A body of troops moving in an enemy's country is liable to be attacked
at any time, and from any direction, and must, therefore, always take
measures for the protection of its front, flanks, and rear.
In warfare in civilised and highly developed countries, when the
enemy's object is rather to defeat the fighting force than to harry the
convoy, and when troops can march on broad frontages, the protection
given by bodies of cavalry with horse artillery, flung far to front and
flanks, and supported, if necessary, by infantry, is usually adequate.
But when the line of march leads along a single file track, winding
through narrow valleys, and over rugged mountains, when the column,
compared to its strength, occupies an inordinate length of roadway, and
is therefore especially vulnerable to flank attack, and when the enemy,
or at any rate a portion of his warriors, prefer plunder of baggage to
pitched battles, other measures to safeguard the force must be taken.
Flankguards can rarely make their way over the steeply scarped hills
enclosing the North West Frontier valleys, and since the advanced guard
can, in such conditions, effect no more than the clearance of the
valley in which it is moving, it becomes necessary to adopt a sedentary
form of protection for the flanks of the force. This consists of
picquets, posted along the route, in localities commanding approaches
to the roadway, or from which the enemy can fire on the column.
These picquets, together with the advanced and rear guards, secure the
movement of the remaining troops; they are, as a rule, found by the
units composing the advanced guard, and withdraw under the supervision,
and if necessary with the assistance of the rear guard.
The order of march of a column, in border, as in other campaigns, is
conditioned by the proximity, strength, and probable action of the
enemy, by the topography of the district to be traversed, by the
object to be attained, and by the composition of the force.
The first duty of the staff officer to whom is confided the drafting
of orders for a march, will therefore be, by personal observation, and
from intelligence and other reports, to find out as much as possible
of the country, and of the enemy's dispositions and probable tactics.
Armed with this information he will be in a position to arrange the
order of march of his column according to the circumstances of the case.
When the enemy, for instance, is in force in the vicinity, and his
actions, such as throwing up of entrenchments, harassing camp in
large numbers, imply that he will offer vigorous resistance to the
advance, it is probable that the baggage and supply column will be best
parked, under sufficient guard, either in the camp, or in some other
locality easy of defence, whilst the remainder move off, in preparatory
formation for action.
If the clansmen are reported to be inclined to dispute the advance in
force, but are some distance from the camp, the most suitable order of
march may be deduced as follows.
The enemy being in strength, the column should move in compact
formation, and deliberately, the advanced guard being pushed only so
far forward as to secure the troops from surprise, and as few road
picquets sent out as may be, in order that the fighting force may be
reduced as little as possible.
The method of posting and withdrawing picquets will not materially
differ from that which will be described later.
The tribesmen being known to be in force and prepared to resist, it
follows that the bulk of the fighting men must be at the head of the
column; and as the advanced guard will be near the remainder, it need
be only sufficiently numerous to insure that the duties of protection
are adequately performed.
Suppose the tribesmen five miles distant, and that, as a rough basis
for calculation, two companies can secure about one-and-a-half to two
miles of roadway; then about three companies will be required for
picquetting.
If three companies be added for other purposes, the advanced guard
infantry should be of sufficient strength.
The advanced guard will require a proportion of technical troops for
road making and repair, and for this purpose two companies of pioneers,
or the bulk of a company of sappers and miners may be allotted.
Cavalry are not, it is considered, in place with an advanced guard
moving in an enclosed and intricate country, nor, since the main body
will be close behind, need any special medical details be included.
Whether artillery should be allotted is a more open question. In favour
of placing guns with the advanced guard, it can be argued that they
may be of assistance in clearing the hills to be occupied by picquets
or vanguard; against their inclusion it may be urged that artillery
ammunition will necessarily be scarce, owing to the difficulty of
carriage, and should only be employed when an advantageous opportunity
for inflicting loss occurs, but that advanced guard commanders are
prone to make too much use of their guns.
On the whole, when the advanced guard is not far from the main body, it
would seem that the inclusion of guns in the former is unnecessary.
The organisation and order of march of the main body may be as under.
It is clear that the numbers available for action will be those left
over after suitable deduction has been made for baggage and rear
guards. These, therefore, must first be allotted.
Light duty men, officers' servants, cooks, etc., should suffice to
secure the regimental transport, and for policing the drivers, but
the supply column, hospitals, and reserve ammunition, require special
escorts, and perhaps one company each may be adequate for the two first
mentioned, and one or two companies for the ammunition.
The strength and composition of the rear guard is the next item, and
this is regulated by its function of supervision of the retirement of
the picquets.
Such being the case, it appears that, in no circumstances, should
a large force be detailed as a rear-guard. There is not space in a
narrow valley for a strong rear-guard to manoeuvre, so that it will
merely afford the enemy a good target, without corresponding advantage;
besides, the rear-guard can, if necessary, be continually reinforced by
incoming picquets.
A rear-guard, then, should rarely include more than four companies of
infantry, and in the circumstances under consideration, may be weaker.
Though cavalry may be useful for the delivery of a counter-attack, the
horses afford an easy mark, whilst its presence with the rear-guard may
cause the enemy to keep to the hills instead of descending into the
valley, where they will be more vulnerable. Cavalry, it seems, should,
therefore, not be added to the rear-guard infantry.
Mountain guns may be of assistance to picquets in distress, or in the
delivery of a counter-attack, but they should, both for their own
security, and to prevent waste of ammunition, be kept well back. In
the present case the rear-guard is not likely to be harassed, so no
artillery need be included.
