_The Director_: “Before going further with the problem I desire to again
call your attention to the five paragraph field order that we use in our
service. This form of field order was evolved before the war and used in
our service schools. It is prescribed by our Field Service Regulations.
When we entered the war and our troops went to France we found on both
the British and French fronts a system of field orders that did not
agree with our American ideas. The orders were most voluminous. They
went into every detail of procedure and left little to the initiative of
the commanders of tactical units. The consequence was that many of these
commanders lost their initiative. When their orders ran out and nothing
further had been prescribed for them to do, they just naturally did not
know what to do and stopped until more orders were sent up to them. I am
not so sure but what this system was responsible in the proposition of
limited objectives that we found when we entered into the campaign. Many
of our own officers fell for the voluminous order system but it did not
last long after we got into action. It was then abandoned and we
reverted to our own five paragraph order which filled the bill and met
all our requirements. You remember that after an attack started and was
seen to be under way, how quickly orders came up to disregard all
objectives and push on. Our own simple field order system stood the test
of war and I do not think it will ever be abandoned again for any other
system.”
The paragraphs of the order include:
1st paragraph:—Information of the enemy and our own troops.
2nd paragraph:—The plans of the commander.
3rd paragraph:—Disposition of troops. Orders for each element of the
command and the tactical instructions that pertain to all elements.
4th paragraph:—Administrative arrangements.
5th paragraph:—Where messages are to be sent or location of the command
post.
In preparing the order for the attack under the requirement to our
Situation No. 2, I wish you would use this form of order.