The Plattsburg Manual Part 19

A part of the line having advanced, the captain may increase or decrease the size of the fractions to complete the movement.

When the company forms a part of the firing line, the rush of the company as a whole is conducted by the captain, as described for a platoon in the preceding paragraph. The captain leads the rush; platoon leaders lead their respective platoons, platoon guides follow the line to insure prompt and orderly execution of the advance.

When the foregoing method of rus.h.i.+ng, by running, becomes impracticable, any method of advance that brings the attack closer to the enemy, such as crawling, should be employed.

Quibbling over minor details shows a failure to grasp the big ideas.

CHAPTER VI

FIRE SUPERIORITY

Do not study this chapter until you begin your extended order drills.

If the authors of this text were requested to select for you the most important of all information that you will receive during your instruction at a training camp, they would advise you to take home that contained in this chapter. If you have learned fully so much you will have done well. If you have failed to comprehend as much as this, you will have returned to your homes lacking in important knowledge.

If you are on the battle-field and propose to crush the other side (defeat the enemy), you have got to do one thing: you have got to make your rifle fire better than his, and you have got to keep it better.

The proposition is this: The enemy is on the defense. He is in a number-one, first-cla.s.s trench. It is constructed with steel, concrete, and sandbags. It has all the improvements that science can devise. Your business is to attack and crush the enemy. How can you advance over exposed ground against such a position? The man behind all those modern improvements has got to stick his head up more or less when he fires. If the volume and rate and accuracy of your fire is greater than his, he will grow timid about the matter. His fire will become less effective.

That is to say, he cannot have fire superiority. When your side has fire superiority, it not only can advance upon such a position but it can do so without ruinous losses, and with hope of success.

To obtain this fire superiority it is necessary to produce a heavier volume of accurate fire than your opponent can produce. We can get a proper conception of the ideas involved by imagining two firemen in a fight armed with hose. One has a larger hose and a greater water pressure than the other. All else being equal, we can foresee clearly who will be the victor and who will be defeated. The more water one throws into the other's face, the less accurate and effective will the other's aim become. This is equally true with bullets. Put a man on the target range, where no danger whatsoever is involved, and he may fire with a nice degree of accuracy. Put him on the battle-field with a great number of bullets whizzing around his head, and he must be a trained veteran to fire with the same accuracy. This is true simply because we have been made that way.

The volume and accuracy of fire depend upon several considerations: (a) Of primary importance is the number of rifles employed. Let us imagine a battle-line one mile long. It is obvious that we cannot have one man firing behind another. We don't want to destroy our own men. They must, therefore, be placed side by side. Each man must have sufficient room to operate his rifle. Experience tells us that we must not have more than one man per yard. We thus see that our battle-line of a mile can only have about eighteen hundred rifles. (b) The rate of fire affects its volume; an excessive rate reduces its accuracy. If you were hunting tigers, you can easily imagine where one well-aimed and well-timed shot could be of more use to you and more harm to the tiger than half a dozen shots fired too rapidly. (c) If the target is large, is clear (can be easily seen), and is but a short distance from you, your fire, for reasons that do not require explanations, can be more rapid. Greater density increases the effect. Suppose a hundred deer were grazing on a hill; you would be more likely to kill some deer than if only a half dozen were there. (d) The position of the target influences the effect of fire. Suppose that ten men were lined up in a row against a wall and that it is your business to kill the lot with a rifle. If you are in front of them, ten shots at least will be required. But it is possible for you to take a position in prolongation of the line (on its flank) and kill the entire number with one bullet. (This also ill.u.s.trates the extreme vulnerability of flanks.)

What are the important steps that must be taken if you are going to get this fire superiority? 1st, Fire Direction. 2d, Fire Control. 3d, Fire Discipline.

FIRE DIRECTION

A company that cannot start firing or stop firing, that cannot fire faster or slower, that cannot distribute equally its fire over an opposing target, that cannot switch its fire from one place to another and make bull's-eyes, would be as unsuccessful in battle to-day as Harvard's football team would be, without practice, in its final game with Yale. The team work in no department of athletics is as necessary or vital as that of a military force, the teamwork of a military machine. The first is a sport, a limited time being involved. The second is a question of life and death to the nation.

It requires a nice and cool judgment, under actual conditions of war, to point out and distribute properly the target to the different groups, to find the exact range, and give all these instructions (directions) that will be necessary to produce an effective fire upon the enemy. Who is responsible for giving these instructions (fire direction), and exactly what are all the conditions that must be fulfilled in order that each individual on the firing line may know exactly where and how to fire?

The captain (company commander) is responsible for all. In the military world there is no such thing as s.h.i.+fting responsibilities. The commander a.s.sumes full responsibility, whether things go right or wrong. He must handle his job through his subordinates (platoon leaders). 1st, He points out the target to his platoon leaders. 2d, He a.s.signs a part of the target to each platoon, in such a manner that the entire target (objective) will be covered (fired upon). 3d, He determines and gives the men the distance to the objective (range). 4th, He indicates the kind of fire to be employed (that is, whether each man will fire as he pleases, fire five shots and then stop, et cetera). 5th, He indicates when the company is to commence firing. 6th, Thereafter the captain observes what effect his company's fire is producing, and corrects flagrant (material) errors. He prevents the exhaustion of his ammunition and distributes such extra ammunition as may be received from the rear.