A rear-guard does not require technical troops, but some hospital
riding mules, etc., may be allotted for rapid transference of wounded.
The total deductions from the fighting force of the column will
therefore be:--
_Advanced Guard._ Six companies Infantry, bulk of one company S. and
M.
_Escorts, etc._ Three or four companies Infantry.
_Rear-guard._ Two or three companies, with machine guns.
In all about one and a half battalions, one company sappers and miners.
There remain three and a half battalions, one mountain battery, one
squadron, and the administrative services, at disposal.
The order of march of the main body can now be dealt with.
Perhaps half a battalion may move in front, then the mountain battery,
which should not require a special escort, next the three battalions.
After these may follow the reserve ammunition, the hospitals, the 2nd
line transport with B. echelon 1st line transport[2] of all troops,
except the advanced and rear-guards, and then the supply column.
At the tail of the main body may move the B. echelon of the advanced
and rear-guards, so as to be readily available in case any troops
belonging to either are obliged to bivouac outside camp; and finally,
since they are unlikely to be able to undertake effective pursuit, may
come the cavalry, so as to be at hand in case they are required to
assist the rear-guard to counter-attack, by charging any tribesmen who
have ventured into the valley.
Though B. echelon 1st line transport of the advanced and rear-guards
is placed at the end of the column, it is considered that all troops
should be so equipped that they can be independent of camp and
transport for at least two, and better still, for three days. It is
a lesser evil to carry an extra, but in some degree decreasing load,
even if it prejudices mobility, than to starve, or run undue risk of
sickness from cold and damp.
The next case to be considered will be when the enemy is not in great
force, and is more likely to harass than to seriously resist the
advance of the column.
In such circumstances, the main objects will be to complete, as rapidly
as may be, the proposed march, whilst inflicting on the enemy, should
he give the opportunity, the greatest possible loss.
Since the distance is to be quickly traversed, and because a road
picquet takes some time, even as much as an hour, to secure and
establish itself on a hill, it follows that, unless risk is to be run
of the march of the main body being delayed, the advanced guard must
precede the main body by at least one hour, and may even move off in
the twilight which precedes dawn.
This settled, the composition of the advanced guard may be dealt with.
If it is proposed to make a ten mile march, then, calculating from the
data previously mentioned, about one battalion will be sufficient to
picquet the roadway. To this force some four companies may be added,
so as to leave a good margin for securing the camp site, and for
unexpected contingencies.
Technical troops will, as before, be required, and as the advanced
guard will be some way from the main body, a section of mountain
artillery may be included. Neither cavalry, nor special medical units,
seem necessary.
The composition of the advanced guard may, therefore,
be:--one-and-a-half battalions infantry, one section mountain battery,
the bulk of one company sappers and miners.
As already stated, before deciding on the order of march of the main
column, the deductions to be made for escort and rear-guard duties must
be fixed.
Light duty men, etc., should suffice to secure the regimental
transport, three companies to safeguard the reserve ammunition,
hospitals, and supply column, whilst the mountain battery hardly needs
a special escort.
In respect of the rear-guard, in the case under consideration it is
possible that the picquets may be harassed as they withdraw, the
strength of the rear-guard may, therefore, amount to four companies of
infantry, with machine guns, and one section mountain artillery, with
some ambulance riding mules, etc., in addition.
The total deductions, for purposes of protection, from the fighting
force of the column, therefore, amount to:--infantry, two battalions
three companies; artillery, two sections; sappers and miners one
company; and there remain, for disposal, infantry, two battalions five
companies, artillery, one section, cavalry, one squadron, besides
various administrative units.
No serious opposition being expected to the march of the column, the
comfort of the troops may be considered in regulating the order of
march.
As before, and for the same reasons, the cavalry, and the B. echelon
1st line transport of the advanced and rear-guards, and of the
picquetting troops, may march at the tail of the main body.
It should hardly be necessary to place, in addition, a body of infantry
at the end of the column, but, if desired, the remaining four companies
of the battalion furnishing the rear-guard may move immediately in
front of, or behind, the cavalry. The rest of the fighting force
can march at the head of the main column, followed by the reserve
ammunition, hospitals, B. echelon 1st line transport, with the 2nd line
transport, and then the supply column.
In circumstances where little or no resistance is expected to the
forward movement of a column, but serious opposition to the withdrawal
of picquets, and to the march of the rear-guard, the following
modification will be necessary in the order of march just dealt with.
The strength, composition, and time of march of the advanced guard need
only be altered by the deduction of, say, one section of sappers and
miners, and perhaps, too, the withdrawal of the mountain guns.
The escorts, etc., of the non-fighting portions of the main column may
remain as before suggested, as may the strength and composition of the
rear-guard.
The order of march of the main column will, however, require
transposition somewhat as follows:
Since the principal opposition will take the form of pursuit by the
enemy, the bulk of the fighting troops should move in rear of the main
column, so as to be in position to undertake the offensive if required.
The units may, therefore, march as follows:
Two companies of infantry; the supply column; the B. echelon 1st line
transport, (except, of the advanced and rear-guards,) with the 2nd line
transport; the hospitals; the reserve ammunition; B. echelon 1st line
transport of the advanced and rear-guards; the rest of the infantry,
less four companies; the remainder of the artillery; one section of
sappers and miners, the cavalry, and finally four companies.