_The Director_: “That is all very interesting. Those are important
points that we must not lose sight of in our operations against an
active and crafty enemy. He will pull all kinds of stunts on you and you
have to be just a lap ahead of him to best him. All of this shows the
great necessity for combat training. We must have patrol leaders and
scouts that know the importance of all these things and know how to go
about them. We hear so much about the technical branches and the high
order of training that is required. If there is any training more
difficult than that of the ‘doughboy’ I have yet to see it. Take the
training of patrol leaders and scouts for the single phase of infantry
combat that we have just been discussing. I leave it to you if there is
anything more technical and difficult in the training of soldiers. If
these men fail the whole military operation falls down and may be an
utter failure. A half dozen machine guns on a battalion front that have
moved forward a few yards and escaped the barrage will be able to hold
up a whole battalion. So let us not neglect the training of our scouts.
“If the enemy should fall back during the night our scouts will follow
him up and keep in touch with him, word will go back to the battalion
and on back to the division so that arrangements can be made to alter
the plans. In that case the battalion commander will order a general
advance to keep in contact.”