_The Director_: “Before going further with the problem I want to explain
to you what happens between the time the Captain issues his orders for
the attack and the time that it starts.
“Having received and understood their orders, the platoon commanders go
back and join their platoons. In doing so they select the route over
which they are going to conduct their commands up to the line of
departure for the attack.
“Each platoon commander conducts his platoon over to the right and gets
it into approach formation directly in rear of and with its front as
nearly parallel to the line of departure as possible. The proposition of
bringing a platoon or any other unit up to a point immediately in rear
of the line of departure in a column of files and making the deployment
from that formation is fraught with great danger and is almost sure to
result in confusion, losses and great consumption of time. The platoons
must be gotten into an approach formation from which they can readily
deploy on nearing the line of departure. Captain James, suppose you were
commanding the first platoon. What formation would you take up in
bringing your platoon up to the line of departure?”
_Captain James_: “I would form it in two lines or waves each consisting
of one section. Each section would be in line of squad columns. From
this formation I can readily deploy the leading wave in to a line of
skirmishes covering the front allotted to the platoon and hold the rear
wave in a line of squad columns or deploy it as the circumstances may
require. In any event I have my platoon under complete control all the
time.”
_The Director_: “I think we can all agree that your formation is
correct.”
“Now, each platoon commander must get the orders to the men who are to
make the attack. When the platoon arrives at a point in rear of the line
of departure the platoon commanders will assemble their non-commissioned
officers and scouts at a covered location near the line of departure
where they can command a view of the front. Here he will explain the
situation and give his orders for the attack. These orders will be
issued in the regular five paragraph order form which I have already
explained to you. The non-commissioned officers join their units. The
leading wave is brought up and deployed on the line of departure. The
scouts move out to the front. The second section is held in proper
formation (line of squad columns or line of skirmishers) from 50 to 100
yards in rear of the leading wave. The platoon commanders signal Captain
C that they are ready to launch the attack.
“The special weapons, machine guns and light mortars and the 37 mm. gun,
are gotten to their respective firing positions and the unit commanders
signal Captain C that they are ready to cover the attacking troops with
their fire.
“The company support platoon is conducted to its position in rear of the
second platoon and the platoon commander signals that he is ready.
“Captain C then signals the battalion commander that he is all ready to
launch the attack. When he gets the signal from the battalion commander,
he signals the supporting weapon commanders and the platoon commanders
to proceed.
“Now, you may say that all of this sounds well in theory, but, you ask,
how is it done in actual practice? What is the enemy doing all this
time? I ask you to visualize the situation from the enemy point of view.
What would you be doing if you were in his place? You occupy a strong
point on the left of your line. You have been placed there to protect
the flank and to bring machine gun fire to bear on our attacking troops
to your right. The attack is progressing off to your right. The firing
seems to be getting further and further to your rear. You have fears
that the line is not holding. You have visions of being left to your
fate. You get no information of what is taking place over there. In your
own immediate front there is little doing. You see nothing to indicate
what we are doing over here. You have no well defined target to fire on.
A few scouts are seen off to the right oblique (scouts of Companies A
and B). There is nothing in your front that would afford you a target.
The scouts that you send out from the strong point run into our covering
patrol and either become casualties or are driven back. Your strength
does not permit sending out a reconnoitering party of sufficient
strength to break through and get any real information of what is taking
place in your front. You simply have to sit and wait for something to
develop. I am sure if you will place yourself in the enemy’s position at
this time, you must realize his situation and the conflicting thoughts
that come across his mind. He is just a human as you are. He is just as
much afraid. He has just the same feeling about the danger of the
situation as you have, only his situation is worse than yours. He must
sit and wait for something to happen while your activities and
preparations occupy your thoughts and attention. You have the
initiative, you lead and he must follow.
“When you consider all of these things you will see how it is possible
to go about the preparation process in a comparatively deliberate
manner. If you have fairly good cover from the fire and view of the
enemy it is not at all difficult.
“The greatest danger in all of this is from our own side. From the
impatience of our own higher commanders who think the preparations are
taking too much time. Brigade and regimental commanders who are to the
rear and cannot see what is going on get impatient with the apparent
delays and demand that the attack be delivered at once. Even the
battalion commander, who is up at the front and ought to know better,
cannot see how you can possibly consume so much time getting ready.
“That is one of the valuable features of these Terrain Exercises. They
illustrate and demonstrate to officers of all ranks that a certain
amount of time must be allowed a combat unit to get ready to launch an
attack and that they may as well sit down and take it easy until
everything is ready. The war is not to be fought in a day.
“Let us take our problem as an example. Our Company (C) could be brought
up and rushed into action in its attack on the enemy strong point. The
rifleman would have fought it out with his bare hands, so to speak.
There would be no supporting fire from machine guns, light mortars and
one-pounders. It would have been a direct frontal attack, with no
enveloping movement. The chances are that it would be a complete failure
and the whole affair would have to be reorganized and done over again.
Even if it were successful it would be accompanied by ruinous losses
that would render the company totally ineffective for further combat
service in the near future.
“By going about the preparations systematically, as we have done, the
chances for success are infinitely greater, the losses will be very much
smaller and in the long run, a lot of time saved. I hope you will all
consider these things when you give orders to a unit under your command,
be it a battalion or a small patrol, to embark upon a tactical
undertaking. Give the commander time to perfect his preparations. Do not
rush him into action until he is ready.”