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If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The training of an infantry company - -Author: Edward Kirkpatrick - -Release Date: February 3, 2023 [eBook #69943] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Brian Coe, Bob Taylor and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRAINING OF AN INFANTRY -COMPANY *** - - - - - - Transcriber’s Note - Italic text displayed as: _italic_ - Bold text displayed as: =bold= - - - - - THE TRAINING - - OF AN - - INFANTRY COMPANY. - - - - - =CATECHISM ON FIELD TRAINING= - - (=INFANTRY=). - - -A series of Questions and Answers on all subjects of field training, -extracted from the latest official TRAINING MANUALS, together -with miscellaneous information, practical exercises and examples -progressively arranged. - - _Revised and brought up to date by_ - - =COL. H. O’DONNELL, p.s.c.= - (WEST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT). - _SIXTH EDITION._ - - - CONTENTS. - -Elementary—General Principles of Attack and Defence—Miscellaneous -Tactical Operations—Warfare in uncivilised Countries—Protection -on the Line of March—Protection when at Rest—Methods of obtaining -Information—Quarters, Camps, and Bivouacs—Field Engineering—Diary of -Training. - - _Fully illustrated with 30 pages of Plates and Diagrams._ - - - =One of the numerous Press Opinions.= - - “The book is most comprehensive, for every branch of the soldier’s - life is touched upon, and every situation or emergency seems to be - anticipated. Colonel O’Donnell’s publication is quite a military - encyclopædia.”—_Empress_, Calcutta. - - - =PRICE 3/- NET.= - - _From the Printers and Publishers_, - GALE & POLDEN LTD., - WELLINGTON WORKS, ALDERSHOT, - And at London and Portsmouth. - - - - - = _The_ TRAINING= - - OF AN - - =INFANTRY COMPANY= - - - _By_ - - Major E. KIRKPATRICK, I.A. - - —————:O:————— - - - 2ND EDITION. - - - _London_: GALE & POLDEN, LTD., - - 2, AMEN CORNER, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. - - Nelson House, PORTSMOUTH & - Wellington Works, ALDERSHOT. - Obtainable from all Booksellers. - - _TWO SHILLINGS & SIXPENCE_ (_Net_) - - (_Copyright under Act of 1911._) - - - - - ALDERSHOT: - - PRINTED BY GALE & POLDEN, LTD., - WELLINGTON WORKS. - - 1914 - - - - - PREFACE - - -This booklet has not been written for the use and benefit of officers -and non-commissioned officers of long experience and proved skill -in the profession of training men for battle. To such as these it -may only provide an object of criticism, for in the course of years -spent in turning recruits into trained soldiers they will have -formulated to themselves, and adopted, some system of training which -they found productive of the best results under their own guidance. -But there are many at present, and at a future time, should certain -circumstances arise in the life of the nation, there may be very many -more who may not have such stores of experience to draw on, and yet -may be faced with the problem of rapidly converting an untrained or -only partially trained body of men into a force capable of acting -successfully in real war, both in attack and defence against trained -and disciplined troops. Again, it is written, not for officers -commanding battalions, nor for officers of cavalry and artillery, -but only for officers commanding companies or other similar units -of infantry, though it may, perhaps, be of use in training mounted -troops for dismounted action. - -Meantime, while the pipes of peace are still smoking, it is hoped it -may be of some use to officers and non-commissioned officers when the -time comes to prepare schemes of company training and put them into -execution. - - E. K. - - _September, 1913._ - - - PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. - -Since the above was written, the issue of new or amended Manuals -of Training has necessitated a revision of the book, which is now -presented in a form agreeable to the four-company organisation. - -The Empire is now confronted by those circumstances to which allusion -was made in the Preface. - - E. K. - - _September, 1914._ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix - - INTRODUCTORY REMARKS— - - I.—The Intention of the Book 1 - - II.—Making the Best of their Companies - to Train the Modern - Man for the Modern Battle 4 - - III.—The Standard of Training - assumed to have already - been acquired and its application - to further Exercises 9 - - IV.—Ground for Training—Its Use - and Influence—Palliation of - the Lack of a Training - Ground 11 - - V.—Company Organisation—Moral - and the Personality - of the Commander 16 - - VI.—Discipline—Moral and Means - of Supervision 22 - - VII.—Organisation by Files and its - Effect on Moral—Cohesion 27 - - VIII.—Method of Training 31 - - IX.—As to Scouts and Working - Dress 37 - - - EXERCISES - - I.—Individual Advance in Extended - Order 38 - - II.—Retirement by Pairs 48 - - III.—Individual Training in Use of - Fire and Fire Discipline 52 - - IV.—The Assault 60 - - V.—The Section and Platoon in - Attack 64 - - VI.—The Section and Platoon in - Retirement 74 - - VII.—The Section and Platoon in - Independent Attack 78 - - VIII.—The Platoon as Advanced and - Flank Guard 84 - - IX.—Preliminary for the Attack by - the Company in Battalion 89 - - X.—The Company in Attack with - the Battalion under Artillery - Fire 93 - - XI.—The Company in Attack with - the Battalion under Rifle - Fire 97 - - XII.—The Company in Attack Acting - Alone 105 - - XIII.—The Company in Retirement 107 - - XIV.—Outposts 112 - - XV.—Defence 142 - - XVI.—Hasty Expedients 163 - - XVII.—Night Operations 171 - - ———— - - A SCHEME OF COMPANY TRAINING 181 - - - REFERENCES AND ABBREVIATIONS. - - I.T., 128 (3) = Infantry Training, 1914, - Section 128, para. 3. - - F.S.R. = Field Service Regulations, - Part I. Operations, 1909 - (Reprint 1912). - - T. & M.R. = Training and Manœuvre - Regulations, 1913. - - M.F.E. = Manual of Field Engineering, - 1911. - - - - - A FEW PRESS OPINIONS. - - - “UNITED SERVICE MAGAZINE.” - -Major E. Kirkpatrick is the author of a small book on “The Training -of an Infantry Company.” There have been so many books and pamphlets -of this kind—short cuts to knowledge—that one is apt to regard -each fresh one with suspicion and even with aversion, but Major -Kirkpatrick has much that is helpful to say, he says it well, and -he shows how much good work may be done even in the training of the -emasculated companies such as our military system so often leaves us. -His instructions cover a wide field, and there must be few company -officers who will not be grateful to the author for many valuable -hints. - - - “UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION OF INDIA.” - -There are few junior officers of infantry who will not benefit by a -study of this book. The thorough system of training elaborated in the -seventeen exercises, which form the major portion of the book, is -worthy of the attention of Regular as well as Territorial Officers. - -These elementary exercises deal with the essentials in the war -training of the Infantry soldier, from the work of the individual -in advance and retirement, and of the section in action and on -protection duties, to the training of the company in attack and -defence, and outpost. - -As an example of a system of training illustrating the necessity of -attention to detail in the early instruction of the soldier, this -series of exercises is valuable, and their value is increased by the -constant reference to training manuals. The author wisely recommends -the study of all the official books referred to as he recognises -that his exercises and comments are only of value in so far as they -illustrate and explain the principles laid down in training manuals. - - - - - THE TRAINING - - OF AN - - INFANTRY COMPANY. - - - - - INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. - - -The authorised handbooks of training rightly confine themselves to -broad principles, and do not attempt to give detailed examples of -their application, the idea being that officers should study these -regulations and apply the principles by the light of local conditions -and their own experience. Infantry Training and the Field Service -Regulations are, however, very pregnant little books, containing, -as they do, a summary of the whole of Modern Tactics, as far as -they concern infantry and the combined action of all arms. Time -and thought are necessary, if the principles contained in them are -to be translated into such intelligent action that the men trained -on the lines laid down may be capable of doing their duty in real -warfare, without first undergoing a bitter and costly schooling of -useless casualties or, perhaps, even of defeat. But if an officer -is called on to achieve this result, being himself without much -previous experience in training, he will find himself faced with a -task of great difficulty, and, with the best intentions, he may waste -precious time, as well as his own and his men’s patience and energy, -in doing parades and exercises, which are either not indispensable, -or of minor importance for the main object. As an extreme example, -it would be better, in a hastily raised corps, to combine the -disciplinary training of obedience to the word of command, with -instruction in the use of their arms, by practice in smart work in -aiming and firing, than merely to study precision in “sloping” and -“presenting arms,” which look well, but do not immediately affect -fighting efficiency. - -For these reasons, it has occurred to me that I might do some of my -brother officers _in esse_ or _in posse_ a service by setting out -certain elementary exercises in training infantry soldiers, which -I have found of value in bringing them up to a standard of battle -training sufficiently high to need only battalion training and a -baptism of fire to turn them into steady and reliable troops. It is -not contended that these few examples are anything but concrete -instances of the application of the principles of the Training -Manuals. They are intended, as has been stated, merely for those -who are short of time and experience, and, therefore, references to -the manuals are given when the exercise illustrates some particular -section of those works, and it is recommended that officers who -intend to use these examples should look up and read the sections -referred to before going on to the parade. - -Though this book is not meant for officers commanding battalions, -I have one word to say to them, and it is this, that if they wish -to have an efficient battalion they must let the company officers -have proper opportunities of training their companies, apart from -the time of company training, when the whole company is struck off -duty. If there are six parades a week, let three or four of them be -company parades, ordered and carried out by the company commanders; -the balance will be quite enough to secure combination between the -companies in battalion. On company parades, the battalion commander -should supervise, but never interfere, unless things are being -manifestly mismanaged. (See T. & M.R., 2 (2 and 3)). The days of -the one man battalion are gone for ever. The company is the thing -that matters; a good battalion can only be composed of well-trained -companies. It is the work of the battalion commander to propound -the general lines of training and to use the companies to the best -advantage in combination, but the training of the individual soldier -must be in the hands of the man who is to lead him in war. - - - II. - -On ordinary parades, the captain of an infantry company is seldom -able to get together more than a fraction of his men. The calls on -the company for men for duties and odd jobs, leave and furlough, -and, in the Territorial Force, the private occupations of the men, -allow of only a few being assembled on any one parade. This being -so, there is a temptation—sometimes yielded to by officers who have -not much experience, to say to themselves: “This is rot; what can -I do without any men?” Such a question is the result of confusing -the individual instruction of the men with the tactical practice of -the leader in handling his company as a whole. The answer too often -takes the form of an hour’s close order drill or something similar, -which may do some good, but not nearly as much as if the officer -stoutly made up his mind to make the best of a bad job and took out -those few men and did some practical training in field operations. -The fewer men there are on parade, the more individual attention -will the company commander be able to give them. He will be able -to look at each man’s work more carefully, talk to the men and get -to know their characters as soldiers, spot who are likely to make -good non-commissioned officers, and coach them far more than if the -whole company were on hand at once. So do not turn up your nose at a -company only twenty strong, but make up a scheme of exercises to be -gone through, and, since the men who are not on parade to-day will be -so to-morrow, arrange to do the same exercise on two, or, if needed, -three, consecutive days, so as to catch all, or, at least, most of -the men, and your non-commissioned officers, who are not usually so -drawn on for off-parade duties, will become well acquainted with each -exercise, learn what to do and how to run things, and so become both -a help to you as instructors, and themselves gain authority and power -of command from the knowledge of their own competency. - -It is quite likely that these exercises and the explanations given, -may seem to some readers to be absurdly simple and needlessly -long-winded, while there is also a good deal of repetition. To this -I will make early reply that they are written for officers who are -not too proud to accept other people’s advice in training a company -of young soldiers of the stamp which would be forthcoming if some -cause[1] or other tempted or constrained into military service that -great proportion of our male population who are at present quite -ignorant of a soldier’s work, and who, from apathy, or a hundred -other causes, do not join the Territorial Force. Such men probably -have never in their lives given a thought to soldiering. The majority -of them are town born and bred, and have passed most of their lives -among bricks and mortar. If they have ever looked carefully at the -large or small features of a bit of country, it has been from an -industrial, sporting, or, perhaps, sentimental, but never from a -tactical, point of view. They have everything to learn in making use -of ground for fighting. Their ideas of using modern arms are equally -crude; the primitive fighting instinct will be uppermost in their -minds, and would express itself in an incontinent desire to get to -close quarters with their enemy, when bayonet, butt or hand grips -would seem the proper way to settle the matter. A very laudable -desire it is—this of wanting to close in—and one to be encouraged by -every means, but however brave troops may be, they cannot in general -indulge their desire to attain close quarters and the resulting -facilities of fighting by the light of their natural instincts unless -they have first been successful in the fire fight—the strife of the -arms of artifice—which is waged by bullet and shell at distances -which Nature never contemplated. - -It is the artificiality of the fire fight which makes the task of -turning town-bred men into skilful soldiers such a difficult and -lengthy process. They must be led to look at ground in relation to -its capabilities of increasing the effectiveness of their own fire -and also of diminishing the result of that of the enemy, i.e., they -must learn to select good fire positions and good cover. The problem -of finding the latter for himself against a civilized foe begins, for -the individual soldier, as soon as the enemy’s rifle fire becomes -effective and compels the use by his side of extended order; this -is held to be on open ground about fourteen hundred yards from the -enemy’s infantry (I.T., 118 (4)). Prior to this the responsibility -for cover rests with his leaders, as he will then be in some close -formation. Fire positions he must choose for himself as soon as -his section commander ceases to be able to indicate his wishes, or -to secure combined action by the whole unit. This will probably -happen at about six hundred yards from the enemy, when individual -fire is expected to replace controlled fire by sections. These two -aspects of fighting—the use of ground, and the use of the rifle as a -far-reaching weapon of almost absolute precision, if truly sighted -and aimed—are foreign to our instincts, and the average man has to -be trained till he is able to override his instinct and fight an -artificial war, so as to work his way to charging distance. Some men -need less training than others; a stalker in a deer forest is an -adept in the use of cover, and in general, country-bred men should -be easier to train than town-bred, but the majority of our men -being the latter, we must lay ourselves out to teach them from the -beginning this business of the fire fight, since success in this is -usually necessary before the assault can succeed (I.T., 121 (7)). -This can only be done by training them in extended order and putting -them through various exercises chosen for the purpose. Any exercise -which does not in some way tend to fit men for battle is mere waste -of time; aimless perambulations of an extended line fall under this -category, but are quite often to be seen on parade grounds. No amount -of smartness in close order drill will compensate for a deficiency of -field training. - - - III. - -The exercises which I have drawn up, simple though they are, are of -the nature of “Instructional Operations,” as defined by T. & M.R., -40 (12), and it is presupposed that the men have received, or are -in course of receiving, sufficient instruction in the use of the -rifle (musketry in all its branches), and of the bayonet (bayonet -fighting), in drill in close order, and the drill grounding of -extended order work, including signals (I.T., 90-96). We are then to -consider ourselves to be at the stage in which the soldier is to be -taught to work over broken country as directed in the latter part -of para. 90, above quoted. But do not think the lessons learned at -musketry instruction are to be forgotten and left behind by the men -when they begin to work in extended order across country. Demand -from your men that the rifle shall be deadly, and, by unceasing -supervision, breed a habit among them of aiming and firing in -extended order, whether with or without blank cartridge, with the -same exactitude as when firing their course of musketry on the range. -Take the high standard—a hundred men’s lives in one man’s bandolier, -instead of a hundred bandoliers for one man’s life. The higher -standard of the two is at least possible, though not common, but why -not try and work towards it, so that when bullets are flying within -decisive range of the enemy, it will be your men’s fire, that is the -deadly close-hitting kind, that makes afraid, and not the haphazard -jet of bullets whose inefficacy lets unhurt familiarity breed -tolerant contempt? - -In the same way, when men are in close order at any time during a -field parade, keep up the same smartness, and quick obedience to -orders which are exacted in close order drills, in order that the -men may become truly disciplined, and not merely so in appearance, -so when they come under fire without being extended, as may happen -in the early and distant stages of a fight, they will, as a matter -of course, submit themselves to their commander’s wishes, and ignore -their own inclinations, which, just at the first experience, even -with very brave men, might be for an immediate and independent rush -in some direction—perhaps forward, perhaps in another direction—they -will be “in hand,” and free of the liability of raw troops to suffer -from sudden panic or to become a mob, full of fight, perhaps, but -still a mob, and as such, a force which cannot be controlled or used -in furtherance of any general plan. - - - IV. - -The want of a suitable and accessible bit of ground on which to train -our men is one of the chief difficulties we have to meet in the -United Kingdom, and, of course, it is greatest in the case of town -corps, varying with the size of towns, while in large cities ground -is not to be had at all, save at a distance of several miles from the -men’s dwelling places. Unfortunately, there is little doubt that the -possession or lack of suitable training grounds has a great effect -on the readiness, or otherwise, of troops to give a good account of -themselves when they come under fire for the first time in their -lives. The lack of it takes away reality from the work of the men -in the ranks and cramps the initiative of their officers, who are -given no opportunity to exercise their wits in figuring out practical -situations which might occur on service. - -I can give no recipe for obtaining the use of ground, but from what -I have just said I hope it is clear that the officer commanding a -battalion or company should use every blandishment or art of which he -is capable to get the use of a stretch of ground, and also, if it is -at a distance, and the attendance of the men at parades voluntary, -he should try to provide facilities for getting them to and from the -ground. The worst bit of country is better than the barrack square. - -The ideal ground is that which gives conditions suited to each phase -of the training, the principal requirements being fire positions -and cover, and these should occur so as to provide illustrations -of the use to be made of them in individual training, and in the -collective training of sections, platoons, and the larger units. -Thus, for training individual men, good ground would be that with -an irregular surface, giving many places twenty to fifty yards -apart, which each man could use in firing and taking cover. The -usual seaside golf course of hummocks, furze bushes, and occasional -watercourses, is good to teach individual men over—I say teach, -for we must not imagine that an enemy will be so kind as to leave -easy ground like that in his front, if he can help it. For section -or platoon training, the surface should be similar, so that the -individuals should still be called on to look out for their own -halting places, but, in addition, there should be a certain number -of small features, hillocks, banks, and so on, one to four hundred -yards apart, which will serve as fire positions and cover for the -whole unit, and provide the commanders with successive objectives, -to which it will be their duty to bring their men in good order, -and without needless exposure to the enemy’s fire. When the company -is training together, the ground should be similar, but of greater -extent, both broader and larger, so that sections and platoons may be -practised in supporting each other, some being halted in these fire -positions, and covering by their fire the movements of the others who -are in process of gaining fresh vantage points. And so on for larger -units and the combined action of all arms; good ground for early -instruction is that whose features, from their nature and distance -from each other, lend themselves to illustrate conditions under which -the power of each unit and arm may be most profitably employed in -conjunction with others. Troops trained over ground that gives the -above advantages will acquire an eye for country. A knowledge of the -uses to be made of ground will be common to all ranks, so that when -they find themselves fighting on bad ground, which does not give much -cover or good fire positions, they will be the more apt to search for -such cover and fire positions as are obtainable, while troops trained -on flat and open ground would be much slower in making the best of -a bad job. We are not concerned with anything more than a company; -therefore, get for your own use, if you can manage it—failing help -from higher powers—a bit of ground of some sort, golf course, common, -city park, or what not. It need not be very extensive. Even if it -gives only three or four positions suitable for occupation by a -section working in conjunction with another, say, six hundred by -three hundred yards, it will give room for useful instruction; but, -of course, a larger extent is preferable, as giving room for more -extended and varied exercises. If your training ground is of limited -extent, it should, nevertheless, if possible, have a wide field of -view on all sides beyond its own confines, and leave you the right -to send a few men to take positions on the adjoining country, even -if not allowed to manœuvre about it, so that when carrying out your -exercises you may be able to use men with blank cartridge to act as -a skeleton enemy, when such is needed. But if you are not allowed -to send men on to the neighbouring ground, the wide field of view -will still enable you to indicate certain distant positions as -_supposed_ to be held by the enemy. By this means you will be able -to use the whole area of your permissible ground to represent a bit -of the battlefield, and escape having to place the supposed enemy -absurdly close to your manœuvring troops, e.g., at the edge of the -training ground, or in some other position which makes heavy calls -on the imagination. Britishers are not imaginative. Lastly, if all -else fails, and you have nowhere to go except the flat parade ground, -or even the drill hall, which in large towns is often very spacious, -do not, I beg you, become discouraged and throw up all effort to get -your men ready for field work. Do the exercises on the flat, limiting -the extent of movements, if there is little room, and use flags or -anything else to represent fire positions for sections and platoons, -and let the men kneel or lie down between advances, if there is no -cover. A great deal may be done in this way to lay a good foundation -for extended order work. Your men will know the mechanism of it, and -you will save much time when you do manage to have them out on a -proper training ground. I.T., 107 (2), requires company commanders, -in preparing their schemes of training, to have regard to the ground -at their disposal; do so, therefore, even if the ground aforesaid -is only a parade ground, and make the most of it; it is better than -sitting still and either doing nothing, or only a weary round of -company drill in close order. Of course, you must let the men know -what you are driving at, or they will get bored and lose interest. - - - V. - -Having got a company of men and ground to train them on, the first -step is to organise that company for its battle training. A company -is organised into four platoons, each under a subaltern, with a -sergeant as his second-in-command (platoon sergeant). Each platoon -has four sections, and the sixteen sections of the company are -numbered one to sixteen. The men of each of the above units remain -permanently in that unit. _If possible_, maintain this organisation -on duties and fatigues, though this is often a counsel of perfection, -but quarter the men together, and insist on the maintenance of the -organisation, _without deviation_, on parades. Have lists made up of -the men of each platoon and section, and let men who so wish, belong -to the same unit. Once these lists are made up, see to it by means of -the section commanders that these men fall in on parade together in -the place in the company where their section is standing, no matter -how few there are; if there are but two men of one section on parade, -they should fall in as front and rear rank men of one file. Avoid -disseminating the men of a platoon or section among other units in -order to raise the latter to a sizeable strength. Instead of this: -supposing you have three weak platoons and one strong one on parade; -of the four sections of one of the weak platoons, send two to each of -the other two weak platoons. This will give you three platoons of, -perhaps, unequal strength, but sufficient for work—and this without -taking the responsibility of section commanders off their shoulders, -and the cohesion of each unit is preserved. Some further suggestions -on the subject of organisation will be put forward when speaking of -_moral_. - -The officer who aspires to develop whatever capabilities his men -possess of becoming individually and collectively formidable -in battle, must pay attention to much more than mere physical -considerations. Napoleon’s dictum, that the moral is to the physical -as three to one is early dinned into the ears of the officer of -Regulars, but may stand repetition in pages meant for the perusal -of others. No officer can expect to get the most out of his men -unless he directs his attention to the study of the psychical side -of the training. There are two fields in which the study must be -pursued. One is the officer’s own personality, the other that of -his non-commissioned officers and men. T. & M.R., 8, deals with the -former, and should be read and pondered over. - -In battle good men have sometimes achieved victory in spite of the -shortcomings of their officers, but good officers, as well as men, -are necessary for consistent success in the series of battles which -make a campaign. Now, good officers, given time for training, will -infallibly produce good men, provided the latter are of the average -physique and courage. Therefore, study thyself, and try to see -what you lack, in order to become a good officer. Cultivate your -skill in handling your men by reading any books you can get; there -are, unfortunately, not very many that deal with the work of such -small units as companies or even single battalions. Go out into the -country, or, if you have not time, recall to yourself some bit of -country you know, and import an enemy into the landscape. Perhaps a -few riflemen are holding ground on the flank of a road along which -your battalion wants to march, but cannot, without undue loss, until -these riflemen are driven off; and your commanding officer tells -you to do the driving. In imagination, or on the ground, decide -what position you would hold, if you were the enemy, in order to -make yourself as nasty as possible—though having no hope of being -reinforced—to the battalion trying to come along the road. Then -settle in your mind what you, as commanding your company, would do to -get rid of the annoyance. Be quite clear, what would you do? Go at -them bald-headed? There are times and enemies when this is the best -way; you would have to be fairly close, and the enemy not shooting -very straight, and rather careful of his skin; or will you march a -long way round till the enemy sees you are getting behind him, and so -manœuvre him out? Then your battalion will be a long time waiting. -Or will you look at the ground and find, let us suppose, a spot to -which you will send a section or platoon to open a fire on the enemy, -while another works its way to a point you have noted from which -fire can be brought to sweep crossways a little knoll, or some such -supposititious feature which seems to form the enemy’s left flank, -and to be occupied by ten or twelve men, and which gives command -over the rest of his position? Then, while the second lot is on its -way, you plan to lead the remainder a little way round, under cover, -in order to get to fairly close range of the knoll, so that when the -second party opens fire on it, and its defenders are hampered both -by this fire and by that of those you first posted, you may surprise -them by an outburst of fire from your reserve, and either drive -them off their perch by cross-fire from three directions, or, if -they do not shift, run in at them with the bayonet, trusting to get -across the intervening space at the cost of a few casualties, when -your superior numbers at that point should ensure your success even -if they actually await the bayonet. Learn to consider quickly how -many ways there are of doing such a job as the above, and to decide -quickly and rationally which is the best. - -These schemes, involving only a company or two, will not be presented -for your solution by your battalion commander; you must set them -yourself, and their solution, and the thinking necessary thereto -are the best methods an officer can get of training himself without -having his men on the ground. In your mind’s eye, put your company -into every situation you can think of, and get it out again, and you -will have acquired an enormous reserve of capacity for acting quickly -and rightly when your men and your enemy are both on the ground. But -beware of dealing in too short distances, or you may produce unreal -pictures of war. Do not imagine manœuvres at four hundred yards from -the enemy when every man exposed would be hit in a few minutes. The -clearness and decision of thought you acquire will be reflected in -the orders you give. Your men will give you their confidence when -they see, as they are quick to do, that you know your job. There -is nothing more disheartening for a subordinate, be he private or -colonel, than to feel he is under control of a duffer, whose mistakes -he will have to correct. This feeling saps discipline, and quickly -destroys the fighting value of a body of men. In peace training, the -men become sulky at being “bothered about,” lose interest in their -work, and wish themselves done with parade. In war, their personal -characters usurp the control of their actions, and they become a mob -in uniform. - - * * * * * - -But in addition to possessing the confidence of the men in your -tactical ability, you should seek all other means to increase your -influence over them. Gain their respect in other ways, by honesty -of purpose, by example, tact, devotion to duty, and so on. Gain -their goodwill by watching over their individual and collective -interests, though in this you must play to the gallery sufficiently -to let them identify you as the source of benefits received. Keep -an even temper, and do not show anger without good cause. Personal -attachment to their officer shows itself most when men’s powers are -taxed by hardship, fatigue, and danger; it is then a great auxiliary -in maintaining discipline among the mass. - - - VI. - -As regards the _moral_ of the men, I.T., 1 (4 to 10) must be referred -to. You _must_ introduce discipline—the habit of subordinating -personal inclination to the orders of the superior promptly and -without cavil. If your men are raw, you have to go slow just at first -till they all know what is expected of them. Let them understand that -orders are not given haphazard, but are invariably based on some good -reason, which, being so, there is no need for reasons to be always -stated, nor for recipients of orders to feel unhappy for want of -them. If you can induce a feeling among the men that slackness on -parade, slowness in obeying orders, and so on, are bad form, and -tend to disgrace the company, you will do well, and this good spirit -will enable you to enforce discipline without having recourse to -punishment, if you are vested with the power of inflicting it. - -I have already said that when in close order during tactical -exercises, you should maintain discipline in the ranks. I now go -further and say that you should maintain it when the men are extended -or detached from the company singly or in small groups. Evidently -the discipline here needed is something more than mere mechanical -obedience. What it is, is to be found in T. & M.R., 39 (4), and -F.S.R. 12 (13), and I.T., 116 and 117. Make the men understand that -when they are extended they must obey their unit commander’s orders -and signals as to fire and movement at once, and without hesitation, -and must be always on the look-out for them. Allow no talking, except -what relates to the business in hand, such as passing of orders or -information, results of fire, and so on. Hold the men responsible -that if they are out of reach of the control of their leader, it is -their duty to carry out the spirit of the orders under which they -set out. To bring their responsibility home to them, you must make a -point of calling men occasionally to give an account of what they -did when detached, and why they did it, so that they may pause for a -moment if they are of the sort that take advantage of opportunity to -sit behind a hedge and smoke a cigarette when they ought to be up and -doing. - -Here you will naturally say that this is all very well, but how is -one to look after men scattered here and there over several hundred -yards of rough country? Here come in the non-commissioned officers, -of whom, so far, no mention has been made, and also your subaltern -officers. Since success in battle will depend largely on the -efficiency of fire unit commanders, and the normal fire unit is the -section (I.T., 6 (4)), it is evident that the section commander is a -very responsible person, and much must be expected from him. - -Your subalterns and platoon sergeants you must use as your delegates -in supervising and leading the platoons to which they belong, except -when they are needed to act specifically as platoon commanders, -keeping themselves constantly on the move among the men, looking -at the details of the work, sighting of rifles, aiming, use of -cover, choice of lines of movement, not lying down themselves nor -participating in the operation as combatants. When you wish to give -them practice in setting exercises themselves, turn the whole company -over to one of them and act yourself as critic, or act as subaltern -under his orders. This is one means of supervision. - -The next is your non-commissioned officers. They are in direct -command, and you must hold them responsible for their sections, -but when their units are acting in conjunction with others, it is -evident they cannot act both as commanders and instructors unless -certain concessions are made, for if the non-commissioned officers -as well as the men of a section were to act as they would have to do -under real fire, each non-commissioned officer might be able only to -supervise a man or two on his right and left, the rest being too far -off. Therefore, at the beginning of an exercise, you should tell the -non-commissioned officers whether, in addition to giving executive -commands, they are to be at liberty to move about freely and act as -instructors also. Needless to say, in instructional exercises, and -until the men are quite seasoned, you should let them do this, but, -on the other hand, in exercises meant to illustrate actual conflict -and the limitations imposed by the presence of an enemy, they should -pay attention to those limitations so that they, as well as the -men, may be prepared to endure the disabilities imposed by Service -conditions. - -Next comes yourself. Once you have given your subordinates your -orders for any exercise, leave them to carry it through, and make -yourself as ubiquitous as may be in supervision. Keep criticism for -the end, and interference only for the prevention of absurdities. To -make yourself ubiquitous, the best way is to use your horse, and make -the noble animal do the running about with you on his back. You can -then get through about six times what you can on your own feet, by -cantering from one section to another, and you get a better view of -the whole performance, but you must remember when correcting anything -the men are doing that you are mounted, while they are probably -kneeling or lying, and much that you see is invisible to them. Equip -yourself with a pair of field glasses, and also with a megaphone, -which latter should be about fourteen inches long, and carried by a -strap over the shoulder, the strap punched so as to be capable of -being made long or buckled up close under the arm, according as you -need to use the megaphone, or wish to get it out of your way. Use -your glasses to look at what sections and individual men in them are -doing. They will reveal to you small mistakes that escape notice at -some distance with the unaided eye. The megaphone saves you a lot of -small excursions to get to earshot of men, and also a lot of shouting -at a distance, which is fatiguing, and is apt to lead to exacerbation -of tempers, both of the shouter and the listener. Moreover, it -enables you to hear as well as speak from a distance. This is done -simply by holding it aimed at the other man with your ear instead of -your mouth at the mouthpiece. Use your whistle to call attention to -orders or signals, carry it in your hand, not in your pocket, and -put a loop in the cord and pass the loop over your middle finger, -or you will be always dropping it. Instead of a cane, carry a small -semaphore flag, and give your signals with it. This saves a good deal -of arm-waving, and tends to smarten up movement, as it is more easily -seen than the arm. By bringing all these aids into your service, -you will find that you can make your influence felt, although the -sections are separated by the greatest distances which they are ever -likely to be called on to take up in battle. - - - VII. - -Besides discipline, there are certain other moral influences which -give strength to an Army. These are indicated in I.T., 1 (4 and 5). -The two mighty forces of religion and patriotism are not treated -of here, as they have their roots not in any system of training, -but in the upbringing of the youth of the nation, but there is one -force which you, as a humble commander, can call into play, and that -is shame—the dread of losing the respect of oneself and of one’s -comrades. During peace training you may make men dread the public -shame of misbehaviour by the aid of those means of supervision which -I have suggested, but in war the power to supervise is greatly -curtailed, and it is very desirable to find something to replace it, -and, at the same time, to supplement a too absolute reliance on the -stoutness of men’s hearts, for this may prove a broken reed when the -troops are largely composed of unseasoned soldiers. - - * * * * * - -To a certain extent, the organisation of the company into permanent -sections provides us with the substitute we desire, as the men of -sections are likely to be cognisant of how their comrades behave -when out of view of the rest of the company as long as the whole -of the men of the section are in view of each other; but this will -not always be the case: for example, in wood fighting or in house -fighting, both of which would assuredly occur if our men have to -fight in Europe. In such fighting everything comes down to the -pushfulness of the individual soldiers, for even sections will lose -their leaders. Therefore let us carry the principle of the company -organisation logically one step further, and make the men of a file -as they fall in on parade in the section act in conjunction for the -remainder of that parade. This arrangement is recognised in the last -edition of the Musketry Regulations, and has, at various times, been -adopted in former drill books of our Army, and has given excellent -results, while, if the present book does not prescribe it, at least -it countenances it (I.T., 123 (12)), and I strongly recommend your -introducing it into your company. It is likely to produce emulation -in the fire fight among men whose hearts are in the right place, and -in the assault it must produce the advantages of combination, for two -men coming on with the bayonet in conjunction are far more likely to -do someone an injury than if they each came on independently, since -in the latter case a cool and skilful antagonist might dispose of one -and then the other, even as the Japanese are said to have stepped -aside when charged by the Russians, who, running forward blindly and -head down, fell an easy prey to their alert little enemies, and were -bayoneted in succession as they arrived. The proof of this pudding is -the eating thereof, and if your company ever happens to be alongside -a company told off daily into haphazard sections, as is sometimes -done, in spite of rules, you will then see the difference, even if it -is only at manœuvres. In close order they may still look alike, but -let them be extended in rough country, and you will see that yours -is the blade of steel; the particles of its metal are coherent; it -will bend, but not break. The other is of wrought iron, polished on -the surface but of brittle material, and sure to fly to pieces in any -rough usage. By this file organisation you will produce in the men -in the ranks the highest degree of cohesion—the habit of regulating -their own actions in accordance with the actions and needs of others -in furtherance of one general aim. - -Having secured this cohesion among the men, you have still to -produce it within the company as between platoons and sections. -For cohesion is the coping stone of the edifice of efficiency, -and rests on a basis of discipline, moral and training. It makes -possible the application of the principle of mutual support -which is indispensable in the attack (F.S.R., 105 (4)), and it -enables retirements and defensive action to be carried out without -disorganisation, and with the minimum of loss. Whenever sections act -together, see to it that the non-commissioned officers keep an eye -on the movements of the others, and question them as to the extent -their orders to their sections should be influenced by the needs and -movements of the others. By this means they will be induced to check -the inclination to play only for their own hands, and to remember -always that their unit is part of a combination which can best attain -success by acting accordingly. - - - VIII. - -Training is the preparation of officers and men for the duties which -they will carry out in war. These duties consist in the application -of the principles contained in the training manuals, and it is your -business to provide concrete examples. But in these days of long -range arms combats take a very long time, and you cannot expect in -a parade of perhaps one or at most two hours, and with a limited -extent of ground, to carry out all the varied phases of an operation -which, in warfare, would take anything from six to eighteen hours to -complete, and would extend over perhaps five or six miles of country, -even if we limit ourselves to the extreme ranges of heavy artillery, -and take no account of movements not within the range of possible -fire. Therefore, in your training, you must be analytical, choosing -for one parade such phase or phases as you have time and ground for, -and doing the others later on. When your company knows all it can be -taught thus piecemeal, it will be early enough to try to get time and -ground to perform continuous operations. - - * * * * * - -For instance, infantry in the attack will usually have to go through -three phases: first, the advance to fire positions; second, the fire -fight (I.T., 121 (6)); and, third, the assault, which latter must be -divided into the charge and the steps which follow it according as it -is successful or not. You will have to train for these three phases. -The first, against an enemy armed with guns and rifles, would consist -in opening out from column of route into little columns—sections or -platoons—and moving forward in this formation, the main object being -to escape being smashed to pieces by his artillery fire before being -able to do him any damage (I.T., 118 (3)). Later, you would come -under his rifle fire, and your little columns must scatter out into -lines of men in extended order (I.T., 118 (5)). These movements seem, -and are, very easy, but still they must be practised in peace if they -are to be done coolly and without confusion in time of war when the -first intimation of the necessity for opening out may be the shriek -and crash of what will be to most of the men the first shrapnel they -have ever seen, and withal aimed at themselves. This phase requires -the presence of all four platoons of the company, and so may be kept -over till the men have been trained in the phase which it precedes, -namely, that of the fire fight. - - * * * * * - -The fire fight begins when the attacking infantry have got as far -forward as they can without having to reply to the enemy’s fire, and -it is quite distinct from the preceding phase of passive endurance. -Success in the fire fight is an absolute necessity for a successful -assault. Possibly your enemy has prepared your success before war -broke out by abstaining from training his men in musketry, but even -if his shooting is inferior, the fire fight will call into play -all the qualities and skill of which your men are possessed, both -individually and collectively. Accordingly you should practise them -in the fire fight from the opening of their fire up to the assault, -first individually and then collectively. - -The assault can be dissected into the fixing of bayonets with -as little cessation of fire as possible, the charge itself, -followed, according as it is held to have been successful or not, -by the rallying of the troops, pursuit of the enemy by fire and -strengthening of the captured position, or the withdrawal or such -mitigation of the results of failure as may fairly be attempted. -Thus, by considering the attack as made up of phases as above, it -is, I think, possible and instructive to practise each one of them -separately, on a short parade, and on limited ground, by placing -the men in the order in which they would be at beginning of any one -phase, and carrying on from there. - -Before beginning any exercise, call your non-commissioned officers -out to the front, and explain to them and to the men, in very full -detail, what the exercise is intended to be, what points particularly -require attention, how you want it done, and the sequence of events, -if it involves combined action between the different units; whether -the company is supposed to be acting by itself or as part of the -battalion, and, if the latter, whether your side are having the -support of artillery fire or not, where the enemy is, and what he -is, i.e., is he infantry only, or has he also cavalry and guns, what -he is supposed to be doing, attacking, defending, retiring, marching, -or what. Deal with all such points before you start, otherwise you -will find your non-commissioned officers and men filling in the -blanks each according to his own bent of imagination, and everyone -in consequence playing at a different game. To be thus able to -define the scope and arrangements of the exercise, you must have it -clearly planned out in all detail in your head. This you should do if -possible the day before the parade, so that you will have the thing -well thought out, and events marshalled in logical sequence. - -At all exercises, if possible, have the enemy represented by a -skeleton force, as directed by T. & M.R., 48, a few actual men with -blank cartridge, and a red range flag or two to roughly define the -enemy’s position. Use for this purpose old soldiers, if you have -them, or, at least, men who have already performed the exercise -you mean to do, and it is better to take one or two men from each -platoon than to send off a whole section, and so break up the company -organisation. Six or eight men are quite enough to form any skeleton -enemy that is needed for a company to manœuvre against. You must give -the skeleton enemy definite orders as to what they are to represent, -where they are to go, and what to do and not to do. If they are given -at all a free hand, especially if under the enterprising British -subaltern, they are very apt to indulge in far-reaching manœuvres, -and subject you to sudden raids and onslaughts which upset your -scheme for the parade, and leave you no enemy at the very point you -wished to have him. If you cannot arrange for a skeleton enemy, at -least never fail to indicate some position as supposed to be held -by an enemy. If your exercise ground is limited in extent, fix the -enemy’s position outside it, regardless of whether you have, or -have not, licence to traverse the intervening space, so as to avoid -carrying out your exercise within impossibly close range of the -enemy. In default of a skeleton enemy to provide you with a target, -tell your men to aim at any members of the public who are about the -enemy’s position. This is better than snapping at inanimate objects, -as it gives more interest and so keeps up careful aiming. As regards -the general method of training, follow commonsense and the manuals, -and work from individual up to collective, bearing in mind always -that collective work is built up of the work of the individuals who -throughout have to be kept up to the collar by the various arts which -I have touched on. The less of the iron hand that is shown the -better. - - - IX. - -I make no mention of scouts, as they are specialists. They must be -selected after you have got to know all the men of your company and -their capabilities. Their training as scouts cannot be carried out by -you personally at the same time that you are training the company. -To be really of use, it will be a whole-time job for one officer, -and you will either have to turn them over to one of the subalterns, -or go with them yourself, preferably the former, if the subaltern -is capable. When they are trained and fall in on parade as scouts -in their sections, it is a good plan to have places permanently -reserved for them as third files from the left of sections (the blank -file’s place) so that they can leave the ranks without disturbing the -formation for forming fours. - -As regards dress one thing is quite certain, and that is that with -only one suit of uniform men cannot appear clean and smart off duty -in it, and yet use it for field work with all the lying down and -knockabout wear involved. In time of national danger, appearances -will go to the wall, and men will do their work at the expense of the -fit of their one and only suit of uniform. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] A cause now exists, and the men have come out. - - - - - EXERCISE I. - - INDIVIDUAL ADVANCE IN EXTENDED ORDER. - - -The exercise portrays what men will have to do when the rifle fire -of the enemy becomes effective, and necessitates extension of the -small columns which are used to dodge his shell fire (I.T., 118 (3)). -This will be somewhere over one thousand yards from the enemy, and -perhaps fourteen hundred may be taken as a maximum. From the point -at which extension from the small columns is made up till the time -of the assault, a line of men in extended order is the suitable -formation, unless there is some covered way leading forward which -can be traversed in file or other formation. Once the advance has -begun it should be carried through as quickly as possible without -exhausting the men too much, and fire should not be opened until it -is absolutely necessary to neutralise that of the enemy, firstly, -because it lessens the speed of the advance and so increases the time -during which the attackers are exposed to the enemy’s fire; secondly, -because once men start firing it is more difficult to lead them -forward; and, thirdly, because it uses up cartridges whose value and -difficulty of replacement increases at every yard nearer the enemy’s -position. - -The exercise is then to train men to gain ground to the front with -the minimum of exposure to the enemy’s fire, and as quickly as may -be, firstly, without firing, and, secondly, while firing themselves, -but in the latter case speed must be subordinated to the development -of a fire of sufficient accuracy and volume to largely neutralise -that of the enemy, for at this stage of the battle advances under -fire will only be possible if it is inaccurate; and the only certain -means of causing it to be inaccurate is by disturbing the enemy’s -nerves and aim by bringing to bear on him the fire both of supporting -troops and of the firing line itself (I.T., 118 (6)). - -The regulations do not encourage the opening of fire by units less -than two platoons at ranges over one thousand yards as the results -do not compensate for the delay. Under one thousand and up to six -hundred it is desired that fire should be controlled and directed, -i.e., the amount, and the target should be specified by commanders -(I.T., 116). Under six hundred yards it is recognised that -individual fire gives good results, and, moreover, control becomes -almost impossible. - -Divide your exercise accordingly. First, teach merely the advance -without firing, letting the men know that they are not to fire, as -a rule, without orders under six hundred yards, and then let them -advance firing at each halt behind cover, choosing their own target -and times of firing as they would do in the stage of “close fire,” -i.e., six or perhaps eight hundred yards up to assaulting distance, -which latter is about two hundred yards from the enemy’s line of -defences. - -This parade is one that can be done with very few men present, but it -is necessary to form them up into sections with a large proportion -of non-commissioned officers. Keep the men in their proper sections, -but, if necessary, join two or three together, so as to form sections -with three or four non-commissioned officers to each. Thus, if you -form four sections, they should each be in reality a boiling down of -the platoons. In future exercises I will also suppose that you thus -concentrate your men, keeping the members of each section together, -and form them into sections of size suitable to the work of the day, -and no further allusion will be made to this. - -Before taking the men on to the exercise ground, you should choose -a point on it from which you intend to start your advance. Some -fourteen hundred or less yards from this choose a position for your -skeleton enemy, who will consist of three or four old soldiers with -forty rounds of blank each. If men are not available, put up a few -red range flags. Whichever are used, put them into some position that -an enemy might reasonably occupy; do not simply dump them down on to -the ground. The skeleton enemy must be told to show up occasionally, -and to open a slow but regular fire as soon as they see your men -advancing, but only to keep it up as long as your men show themselves -in making their advance. A complete cessation of fire will denote -that your men are making such good use of cover as to be invisible -to the enemy. Let your men also know that these instructions have -been given, and that such an advance is the ideal to be sought for, -provided always that it is not absurdly slow. If neither men nor -flags are available you must make believe and point out a supposed -position at a supposed distance. I have already pointed out the -advantages of having a skeleton enemy to work against. - -In front of your starting point, and about four hundred yards from -it, decide on some point at which you will let the men halt after -they have made their way across the intervening space. Here I will -refer you to the diagram. The line AA´ is your starting point, CC´ -the enemy’s position. Your exercise consists in showing individual -men how to gain ground from AA´ as far as BB´, distant about four -hundred yards from AA´, with the minimum of exposure to the enemy’s -aimed fire. Draw up the sections, supposing there are two, on the -line AA´, fifty to one hundred yards apart, and let the men sit down -facing away from CC´ and, if possible, under cover, so that they may -not see how their comrades negotiate the course. Space the available -non-commissioned officers of each section along the course from A to -B and A´ to B´, with orders to supervise and criticise the advance -of each man within the limits of their beats. Allow a belt of twenty -to thirty yards broad from A to B and from A´ up to B´, within which -men must seek their cover. This belt is made broad here to afford -instruction, but when the men work together in their sections, it -will be much narrower, as they will then be extended at intervals of -five or six paces only. Start off one man at a time from each section -to cross from AA´ to BB´, to move as if under fire from the enemy in -rushes from one cover to another. As soon as a man reaches BB´ he -may fall out and watch the movements of the remainder. Do not send -off a fresh man until the preceding one has nearly reached BB´, so -that your non-commissioned officers may have good opportunity to look -at each man as he goes. As for yourself, be active in supervising -both sections, using your horse if you have one. - - DIAGRAM I. FOR EXERCISES I. & II. [Illustration: - - CC´ = Enemy’s position about 1400^X from AA´. Enemy being - represented by men with blank cartridge or flags. - - AA´ = Starting points 1400 yards from enemy’s position. - - Men start from AA´ to cross to BB´ without exposing themselves to - the enemy at CC.´ - - Crosses indicate cover, and the chain dotted lines routes by which - men may advance. - -AA´ to BB´ is about 400^X] - -The following are points to be attended to:—Before leaving their -cover, men must decide where their next halting place is to be, and -make for it quickly, and with decision. There must be no emerging -into the open, and then looking about for a bit of cover to go -for. The length of each rush should not be enough to let the enemy -have time for deliberate aim—fifty yards or so is quite the limit -for this. If there is no cover the men must lie down flat between -each rush. Occasionally it is advisable to make a long rush from -one good position to another at sprinting pace without stopping at -all (I.T., 121 (12)), so this should be practised sometimes, the -non-commissioned officers at that part of the beat being ordered -to tell the men what is needed. Once a man has decided on his next -halting place, and is in wind, he should leave his cover with a jump. -The slow uprising of a figure is sure to draw the enemy’s attention, -and make his fire more accurate than it would be if no intimation -were given him. Similarly, on reaching cover, men should fall down -quickly, and not lower themselves slowly to earth. - -Insist on a careful choice of cover, a very small depression or -elevation, even six inches, is enough to give cover from view, and -therefore helps in escaping aimed fire, but in peace time men will -not take trouble over apparently trifling things like this unless it -is rubbed into them by close supervision. Noticeable objects should -be avoided as the enemy may have taken their range, and they help -him to define a point on which to concentrate fire. If a man makes -mistakes and shows indecision at any part of the course, call him -back to the last cover he left, and let him start again from there -after pointing out what he has done wrong. - - - _II. The advance combined with individual fire._ - -The second part of the exercise is done in the same way as the first, -the men advancing and taking cover as before, but now using their -rifles. They have to be taught to use the cover to advantage, both -as a protection and as an aid to their shooting, and to take pains -in searching for a good target, and in their sighting, aiming and -firing. For purposes of instruction, six hundred yards is rather a -short range to open fire at, and I recommend your making a start at -eight hundred or so, i.e., two hundred yards beyond BB´ towards the -enemy, working up to four hundred. This necessitates judging distance -at beyond the practically point-blank ranges of the Lee-Enfield -rifle, and makes the men use their eyes keenly to spot the enemy, -while it avoids a certain amount of unreality which is apt to attach -to instructional movements carried on in front of a skeleton enemy at -the deadly short ranges under three hundred yards. - -Points which should be considered are:— - -To fire from the right and lower edge of any cover, not over the top. - -Make the men keep a count of the number of times they snap over the -course (i.e., cartridges used), and report to the non-commissioned -officer at the finish of their course. - -Let the men do their own judging distance, and let non-commissioned -officers drop at once on any man who either fails to do so, or -forgets, as they often do, to adjust the backsight. - -Cultivate a habit among the men of looking about for different -targets, not firing only straight in front of themselves, but on -their right and left, so that when they come to fire collectively -they may feel nothing new in being told to open the enfilade fire -recommended by I.T., 116 (11), and also get the custom of watching -for the enemy all along his front. - -These two exercises of advancing with and without firing are -the groundwork of the fighting efficiency of the soldier in the -attack, and will be found to call for every natural and acquired -qualification the individual possesses. Good shooting, quick -judgment, activity, wind, and everything else are needed if the -work is done with full observance of the conditions which would -exist under fire. Put the men through exercises of this sort several -times, and, if possible, on different ground, till they acquire -quickness in choosing cover and the arts that make an expert fighter. -Confidence in themselves will come with the skill they acquire, -and with confidence comes decision of mind, which is really more -important than bodily efficiency. If you have time, a useful rider to -this exercise is to work the men by pairs, as is recommended in the -Musketry Regulations for the observation of fire, and so introduce -them early to the use of the file organisation which I have advised -you to adopt. - - - - - EXERCISE II. - - RETIREMENT BY PAIRS. - - -A sound provision against panic among young troops is to accustom -them to regard a retirement as all in the day’s work, and not as -an exceptional undertaking which their anxiety may invest with -possibilities of disaster. The essence of successful retirement in -face of an enemy lies in the continuous opposition, or appearance -of it, offered to the enemy by one portion of the troops, while -others draw off to take post to cover the withdrawal of the rearmost -portion. I.T., 137, gives the idea in few words. It does not mention -individual training in this, but it is useful to put men through the -movements, both to cultivate cohesion in the ranks, and as a tactical -exercise. It may happen in war that an extended line has to give -ground when engaged with the enemy, and this under so heavy a fire as -to make movement except over short distances impossible without great -loss. Such a withdrawal would mean that the troops are in a very -tight corner, and would test them very highly, but that is another -matter. It may happen, and should be prepared for. A withdrawal -under these conditions might perhaps be carried out by the alternate -movement of men in files covered by the fire of the others, until -such a distance from the enemy had been obtained as to allow sections -or companies to take up the alteration. Up to that distance it will -be simply a reversal of what was done in Exercise I., but worked by -files—a front rank man and his rear rank man, one going back a short -distance, and the other firing to cover the movement. Again, men on -patrol or otherwise detached may have to retire to avoid capture, or -for many other reasons, when they might not be under close and heavy -fire, but still would be under the necessity of preventing the enemy -closing in on them or surrounding them. In this case, the length -of each withdrawal would be much longer than in the former case; -one man would fire while the other made off perhaps two or three -hundred yards at his best speed. Train for both contingencies; it -can be done in one and the same parade. Skeleton enemy as usual. For -the withdrawal under heavy fire, let the sections sit down and fall -out at BB´ (Diagram I.), and put out the non-commissioned officers -between BA and B´ A´ as before. Call out the men by files, tell them -to work back to A and A´, one firing, the other retiring. As a rule -they should retire past each other before halting. The same points -must be observed as in Exercise No. I, and the quicker they are in -movement the better, but they must be taught to go in quick time also -when so ordered (I.T., 137 (4)). - -For the retirement of a file as on patrol, do exactly the same, but -you should work over six hundred yards of ground or so to correct any -tendency to import the short rush into this exercise, which would -be out of place, and also to let men have more practice in looking -for suitable fire positions from which they can both fire on the -enemy, _and from which they can get away when their turn comes_, a -point they often neglect at first. The different nature of the two -exercises must be made quite clear. - -At this exercise you should bring before your men the need of using -all sorts of _ruses_ in a retirement, the use of rapid fire just -before withdrawing, the sham withdrawal acted by ceasing fire, and -retiring a few yards, but only to halt and re-open fire after a few -seconds if the enemy has been tempted to expose himself, thinking the -coast clear, the real withdrawal effected so carefully that the enemy -is not sure whether you are there still or not, and so on; and make -them put their own ideas of these plans into action and tell them if -they are doing what is feasible on service or not. Bar all “manœuvre -slimness,” i.e., anything that could not be done on service. - - - - - EXERCISE III. - - INDIVIDUAL TRAINING IN USE OF FIRE AND FIRE DISCIPLINE. - - -Early lessons in fire discipline can be given in single rank on the -parade ground, but the open country and extended order are wanted for -training men to the fullest extent under service conditions. Only -in the open country can be got the variety of targets, ranges and -the visual training which are necessary for a complete education. -Men must be taught, and taught again, that the taking up of extended -order, and movement over all sorts of ground, in no way mean that -they are to pass at once beyond the control of their unit leaders, or -that it is optional to continue to take any sort of pains with their -shooting just because their non-commissioned officers cannot stand -over them, but have to shout orders from a distance. - -This exercise consists in advancing and retiring in extended order -with fire and the use of cover when halted; but to allow for more -prolonged shooting practice and closer supervision than are possible -when carrying out an attack or retirement as on service, the halts -are longer and movements should at first be made in quick time. - -Put out your skeleton enemy on a good broad front, so as to allow -room for change of targets, and do not have them all in one straight -line, so that each target shall call for a change of sighting. Let -the sections work independently of each other under their section -commanders, who, with the other non-commissioned officers, will have -to act both as commanders and instructors. Bring the sections up to -about twelve hundred yards from the enemy; get them into a line with -intervals between them, i.e., spaces measuring from the flank of one -to the flank of the other, sufficient to admit of each section being -extended to two or three paces between men without its flank men -coming too close to those of other sections, e.g., with two sections -of eight file, i.e., sixteen men each; you must leave room for half -of each to extend to two paces towards the other, and keep a fair -interval; that is, from the centre of each of the above sections of -eight men in each rank you want 8 ÷ 2 (half the number in the front -rank) × 2 (two ranks) × 2 (two paces extension) = 16 paces for the -line extended and an interval of, say, 30 yards, which gives 46 -yards between each section centre to centre. Now, let the section -commanders order the men to extend, lie down, take cover and open -fire. The unit commander, the non-commissioned officer in charge of -the section, is to name the target and distance and also the rate of -fire, rapid or slow, at all distances over six hundred yards from -the enemy (I.T., 116 (5)), unless it is desired on occasion to train -men to do this for themselves. After fire has been delivered, direct -section commanders to proceed with the exercise, giving orders for -advancing, halting and firing, the advance to be made from cover to -cover as in Exercise No. I, but in quick time. Yourself supervise in -chief, and tell section commanders when you want to give orders as -to the firing or movement, and let them give the executive commands, -after which you and they should pass along the lines and scrutinise -each man’s actions in carrying out the orders, questioning them, and -repealing hints you may have given when telling them the object and -methods of the practice, if they appear not to be giving them effect. -The value of the practice depends on the orders you give as to the -firing and the following are suggested:— - -(_a_) Switching the fire of all the rifles on to different parts -of the enemy’s position, sometimes straight in front, _but quite -as often_ at his extreme flanks. This is to introduce the use of -enfilade fire (I.T., 116 (11)) and the habit of giving support by -fire to other units (F.S.R., 105 (4)), by concentrating the fire on -to particular targets. - -(_b_) Distributing the fire laterally along the whole or a part -of the enemy’s front (I.T., 116 (10)). This may be done by giving -the section a particular extent of the enemy’s front, e.g., “from -the dry tree to the gate in the hedge.” The section commander -then allots those of the enemy, who can be viewed within his bit -of front to individual men, or preferably files of men, who are -to treat them as their especial charge and keep on firing at them -till otherwise ordered, or till the enemy shifts. Of course, if -there is not enough of the skeleton enemy to give each file in the -section a live antagonist (and there won’t be on your parades), the -commander must indicate bits of cover which individual men of the -enemy might be expected to use and tell his men to fire at these -spots. This is a most important practice, and needs a good deal of -attention and application before the men get really quick at it. It -means, of course, that on service you will make it your business -to allow as few of the enemy’s riflemen as possible to be free of -the distraction of having some bullets landing about them, to upset -their nerves and aim. Unless some plan is adopted to do this all -along his line, it is all too probable your men will be exposed to -some accurate fire from rifles held in steady hands, and even one -rifle so held has, to my knowledge, caused a loss of eleven men in -as many minutes. This lateral distribution is rather difficult, but -it is easy, compared with the concomitant task of spotting where the -men of the enemy are hidden, if they really try to hide, at anything -but the shortest fighting ranges. The only remedy for this is for -each private to carry field glasses of sorts; you will not get them -from Government, but if any of your men are keen enough to go in -for spotting a hidden enemy for themselves with glasses and would -bring their own to parade, forbid them not, but encourage it. I have -been told that in some of the yeomanry corps in the South African -war nearly every trooper raised somehow and somewhere a pair of -glasses—some were mother o’ pearl and silver-mounted, but did the -spotting all right in spite of that. - -(_c_) Passing orders and changing targets. Under heavy fire -non-commissioned officers will not be able to move along the line, -and orders must be passed either by word of mouth or by written -messages passed from hand to hand; the former is apt to be slow, -and the orders garbled en route unless practised beforehand; the -latter is not very practical as men in action are too busy to read -bits of paper or trouble themselves to see that they are passed on -(I.T., 119 (4)). To practise the verbal method while the men are -engaged in firing at any particular target, give orders to one man -in a low tone (you would have to speak loud if ball cartridge were -being used) to fire at some other target, and to pass the word. -The man then tells his neighbours on each side, and yourself and a -non-commissioned officer then follow the order each way, and when a -man varies it admonish him to repeat just what he got from the last -speaker, no more and no less. In a little time the men will become -exact in taking and passing messages. This method should be confined -to directions about firing; orders for movement should invariably -be given by commanders by word themselves or signal, and men should -not be allowed to repeat these, as it may lead to grave mistakes on -service, as a signal may be seen and acted on by someone for whom it -was not intended. - -(_d_) Besides firing at the skeleton enemy or bits of cover, let -fire be directed at civilians who are moving about in the field of -view. Call on some individual man by name to choose some such target, -and tell him he has to pass the word to the rest of his squad what -target he has chosen and to fire at it. This gives practice in target -definition, i.e., describing its position so that other men can know -just where to look for it. It is not easy in a landscape devoid of -noticeable objects to do this quickly, but it is important, as the -difficulty of locating a well-concealed enemy with smokeless powder -requires that every pair of eyes in the ranks should be engaged in -the search till all the positions of the enemy’s riflemen are seen, -and the information given to everyone in the firing line. Until this -is done, the affair is one of trying to neutralise aimed by unaimed -fire, a pretty hopeless task. Hence train your men to use their eyes -for seeing and their tongues for description. - -(_e_) Accustoming the men to judge distance, and use their backsights -without orders. Judging distance for the men as a formal practice is -confined to ranges under 800 yards, but it does no harm to let them -judge greater ranges. Let the unit commanders define targets to be -fired at, omitting to state the range, and let the men judge it for -themselves and fire. Walk up the line and see that no man forgets to -adjust his backsight for the distance he estimates. If possible, have -the correct ranges taken previously with a range finder, and let the -men know what they are after they have aimed. Each change of target -gives the men a useful lesson in judging distance. - -(_f_) Having put the men through all sorts of paces in the way of -firing while advancing and retiring, in quick time do the same thing -again, but with the movements in double time, and, in addition, -carry out the increases and decreases of the extension, inclines and -changes of direction given in I.T., 93, throughout insisting on the -same steadiness in firing as when in quick time. All this will at -first probably get the men “rattled,” and the benefit of it is that -after some of it they will get over being “rattled,” and will not let -hurried orders or speed of movement interfere with deliberation and -steadiness in shooting. - - - - - EXERCISE IV. - - THE ASSAULT. - - -Exercise III. can suitably be wound up by a practice in delivering -an assault, as this does not take long, and the moral may be pointed -that all fire training is only a preparation for a successful -assault. The fixing of bayonets before assault commonly leads to -a complete cessation of fire in the firing line. This is quite -wrong, as such complete cessation of fire by the firing line must -largely surrender for the time being that superiority of fire which -facilitates the delivery of the assault (I.T., 121 (7)), for it gives -the enemy a chance to take aim again. Supporting fire by artillery -or infantry not in the firing line cannot be relied on when the -firing line has reached assaulting distance. Therefore, do not have a -simultaneous fixing of bayonets, but let one-half fix while the other -fires, and the best arrangement is evidently one that ensures a fire -being kept up along the whole front and not in patches. The system I -have found most satisfactory is to fix bayonets by ranks, the front -rank fixing while the rear rank continues firing, and then the rear -rank fixing while the front rank fires. It may be done by odd and -even files, or other ways, but, the company being organised in files, -the same men are usually in the front and rear rank, and there is no -difficulty in their remembering which they are. The important thing -is to adhere to one system once it is adopted, and have it well -understood by all. It does not matter much if a few men fix bayonets -out of turn, so long as the fire is merely diminished and not stopped -during the time bayonets are being fixed. In the charge, the men -should work by their files, i.e., the two men of each file should act -together and run at the same objective. The meaning of this is that -in actual conflict two men would go together for the same individual -enemy, and between the two of them they would be pretty sure to bring -him to an untimely end, if the enemy really waited for the steel, and -with less chance of his doing damage than if the combat took place -man-to-man; thereafter they could turn their attentions to some other -person. - -For the practice choose and indicate any position for assault; work -sections up to about two hundred yards from it, and then order rapid -fire and bayonets to be fixed. As soon as all are ready, order the -charge to be sounded. (I.T., 124). When the men hear the bugle they -must at once jump from their cover and go straight and hard at the -position; there must be no waiting by individuals to fire a last shot -or two. The rush should be made suddenly and swiftly, so that the -enemy has no time to see what is happening before the men are well on -their way at him. When the position is reached, pass right through -it and well beyond it, to escape hostile gunfire (I.T., 124 (5)), -and then order the “Halt,” when the men may lie down under cover and -open a pursuing fire. Walk along the line and see, with the help of -non-commissioned officers, whether men of each file are together; if -so, it will be proof that they have obeyed the directions to keep -together during the charge. Allow a minute or two of the pursuing -fire, then let section or platoon commanders sound their whistles, -close and reform their sections under cover. On the whistle-sound -(a succession of short blasts), men rise and double to where the -commander is, resume their places, and lie down. This re-organisation -is very important for you as company commander, for by it you get -your men formed up quickly into platoons and ready to be closed -into company or to take fresh orders in the minimum of time. The -usual thing seen is that after the assault the ground is covered -with a mixture of men of all companies staring about, and apparently -thinking the show at an end, whereas on service this is the very time -you may expect either a counter-attack by infantry or a burst of -artillery fire directed on the lost position. - -To repeat the orders of the assault: “Rapid Fire; Fix Bayonets; -Charge; Halt and Take Cover; Commence Fire; Rally and Close Under -Cover,” and be ready for further happenings. - - - - - EXERCISE V. - - THE SECTION AND PLATOON IN THE ATTACK. - - -Having trained the individual men in the work needed of them, the -next step is to make use of that individual skill to the best effect -in combination under orders of a commander. The section is the -lowest unit recognised for _training_ (I.T., 107), and it also is -the normal unit used in firing (I.T., 6 (4)). When the company is -advancing in the attack, or retiring, its sections and platoons will -often be widely separated from each other, and the company commander -cannot look after each one in detail, so that the platoon commanders, -and under them the section commanders, must be fully competent to -lead their men without supervision, in accordance with the general -intention given them before the company opened out. So the training -of men in combination must be accompanied by the training of your -section and platoon commanders. - -The duties of fire unit commanders are laid down in I.T., 116 (5), -and those of section commanders in I.T., 116 and 123 (10). Before -you proceed with this exercise have up these non-commissioned -officers and devote ten minutes to an exposition of what is contained -in the above paragraphs. Dilate on them, and show how neglect of -those duties hampers the company commanders. At the same time, -desire them to maintain among the men during sectional exercises the -standard of individual training which was obtained in the preliminary -exercises. Unless they do so the men will soon cease to apply what -they then learnt, and so forget it in battle until the occurrence of -casualties impresses its value afresh in their minds. Also give them -the gist of what follows as to the advance and description of fire -phases. - -The exercise gives commanders the opportunity of doing what they -will have to do when the company is attacking or retiring, but -without their having to keep an eye on the movements of the other -platoons. The men should now be extended at full intervals as on -service, five or six yards apart, this being held to be the most -that is needed. Put out the skeleton enemy in groups, one group as -objective of attack for each section or platoon on parade, and the -groups sufficiently apart to prevent them interfering with each other -when extended as above, for they are to act independently. Take up -the advance as if at fourteen hundred from the enemy, when his rifle -fire on open ground would compel you to change from small columns -of sections or platoons into the line of extended men (I.T., 118 -(5)). The advance up to assaulting distance, from fourteen hundred -yards, consists (I.T., 121 (7)), in the first place, of an advance -to fire positions. Now Musketry Regulations lay down that fire by -less than two platoons is of little effect over one thousand yards, -so do not encourage commanders to open fire till one thousand yards -at least, and use the space fourteen hundred to one thousand yards -for instruction in getting their sections or platoons forward as -quickly, and with as little exposure, as possible. Secondly, the -advance consists of a fire fight combined with further advances up -to the assaulting position. In this fire fight controlled collective -fire is better than individual fire (I.T., 116 (7) (iii)), so up to -six hundred yards let firing take place, only on the specific orders -of commanders, who accordingly are to name the targets and ranges. In -this phase therefore make them choose forward fire positions and work -their units forward, using controlled collective fire at the same -time. - -Under six hundred yards it is apparently held best to accept the -inevitable and allow individual fire, the unit commanders being still -responsible for getting their men forward up to the position of -assault—about two hundred yards from the enemy. Still at this close -range unit commanders should do what they can to direct the fire, and -especially they should see that men fire slowly and carefully. In -general the rate of firing or snapping is far too fast, and pouches -would be empty long before the assaulting position would be reached. - -Owing to the great importance of training the sections, it is -advisable to let them do this exercise, through both the phases -below, separately from each other, and not in platoon. When they know -all about it, let them work in platoon. - -Having drawn up your sections in line at fourteen hundred yards, -order the section commanders to extend and move on, and signal the -skeleton enemy to open fire. - - -_First Phase: Fourteen to One Thousand Yards, Gaining Ground Without - Firing._ - -Practise the section commanders in all ways of getting their sections -forward without undue exposure or delay, by rushes of the whole -section, man-by-man from one and both flanks and by files, together, -and any other way that suggests itself. Stand over the section -commanders in turn and tell them to advance the section by one method -and then by another, and ask them which seems most suitable for -various conditions of fire and ground (I.T., 118 (4)). The advance -should be steady and determined. Before starting the advance from one -position to another, section commanders are to decide and _must tell -the men_ to what point they mean the next advance to be made (I.T., -108 (2)), in the same way as individual men were taught to mark their -next halting places. - -Attention must be paid to the way in which advances are inaugurated. -Rushes must be sudden and simultaneous (I.T., 92 (5)). The men have -been trained to leave their cover quickly. The unit commander must -give his directions for the next move without getting up (if himself -lying) and tell the men to be prepared; when all are ready, he and -the men must jump up together and rush at once on the word or signal. -The object of this, of course, is to avoid a concentrated fire being -directed on the unit commander, and, perhaps, the two or three men -nearest him, if they get up before the others, which would make it -likely that some of them would be hit immediately, while the rest -of the unit looked for a new leader, and so no advance take place; -whereas if everyone gets on the move together a casualty or two will -not bring the whole to a standstill. Of course, commanders should -lead the way, but they must get in front by sprinting the first few -yards. - - - _Second Phase: One thousand to Six Hundred Yards (Collective Fire) - and Six Hundred to Two Hundred Yards (Individual Fire)._ - -As soon as a section begins to fire, it becomes possible for it to -practise the lessons in the use of fire which were learnt in Exercise -III., such as concentration and distribution of fire. From one -position the commander must choose his next fire position, and work -his section up to it in whatever way is most suitable. On flat and -open ground this position may simply be the halting place of the next -rush, thirty or forty paces to the front, but it is more instructive -and practical to have positions far enough from each other, say one -hundred and fifty or two hundred yards, to necessitate the advancing -section making several successive rushes and using various devices -to gain ground without attracting the enemy’s attention. Practise -sections in all ways of advancing from one position to another, -as was done before firing began, and encourage the use of covered -ways. This exercise, if properly done, represents what the section -would have to do in battle. For the purpose of instruction, the unit -commanders should be allowed to move about as instructors, but when -all ranks have been through the exercise and know what is needed, you -should practise it under service conditions, and tell unit commanders -to behave as if under fire; this is important, as it lets all see -how much will be asked of the individual man under fire, and how -difficult it is to exercise any wide control. - -For the same reason you must in this exercise begin the practice of -ordering casualties of leaders, and carry it on through the whole of -the rest of the training. Order section commanders to be casualties, -and let the next senior man carry on, then order that man to become -a casualty, and let the next one take command. Collect these -casualties with you and let them go round with you, and have for a -time the onlooker’s view of the game. Do not stint in ordering them, -but let every man be ready to take up command. This readiness to -assume command and to carry on the advance in spite of the absence -of leaders is most valuable in battle and on parade for training, -keeps men’s attention fixed on the business, and helps to counteract -disorder when companies and sections get mixed up in reinforcement in -battalion attack. - -Under six hundred yards let the men use individual fire, choosing -their own targets; at this time try to get them into the way of -looking for the targets which most require to be shot at at the -moment—they must be always looking along the enemy’s line, and must -not acquire the paralysing habit of only seeing straight in front of -themselves. - -Call on unit commanders to keep in view the question of expenditure -of ammunition. It is no good ordering men to snap-fire 200 times in -the course of an advance when they would only have 100 rounds in -their pouches on service, and no means of getting more; when blank -is being used they should see that the ammunition of casualties is -collected and redistributed. - -At some time in the course of this exercise the section must be -practised in improving cover as if under fire, i.e., working lying -down. The nature of the work depends on what tools you have, but it -should be attempted if possible. Order the section to do it when -halted together in some fire position. At first they will shape -badly and expose themselves a lot, but if you have time for practice -they get into the way of digging in very quickly. If there are stones -pile up “schanzes.” Attention should be paid to concealment of the -cover, so as not to make it a target for the whole countryside, and -it must give cover from fire or view, or both; one often sees men -making molehills which show up their position without being capable -of stopping a bullet. Better not make them at all than that way. - -Wind up the advance occasionally by an assault, as it is a mistake -to let the idea take hold that the fire fight is the end of all -things. This, I think, is the reason that the word “skirmishing” has -disappeared from the book of training, as it connoted an indecisive -action, whereas the whole spirit of the present training is that it -shall be directed to the delivery of an assault and the ousting of -the enemy from his position. Scouts are the only people who may have -to skirmish in the former accepted meaning of the word, and they -only do so until the firing line joins them, or they withdraw after -reconnoitring. - - - _In Platoon._ - -Next work the sections together in their platoons on similar lines. -Practise again all ways of gaining ground; by rushes of the whole -platoon, or if one or more sections, man by man, and so on, as taught -to the section. Fire should be directed by the platoon commander, and -controlled by the section commander. Teach the lateral distribution -of fire along a given front among the four sections of the platoon. -Teach also the principle of covering fire, one section being sent -to make its way with every use of cover to a forward fire position, -while the remainder continue firing. The first section, on arrival -at the new fire position, opens fire, and the others follow in -due course, one section only being dumb while the movement is in -progress. If there is a choice of good lines of advance it is better -that sections should not follow each other on one line, as the enemy -may have noticed the move and be waiting for them. - - - - - EXERCISE VI. - - THE SECTION AND PLATOON IN RETIREMENT. - - -For the general principles of retirements see I.T., 137. The platoon, -when working with the company, will take its turn at being the -rearmost portion of the troops, and will have the difficult task of -getting away while in touch with the enemy, but its retirement will -be covered by the fire of other portions of the company. On the other -hand, if a platoon or section finds itself beyond support from other -troops, as might happen often enough, it will have to act itself as a -rearguard and retire by alternate parts. - -In both cases great advantage is gained if the position held can be -vacated so stealthily that the enemy shall not be aware of its having -been vacated till the defenders are well on their way to the rear. -For this reason it will be worth while to accustom the men to employ, -when practicable, a procedure used in mountain warfare, withdrawing -the bulk of men first and leaving only a few quick-footed men to keep -up appearances and fire as long as possible and then retiring them -at speed. Also all men must be taught to grovel backwards on their -stomachs from the crest of their fire position till sufficiently -under cover, if there is cover, to stand up without being seen, after -which they rise and make off. - -Send out the skeleton enemy with instructions to follow up the -retirement slowly, and not to close in on the sections, as it is easy -and tempting to do this when there are no bullets in the rifles. - - (_a_) _As a Section or Platoon Acting with the Company._ - -Do the practice first by sections and then in platoon. Draw up the -unit on a fire position about eight hundred yards from the enemy, the -men in extended order, lying down, and open fire on the enemy. Tell -the commander to choose his next halting place and retire his unit -on it, which he should do on the lines before indicated. The halting -places should be chosen as far apart as two to four hundred yards; -short retirements merely prolong the time exposure to fire and should -not be used unless the enemy are very close or the fire very heavy. -Once the men are clear of the position, they should move as fast as -they can, trusting to escape casualties, by speed, the alteration -of range, and the fire of the few men left on the position. As a -rule, carry out all retirements at the double, so that the men shall -not be confused by the hasty movement. As soon as the first party -has reached the new position, the fringe of men left on the old one -should creep back and go as hard as they can to rejoin their section -or platoon, and they should be taught to judge the time of going for -themselves, so as not to “let in” the section or themselves, by going -too early or staying too late. Repeat the movement to one or two -further positions. It is a strenuous practice and makes demands on -the men’s limbs, wind, and willingness, but the rearguard is the post -of honour and danger. Order casualties of leaders from time to time, -and let the men be called to move in quick time sometimes, which they -would have to do if there were signs of unsteadiness. - - (_b_) _As a Section or Platoon Acting Alone._ - -Act on the same lines as before, but let the commander run the -show, which he should be able to do, after having done it under -supervision. One party (a file or two in the case of a section, -or one or two sections in that of a platoon) gets back to a fire -position and opens fire to cover the retirement of the other. In -general, it is better that both parties should not fall back on one -and the same fire position; on the contrary, if they act on a wide -front in ordinary country—say, three hundred yards apart—their fire -is equally effective, but the enemy is broken up, and the danger of -their being outflanked or surrounded is less. For the same reason it -is good practice, if the platoon is strong, to send out groups of -four or five men still further on the flanks, and a group to precede -the whole on the line of retirement by six hundred yards or so, in -order to occupy positions and deny them to the enemy, and after one -or two turns of this exercise tell the skeleton enemy to follow on -harder and try to work round the flanks. In this part also continue -to order casualties of leaders. - - - - - EXERCISE VII. - - THE SECTION AND PLATOON IN INDEPENDENT ATTACK. - - -It is very important to secure the intelligent co-operation of -section and platoon commanders in the operations in which their -company or battalion is taking part. I have read that in the -Russo-Japanese War the result of one of the battles—I think at -Penlin, 31st July—turned on the action of an infantry section who -gained a footing on the extreme flank of the Russian line, and -drove off the defenders in the immediate vicinity, opened a way for -the advance of the greater numbers, and led to the outflanking and -retreat of the whole Russian force. If you give your unit commanders -some chances of carrying out attacks, acting as if unsupported by -other troops, they will find themselves faced with the same problems -which confront commanders of larger bodies in the attack, and they -will be more likely, when acting in combination, to look beyond just -the limits of their own commands; they will be led to comprehend -the object of operations and the difficulties in the way, and -will become quick to seize any opportunity to further the general -plan without waiting for orders. It is true that so small a body -as a section would seldom be formally told to attack an objective -single-handed, but there are often occasions on service when a -platoon might have to carry out an attack on a small scale, as when a -few of the enemy’s riflemen are making themselves unpleasant, while -not in sufficient force to do more than “snipe,” or to require the -diversion against them of a whole company. Though a section as now -constituted is a very small unit to work with, I think no excuse is -needed for performing the attack with the smallest unit, having in -view the excellent training it forms for non-commissioned officers -and men. However, for this practice, it is advisable to form sections -somewhat above the usual strength, by joining two together, so as -to give at least eighteen rifles in the whole. After having put the -sections through the exercise, you will, of course, let the platoon -commanders carry out the attack with their platoons. - -Put out a skeleton enemy of three or four men for each platoon or -section, or one only for all to attack in turn, and post this enemy -in some commanding place, with a good field of view and fire so -that if possible the unit shall have twelve to eight hundred yards -to manœuvre over before coming to close quarters. As an example, -give out the supposition that this enemy are a cavalry patrol of the -enemy, who have dismounted and are using their rifles on the company -as it is on the move from somewhere to somewhere else. The section or -platoon is ordered to drive them off, neutralise their fire, or hold -them in check, in case they should be the forerunners of a greater -number. The enemy should begin to fire on a signal from you (with -your flag), which you should give as you tell off the commander for -the duty. If the other units are to attack the same enemy in turn, -you should halt them under cover or turn them to the rear, so as not -to see too much of the method the first lot choose to carry out their -job. - -The method of the attack will depend on the nature of the ground—what -suits one case may not suit another, and there may be two or three -courses open in attacking any one position. The commander should -accordingly look well at the ground before deciding how he will carry -out the attack, but there are certain principles common to attacks, -great or small, which he should put into practice. He should secure -himself from interruption on his flanks and rear, and he should -provide a supporting fire to distract the enemy and cover the advance -of his main force. He cannot make large detachments or indulge in -wide patrolling, nor would such small bodies as platoons be sent -off to attack if such were advisable; but, at least he can post a -file or two on some high ground, or, failing that, on one flank out -of decisive range of the enemy, i.e., about eight hundred yards -from him, with orders to keep up a steady fire until his advance -masks their fire. This will prevent, or at least give warning of, -an attempt to cut in on the rear. He may also send a file perhaps -two or three hundred yards to either flank, to move parallel with -his advance and prevent his being enfiladed at short range, if the -enemy should be tactless enough to avail himself of a chance of -meeting the advance by a counter-attack. Until he sees pretty well -what he has in front of him, he should divide his party into two, -sending one to engage the enemy and keeping the other as a reserve to -support the first by fire if they get into difficulties, and to be -available to carry on the attack after the other has got the enemy -well busy, either by reinforcing it directly, or, better still, by -continuing the advance along a fresh line leading to some position -from which the enemy can be finally turned out, either by fire or -by a charge, the first half joining in and advancing as soon as the -enemy has turned his attention to the new attack. Both parties should -keep scouts or a patrol of some sort out in front of them until the -foreground is proved not to contain any hidden body of the enemy, -or until the opening of fire by their own side makes it necessary -for the scouts to merge into the firing line. I have seen on service -a half-company go off to take post as a piquet on a long ridge; it -neglected the above precautions, beyond having some scouts in front. -There were four or five of the enemy on the ridge, and they waited -till the scouts were close, shot some down and drove the others to -cover, and then turned their fire on to the half-company, who were -also driven to ground, and, as there was little cover, they were -tied up till set free by some more infantry, who had to be specially -sent off to move along the ridge. Had the half-company moved in two -portions, the first would have contained this weak enemy, and the -rear party could easily have circled round and got on to the ridge -farther along, which would at once have caused the enemy to clear -out. See F.S.R., I., I, as to the results of the violation of the -principles of leading troops, and as therein directed, impress the -principles taught on the minds of your non-commissioned officers, who -are commanders, albeit only of platoons and sections. - - - - - EXERCISE VIII. - - THE PLATOON AS AN ADVANCED GUARD AND AS A FLANK GUARD. - - -(_a_) When the company is on the march, it should always be preceded -by an advanced guard—either a party of scouts, or, more usually, by -one of the platoons. After the advanced guard comes in contact with -the enemy its further action becomes either an attack to drive off -the enemy, or a defence to delay his advancing, according to his -strength and tactics; so I propose here merely to indicate suitable -formations of march in ordinary, i.e., non-mountainous country, so -that the platoons may be practised in taking them up without delay on -being told off for the duty. The exercise takes little time, and can -be done on the same parade as the flank guard exercise. - -An advanced guard may come under Are at any moment, and to provide -against surprise (F.S.R., 64), its leading portions may move in -extended order. The duties are given in F.S.R., 68, and apply quite -completely to so small a body as a platoon. The platoon should be -divided into a vanguard and a main guard. For the vanguard, a common -plan is simply to extend a section on either side of the road, but I -prefer to divide the section into three patrols, or more if strength -permits, who work along in a general line—one to search the road -and its immediate vicinity, and one on each side. The nature of the -country regulates the breadth of ground the centre patrol can search -from the road, and the distance to which the others are sent out on -each side. The other sections follow as main guard, not so close as -to be at once mixed up with the vanguard if fire is opened on the -latter, nor so far as to be unable to support it quickly with fire. -The advanced guard is responsible for keeping touch with the main -body (the company) (F.S.R., 64 (4)), but the company commander should -satisfy himself that this is being done. If view is restricted, the -main guard must drop a connecting file to keep connection. This file -must march with their beards on their shoulders, to see what the -company is doing, and let the commander know, and also to signal -to the company, if the platoon has had to halt. If the country is -open, the commander should still tell off a file for this duty, who -will march with the platoon, but be continually on the look-out to -the rear. The platoon commander ought, of course, to keep a watch -himself, but may have other things to attend to, and it is well to -take precautions against the platoon either getting too far in front -or letting the company get too close to it, by marching on while the -platoon is investigating some suspicious locality. - - - (_b_) _The Platoon as a Flank Guard._ - -A platoon may sometimes be used as a flank guard, as when a small -convoy is on the march with only a company or two as escort. Flank -guards are dismissed in a few words in F.S.R., 70. It is worth while -to practise them once or twice to avoid delay in taking up the -formation when the march is being started, or in improvising a method -of fighting off the enemy if he attacks. - -Represent the convoy or whatever it is by a man with a red flag to -move along the road; the platoon is then to move along parallel to -the road, and far enough off to afford protection from effective -rifle fire, i.e., at least eight hundred yards in open country. The -skeleton enemy should be instructed to keep about the same distance -again on the flank beyond the platoon, and to move along parallel -with it without closing in, opening fire on an agreed signal. - -The march formation should be on the same principles as those for the -advanced guard. The platoon should move in two bodies, and patrols -or scouts should precede it, both in the direction of the march and -towards the flank which is being guarded. It is important to keep -touch with the main body by connecting files at all times, otherwise -if the road changes direction out of view of the flank guard it may -separate them too far or bring them too close to the company. - -The method of fighting merely to hold off the enemy resembles that -used by a rear guard for the same purpose, i.e., fire and movement -by alternate portions. When the enemy opens fire on your signal, the -patrol on the flank either falls back, or the platoon reinforces it. -The patrol in the line of advance should still continue to precede -the movements of the platoon in that direction, and should be told to -conform to its movement. The platoon replies to the enemy’s fire as -soon as possible and begins the lateral fight—one half is sent, if -possible under cover, to take up a fire position farther along the -direction of the line of march, preceded by the patrol, which, to -some extent, secures it from surprise from that direction. As soon -as the leading party has found a fire position and opens its fire, -the other follows it, and either halts alongside it, so allowing it -to go off to a new position, or continues its movement beyond it -and takes up a third position to cover the further movements. The -latter method is the quicker, as it saves the time of replacing men -of the first party in their fire position by those of the second. The -exercise need not be prolonged, as a few of these lateral movements -are quite sufficient illustration to enable the men in future to take -up their duty quickly. - - - - - EXERCISE IX. - - PRELIMINARY FOR THE ATTACK BY THE COMPANY IN BATTALION. - - -A company attacking as part of the battalion is sure to find the -men of different platoons mixed up in the course of the attack with -those of other platoons, both of that company and of others. Before -practising the attack, accompanied with this mixture of platoons, -it is advisable to train them and their non-commissioned officers -for their duties without allowing any mixing up. This may be done by -bringing all the platoons of the company up into one line, and then -extending each on its own ground. The result is that each platoon -may be taken to represent the leading platoon of four companies told -off to furnish the firing line and supports (I.T., 122). The four -platoons form thus the firing line, the other three supposititious -platoons of each company being in support. This formation would be -taken up when the enemy’s rifle