave only minimal men in the line during these type of operations as a retaliation from German Artillery was almost inevitable.

There is a good account of a "Chinese barrage" in Sidney Rogerson's "Twelve Days" that took place near Guedecourt on the noght of the 13/14th November

[gem22]

General Sir Martin Farndale in History of the Royal Artillery puts it slightly differently.

" a Chinese Barrage was a barrage fired in order to mislead the enemy into thinking that an attack was coming in its direction when none was planned."

Garth

[Geoff Parker]

Chinese barrage or Chinese attack was an attempt to mislead the enemy

into thinking that an attack was going to take place. RE's in France built

cardboard figures (similar to those on a military rifle range) mounted as a group

horizontally onto a wooden base. By activating a lever or pulley the figures would

then pop up vertically. I am sure these were referred to as a Chinese attack.

If a group of figures popped up above the parapit you would assume the enemy

would open fire on them. Whether the ploy was to get the to disclose any MG

positions I don't know.

I have never read any accounts of them being used but I certainly have drawings

and plans for them in a RE manual printed in the 20's.

Geoff

[koyli]

Hi All,

The use of dummy figures as mentioned by Geoff, is mentioned in the book "From Rideau to the Rhine and back (6th field Coy CEF), page 50:

(The unit was at that time, together with the two Canadian Divisions on the Messines Ridge front)

"The 13th(October1915) broke clear and bright with a light breeze from the west. At 2.00 p.m., our filed guns started cutting wire. Dummy figures were manipulated by wires and rifles with fixed bayonets exposed above parapets on the 1st Division front as though an attack were imminent......"

"Our demonstation was in support of an inconclusive three-day fight near Hulluch for possesion of the Hohenzollern Redoubt."

LF

[n cherry]

The 47th London Division used wooden figures in a 'chinese attack' on 25th September at Loos on 25th September 1915 and it is mentioned in either the 1915 Official History or their own Div History...intended to be a feint/diversion away from the main thrust towards the Double Crassier.

[Tim Birch]

thanks, anyone know why "chinese"?

The Chinese certainly had a reputation for craftiness and cunning.

My Grandfather who had been in the Great War often came out with the expression "Damned clever these Chinese!" whenever he was confronted by something innovative.

Tim

[ianw]

"Chu Chin Chow" was the stage sensation of London from August 1916 through to the end of the War (and beyond, I think). It involves tricking bad guys (based on Ali Baba). Perhaps this could have influenced the Chinese Barrage/Attack terminology.

[Tom Morgan]

I've heard that the word "Chinese" was often used in those days to denote something false, or a version which is not quite right.

We don't have many examples of this remaining nowadays, but we still have the game of "Chinese Whispers" in which a player starts off by whispering a phrase to the next player, who whispers it to the next, and so on, everyone passing on what they think they have heard, until it gets to the last person, who then says it out loud and compares it with the original phrase.

Perhaps a better example is "Chinese Checkers" - a game invented in the USA in the 1870s. It has nothing to do with China, but it was called Chinese Checkers because it was similar to draughts ("checkers" in the US).

Tom

[Geoff Parker]

In case anyone's interested, the following information was taken from "The

RE in the European War 1914-18"

Chinese Attacks

Dummy Silhouette figures were first made to supply a demand from 46th Div

in May 1917 for use in a raid. Their purpose being to draw off enemy fire. The

original 300 supplied were made of 3ply wood and hand painted by all the talent

in the RE park and was completed in 4 days. (the book does not elaborate on

how these worked and I assume they made have be individually hand operated

as the book goes on to say)

The problem of rapid execution was then studied and eventually they were made

of stout millboard, stencilled and made in ten different types which covered the

various attitudes that might be assumed by a man between lying down and

standing upright. The work was carried out by unskilled woman labour and in view

of the demand that arose, became a standard factory production.

They were used;

To draw off a real attack

To test an enemy barrage

To make they enemy disclose his MG positions and defensive arrangements

To make him man his parapets and expose himself to shrapnel.

In one Corps attack during 3rd Ypres the Corps Cyclist Bn was specially trained

in the use of these figures. The silhouette figures were carried up the night

before the attack and placed in positions where they would be seen by the enemy

immediately they were raised. The base was fixed to the ground by staples, and

a wire run from the head of the figure to another staple immediately in front, this

wire being of such length as to allow the figure to be raised just short of

perpendicular. As the ground permitted, groups of up to six figures could be

operated by one man. The fixing and placing in position of the figures had to

be carefully done and by men previously instructed in the work.

Examples

on July 28th 1917, 3 days prior to the attack by Fifth Army, a practise barrage was

carried out along the whole Army front, some 300 figures were placed in position

and worked for half an hour along the Corps front. The results obtained were

that the enemy was discovered to be holding his front line, and five MG's were

identified and located. On this occasion the figures were left standing to show

the enemy he had been fooled.

On 26th September 280 figures were mounted and work for some twenty minutes

during which time they were all smashed and rendered useless by enemy MG

and rifle fire. They were of matieral assistance to the attack of one infantry

brigade between Langemarck and Hollebeke, as they occupied the attention and drew the fire of the enemy from the direction of the attack.

The discription then goes on to describe their use in a raid on the Hulluch front.

They were also occasionally planted in no-mans land at night for use at a later

date.

Here is the plate from the book showing the silhouetes and how the operated.

[Ali Hollington]

Pretty sure Edmund Blunden makes reference ( in Undertones of War) to the use of dummies during an attack. If my memory is correct these are described as much more of an amatuer affair being made of straw and sandbags. The dummies work and are shot to pieces, not extactly encouraging as you wait, knowing your turn to go over the top is coming soon.

Regards

Ali

[Guest]

Chinese Attack - this is fully described in the War Diary of the 55th AIF Battalion in Order No. 94

                 dated 13th March 1918.  I am currently following the WW1 history of some of my fellows,

                 so far on 27th story and this is the 1st time I have come across this type of attach,

                 even though this is not the fist time I have been in the 55th Batt.

                  Diana. DipFamHis. UTAS