Tracer Ammunition

[Piscator]

I've just done a search on the site for any reference to this ammunition but could'nt find anything about it. I know it was used fairly early by the RFC for balloon's but was it used to any extent in the trenches, and what spacing was used in belted ammo. I would have imagined that to use it at night would have given the gunner's position away. Any idea's ?????

Len

[Robert Dunlop]

From Spears' superb book 'Prelude to Victory':

'This year [1916] tracer-bullets were being experimented with. I succeeded in persuading our authorities to allow a party of officers to come and see a field exercise in which they were to be tested with the French equivalent of a Lewis gun [presumably the Chauchat]. The more favourably to impress them, warm red wine was provided to counteract the chilling effect of the deep snow in which they had to stand.

These exercises were a very curious sight. In order to keep down the heads of the trench garrisons to be attacked, the men were being trained to fire from the hip as they advanced. The reason why I remember this occasion so well is probably because it was strange and lovely, lovely as some things were during the war, Very lights suspended like brilliant stars from the dark still sky, for instance. The tracer bullets, showing up pink against the snow, made the most beautiful curves and arabesques as they rose high or ricocheted at incredible and fantastic speeds like fireflies in an eastern night.'

While tracer would have given away the position of the source, it would allow the gunner to shoot more accurately at night. This could give them a greater chance of suppressing the defenders. I do not have any evidence to support this though.

Robert

[Paul Reed]

I have found 1916 dated tracer ammo on the Somme, so it must have been in use then.

[Piscator]

Thanks Paul, & Robert, I've been wondering when and if they used it in the trenches, obviously if we had it then the Germans would have had it. I presume that this ammunition was available for the Lewis gun as well as the Vickers? It would have been useful to create a beaten path behind the front line in order to prevent reinforcements being brought up and any resupply. The only experience I've had with anything like that was the old Bren and close range weapons on ships, it was quite interesting to use the oerliken and 40mm bofors, specialy for an engineer, we had a skipper who insisted we were able to replace guns crews in emergency. Was the belt ammo 1 in 6 or more?

Len

[RichardH]

http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/303hist.html

Not sure of accuracy of this but he states, as a history of the .303 round:

"Tracer, armour piercing and incendiary cartridges were adopted by the British Government during 1915, explosive bullets having been approved for service in 1916..."

Regards

Richard

[Chris Henschke]

Some of the problems of early tracer were;

"1. in AA work

(a) it discloses the position of the M.G. to a hostile 'plane and therefore more or less approximately the position of camps, horselines etc.

( The bullet 'lighting up' at the muzzle of the gun causes a blinding action to a certain extent to the gunner, who after firing a few rounds has difficulty in again 'picking up' his target.

2. in field work it is practically useless as it definitely discloses the location of the gun."

One idea put forward by an Australian Sapper was submitted that involved a delay.

Obviously, the idea was eventually adopted because that is how tracer works now, i.e., most tracer starts to burn at about 200 metres.

This is a diagram of Sapper Shuttleworth's suggestion. I cannot substantiate whether or not his specific idea was initiated or not.

Chris Henschke