LETTER II

_December 7, 1917._

MY DEAR DICK,--

I will now proceed to set you a few problems in illustration of the axioms which I gave you at the end of my last letter.

The first will be on the subject of taking a German pill-box, for I have heard of many instances of a pill-box holding up the advance of a whole brigade for a very considerable period. I have also heard how many gallant but badly devised attempts to carry it have failed, and the lives of officers and men have been sacrificed in vain, and how eventually a better commanded platoon has succeeded in taking it with very little loss.

PROBLEM 1

_W_, _X_, and _Y_ are three pill-boxes about 150 yards apart. We are attacking in the direction of the arrows, that is, in a northerly direction.

Our men following close behind the barrage took pill-boxes _W_ and _Y_; but, partly owing to the conformation of the ground and partly for other reasons, we failed to take _X_, and this pill-box is now holding up the whole of our advance between _W_, wood, and _Y_, knoll, with a machine gun, which is being fired from the inside of the pill-box, and which sweeps the whole ground between these points so effectively that directly we attempt to advance our men are mown down.

It is apparent that _X_ has only one machine gun in action, though this is a very efficient one.

From the contours on the sketch, it is evident that the ground is convex in formation, that is, that it is nearly flat between _X_ and _H_¹, but that it slopes rapidly between _H_¹ and _H_, between _B_¹ and _B_, and between _C_¹ and _C_.

The slopes are covered with brushwood. The ground between contour 120 and the pill-box is meadow land.

The platoon originally told off to attack _X_ was wiped out.

_Problem._

You have been ordered to take _X_ with your platoon and to do so as quickly as possible. When you receive these orders you are yourself at _H_, and, as you will see from the sketch, are not under fire from _X_.

What steps will you take to carry out your orders?

Do not enter into an elaborate dissertation, but give short, concise orders, and if you desire to do so, append a short statement saying why you gave these orders.

_Action considered Correct._

As there is only one machine gun in action, if _X_ be attacked simultaneously from _B_¹ and _C_¹, either one party or the other should succeed in getting to the rear of the pill-box and blowing in the door.

_Orders._

No. 4 Section with the Lewis gun will choose a position somewhere to the north of _H_, and on my signal will open a rapid fire on the loopholes of the pill-box at _X_. No. 3 Section will choose a position near _B_¹, and when the Lewis gun opens fire, they will open a rapid rifle-grenade fire on _X_. One minute after the Lewis gun has opened, No. 1 Section will rush in from _C_¹ and No. 2 Section from _B_¹.

* * * * *

I am aware that in the foregoing problem I have made the task of the platoon commander a very simple one. I wished, however, to avoid any points of controversy. If the ground should not be so advantageous for your attack as that above depicted, the principle, viz. movement combined with fire, still remains the same. You should bring a converging attack to bear and advance your men under cover of the fire of your rifle grenades and Lewis guns, and by pushing men forward from one shell-crater to another, you should generally be able to achieve your object if your plan be evolved on sound principles. It is also possible that smoke bombs could be used with advantage if the wind be favourable.

The above problem is one which has often been put to young officers on the battlefield, and they have not by any means always given a satisfactory answer to it, simple as it is.

Your affectionate father, “X. Y. Z.”