fire began to be effective, i.e., -at or under fourteen hundred yards. Within this distance the firing -line has to press on through the zones in which it uses collective -and individual fire up to assaulting distance, being reinforced as -needed, firstly by the supports, and finally at the time of the -assault by all or part of the local reserve, which, in this case, -would be composed of the four companies of the battalion not detailed -to furnish the firing line and supports. - -Put out a skeleton enemy with orders to remain in one position, and -fire slowly, but continuously. Draw up the four platoons, or as many -as are present of the company at fourteen hundred yards or so from -the enemy, in one line and at sufficient intervals to allow of their -extending to five paces, _plus_ some space between flanks of sections -after extension, to allow plenty of choice of lines of advance. -Indicate to each platoon a part of the enemy’s position which it is -to regard as its final objective of assault (I.T., 121 (3)). Have the -men extended to five paces, and carry out the attack right through on -the lines of Exercise V., and finish with an assault and rally after -it. Each company would have an officer with its platoon in the firing -line to direct the fire. If fire is opened between fourteen hundred -and one thousand yards, it will not be effective against ordinary -targets unless the whole four platoons direct their fire on the same -target. Under one thousand yards fire should be controlled by section -commanders and directed by platoon commanders. - -Practise concentration of the fire of the four platoons on one part -of the enemy’s line and lateral distribution of fire _within the -limits of that part_. Give each platoon a fraction of this fraction -of the enemy’s frontage to deal with, and let the platoon commander -again tell off his sections to fire at various marks inside _his_ -limits. Again switch the fire of all four platoons on to some other -particular bit of the enemy’s position, as done in previous exercises. - -To do this you must introduce and work with thoroughness a system of -inter-communication (I.T., 119), but it should be one approved and -adopted by your battalion commander, otherwise each company of the -battalion may be found using a different one. It is to be understood -that orders as to the direction of fire in no way interfere with the -gaining of ground to the front, a platoon firing at one object ceases -fire in order to advance, but resumes its fire on the same object -when it again halts. - -As soon as section fire is opened, encourage mutual support, some -part of the line firing while others advance, and make section -commanders continue to observe this principle. - -At some one parade for this exercise halt the whole line during the -attack and practise entrenching under fire, the men working lying -down (I.T., 121 (13)). Thereafter resume the advance. - -Move about yourself and let your section commanders do so also, and -check any slovenly work on the part of the men in using, quitting, -or getting into cover, and in the use of their rifles and judging -distance if, as should often be done, it is left to them to estimate -how far they are from the target of the moment. - - - - - EXERCISE X. - - THE COMPANY IN ATTACK WITH THE BATTALION UNDER ARTILLERY FIRE. - - -When the battalion is moving forward to attack, and before the -enemy’s rifle fire is more than a distant and future danger, that of -his artillery becomes an imminent and formidable menace as soon as -the limits of its range are crossed, because of the suddenness with -which it is capable of dealing destruction. Whether his artillery -actually opens on the battalion is another matter. If the battalion -shows up as a tempting target in column of route or mass, he most -certainly will fire on it, but if it is skilfully led it may possibly -escape his notice altogether; at the same time, it is hardly likely -that it can move from five thousand to fourteen hundred yards from -the enemy’s infantry without giving some indications of its movement, -and the probability is, that at some part of the advance it will -find itself the recipient of the enemy’s attention. To escape the -effect of this fire, the battalion and the company will have to -break up into small shallow columns such as platoons or sections at -least 50 yards from each other laterally (I.T., 118) and two hundred -yards from front to rear; in fact, a lot of little groups of men -sufficiently apart to prevent the burst of one shell covering more -than one group. The advance in this order constitutes the first phase -of the infantry attack. The company must be practised in getting into -this formation, and moving in it so as to avoid confusion in action, -and also to let non-commissioned officers and men understand that -this formation does not free them from the control of their commander. - -At manœuvres and exercises the adoption of this formation is -sometimes burked on various pretexts, of which the most heinous is to -say that the results of artillery fire are overrated, and the risk -run in keeping in closed formation is more than compensated for by -the comfort of the men, maintenance of control and saving of time. -This theory I fancy had its origin in the South African War, where -the Boer artillery was skilful but exiguous, if judged by European -standards. I have not been under shell fire myself, but I have seen -the results of it on a column of about two hundred men who came along -a watercourse two thousand yards or so from the guns, in something -resembling a march formation. The guns had the range, and the enemy -left about fifty dead in that watercourse in a few minutes, so -personally I am going to open out my company and trust to my peace -training of it to keep it in hand and get it along fast enough to be -on the spot when wanted. - -I need hardly give details how to practise this. The point is, to get -the company opened out quickly and without confusion, and this is to -be done by telling your platoon commanders what you want and where -they are to go, and not by any drill. Platoons may further split up -into columns of sections. Leave it to your platoon commanders to have -the sections moved apart to intervals of fifty yards. If the enemy’s -artillery is straight in front, a diamond formation seems suitable—a -platoon at each angle—the length of the diagonal front to rear being -over two hundred yards and side to side over one hundred; or the -platoons may simply follow each other at two hundred yards distance, -though this is not a very handy arrangement. But, subject to keeping -the distances large enough, it is not the formation that matters, but -the way it is taken up, and I will leave it at that. - -At the end of this phase of endurance of the enemy’s artillery fire -the company comes under rifle fire and has to take to extended -order, and on service it would perhaps have to do this and plunge -into the attack without the platoons closing in from the scattered -formation in which they have so far moved. But for the first few -times you should close up at fourteen hundred yards and start from -there, so as to tell the men what is next to be done when they come -under rifle fire, and in any case the size of your exercise ground -would probably necessitate your doing the two phases over more or -less the same bit of ground. - - - - - EXERCISE XI. - - THE COMPANY IN ATTACK WITH THE BATTALION, UNDER RIFLE FIRE. - - -The immediate objects of the fire fight within effective rifle range -are to produce a fire sufficiently heavy to overcome the fire of -the defence, and to reach a position from which the assault can be -delivered (I.T., 121 (5 and 6)). In theory, then, the desideratum -is to get so many men up to about two hundred yards from the enemy -that they form a line practically shoulder to shoulder, in order -that their fire may be at least as heavy as that of the enemy, -if the latter are also in one continuous line, and in default of -circumstances admitting of effective covering fire being maintained -from positions in rear or on a flank. On this supposition it is -frequently argued that a battalion and its companies, when advancing -to the attack, should do so on a front not greater than that which -the battalion would occupy if it were in single rank, but this does -not really follow. The nature of the ground may be such that to -attempt to build up a shoulder-to-shoulder firing line all along -the enemy’s position within charging distance, may be merely to send -men to useless destruction by exposing them on fire-swept spaces, -where they are sure to be knocked over before they can do any good. -On the other hand, there may be other points where men may be massed -so as to give not only a firing line of maximum density, but also -a supporting force both to replace casualties and to carry out the -assault. These are the points which it is of importance to gain and -hold in strength sufficient to carry out the object of the attack—the -assault. It is the duty of the battalion commander to give each of -his firing line companies some such point as their objective, and to -define the frontage and direction of their attack. It is similarly -the duty of the commander of a firing line company to give each of -his sections an objective within the limits assigned to his company -(I.T., 122 (4) and 123 (3-)). The problem for solution is, how to -get to those points, and so it does not appear to matter much what -frontage the battalion and its companies occupy when they start off -for the attack at the fourteen hundred yards limit of effective -rifle fire, provided of course, they do not encroach on the frontage -of other units. Indeed, an attack which starts on a wide base and -concentrates only in its later stages seems much more likely than one -which starts from base equal to a single rank frontage to keep the -enemy uncertain of its objective, and to be able to bring oblique -or enfilade fire to bear on portions of his line. Therefore, when -practising the company in attack, do not be bound by cast iron rules -as to the breadth of the zone of ground within which you are to -bring your company from fourteen hundred yards up to the charging -position. Four platoons following one straight behind the other, at -two hundred yards distance, make a very unwieldy procession, and, -in general, I would advise you to use something in the nature of a -diamond formation at first, the three platoons in rear making their -own way forward till they reinforce the leading portion which finally -consists of the whole company. - -Put out the skeleton enemy on a front of, roughly, what your company -will occupy in single rank, and let the position, if possible, have -within it two, or at most, three points, which you can assign as -objectives to the platoon commanders. You must consider this position -as having been assigned to you as objective by your battalion -commander, the ground on the right and left of it being the prey -of other companies, and not the object of your assault, though it -should, nevertheless, frequently be the object of your _fire_ during -the advance. - -Draw up the company at about fourteen hundred yards from the enemy. -Tell the platoon commanders the relative positions the platoons are -to take up when the advance begins, roughly the distances between -them (I.T., 123 (7)), the direction of the attack, if the enemy’s -position is not quite clearly to be seen, the frontage on which the -company is free to manœuvre, and the points which the sections are to -regard as their objectives; the details contained in I.T., 123 and -124, may also be enumerated if the commanders are not experienced. -As regards these details, I recommend that scouts be formed not in a -line of men extended at wide intervals, but as a line of patrols of -four or six men each, and you or a subaltern should halt them early -in the attack and tell them to send back word that they are held up -by fire, or that they have defined the enemy’s position; on this the -nearest platoon reinforces them, and the process of building up the -firing line begins from that point. As regards inter-communication, -use connecting files and semaphore signalling to join up the various -parts and make real use of them, but avoid sham messages. - -As soon as the object and manner of the attack have been detailed to -all, tell the platoon commanders to move off their platoons to their -positions and extend them ready to advance, and the scouts to get off -in front. Five paces is the least extension to ensure that a bullet -aimed at one man may miss him with a fair chance of not hitting his -neighbour. Do not let the scouts go too far away, because at this -time of getting to grips with the enemy, their usefulness, when -acting with their companies is mainly limited to guarding against -ambush at close range, and as ground scouts to prevent the company -coming against some unseen obstacle, barbed wire, donga, canal, or -what not. - -As soon as all are in position, the company may be considered as -being in the formation in which it would have arrived at the point -where, in addition to the enemy’s artillery fire, it comes under -heavy and fairly accurate rifle fire. Give the signal to advance, -and let the platoon commanders begin to work their platoons forward, -using what covered ways they can find. After a little of this, have -the scouts halted and reinforce them by one platoon, order fire to be -opened, bearing in mind that one platoon’s fire is probably useless -at over one thousand yards from the enemy, but if your company is in -the diamond formation the platoons on each flank will probably be -able to fire, and with favourable ground, e.g., a knoll, or bluff -somewhere on the line of advance, the rear platoon also will be able -to fire over the heads of the firing line. There is no danger in this -if the men hold their rifles straight, and it would assuredly be done -in war. I have myself seen it, and the chances of an accident are -minimised by practice in peace. During this early opening of fire -use every effort to keep the fire from being merely a make-believe, -i.e., send word round by your connecting files or semaphore to fire -at certain targets, and see that section commanders direct their -fire accordingly. In battle the information as to which part of the -enemy’s position seemed most to demand attention would, of course, -reach you from those of your side who were suffering fire coming from -that part of the position, and the result of your passing the word -to fire at it as above would be that a shower of bullets would come -dropping all round it, to the upsetting of the aim of the hostile -marksmen. Under cover of this fire your firing line may be allowed to -gain a little ground, platoons moving alternately so as to avoid a -cessation of fire. Thereafter continue to gain ground, and gradually -reinforce the firing line till all your supports are absorbed and -the whole company is in the firing line. When this has taken place -the line will consist of a mixture of men of different sections -and platoons. Avoid unreal movements in attempting to keep the men -of each unit together in reinforcing and recognise that admixture -is unavoidable. (I.T., 93 (11) and 123 (9)). The organising of the -resultant disorder is one of the essential objects of training for -the attack. Make your section commanders call on the men to right and -left of them, if they are nearer them than any other unit commander, -to act under their orders. Thus: “Private A to Private J under my -orders.” Have this done constantly till it becomes a matter of -course. The men of files can always hang together, but prove that -this is being done by asking men where their file mates are. Get this -system started as soon as reinforcement is begun, and keep it in full -swing throughout. Once it is started, these extemporized fire units -must apply the principles learnt by the intact sections and squads -in Exercise IX., i.e., supporting fire by part to cover movement of -the others, control and distribution of fire, etc., and so work on -up to assaulting distance and deliver an assault. After this, let -section and platoon commanders reform their men and units as quickly -as possible, and then reform the company under your own orders. At -subsequent parades introduce casualties among the section and platoon -commanders, and let the senior privates in each of the mixed up fire -units step into their places and carry on the attack without halt or -confusion. - - - - - EXERCISE XII. - - THE COMPANY IN ATTACK ACTING ALONE. - - -On service a company may often have to attack some post of the -enemy without having the support of either artillery or infantry, -and exercises framed to illustrate these conditions are very useful -in developing the initiative of all ranks. In paragraph V. of the -preamble I gave an example, and I think, if you will peruse it again, -you will see what sort of thing you should arrange for the exercise. -At inspections one sometimes sees a company sent off by itself to -carry out such an attack, and the method often adopted is to tell -off the company into the firing line and supports, and, perhaps, a -reserve. The whole then go straight for the object and perform a -sort of travesty of what the company does when acting as part of a -battalion. By this time I trust you will be quick to perceive that -this is just what it ought not to do. As an isolated force it has -to do much more than simply to form a firing line and bring off an -assault. It must secure its flanks, have a real reserve, employ a -flank as well as a frontal attack, provide for its own withdrawal -if worsted, be prepared to deal with a counter-attack, and observe -all the principles laid down in I.T., 121. _Mutatis mutandis_, your -reserve may consist of only a platoon, your flank guards a file or -two of men, your flank attacks a section or platoon with a subaltern -accompanying it, and so on, but the precautions must be taken and -the principles put into practice, or your attack would run risk -of failure. You would do it all on service; therefore, do it all -in peace. Carry out such exercises, carefully planned, and with -observance of service conditions, and I am quite sure you will see -what a great deal there is to be done in this direction before you -feel yourself and your company quite competent to undertake a similar -task in the field. That first exercise against a skeleton enemy will -be the forerunner of many others. Your criticism of the action of -your non-commissioned officers must be carefully considered, as there -are usually several justifiable ways of doing a thing, and it should -always be constructive and not merely destructive (T. & M.R., 2 (2)). - - - - - EXERCISE XIII. - - THE COMPANY IN RETIREMENT. - - -The men have been practised in retirement in pairs in Exercise -II., and the sections and platoons have also learned their part in -Exercise VI. It remains to train the company for this duty, which -it might have to do either as acting as rearguard to the battalion, -whether the latter was, or was not, in conjunction with other troops, -or as if effecting its withdrawal when isolated. In both cases the -procedure and distribution are pretty much alike. In the former case, -the company, if it gets into difficulties, _may_ be able to get help -from the rest of the force, but in the latter it will not be able -to do so, and the commander should be especially careful to have -in hand some portion of his company which he can use to extricate -any detachment which gets “tied up.” On the other hand, it is very -desirable that the main body should not be called on to reinforce -the rearguard when the company is not acting alone. So that in both -cases you should be prepared to meet eventualities from your own -resources. Again, a rearguard is bound to have the majority of -its force in action in order to hold back the enemy and present an -appearance of force, so that it is not always possible to set apart -a portion of so small a body as a company to act solely as reserve, -and to remain continuously outside the actual combat. The solution -of the difficulty seems to lie in an intelligent application of the -principles of rearguard fighting given in F.S.R., 71 to 73, and the -early but timeous withdrawal from the fighting line of a portion -of the company who move back to a position in rear from which they -can cover the withdrawal of the remainder, but are still available -to be thrown into the fight, if it is necessary to inaugurate some -sort of a counter attack to give portions heavily engaged a chance -to break away from close grips. It is important in this exercise -to teach non-commissioned officers and men to be ready to adopt -quickly any method of withdrawal that may be ordered, because the -nature of the ground must determine the way in which a withdrawal can -best be effected, and the nature of the ground may vary every few -hundred yards. Therefore I merely suggest some ways of practising -retirements, and during the course of the exercise you should change -from one to another, and also encourage commanders to act on their -own initiative, when, as will probably happen, your system of -inter-communication fails to act with sufficient speed and accuracy. -I.T., 137, gives general rules as to the action of platoons and -sections, and the standard set up in Exercises II. and VI. should be -adhered to. Send out the skeleton enemy with orders to follow up the -retirement, but not to close in under six hundred yards. - -(_a_) Get the whole company deployed into one line of platoons, -with intervals between them, occupying a wide front, four to eight -hundred yards, the men at five or more paces extension. This may -seem too wide a front, but, after all, the intervals between the -platoons are only two hundred and forty yards, and an enemy trying -to break straight through the line would be under fire at one -hundred and twenty yards or less, while a wide front is the best -precaution against having your flanks turned and your retreat -intercepted. - -Send back a platoon from one of the flanks to take up quickly a -position in rear clear away from the firing line; three hundred to -six hundred yards is not too much; let it open fire, and let the -remainder of the firing line work back by retirement of alternate -sections, each running back thirty or forty yards, beginning this -movement from the flank from which the first platoon went, the -platoon on the other flank holding on and only giving ground when the -two centre platoons have got well on their way to the line on which -the first platoon is halted. This is a slow retirement, but gives a -maximum of continuous fire and the flanks are strong. - -(_b_) With the whole company extended in one line, and no intervals -between platoons. Retire by short rushes of alternate sections; -the rushes must be quite short, twenty yards at most, so that the -sections that have retired can fire through the intervals of the -rear portion of the line the instant that it begins to retire. This -is meant for use after an unsuccessful assault, and only on flat -ground. - -(_c_) With the company extended in one line, but with intervals -between the platoons. Order the flank platoons to retire and take -post to cover the withdrawal of the two centre platoons, who remain -in position till the flank platoons are ready to open fire. Watch -how the platoon commanders handle their platoons; they should do so -artfully, as taught in Exercise VI. - -(_d_) Retire by half-companies, two platoons together, using your -subalterns as half-company commanders, and putting the onus of -finding suitable covering positions on them, merely telling them -to cover each other’s retirement. - -(_e_) With the company all holding one position, leave the scouts -or picked men to cover the retirement by rapid fire, and withdraw -the remainder at full speed, then cover the retirement of the -scouts by the fire of the whole from a position in rear. Watch -that the scouts creep back from their cover without letting the -enemy know they are going; and of this screen of scouts the flank -men ought usually to be the last to go in order to make the enemy -believe that the position is still occupied. - - - - - EXERCISE XIV. - - OUTPOSTS. - - - I. - -The general rules for outposts and the part played by an outpost -company are to be found in I.T., 147 to 157, and it is necessary -accordingly to train for those duties in peace. Let us begin from -the beginning, and see what infantry outposts are and what they have -to do. A line of infantry outposts will very often have to be taken -up after a day’s fighting, or in close proximity to the enemy before -a battle. The commander of an outpost battalion will be told by the -staff to take up with his battalion a certain length of the front, -say, from Farm A to Hill B, inclusive—perhaps a mile or even two in -extent. He cannot possibly have time to ride all along the front and -fix places for piquets and sentries. Instead of this, he looks at -the ground and comes to the conclusion that it will require, say, -all his four companies in the outpost line. He divides up his front -into four parts, and gives each of his companies one part. It is -his duty to see that the eight companies form along the line that -combines the best facilities for defence and reconnaissance to the -front. Accordingly, he tells the captain of A Company to take from -Farm A to, say, the wood X, inclusive, the captain of B Company -from the wood X, exclusive, to, say, the stream ML, inclusive, and -so along. The captains of companies then have to go off and take up -their frontages. As beforesaid, infantry outposts must expect to take -up their line close to the enemy, and often when dusk is falling. -This gives you your clue as to how it should be done. You must march -your company in fighting formation, so as not to be ambushed—a screen -of scouts or other covering troops in front and on the flanks, a -party, section, or platoon ready to succour the covering party, and -hold up the enemy, and a reserve ready to act under your orders, -either for attack or defence. Your movement and the taking up of -your line should be unseen by the enemy; therefore, move carefully -under cover both from distant and close positions, from which you -may be seen. The line must be taken up quickly. The main thing is -to get it occupied; therefore, it is a mistake to halt the company -while you plod round the whole of the front and plan just where each -piquet and sentry will be. Instead, take a good look at the line as -you march and decide what are the essential points to be held for -defence and as observation points. As soon as your scouts have made -good the ground a little in front of those points, send off what you -think are necessary, sections or platoons, to seize these points, -and act as piquets till you go round and adjust details. Thus your -company will occupy the line in rough-and-ready fashion as quickly -as they can advance. When the company breaks up to go to the piquet -posts, go with any one of the piquets which is to be on one flank and -settle the exact position of the piquet with reference to the line -you intend to hold as your line of resistance, and any other details -which you think the piquet commander should attend to, such as what -localities should be patrolled, and estimate the number of men -required. Any surplus sections should accompany you from this piquet, -and you and they then go along the line to the other piquets which -you arrange similarly, using the surplus to reinforce those piquets -that need them, and if at the end you have still a surplus of men you -may either form them as a support in rear or dismiss them to remain -with their own platoons. For purposes of messing on service the -latter is convenient, but, tactically, a support is often needed, in -which case the men’s comfort must take second place. - -You must make a clear distinction between day and night outposts, -though you practise the latter by daylight. Infantry outposts by day -and until the enemy advances, are firstly patrols and look-out men, -whose business is to look for any movement on the part of the enemy, -and to prevent his seeing their own side’s doings, and to report -what they see of the enemy’s, and, secondly, a line of piquets who -occupy the line decided on as the line of resistance, and who may -fall out and rest while things are quiet, with supports and sometimes -a reserve behind them. The patrols are active agents in getting -information in front of the outpost line, and they will mostly -consist of mounted troops except in close country or thick weather. -The look-out sentries are passive obstacles to the enemy’s patrols -or scouts penetrating the line; the piquets are the reserve of force -ready to be called into action when needed. But a line suitable for -observation and resistance by day is seldom suitable by night also. -Fighting by day is done by shooting, and rough ground affording cover -is likely to be chosen for the advance of the attackers. By night, -however, the attack will be made with the bayonet, and the attacker -will avoid broken country, which will confuse and delay his advance. -Choose your outpost line accordingly. By day seek for a good field -of fire, mutually supporting positions, and good facilities for -observation, and strengthen the position you mean to fight on. By -night close the likely ways by which an enemy may advance by putting -piquets on them in strengthened positions with obstacles prepared -in front, and patrols lying out on intervening ground to intercept -scouts. Thus, in an undulating hedge-covered country with many roads, -by day your piquets would be behind the crests of the undulations, -sentries only on the look-out, and patrols scouting in front. By -night your piquets would be on the roads, which they would block with -barbed wire or abattis of cut hedge stuff, and your patrols in the -fields between and lying out along the road in front at some place -where they could watch anything passing, and get back to the piquet -line without running risks of being shot by their own side. We will -see below what training is required for non-commissioned officers -and men in their duties on piquet, patrol and sentry. When you have -trained them in these duties, take up an outpost line as a tactical -exercise with your company, acting as an outpost company by day, -and then as by night, and if you have scouts send them out to act -as an enemy’s patrol in front to see how much of the operation of -taking up the line is visible to them; then, after a certain hour, -let them try to make their way through the line unseen. They must -not work round the flanks as _ex hypothesi_; these are held by other -outpost companies; finally, let them start sniping the outposts as -if ushering in an attack, and let your piquets take up the line of -resistance, your patrols falling back on the firing beginning. - - - II. - - _The Training of Men and Platoons in Outpost Duties._ - -An outpost company will more often consist of two or more small -piquets of one or more platoons with a support, than simply of one -large piquet with its support, so that when you come to train the -whole company, as above, in taking up a part of an outpost line, the -performance of the work will depend largely on the ability of your -platoon and section commanders to direct the men in their duties. -Unless they are capable of doing this, time will be wasted as you -will be occupied with one portion of the line while the rest are -doing nothing and awaiting your arrival, for in this class of work -the instructor must remain for some time with each piquet while the -men are being put through the various duties, and cannot supervise -concurrently at all points. Therefore, it is best, before taking -the men out for instruction, to give a day or two solely to the -instruction of subalterns and non-commissioned officers. When they -have got a knowledge of what is required, have the men out, divide -them into piquets under subalterns and section commanders, who will -put them through the duties, and the work will go on on proper lines, -and you will be free to go round and supervise each in turn. - -You will have four subalterns, sixteen section commanders, and other -non-commissioned officers, a total of twenty rifles or so, but if you -are short of non-commissioned officers, have out enough privates to -give you sixteen or twenty rifles. Form them up as a piquet and make -the supposition that it has just received its orders to break off -from the company and go to a certain point in the outpost line and -take up its duties there. - - - _Day Piquets._ - -Indicate some such point as a day piquet position at a reasonable -distance from where the piquet is when you give it its orders, -and let the senior non-commissioned officer march it there, as on -service, the point chosen being, if possible, such a one as would be -occupied on service. - -(_a_) This advance to the piquet is the first duty. In spite of the -company covering troops being supposed to be somewhere in advance, -the piquet on its march should be protected by a small patrol -(F.S.R., 64 (1)). In taking up the position, it must not let the -enemy see it; that is, neither the men nor their commander should -show themselves. Very often the men are kept under cover, but the -commander wanders about fixing places for sentries in full view of -everyone. He should lie down and peep over the crest or whatever it -is while making his plans. - -Having arrived at the piquet position, indicate a position on the -right and on the left where other piquets are supposed to be and -proceed with:— - -(_b_) Duties of outpost sentries.—These are given in I.T., 152. Post -as many groups as will use up the whole strength in places which -would need watching on service; if there are not enough such places -near by, then merely for the purpose of this semi-drill, post two or -more groups close together. A group consists of one or two men on -duty, and their reliefs, who lie down near them. These groups are -relieved every eight or twelve hours. Let it be understood that the -position of their own piquet is occupied by the reliefs of these -groups and of patrols, and it is a good plan to show the position -by a flag. The sentries must see without being seen, know where -other groups are, where their own and other piquets are, be told to -challenge and halt anyone approaching as in I.T., 152 (3), and what -to do if attacked. Let them do this to you personally, as if you were -someone not belonging to the troops, and impress on them that they -must be careful to teach it to their men so that _no stranger may -ever be allowed to get close_ to a group, and to shoot if he does -not halt. Neglect of this simple rule has led to many mishaps in all -armies. Concealment is not easy, but must be got somehow—by artifice, -if the ground is unfavourable. After putting all through “sentry go” -close to the groups and teach them:— - -(_c_) Patrolling, for which see I.T., 111 and 156. Patrols are not -meant for fighting, but to get information or watch dangerous places. -But they may have to fight to avoid capture, and they do no good -by walking blindly into an ambush. To bring back information or -news that the enemy are coming on, it is evidently essential that -whatever happens to the rest of the party, one man at least should -always be able to escape, and to avoid ambush the patrol should move -in a formation which will prevent a surprise overwhelming the whole -party. In short, one portion must scout, and the other be prepared -to cover their movement and help them to get away, if possible, but -in any case to get away itself and carry news of the enemy. But -patrols must be limited in strength, or they will not be able to -escape notice, and must make up for their weakness by cunning and -stealthiness of movement. - -For patrolling by day, tell off the whole strength into patrols of -four or six men, one of whom will command in each patrol. Let each -take up the formation it would usually adopt; that is, one or two -files in advance, followed by the rest at a distance sufficient to -prevent the surprise of the whole by one and the same opening of -fire. Teach the method advocated for movement across country, i.e., -a careful but rapid advance from one cover to another, also how to -approach suspicious localities. The leading file halts and looks -for any signs of the enemy; meanwhile the rear file comes nearly -up to it; the leading file then moves forward while the rear file -lies down with rifles loaded and sighted, ready to fire at once to -cover the others if the enemy shows himself. If the locality to be -searched can be outflanked, the leading files should move round one -or both flanks before closing in on it. If it is one that cannot be -outflanked, as, for instance, a straight edge of a large wood, they -should approach it under cover, creeping up a hedgerow perhaps, and -so get inside. If there is no cover they may try some ruse to draw -the enemy’s fire before getting too close, halting as if they had -seen something, shading the eyes with the hand, pointing and then -starting to run back as if alarmed, which might lead the enemy to -open fire to prevent their escape. But it is rather hard to get -men to do this play-acting unless there is a real force of “Blue” -or “Red” enemy against them. The commander of the patrol, when -approaching any place, should tell his men what they are to do if it -is seen to be held by the enemy, i.e., to lie still and watch, or -retire. If the latter, he should fix some place in rear where the -patrol could rally after getting out of harm’s way. - -Show them how to look over a ridge, wall, or hedge, without -attracting notice, taking off their headdress and raising the head -slowly, keeping the rest of the body carefully under cover, and -also to move unseen, keeping in the shadow of hedges or roadside -trees, and covering up any polished metal work of their uniform; to -lie up on any place that commands a good view, and look long and -carefully all over the country to catch sight of anything. Finally to -report what they see, and to do this at once, if there is need, by -sending one, or better, if the patrol can spare them, two men back -to the piquet with a _written_ report, the rest still remaining in -observation. Without having an actual force opposing you, you can -only do this exercise with some appearance of reality by giving out -verbal situations to the patrol. Thus: “Go and reconnoitre that wood -which an enemy may be holding.” On this the patrol would get into -formation and move forward. Then, when approaching the wood, “You -have seen small parties of the enemy beyond the wood both on its -right and left, and they are perhaps in the wood also; try and get -into it unseen,” if there is any cover, or, if not, “show what you -would do to draw their fire before getting close.” Then “the wood is -held by the enemy, withdraw your patrol if you can.” As the patrol -attempts to retire “a heavy fire is opened on you as you retire, -showing that there is at least a company in the wood, your first -duty is to send news of this to your piquet—how and whom would you -send, and how would you frame your message?” - -(_d_) Duties on piquet.—Close the platoon and take it to the place -where the piquet is to be. A piquet on arrival at its position has -at once to strengthen the position against attack, and this without -waiting for orders (I.T., 151 (4)). But as we are here only training -the non-commissioned officers in their duties we will not ask them -actually to dig trenches or make loop-holes and entanglements; -indeed, this, as one may term it, executive work, has its proper -place in “Defence.” Bearing in mind, then, that we are dealing with a -day outpost, ask or show the platoon how to strengthen the position. -Bring out a few picks and let them spitlock on the ground the lines -of any trenches that might be needed, paying great attention to the -siting of the trench so that fire could be brought over all the -ground in front. Let them indicate with exactness where and how they -would improve and adapt existing cover. Great regard need not be had -to the number of men in the piquet, as outposts, if attacked, should -make as much show of force as possible, and it does good and not harm -if there are alternative loop-holes facing in different directions; -also accommodation must be provided for the support. The commander -should look for ground outside the outpost line from which enfilade -rifle or artillery fire might be brought to bear on him, and mark how -he would protect his men from it by traverses, breaking the line of -loop-holes into short lengths, keeping under lee of existing cover -and so on. The strengthening of the piquet must be done with the aid -of common-sense. It will seldom be enough to propose to dig one bit -of trench all in one piece and hope the enemy will be good enough to -come and knock his head against it. Cover may be made or adapted in -several separate groups, if this is needed, so as to make it possible -to bring fire to bear on any part of the ground in front. The piquet -must be prepared to make as brave a show as possible, therefore the -commander, while strengthening the point near which his piquet is to -rest, must decide what he will do if attacked. Probably there will be -within the limits of his piquet’s frontage one or two other points -which might be useful for defence, and he must not expect attack -just from one direction. With regard to such alternative positions -he should settle when and how he will use them, and whether he can -afford time and men to strengthen them, and, last but not least, -whether he will be able to get men from one to the other if the enemy -does develop a strong attack. If he can do all these he will have -added immensely to his power of defence, provided he handles his men -skilfully, as he will be able to hold one position till the enemy -thinks he has defined its location, then dodge to another, while -they will go on firing at the old one, and so make his piquet appear -many times stronger than it is. Concealment of the defence is very -important, and the non-commissioned officers should be reminded that -this must be attended to. They may forget it as there is no actual -digging. - -(_e_) Duties in Piquet.—The position of the piquet and alternative -defence positions having been fixed, and trenches or other defences -marked out on the position, and on the alternative positions if any, -assemble the platoon at the piquet and show the non-commissioned -officers how to tell off reliefs and other duties. Each group -furnished by the piquet consists of three to eight men, and mounts -one or two men as sentry, as the circumstances of the post require -(I.T., 152 (3)), the sentry, single or double, being relieved in turn -by the others of the group. The whole group is under command of the -senior soldier or a non-commissioned officer. The men who are to -form the reliefs of the groups stay with the piquet, which usually -is composed solely of the reliefs of groups and patrols. Extra men -who have no specific duties are not advisable unless the position is -very exposed. Suppose your group sentries are single, and the groups -of three men each, and relieved every eight hours, then for every -group posted and in position there will be six men in the piquet -resting and waiting their turn, each group thus needing a total of -nine men—three out, six in. Patrols start from the piquet or support, -as the commander of the company directs, and the piquet commander may -send them out on his own initiative, if he thinks it needful. As they -are practically all on duty as long as they are out, a turn of four -hours is enough for them, or, rather, a third of the daylight time. -Take your patrols from this piquet to be four strong, there will be -for each patrol eight men in the piquet and four out on patrol, a -total of twelve needed to furnish each patrol. - -In telling off a piquet on the above conditions of relief, and before -dismissing the men to rest, the commander must pay attention to two -main points. Firstly, he must tell off the reliefs, and give each -relief a place to rest in. Men on outpost are usually tired and need -all the rest they can get, especially if they are up all night. -Therefore reliefs should be kept together and rest in one place, so -that the commander can find them at once without stirring up the -others to see who’s who. Secondly, the men must be told off to alarm -posts, which they are to occupy in case of attack—each relief and -each man of it should be given a position on the entrenchment which -he is to hold. To ensure that they will do this at once and without -confusion they should be made to go to these places and occupy them -before being dismissed. There will then be no needless running about -with consequent casualties if fire, either of artillery or infantry, -suddenly opens. - -Say you have sixteen rifles (non-commissioned officers and others) in -your instructional piquet give out that it is to furnish— - - 1 Sentry over the piquet. - - 2 Groups of three men each, Nos. 1 and 2. - - 2 Patrols of four men each, Nos. 1 and 2. - -The sentry over the piquet alone being actually posted, the two -groups and two patrols being supposed to be out in front, as this -part of the lesson is only concerned with the inside work of the -piquet, and you have already shown them this work on sentry and -patrol. As your strength is not sufficient you must make a further -supposition, and make believe that for the reliefs of the groups one -of your rifles represents three, and for those of the patrols one -rifle represents two. Appoint one of the non-commissioned officers in -turn as commander, and let him tell off accordingly. - - 3 Rifles for piquet sentry, one of whom he actually mounts. - - 1 Rifle (representing three) as second relief, No. 1 group. - - 1 Rifle (representing three) as third relief, No. 1 group. - - 2 Rifles (representing two each) for second relief, No. 1 patrol. - - 2 Rifles (representing two each) for third relief, No. 1 patrol. - - And a similar number for No. 2 patrol and No. 2 group. - -Having told off these reliefs the commander should then tell them -where they are to have their resting places and where their posts are -in case of alarm. At this time also he would give out any special -orders which concern the piquet. Then without dismissing the men -he should order them to go to their resting places, and as soon as -they are there order them to occupy their alarm posts, which should -be done in double time, the men lying down on the places that have -been marked out for entrenchment or improvement of existing cover. -Make this falling in on alarm posts a standing order in the company. -After this has been done, and each man knows exactly what he has to -do on the alarm, the men should be dismissed to their resting places, -which, as before said, should be separate for each relief and apart -from each other. After being dismissed, the men would on service be -allowed to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Other duties -of the piquet commander are:— - - (1) The opening of communication with piquets in right and left and - the support. - - (2) The fixing of places for purposes of nature. - - (3) The arrangements for getting up food to his men if they have - not their rations with them. - - (4) Keeping his piquet in a state of readiness; besides keeping - accoutrements on, the men should have their rifles at their - sides when resting, and take them with them wherever they go. - There should be no such thing as piling arms on outpost. - - - _Night Piquets._ - -In the dark the bullet is a fool unless fired at close quarters. -No practicable amount of shooting, even at only a hundred yards -distance, will dislodge determined men posted under cover, and a -serious attack must be made with the bayonet or by shooting within -the distance at which a man may be distinguished—ten yards or so. -F.S.R., 138 (2), lays down for the British Army that the bayonet only -is to be used in night attacks, and we may assume that any civilized -army we may have to meet will pursue similar tactics. Aerial -reconnaissance may nowadays allow an enemy to locate the position -held by the main body of his opponent, in spite of its being covered -by outposts, but such reconnaissance does not admit of any hope of -a successful night attack being made on that main body by eluding -or passing through the outposts, because the surface of the ground -cannot be sufficiently searched from above to discover the small -obstacles which must be avoided or known if the advance of a large -body of men is to be carried out at night. So we may take it that -now, as formerly, any large attack will fall first on the outposts, -supposing, as we must, that these are placed so as to hold or watch -all possible lines of advance. In addition to this, outposts must -expect isolated attacks made against one or two points held by them -which the enemy desires to gain possession of. The duties of outposts -by night are, then, to hold and defend the outpost line in sufficient -strength to prevent any large body of the enemy breaking through, -or getting a footing in some tactically important position on the -line, and also to prevent the enemy’s scouts from getting through and -making observations, and, lastly, but of most importance, to get news -of the enemy both as a means of forestalling any attack, and for the -use of the force commander in framing his plans. Bringing the matter -down to the level of a piquet of an outpost company, it seems to -resolve itself into night patrolling and night defence of a position. -As before pointed out, enclosed country allows of piquets closing -the lines of advance by which large bodies can only hope to move -undiscovered, while intervening ground can be searched by patrols. On -the other hand, open country leaves the front vulnerable everywhere, -and calls for a greater number of piquets and closer patrolling than -are needed by day. - -Of course, elementary instruction in these duties must be carried out -by daylight to allow of supervision; so now assemble your platoon -of non-commissioned officers and give out that you are going to -practise night work. Choose some place for your night piquet, -realistic as may be, a bridge, a cutting, or anything else that -constitutes a defile or otherwise blocks a likely line of advance -from the enemy’s direction. Also choose, and point out to the -platoon, positions where the adjoining piquets on the right and left -would be. Give out the following instructions to the non-commissioned -officers:— - - (1) Piquets must take up their night positions when it is getting - dusk, the strengthening of the piquet and construction of - obstacles being done in advance, secretly if possible, and - towards evening the working party should withdraw and leave - the intended night position empty till it is time to move - into it, further work being completed by twilight. - - (2) The provision of obstacles is more necessary than entrenchment, - as securing the piquet from being rushed while completing the - latter. - - (3) Men must rest on their alarm posts, and bayonets may have to be - kept fixed by all, if there is a possibility of a sudden - attack (I.T., 151 (7)), to ensure instant readiness. - - (4) All piquets must stand to arms one hour before light and remain - ready for action till the patrols have found that there is no - sign of an immediate attack. When relief takes place in the - morning, night outposts will not return to camp till the - patrols report all clear. - -After this, let the non-commissioned officer in command withdraw the -piquet from its day position and march it to the night position. On -arrival ask the non-commissioned officers in turn where they would -place the piquet exactly and where they would put their obstacles. -Obstacles for a night piquet should be under close fire, i.e., ten or -twenty paces, but, in addition, booby traps and alarms may be placed -further in front. Barbed wire is the best of all obstacles. The -actual defensive measures to be taken do not differ from those taken -for the defence of any position not on outpost. - -The position of the piquet and obstacles being decided on, let the -non-commissioned officers mark on the ground the actual work they -would undertake, having regard to the time available, which you -should tell them, and, on the same lines as for the day piquet, let -them as commanders in turn divide the men into reliefs of sentries -and patrols, tell them off to their alarm posts, and order them to -occupy them once as if on alarm. - -A piquet by night, no matter how well entrenched, has a very limited -field of action. Even with most carefully arranged night rests for -the men’s rifles its fire effect is small except at close ranges, -and to resist attack by relatively larger bodies it must in general -keep behind its defences. Hence a well organised scheme of patrols is -necessary to supplement the passive opposition which the piquet can -offer. The patrols are charged with the duty of bringing news of any -advance of the enemy to attack, and, if he is close enough, of spying -out his movements on and within his outpost line, of preventing -his patrols or scouts penetrating their own line, of watching any -localities which are of particular importance and unoccupied by -piquets, such, for example, as villages beyond the outpost line which -the enemy might try to occupy by night, and, lastly, of keeping -up communication between the various bodies of the outposts. The -strength of patrols is limited by the necessity of their being able -to do this work without making a noise, and a strength of three to -eight men is advised. A patrol performs its duty of observation -either by going from point to point, or by watching one particular -place, when it is called a “standing patrol.” If a piquet posts any -group sentries by night, away from the piquet, such groups have just -the same work as standing patrols, except that they may be ordered to -maintain their position in case of attack as they are near support, -whereas patrols would fall back as soon as they had made sure the -enemy was advancing, and possibly, if in accordance with their -instructions, after treating him to a short burst of rapid fire. An -ordinary patrol will also have to halt and listen perhaps for long -periods, and so becomes for the nonce a standing patrol. - -Form up the platoon at the piquet position, and let the commander -tell it off into three patrols to practise this duty, disregarding -reliefs, all three to be sent out at the same time in different -directions, one man in each to be commander. Before they start off, -tell them the following, which piquet commanders must see to:— - - (1) If there is no countersign published for the force, piquet - commanders must arrange either a word or a sign by which men - may know their own side in the dark. - - (2) Patrols going out are to tell the nearest sentry which way they - are going (I.T., 156 (5)). - - (3) For patrols a code of signals should be arranged, e.g., a hiss - or half-whistle, to call attention, answered by the same to - show that the man called has heard it, followed by the - signal, whatever it is:—a double hiss for “come up to me,” a - click of the tongue for “retire,” but anything will do - provided it cannot be clearly heard much further off than the - listeners for whom it is intended, and is neither a very - common nor a very uncommon sound. - - (4) The piquet commander must tell patrols how long they are to - stay out and any places he thinks must be visited, in - addition to what they themselves may find advisable, on - closer acquaintance with the ground. - -A suitable formation for a night patrol of six men would be four in -the advanced party, followed at ten to fifty paces by