FIRE CONTROL

We have just described what the captain directs. Now we must put his directions (orders) into effect. This is done through his platoon leaders, a.s.sisted by the platoon guides and the corporals. 1st, The platoon leaders point out and describe their part of the objective (target) to the corporals. 2d, They a.s.sign a particular part of the objective to each corporal with the view of covering equally with the fire the entire objective. 3d, They announce the range (distance to the objective) to their platoons. 4th, If any part of the line cannot see the objective, the platoon leaders must make the changes so that it can see, or so that its fire will be effective. 5th, They order their platoons to open fire at the proper time. Thereafter they observe the target and make any necessary changes to keep the fire effective, i.e., fire fast or slow, according to the necessity, and are on the alert for any commands or signals from the captain.

The platoon guides do one thing only: they watch the firing line and check every breach of fire discipline. (See "Fire Discipline," below.)

The corporals have four distinct duties. 1st, They transmit the commands and signals to their squads when necessary. 2d, They observe the conduct of their squads and abate excitement. 3d, They do all in their power to enforce discipline. 4th, They partic.i.p.ate in the firing.

FIRE DISCIPLINE

Now we come to the individual private on the firing line. All of the above measures for efficiency will come to but little unless the man with the gun can understand and do what he is directed to do. This training is called Fire Discipline.

Fire Discipline implies, besides a habit of obedience, a control of the rifle by the soldier (the result of training), which will enable him in action to make hits instead of misses. It embraces: 1st, Taking advantage of the ground. 2d, Care in setting the sight and delivery of fire. 3d, Constant attention to the orders of the leaders, and careful observation of the enemy. 4th, An increase of fire when the target is favorable, and a cessation of fire when the enemy disappears. 5th, Economy of ammunition.

Summary

Fire Direction is the issuance of instructions regarding the firing.

Fire Control is the explanation of these instructions through the platoon leaders.

Fire Discipline is the quality which enables the soldier to submit to control and fire efficiently under all conditions.

CHAPTER VII

THE SERVICE OF SECURITY

"Security" has the same meaning in the military world as elsewhere. We properly think of the security of our persons, our property, our families in connection with the term. In the military world the family, or community, being so much larger, the word "security" acquires additional dignity.

A husband and father provides for the protection of his family whether at home or abroad. So does the military commander for his command, whether it is an army or a squad; whether it is in camp, on the march, in battle, advancing upon or retreating from the enemy. The end desired is the same in all cases. A study of all the measures adopted by the successful generals in history shows that the means are not very different.

A body of troops in camp is protected (made secure) by the use of groups placed between the enemy and the camp. We were told by a bee expert in Arizona that a limited number of bees remained in the vicinity of the hive. They were quick to observe and resist (the two great duties of an outpost) any intruder.

Suppose that you are in a part of the jungles of Borneo where wild Mohammedan tribes still exist, that you have had a strenuous day's march, and it is time for you to halt and camp for the night. If you are a thoughtful and experienced hunter you will pitch your camp where its protection will be least difficult. A few wild men may severely punish you for a lack of judgment in the matter. They may probably spring from a weak and unexpected quarter when the occasion is least favorable for you. And unless the members of your camp know that you have exercised wise discretion, and that there are proper measures for their security, they will be unable to obtain the needed repose for the following day's work. From this we can see the important business (function) of an outpost.

As a father would interpose himself between his wife and children and an attacking bulldog, so would a military commander provide a similar protection for his camp. We see from this one of the big duties of an outpost commander, i.e., especial attention should be devoted to the direction from which the enemy (bulldog) is coming or is thought to be coming, and a probably less degree of attention to other points.

Consider yourself a member of General Sherman's army during its march from the North on Atlanta. You are to camp for the night on a very open piece of ground. You do not know where the enemy is, but you believe that he is somewhere south of you. The troops are tired. They have had a long, hard march. Let us suppose it is your duty to provide the security of the main body for the night. General Sherman has given you a certain number of men for this purpose. Just how would you go about it?

Regardless of other considerations, it is imperative that your own main force be not surprised or caught off guard by any contingency, however exceptional. To secure this immunity, it is necessary to send men or groups of men in the direction of the probable advance of the enemy, anti to arrange these men or groups of men so that they can be of a.s.sistance to each other. This we call forming an outpost.

It may be possible to have a line of protection extending around the entire camp. It must be extended and arranged so as to keep the enemy so far away from our main body that he cannot observe our numbers or our position. The enemy must not be permitted to approach close enough to the main body to annoy or surprise it. Experience shows that all of this is best accomplished by placing: 1st, some groups or line of groups farthest from our main body and closest to the enemy in order to observe, to report the movements of the enemy, and, when necessary, to make a temporary resistance; 2d, a line of resistance ("supporting groups") called "supports" upon which the first line can retire before, being swamped by superior numbers; 3d, large groups, or line of groups ("line of reserves"), so located that they may go to the a.s.sistance of the second line in case of necessity. Such arrangements may be ill.u.s.trated by the following diagram.

[Ill.u.s.tration: