_The Director_: “Lieutenant Hunt, what would you do?”
_Lieutenant Hunt_: “I would send one of my runners back with a message
to the platoon sergeant to bring the platoon up.”
_The Director_: “Lieutenant Williams, do you agree with what Lieutenant
Hunt has just said?”
_Lieutenant Williams_: “No, sir. I would not want the platoon to come up
here until I have sized up the situation; decided upon my dispositions;
and made arrangements for them to get to work on the position we are to
occupy. That will take me some little ‘time.’”
_The Director_: “I think you are right. There is no need of exposing any
more men to the enemy’s fire than is absolutely necessary. As soon as
the enemy realizes that our attack has stopped and we are taking up a
defensive position he will do everything in his power to interfere with
our plans. If he observes a lot of men all along the line digging in he
will open up with everything he has available.”
_Lieutenant Williams_: “That is the point I had in mind. It seems to me
that, as a matter of fact, we will not be able to accomplish very much
on the preparation of the position until it begins to get dusk.”
_The Director_: “You are right. If we can get the layout of the position
completed during the remaining full daylight hours; decide how we are to
organize the combat group and get the trenches and other utilities
staked out I think we will have accomplished all that could be
reasonably expected. Do you see the point, Lieutenant Hunt?”
(Note.—It is assumed that it will be dusk at 6 o’clock.)
_Lieutenant Hunt_: “Yes, sir.”
_The Director_: “Now, taking into consideration what we have said, what
would you do?”
_Lieutenant Hunt_: “I would send a runner back to the platoon sergeant
to have the men take cover and make themselves comfortable. I would want
them to have as much rest as possible for they are going to have a night
of hard work. I would have the runner tell the platoon sergeant to turn
the platoon over to Sergeant R (platoon guide) and for himself, the two
section leaders and the other platoon guides to report to me here.”
_The Director_: “I think that is all right. What are you going to do
while you are waiting for the men to report to you?”
_Lieutenant Hunt_: “I will make a personal reconnaissance of the area,
size up the situation and decide upon how I am going to dispose my
troops.”
(Note.—The disposition of troops will, of course, depend upon the
lay of the ground and the location of the machine guns in the
sector. The following procedure is based upon certain dispositions
and is designed to bring out the points that come up for
consideration in the organization of a combat group of this kind.
The Director will have previously worked out his solution to the
problem and during the course of the discussion will bring out the
tactical points that are necessary for the training and instruction
of the members of the class.)
_The Director_: “Captain Hastings, what are the component parts of a
combat group?”
_Captain Hastings_: “First there is the local security line—the outpost.
Behind this is the firing line—the fighting line of the group. Outguards
are thrown out to back up their sentinels.”
_The Director_: “How may the deployment of the platoon be made?”
_Captain Hastings_: “It may be made with the sections abreast, each
section furnishing the outpost covering its own front. It may be made
with one section behind the other, the leading section occupying the
firing line.”
_The Director_: “Which form of deployment do you favor?”
_Captain Hastings_: “I favor the first. The sections deployed abreast
and each section providing for its own local security. The advantages of
this is that the section leader is responsible for the whole front
assigned to him and there is unity of command. If the outpost line falls
back to the firing line it falls back on the men of its own section. In
the second method, if the outpost section falls back it does so on the
men of the other section of the platoon and there is bound to be more or
less intermingling of units.”
_The Director_: “I think you are right. Let us decide that we are to
make the deployment with the sections side by side, each section to
furnish its own local security—that is, its own outguards. This means
that the front assigned to the platoon may now be divided into two parts
and a section assigned to each. Lieutenant Wallace, what is the
governing factor in the ground assigned to each of the sections?”
_Lieutenant Wallace_: “Each section must be able to cover the ground to
its front and must be so arranged as to mutually support each other.
That is, its fire must be able to sweep the front of the adjoining
groups.”
_The Director_: “Lieutenant Ralston, how much front can a platoon cover
in this formation?”
_Lieutenant Ralston_: “In country such as this the platoon can cover
about 400 to 500 yards of front with its fire. This does not mean that
the platoon occupies such a continuous line. It will actually occupy
only a small portion of it. The intervening portion will be covered by
its fire. By deploying with the sections abreast of each other we can
occupy the sector allotted to the platoon without any difficulty.”
_The Director_: “What is the extent of the area that a section may
organize for close defense, Captain Harvey?”
_Captain Harvey_: “Ordinarily it should not be more than 75 yards by 75
yards. This 75-yard front actually occupied by the section makes 150
yards for the platoon. The intervening ground of say 150 to 200 yards
will be covered by fire.”
_Captain Hodges_: “I do not see how you arrive at the short distance of
150 to 200 yards interval between sections.”
_Captain Harvey_: “(Indicating by a diagram on the ground.) Say the
right section is 75 yards from the right boundary of the area; then the
section covers 75 yards of trenches; the interval to the section on the
left is say 150 yards; the left section occupies 75 yards of front and
is 75 yards from the left boundary. All of this, as you will see makes a
front of about 450 yards covered by the platoon. The interval between
sections might well be expanded to 200 yards which would make the
platoon cover a front of 500 yards without serious difficulty. This
would make 1,000 yards for the company and 2,000 yards for the battalion
with two companies on the firing line. I would say this is the maximum
front. It would be better to reduce the interval a little and bring the
total down to about 800 yards.”
_Captain Hodges_: “I see the proposition now. I do not think we would
have any trouble covering the front allotted to our platoon.”