the rear party -or two. The reason for the stronger party being ahead is, firstly, -that fighting at night begins with suddenness and ends rapidly, while -reinforcement of one party by another is slow and uncertain, and, -secondly, to ensure that some part of the patrol may have a good -chance of getting away with news, whatever happens to the rest: -Bayonets should be fixed and rifles sloped on the right shoulder, the -right hand holding the small of the butt so as to come to the charge -at once, and not to have any chance of a rifle falling on the ground. - -Tell patrol commanders to get their patrols into formation and -practise movement in silence along a road and on ordinary road. If -along a road, let them move on each side of it, off the metal on the -roadside grass or dust, and under trees or close to the hedge or -wall. On ordinary country the ball of the foot should be put down -first as if to feel the surface, before putting the full weight -of the body on the advanced foot. A stick or broom-handle, _à la_ -“boy scout,” is invaluable in moving over unexplored ground, as by -it the real nature of objects dimly seen at one’s feet can be made -out, and awkward spills thereby avoided. The movement of patrols -under these conditions will be very slow over any but quite level -ground. As the patrols move let them practise the code of signals, -halting, advancing, coming up into one line, etc., also the keeping -up of communication by one file moving back and forward between the -two parts of the patrol. They should practise also breaking up and -scattering as if attacked by overwhelming numbers, each individual -getting away as quickly and quietly as possible, and the whole -rallying again at some place in rear. The patrol commander as he goes -out must fix these rallying places, usually one is enough over the -whole of a patrol’s beat, and they should be _outside_ the outpost -line. Have the patrols moved so that on their beats they may meet -each other once or twice, and use the sign to reply when challenge -is made. As a second practice, direct one of the meeting patrols to -consider itself hostile, and let the commander of the other patrol -excogitate how he would deal with men who did not stand fast on being -told to halt and could not give the countersign. - -Next tell the patrols to get into position to watch various -localities, a farm steading, a ravine, or such like, as they would -have to do for limited periods as patrols reconnoitring on their -beats, or for the whole night as standing patrols. One of the best -ways in which patrols can fulfil their office is by halting and -listening with ears near the ground for sounds of human movement. -There is no rule for thus lying up except that they must not get -caught themselves. A couple of men should be left quite clear of the -patrol to get away if the others strike trouble, and the commander -of the patrol should have word passed to these two from time to time -that all is well with the rest, or they may wait in their place -while the others have been quietly downed. - -Lastly, let patrols return to the piquet, and learn how to approach -without getting themselves fired on, or causing useless alarm. A -good way is for two of the patrol to advance a few steps at a time -when near the piquet, halting and quietly code-signalling the piquet -sentry till they get His attention and warn him that the patrol wants -to come in. - -It has taken longer to write about outposts than it may take you -to put your men through them, and I have purposely been discursive -because a knowledge of what is needed from outposts is more important -than any set exercise, and also because this duty is the one which -newly raised troops are most likely to perform negligently, and at -the same time the one which, if neglected, allows the enemy to bring -raw troops to quick demoralisation. I have also purposely written as -if unlimited ground were available, and, speaking generally, I think -it is. You can, and should, practise your piqueting and patrolling on -the ordinary countryside, with its main and bye-roads, paths, fields, -and hedges. The practice of outposts when piquets are not entrenched, -causes no damage, so that leave to move over the fields should not -be hard to get, but even if it cannot be got, the principal and most -important work of patrolling and watching all roads and paths, will -be done on the ground on which they would be done on service. If -fighting ever takes place in Britain, which Heaven forefend, outpost -lines will be along the ordinary country and not on Salisbury Plain, -so do not go into wild and desolate places for your outposts, but -take the ordinary country round where you are. - - - - - EXERCISE XV. - - DEFENCE. - - -The subject of defence is treated of in F.S.R., 107-110, I.T., -125-135, and in Chapter VII., M.F.E., 1911. The duties required of -the company commander and his subordinates are briefly defined by -I.T., 132, to be similar to those they carry out in the attack. The -whole spirit of the regulations is that the active Defence is merely -a means to an end, viz., the ultimate assumption of the offensive, -which may be carried out either by the same troops which have acted -on the defensive or by fresh troops detailed for the purpose. In both -cases the troops that have acted on the defensive must be ready to -become the aggressors. Therefore, in training your men, you should -keep this constantly in view and conserve a spirit of aggressive -mobility. Men must not be allowed to think that once a position -has been taken up and entrenched it is to be their location till -fighting ceases; on the contrary, they should be encouraged to look -for opportunities while still on the defensive, to occupy alternative -positions which will make the task of the attacking enemy more -difficult. Quickness in seizing and strengthening a position must be -combined with mobility in leaving it to take up and strengthen a new -one. Of course, the time available regulates the work that can be -undertaken (M.F.E., VII. (2)); deep trenches and concealed head cover -cannot be made with an enemy pressing in to assault, but the first -requirement is the ability to choose positions that give a good field -of fire and to strengthen them as thoroughly as the time available -and the proximity of the enemy admit. - -In dealing with a company, the onus of choosing what localities it is -tactically necessary to occupy and strengthen rests with the company -commander, subject to the orders of his battalion commander. In the -same way as on outpost, you will be given a bit of ground to defend, -either acting with the battalion or as an isolated company, and the -rest will be on your head. I do not propose to deliver a treatise -on the tactical occupation of ground, but instead I will ask you to -procure and read two books. The first is “The Defence of Duffer’s -Drift,” by Backsight Forethought (W. Clowes and Sons), the second -is “A Staff Officer’s Scrap Book,” by Sir Ian Hamilton (Edward -Arnold). They are both most readable books, and are quite free of -soporific effects. The first is small, and deals with the efforts -of a half-company, under Lieutenant B. F., to defend a drift over a -South African river. In the second the author takes you along with -him through the Russo-Japanese War, of which he was a privileged -spectator, and in your journeyings you look on at victories and -defeats in the making, while the causes that led to them, great and -small, are set forth, along with many shrewd comments on human nature -and how it translates itself in the day of battle. Every fight bears -its own lesson of what to do and what not to do in defence, and this -told in no pedantic strain, but with the saving grace of humour, to -mitigate the darker side of human carnage. Read them both, get to -yourself the wisdom and understanding with which they are filled, and -you will know how to take up a position for defence. - -Having educated yourself to choose the points of a defensive position -that must be occupied if the position is to be effectively held, -you have still to train your men to the work of defending them, and -they must learn to be able to do without the help of a supervising -officer, as will often be the case on service. - -Daylight defence is almost entirely a matter of fire, the immediate -object being to make it impossible for the enemy to come to close -quarters. Platoon and section commanders then must be able to dispose -their men with this in view to the best advantage within the limits -of the ground allotted to their units, and the men must be able to -site their trenches or whatever form of cover has to be constructed -so as to use their rifles to the best effect. It is no good to teach -men to dig trenches and make loop-holes unless they know the proper -places for them. (M.F.E., 18 (7)). - -At the same time, practice in digging and the use of tools is very -necessary for men who are not accustomed to such work. The hands of -the untrained man blister and his muscles tire under the unusual -effort, while he expends much energy with results small in comparison -with what he can accomplish once he has learnt to use his strength -well. Moreover, a certain amount of technical skill is required in -making any but the most simple cover. - -To practise the execution of work, you _must_ have ground which you -are at liberty to turn up, as well as some materials for loop-holes -and obstacles. These may not be obtainable at any and every parade, -but you can give practice in the selection and siting of trenches -on any bit of country without causing damage, the men merely -spitlocking or marking with stones or anything else the position of -the trenches on the surface of the ground, and describing what they -propose doing. - -I would, therefore, advise that you make your training consist of -two parts, firstly the siting of trenches and the planning by unit -commanders and men of defensive work, the choice and occupation of -alternative positions, and the assumption of the offensive from the -defensive, all this without actually breaking ground, and, secondly, -ground and tools being then available, the performance of a course of -making real cover and obstacles. - -But the first part cannot be carried out unless the men have a -knowledge of what trenches, loop-holes and so on are like, and the -objects with which they are made. In a company of raw recruits taken -from the populace at large, there will be plenty who have no ideas -on the subject at all. You must then precede your exercises either -by a short lecture, materials for which you will find in plenty in -the “Defence of Duffer’s Drift,” and the manuals of training, or, -better than a lecture, by showing them specimens of entrenchments -made by regular troops. The main points to insist on are the securing -of a field of fire, the necessity of concealment of the defences, -the importance of head cover as a help to the delivery of an -accurate fire by letting men keep the enemy in view without showing -up themselves, the avoidance of enfilade fire by making traverses, -or by taking advantage of intervening high ground, the provision -of cover from downward shell fire by making the trenches deep and -steep enough to let men stand close up to the edges, and, in the -case of isolated posts and points held as pivots of a position, the -necessity of preparing an all-round defence so that these pivots will -be able to continue fighting whatever happens on the intervening -ground. The course of work actually performed for the second part -should include digging all kinds of trenches, by which the men will -learn to use their tools to the best advantage, and their hands and -muscles will become hardened, the use of the excavated earth to form -parapets and parados (cover from fire from the rear of the trench; -forty inches of earth are needed to keep out a bullet), the drainage -of trenches, the making of traverses against enfilade fire, the -making of loop-holes and head-cover with the aid of all sorts of -materials, sand bags, brushwood and heather, straw and twigs, stones -and bricks (which must be covered with earth to deaden the effects of -splinters), packing boards, and so on, the concealment of trenches -and loop-holes so as to be invisible to the enemy (this is of great -importance), the masking of loop-holes when not in use to prevent -light showing through, the making of dummy trenches and loop-holes to -draw the enemy’s fire away, the improvement of existing cover, such -as loop-holing walls and the use of hedges with or without ditches, -making sangars, if stones are available, the making of obstacles of -barbed and plain wire, and measuring and marking of ranges round -a position, which should be done by some means not obvious to the -enemy, and clearing the field of fire. It will seldom be practicable -to obtain subjects for practical demonstration of some of the latter -in peace time; people will object to their walls being experimented -on or their shrubberies laid low, and so even here a description of -the method will have to be substituted for actual performance. For -night defence the construction of night rests for rifles is needed. -The best I know is a packing case, filled with earth, with the front -and rear edges notched to hold the rifle stock. The magazine is laid -hard up against the outside of the rear edge and the notches, front -or rear, slowly deepened with a penknife till the sights bear on the -target; afterwards earth is banked up outside the box and head-cover -made above. The foregoing may seem a formidable list, but they are -things that will undoubtedly be required as soon as you get on -shooting terms with an enemy; while if you exhaust this list and feel -the want of further occupation, the Engineering Manual will supply -you with further subjects for your activities. - -Pending your getting facilities of ground, tools, and materials -to execute work, you can proceed with the first part of training -outlined above. If your non-commissioned officers have not had -experience, take them out as an instructional section in the same way -as when teaching outpost work, and put them through the exercises -which follow. But if they are already fairly competent, take the men -on parade, forming them, if possible, into not less than two sections. - - - _Instruction in Siting Trenches._ - -Choose any position on undulating ground, form the men in extended -order in one line in rear of it, and order them to move up, and -mark where each would place his trench in order to fire on an enemy -advancing from the front. In doing this it should be an invariable -rule that men must lie down, bring the rifle into the firing -position, look along the sights, and move forward or back till they -see that they have got the best position to sweep the ground in their -immediate front (see M.F.E., 31 (3)). Dead ground close to the trench -gives the enemy a place in which to collect and organise an assault. -Take the men in the same way on to other positions and repeat the -lesson till they all understand that the _first thing to be done is -this aiming with the rifle to secure a good field of fire_. At first -halt them close to what you see is the best line, and afterwards halt -them thirty or forty yards from it, and then give the order to choose -sites. For instance, halt them on the top of a convex slope and let -them find out that the best place to bring fire on to flat ground at -its base is somewhere on the enemy’s side of the convexity, for if -the trench were made on the top of the slope the ground immediately -in front would be hidden by the convexity. The section commanders -must help the men in choosing sites. - -After the men have fixed and marked the proposed sites, let them lay -down their rifles three paces in rear and kneel or lie down at the -rear edge of the site as if waiting to commence work while you and -section and platoon commanders go round and examine the line. Ask -details from the men—how high they would make the parapet, how thick -it should be, how they would make head-cover, how they would conceal -the work, and so on. - - - _Traverses and broken lines of Trenches._ - -Repeat the exercise as above, but this time have the men in sections -or small groups, and the trenches made not in one line, but in -short lengths, separated by traverses. You will have to explain -the construction and use of these to prevent enfilade fire (if not -from long range), and to localise shell bursts. Again, have lines -of trenches mapped out in short lengths on an irregular front, some -a little forward, some a little back, with the earth at each end, -banked up on the flanks with the same object (M.F.E., 33). - - - _Short Trenches for Two Men._ - -Bring the men extended to six or eight paces on to a position, and -let the men of each file close to two paces from each other. Each -file is then to choose and mark a site for a short trench to hold -both of them, or, as it would formerly have been called, a rifle pit, -marking where they would make loop-holes to fire both to the front, -and obliquely towards the right and left, so as to rake the ground -in front of the line of the other men’s pits. This arrangement is -not officially recognised, and it does not give the closest possible -firing line, but it is an excellent way of making men think for -themselves. - -When the men have got their bearings in the matter of taking up a -line for entrenchment, make them get into the way of changing from -defence into attack. Take up a position as before, and as soon as -the trenches are marked out, indicate a position at some distance as -an objective for attack and start an advance against it, as done in -the attack practices, forming a firing line rapidly of some named -platoons and the support of the others. A skeleton enemy kept hidden -till needed adds much to the realism. - - - _Defence of Pivots (M.F.E., 50 (3), and I.T., 129)._ - -Find a position in which there are some points separated from each -other which command the ground between, and also form such pivots -for defence of the position as are described in the paras. above. -According to the nature of the ground, such pivots might be, for -platoons, as much as four hundred yards apart, i.e., attackers coming -between them would be under fire at not more than two hundred yards. -Send a platoon under a commander to each pivot, and let him plan and -mark out his defensive measures, which must include:— - - 1. An arrangement for all-round defence, so that the pivot may be - self-contained and capable of continuing the fight, although - others may have been captured. - - 2. The siting accordingly of trenches and loop-holes to fire all - round and especially to sweep the front and rear of adjoining - pivots. - - 3. The adaptation of existing cover to save labour. - - 4. The provision of protection against enfilade and reverse fire, - and the _recognition of distant localities_ from which such - fire, whether of artillery or rifle, might be brought to bear - on the post. - - 5. The marking of ranges in each direction. - - 6. The provision of obstacles. - - 7. Any feasible scheme for alternative positions which his men - could reach and occupy under fire. - - 8. The concealment of the defences, provision of dummy trenches, - and loop-holes and any other shifts. - - 9. The telling off and posting of look-out men and fixing and - occupying of alarm posts when work has been completed. - - 10. Drainage and sanitation. - -The concealment of defences from aerial reconnaissance will, perhaps, -soon claim more attention than it gets at present. - -Practise an attack after defence, starting off one platoon under your -own orders to “go for” an indicated enemy, and sending word either -by messenger or by semaphore to the others, either to join you and -form a firing line, or to move out in support, but, if the latter, -do not fail to finally call them up to reinforce the firing line; -counter-attacks must usually be made with a relatively strong firing -line and small support. - - - _The Company in Defence Acting Alone._ - -When you have put non-commissioned officers and men through the -preceding course, plan some scheme on the lines of the defence of -Duffer’s Drift, to deal with a company isolated and beyond reach of -immediate reinforcement. Any bridge over a railway line, a group of -buildings supposed to contain stores, or a ford or bridge over a -river, will provide you with an object to defend. Choose a line of -defence round it and determine what are the essential pivots to be -held. To do this, so as to furnish an instructive lesson, it will -usually be necessary for you to pay a visit to the place by yourself -and formulate your proposed defence before bringing the company on -to the ground. Pay great attention to crossing and supporting fire -from the pivots, and look at the surrounding country with a view to -meeting attack from any direction, for in this case the company, as -well as the pivots in its line of defence, must be self-contained. -Also have regard to the certainty that you will have artillery -fire against you, to which you will not be able to reply, and in -consequence your proposed defences must include deep trenches or -recesses to shelter the men from shell. Your defences will take the -form of a chain of isolated groups about the point to be defended -and separated from each other by possibly several hundred yards. It -is no use simply to go and sit inside a group of buildings which -the guns would knock about your ears and against which the enemy -can concentrate. The better plan is to break up his attack and hide -your weakness by occupying well-strengthened pivots, behind whose -protection you may have some freedom of movement, and so be able, -if the weakness or rashness of the enemy gives opportunity, to -inaugurate local counter-attacks. These, if successful in inflicting -a sharp and sudden loss, will make him hesitate to deliver a decisive -attack till he has found out all about you. With one company you -cannot expect to achieve decisive results against any considerable -body of the enemy, but must be content with keeping him in play for -as long a time as possible, and an attitude of active bluff is the -best means of doing so. - -When you have got your plans completed, take out the company -as strong as possible and complete in its proper platoons and -sections—if there are too few men let one man count for two or three. -Send off platoons to occupy and plan the defence of the pivots as -done when practising it before. Do the same scheme on two separate -occasions. The first time do not send out a skeleton enemy, so that -the men may have time to look round, but for the second time send out -some scouts under a subaltern, and let the platoons fall out on their -positions with patrols out in front. Fix a certain hour by which you -expect the arrangements to be all ready, and arrange for the enemy to -advance at that time, and open fire on the patrols if they are met. -When the patrols have fallen back the enemy closes in and starts -sniping at the position. Then bring off a counter-attack, withdrawing -some men for the purpose from pivots that are not threatened, and -coming in on the flank of the attackers. In theory, of course, you -should have a support or reserve available for this, but it does no -harm to move men out of their trenches with the object of assuming -the offensive, while the men learn the essential part of their work -by all being employed on the perimeter. - -Have out the company yet a third time on the same or a similar -scheme, pivots and skeleton enemy as before. On this occasion, if the -scheme is the same, change round the platoons to different pivots -from what they occupied before, and when the arrangements for defence -have been settled, leave only sentries and their groups on the pivots -as look-outs, but have patrols in front. Form the remainder of the -men into a support in some central position, and tell them off to -occupy as alarm posts the pivots from which they were withdrawn. When -the skeleton enemy attacks, reinforce the threatened part of the line -by the men of the units told off for its defence, and with part, or -even the whole of the rest, make a counter-attack. - -It is very desirable, though unfortunately not often possible, to -perform these last three practices on ground where you are at -liberty to dig, and with an enemy of three or four companies instead -of a few snipers. - - - _Night Defence._ - -A night attack may be delivered as a sequence to fighting by -daylight, in the course of which the enemy has established himself -sufficiently close to the defences held by his opponent to see -clearly the way to reach the point against which he intends to lead -his force. Or he may deliver an attack without previous fighting, -hoping to get the better of the defenders by surprise, and basing -his plans solely on the results of reconnaissance. In the latter -case the attack must be preceded by a night advance, long or -short, according as the defenders’ outposts and their patrols have -succeeded in keeping the hostile troops at a distance or not, unless, -indeed, the troops or their scouts or spies have not been in touch -at all during the day in which case an attack would not be a wise -proceeding, because the needful information about the ground and -your forces is lacking. Such attacks as require a night advance as a -preliminary are likely to be made either over open ground or along -roads, for the difficulties and delays occasioned by moving troops -over broken ground which is not thoroughly known are very great. -But in the first case, when fighting has been going on by day, and -the two forces are in close contact at nightfall, separated perhaps -by only a few hundred yards, the presence of broken ground in front -of the defences is no guarantee that the enemy may not consider an -attack by night to have a reasonable chance of succeeding against -any of the points which he has been trying to carry by daylight. It -follows then that in preparing a position for defence the pivots must -be ready to withstand attack by night as well as by day, and also -that roads or paths leading into the position from the surrounding -country should be held and defended by night, in spite of their being -innocuous by daylight owing to being swept effectively by fire from -the adjacent pivots. It will be admitted, I think, that fire by night -is ineffectual unless at very short ranges, or when delivered by men -of extraordinary skill such as the up-country Boer and the American -backwoods-men were pictured to be. A European enemy will seek to -bring off his attack with the bayonet. The defenders will try to foil -this attack, firstly, by the use of fire at the close range, which -allows it to be effective, and, secondly, by the use of the bayonet. -This plainly translates itself into obstacles to keep the enemy under -fire, obstacles to hamper him when at bayonet distance, and night -rests to help the accuracy of the fire in certain desired directions. -I have told you one good form of night rest, and there are several -others, but all require some material if they are to be even -approximately accurate. Failing material of any sort, tie white rags -round the muzzles of the men’s rifles if you can get them. After a -week in the field your men will have nothing that is not very dirty, -but in a civilised country some member of the population may perhaps -be found ready to oblige a soldier. - -Working still on your daylight scheme show your non-commissioned -officers and men how to make night obstacles in addition to those -meant for daylight defence, which latter may be any distance up to -one hundred yards in front of the trenches. The night obstacles, on -the other hand, should be quite close, the fire obstacles as close -as ten yards, the bayonet obstacles, say a narrow ditch and a wire, -close under the trenches so as to make a man stumble when trying to -reach the defender with his bayonet. Make or plan these arrangements -round the pivots, and then practise blocking and defending paths or -roads by the same methods as for pivots, but with this variation, -that a parapet which can only be used for defence at night may -be as high as you consider needful without paying regard to its -invisibility, while those to be used by day are kept as low as -possible. In a practical exercise the men to hold these night posts -would have to be furnished either from your support or by thinning -some of the pivots. - -Yet the most carefully arranged trenches and obstacles will be of -no value unless the men occupy them in time to avail themselves of -their advantages. Time sufficient to allow of this, must be got by -patrolling in front as for outposts, by making automatic alarms in -front of the obstacles (M.F.E., 55 (12)), by having alert sentries -on the defence line, and by having a good and well understood -arrangement of alarm posts by which each man shall be ready to occupy -at once, in silence, and without confusion, the place which has been -assigned to him. Patrolling has been dealt with under “Outposts,” -the alertness of your sentries will depend largely on the state -of discipline to which you have brought your company, and on the -commonsenseness, to coin a word, of their training. Alarm posts -are practised in the same way as on outpost. In many corps it is a -standing order that when in camp or bivouac, on manœuvre as well as -on service, men are to fall in on their alarm posts once a day, the -usual times being at retreat or on arrival in camp (F.S.R., 48 (2)), -and this is done whether in Brigade (F.S.R., 47 (2)) or not. If such -is the order in your battalion, adhere to it within your company when -detached, if not, do it off your own bat. It does not fatigue the men -and ensures attention being paid on all occasions to this important -duty. - - - - - EXERCISE XVI. - - HASTY EXPEDIENTS. - - -I.T., 93 (iii.), directs the training of the section to include -rough and ready expedients so as to form a fighting front in any -direction. This training is of great value, both from a disciplinary -point of view, as it makes men quick to move on an order, and also -from the point of view of _moral_, as men accustomed to get sudden -and unexpected orders given under imaginary circumstances will be -more likely to keep cool, when such orders are necessitated by the -stress of actual battle, than men who have always been trained in a -deliberate fashion. - -Such sudden orders must in general mean one of two things, either -that the enemy has got you, or you have got him, “on the hop,” if I -may introduce an expression from the cricket field, and that there -is every chance of the bowler, whoever he is, being badly scored -off, unless he treats the batsman to something more difficult than -the expensive half-volley. If you are fortunately able to find the -enemy at a disadvantage, you will act against him by rifle fire -alone; but, on the other hand, you may find yourself caught in a bad -situation, by either artillery or rifle fire, or possibly by cavalry, -who mean to use the steel. It follows then, in practising expedients, -based, as they should be, on some possible situation, that you should -make the central idea either offensive, as if attempting to bring -your men into a position to get the best results from their fire, or -defensive, as if to escape, or mitigate shell fire or rifle fire, to -which you are subjected under adverse conditions. - -Against artillery fire from ranges or in positions at which you -cannot reply effectively with rifle fire, your action at first, at -all events, must be purely defensive, i.e., all you can do, will be -to escape being overwhelmed by the shell fire, and even at effective -rifle range, the shields of modern field guns, enable them to engage -infantry on very equal terms, so long as the infantry is in front, or -not far on a flank, of the line of guns. - -In the days of muzzle-loaders, it was the cavalry who possessed the -power of suddenly annihilating infantry, when caught unprepared to -withstand their charge. The magazine rifle has reduced this danger, -but the quick-firing cannon has now equal, if not greater, powers of -dealing out swift destruction to any infantry that it finds exposed -in close formation, if only the range be known. At least once in the -Russo-Japanese War, and again in the Turko-Bulgarian war, if we may -believe the somewhat ill-authenticated reports yet to hand, have -artillery wiped out of existence in a few moments several hundred -unfortunate infantrymen, who were caught in the _rafâle_ fired at a -range either ascertained previously, or got at the moment by good -luck or good judgment. The contingency of being thus caught by -artillery is evidently one that should be prepared for by infantry, -as was the forming of squares in the old days, when a cavalry charge -was an ever present peril. In this case of artillery fire, the -conditions and the object desired are practically always the same—the -infantry is in close order of some sort, and wishes to break up into -a congeries of small groups, so as to isolate the effect of the burst -of each shrapnel. The matter of rifle fire is different, as there -are any number of ways in which you may seek either to escape the -results of the enemy’s fire or attempt to use your own, and this is -the proper field in which to practise expedients. - -Whenever you intend to carry out some such movement to meet a -supposed situation, you must let the men know exactly what you are -picturing, so that they also may understand what is needed. The -essence of these practices is that they should be performed without -time for deliberate thought—the men must learn to think and act -quickly. The most satisfactory way is to be yourself mounted, as you -can then get the whole company to hear you at once, whereas, if on -foot, the men who are farthest from you often lose the first part -of what you say; you then have to repeat it, and the thing loses -its character of surprise for the rest, who have already heard it -once. Give out the situation in a loud voice, and in as few words as -possible, then try and give the very order you think you would give, -if the situation was a real one on service; use your own imagination, -in figuring what you would say, and how you would say it. To call -attention, it seems legitimate to use your whistle, as on service -the men would have some warning that things were about to happen, -either by the arrival of shell or bullets, the sight of the enemy, or -by the signal of their own scouts. In giving the situation, if you -are receiving fire, give out what kind of fire it is, the enemy’s -position, if it is allowable to suppose it known, or if you are -going to be on the offensive, give out where the enemy is, and what -he is doing, and how you learn this, i.e., by your scouts, or by -first-hand observation. For example, while the company is marching -in fours along a road, you see, in imagination, two shells burst -simultaneously near by, and about two hundred yards from each other, -and you wisely deduce that the enemy is ranging on your company. Blow -your whistle and give out “Artillery fire is opening on the company, -from such and such a direction—open out to columns of sections.” If -you have taught your men what to do to escape artillery fire, they -will open out at the double into columns of platoons, at not less -than fifty yards interval, measuring roughly at right angles to the -direction of the supposed fire (I.T., 118 (3)). - -In practising this opening out under artillery fire, which, as I have -said, is the one specific hasty manœuvre performed under conditions -nearly always similar, it is inexpedient to lay down any fixed rules -for the positions to be taken up by the platoons. It sounds simple to -say that the platoons of the leading half-company go to the right, -and those of the rear half to the left, but when men are marching at -ease, and shells begin bursting round them unexpectedly, I do not -think there will be time for anyone to see which half-company is -leading. The main thing is to get the platoons instantly away from -the road on which the enemy has laid his guns, and from each other. -Direct platoon commanders to lead their men at the double in any -direction away from the platoon in front, except, of course, towards -the rear. In theory, of course, this might result in all four making -out towards one flank, but, even so, this is better than having any -deliberative halts on the road, and in practice the platoons in rear -can see which way those in front are heading, and wheel to go to -the other flank. There is no advantage to be had from getting the -men in the ranks into extended order, as the shrapnel scatter the -whole width of their bursting zone in an impartial manner, nor is it -any use to seek such slight cover as gives only a screen from view, -unless with a view to getting away from the shell-swept locality -without attracting notice. Platoon commanders should, of course, make -for any cover that is sufficiently steep on the rear side to shelter -them from the downward dropping shrapnel bullets. If there is no -cover, the best thing after getting out into the line of platoons -separated by fully fifty yards intervals, is to move rapidly forward. -If cover exists with open ground round it, the men may be got away by -“dribbling” man by man, in the hope that the enemy may not spot the -movement, and continue or resume his shell practice, to defeat it. - -As regards expedients against rifle fire, I will only suggest a few, -and leave you to invent others suited to the nature of the ground you -have got to exercise on. - - 1. The company in close order is surprised by a heavy rifle fire; - there is cover near by sufficient to hold the whole company - crowded together. Order the men to get into the cover helter - skelter, and then advance or retire, by the successive - movement of platoons or sections, who take extended order at - their best speed as they emerge from shelter. If facilities - exist, tell one or two platoons to reply to the fire, from the - cover, till their own turn comes to move, by which time the - first lots that went out should have got into position to open - fire. - - 2. The company in close order is again surprised by rifle fire, but - there is no cover near to act as a base. Get the company - quickly into extended order, and let men reply to the fire as - soon as they have extended, using studiously slow fire. - - 3. The company or platoons in extended order have to change front - to meet an attack from a flank. As in the book, call on them - to line a hedge or ditch, facing so as to fire in the new - direction. - - 4. Coming through a gap in a hedge or wall, either in advance or - retreat, scattering off right and left, so as to get out of - the way of fire concentrated on the gap. - - 5. The scouts from a position some distance from the company report - a body of the enemy unaware of their presence and exposed to - fire. Bring the company quickly up to the scouts’ position, - halt, load, and adjust sights under cover and just short of - the firing position, and on your whistle the men advance at - once to the edge of the fire position and surprise the enemy - by a simultaneous fire from all the rifles. - - 6. Taking up quickly an all-round defensive position; the platoons - or sections go off and find the best positions in different - directions which you merely indicate roughly. - - 7. Hastily organised attacks, to dislodge an enemy unexpectedly - found in occupation of a position, also taking up action as - flank and rearguards under fire. - - - - - EXERCISE XVII. - - NIGHT OPERATION TRAINING. - - -I.T., 113, gives some instructions as to how men are to be taught to -march and to use their ears and eyes at night, while F.S.R., chapter -ix., goes into the subject at length. These operations are divided -into night marches, night advances, and night attacks. The men of -a company will not be fit to take a useful part in night tactical -exercises either in company or in battalion, unless they have had -some elementary training as laid down in “Infantry Training,” -and have also been practised in the two indispensable duties of -maintaining connection (F.S.R., 129 (4)) and in reconnaissance -(F.S.R., 130 (1)). Night patrolling and the duties of night sentries -have been dealt with under outposts, and I will not say anything -more about them here. The rest of the elementary training contained -in “Infantry Training” requires no explanation, and you can practise -your men in it in small parties. There remains the maintenance of -connection, and I have found that training for this is best done at -first by daylight. It is very simple, and after one or two daylight -lessons the men will work quite well by night, but to begin straight -off under darkness will only lead to waste of time, as mistakes -cannot easily be corrected, nor the working of a system made plain. -The company should parade as strong as possible in this exercise, -as, with only a few files on parade, the necessity of maintaining -connection, and the difficulty of doing so, are not so obvious as -when a fairly large body of men has to be handled without making a -noise. Connection has to be maintained within the company itself, -and also with the other companies in front or rear, if in column of -route, or on the right and left, if deployed. In order to practise -this connection with other companies, represent the front and rear, -or flank section commanders of the supposed adjacent companies by a -man for each company, who should move where those section commanders -would be, i.e., in fours, at the head or tail of the directing flank, -in line, on the flanks of the front rank. Use these dummies as the -recipients of all orders and signals passed along, so that your -company may get the habit of keeping touch with the others before it -works with the battalion. - - - _I. Connecting Files._ - -The only sure way of keeping connection between bodies of troops -moving in separate parties is by connecting files, who keep within -sight of each other and so can seldom be at more than twenty yards -distance apart. These files must be taught to pass commands with -exactitude, and never to open their mouths otherwise, i.e., they -must never speculate between themselves “Are they advancing?” or so -forth, or talk at all, because the next file may hear some word of -their talk and mistake it for an order. When connecting files are -needed they must take up their places without its being necessary to -tell them off loudly, and when no longer needed they must close into -company in silence and in good order. - -Form the company into fours, turned to a flank as in column of route: -tell the dummy section commander of the preceding company to march -off; string the company out after him, the men marching off in files -at about ten paces between each file without further command after -the first one has gone, each as it moves off touching the next to -follow, to give it notice. When they are all strung out, let the rear -dummy section commander follow. Then pass orders up the line; use -only the form given in I.T., 96 (3). To make sure that such verbal -orders have reached the intended recipient, the only way, though a -slow one, is to require him to send back a report that he has taken -the action required. Thus, a message from the rear to the leading -portion to halt would be answered from the leading portion by a -report passed down the line to the commander “The leading portion, -or, etc., has halted.” Let your first order be to halt, passed from -the dummy company in rear up to that in front “From Colonel A. to all -companies—halt.” On receiving the order one man of each file halts -on his ground and turns to the rear, the other goes forward to the -next file as quickly as he can without noise, delivers the order, and -returns to his former place, when he halts and faces the other way -from his comrade. Thus, on the completion of the order to halt, one -man of each file will be facing each way. Bayonets will usually be -fixed in night operations, and it is important, especially in Rifle -Battalions, to accustom men to carry the rifle on the right shoulder, -with the hand round the small of the butt and never at the trail, -otherwise there is much danger of someone getting a stab as well as -an order. - -After the halt, get on the move again by passing up the word to -advance, and practise any other likely orders:—“Go fast in front,” -“Go slow in front,” “The rear cannot keep up,” and so on. Follow the -orders up the line and see that men do not tamper with the form of -the order en route, and that they speak in a whisper when giving it -over. Section and platoon commanders must be told all orders as they -pass, see that their units conform, and look after the maintenance of -the distance between files. - -Next practise lateral communication, the four platoons in one line -in close order, with company intervals between each, representing -the leading platoons of four companies drawn up in line of columns -of platoons at deploying intervals and ready for a night advance. -Lateral connecting files need to be closer than when following -each other, so put out connecting files to the flanks in a similar -way to what was done before, but at six, or eight yards interval. -Then move, halt, and deploy the supposed column by means of these -files, dressing and interval being kept up by the files moving up or -stepping short, and closing on or inclining from any named company of -direction without specific orders. - - - _II. Marching and Formations._ - -Form up the company and get it into fours as if in column of route, -dummy company section commanders as before. Practise marching off -from the halt, and halting, passing the word from the front or rear -company along the men on the flanks of the fours. As the order comes -along, the flank men of the fours nudge or shove the other men in -their respective fours, and whisper to the flank men in the four in -front or behind. There is seldom any need to speak, as a push or -pull is enough. The platoon commanders get the word from the flank -men of the sections of fours, and from one another as well, as they -are to follow the order along their own platoons, and go forward or -back to the commander of the next platoon to whom they must repeat -it, and then resume their proper places. The platoon commander of -the leading, or rear, platoon is responsible for passing the word -to the nearest platoon commander of the next company. The company -officers must arrange also to hear all orders, and should have fixed -positions, known to all, which they will only quit temporarily. -In marching off from the halt, the rear portion of the company -should step out well, as soon as the order reaches them, so as to -avoid straggling, while the leading fours preserve a uniform pace. -In halting in battalion, the leading fours should close up on the -company in front, and continue to do so, till it is seen that it -has finished closing up; there is always bound to be a good deal -of straggling at first owing to the method of giving orders. When -this system is in good working order, move and halt the company on -your own audibly whispered word of command, the platoon commanders -repeating it, the system of communication being kept up as before, -but the men moving at once on the word; this will give a fairly -simultaneous action throughout the company while ensuring against -loss of touch. - -On the same lines, practise forming line from column of platoons, -mass, and column of platoons from column of fours, and marching in -line, paying attention throughout to dressing and the covering of -files in line. - - - _III. Night Assault._ - -Choose a position as objective, and form the company, in line or in -column of platoons, about three hundred yards from it, with scouts -about eighty yards in front of the company (F.S.R., 137 (4)). This -is the formation which would usually be adopted at the position of -deployment. When the scouts have got about one hundred yards from the -position, or up to a line which they would recognise in the dark as -being in close proximity to it, they should halt, and wait for the -arrival of the company. The whole then move silently forward towards -the position till you give the word or signal for assault, when all -charge. Practise this stealthy advance right on to the position, -as if the enemy were not alert, and also make the charge from -some distance, as would be done if the enemy opened fire, which is -recognised to be what will most often happen. After the assault the -men should be rallied by the non-commissioned officers taking all men -within their reach, and forming them into extemporised sections ready -to be reformed into platoons and to begin entrenching. - -If by chance you get material, you may introduce refinements, in the -way of wire-cutting men with each section, sand bags with each man, -and bags stuffed with straw carried ready to throw on to abatis or to -fill up trenches, to be carried in a fixed place in the company. - - - _IV. Night Entrenching._ - -Practise marching with arms and tools, and taking up a position to -be entrenched, with especial regard to avoidance of noise. When -entrenching by night, the trenches cannot be chosen to give a -field of fire unless it has been possible to obtain access to the -locality by day, and mark them in advance; failing this the company -commander, as soon as the position is reached, must send patrols, -and go himself, to ascertain that no commanding ground, at least -in the immediate vicinity, has been left unoccupied, and, at the -first light, all other such points within effective range as it is -possible to hold, should be secured and entrenched, without orders -from higher commanders. A full illustration of this, however, can -only be done by parading at night. - - - _V. Search Work._ - -Practise the company in going off, as if detached from the column to -get touch with other troops, or to find a gate or bridge by which -some obstacle, wall, canal, etc., met with, can be passed. The -company moves off dropping connecting files to keep touch with the -halted column, the files halt at their distances, and pass word if -the company has achieved its mission, and close on the company when -the column comes up, but not before, else the column will be left out -of touch; or, if the need has passed and the company is recalled to -the column, the connecting files again remain at their posts till the -company is gathered back on them. - - - _VI. Surprises._ - -When only a few men are on parade, advanced education, combined with -some amusement, may be got by experimenting in the best ways of -laying out obnoxious persons, such as hostile patrols, who have to -be rushed in silence (F.S.R., 138 (5)). Before beginning a stalk, -the quarry should be kept under observation to see which way he looks -when halted, and any other idiosyncrasies. The assailant should creep -up to him either on his flank, or from behind, moving one foot at a -time, and bending down, though not on all fours. If the sentry looks -his way, he must stay absolutely motionless, till he again looks -away. My informant on this matter was a friend of a successful rifle -thief in Upper India. - -After putting the company through the above daylight course, you -should, of course, put theory into practice and do some real night -work whenever you get the chance, putting out a skeleton enemy or -some observers to tell you how much noise you make, and follow out -the full instructions as to orders, watchwords, etc., given in -F.S.R., 138 and 139. Test your men as to their ability to see in the -dark; some men can see much more than others; spot these men and tell -them off as “Night Scouts.” Even if they are not otherwise qualified -as scouts, they are most useful in guiding the company over rough -ground. - - - - - A SCHEME OF A COMPANY TRAINING. - - -I give below, as an example of the application of the foregoing -exercises, a scheme of company training which I actually carried out. -This was in the days before platoons, so I have altered the scheme to -show what I should have done had the company organisation been what -it now is. I was given from Monday in one week to Saturday the next -week to march out into camp, about 10 miles, and get back, i.e., two -days of march, and ten halted working days. I had thirty-five rounds -per man of ball cartridge available for field practice musketry, and -a sufficiency of blank for the requirements of skeleton enemy and -for use with the men in one or two of the exercises. My men were -Regulars, and during the previous furlough season I had grounded them -piecemeal in field work. - ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- -DAY. | | FORENOON WORK. | AFTERNOON WORK. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 1 |Monday | March out to camp. March | - | | discipline and work of | - | | connecting files. Advanced | - | | guard. Sanitation. Water | - | | piquet and sanitary patrols. | - | | Pitched a perimeter camp as | - | | for savage warfare. Trenched | - | | tents against rain, and | - | | made a shelter trench round | - | | camp. Alarm posts. | ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 2 |Tuesday | Individual advance in | Improved and - | | | deepened camp - | | extended order. Retirement | entrenchments, made - | | by pairs. | loop-holes, night - | | | rests, and obstacles. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 3 |Wednesday | Platoon and Section in | Field practice - | | attack as part of Company. | Musketry:—Individual - | | | advance in extended - | | | order. 7 rounds ball - | | | per man. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 4 |Thursday | Platoon in independent | Field practice - | | attack. | Musketry:—Section - | | | in independent - | | | attack, 7 rounds - | | | ball per man. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 5 |Friday | Platoon in retirement. | Preliminary - | | | training for Company - | | | attack. Fire - | | | discipline and - | | | control. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 6 |Saturday | Company in attack with the | Prepared target - | | battalion. | positions and markers - | | | butts for - | | | snapshooting. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 7 |Monday | Company in attack with | Snapshooting, 7 - | | Battalion. | rounds per man. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 8 |Tuesday | Company in attack acting | Snapshooting, 7 - | | alone. | rounds per man. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 9 |Wednesday | Outposts. | Company in attack, - | | | 7 rounds ball. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 10 |Thursday | Defence. | Company in - | | | retirement. ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 11 |Friday | Night attack. Parade at | Hasty expedients. - | | 2.30 a.m. | ------+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- - 12 |Saturday | March back to quarters. | -=====+==========+==============================+====================== - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - Catalog page Changed Miscellaneous Tactica to: Tactical - pg 62 Changed close and re-form to: reform - pg 63 Changed expect either a counterattack to: counter-attack - pg 67 Changed this exercise, though to: through - pg 76 Added period after: left on the position - pg 124 Changed trenches or make loopholes to: loop-holes - pg 125 Changed the line of loopholes to: loop-holes - pg 136 Changed: (I.T, 156 (5)) to: (I.T., 156 (5)) - pg 182 Added comma after: entrenchments, made loop-holes - pg 183 Added period after: 7 rounds ball per man - pg 184 Added period after: Friday Night attack - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRAINING OF AN INFANTRY -COMPANY *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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