Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917 To be used by Engineer companies (dismounted) and Coast Artillery companies for Infantry instruction and training

PART I.--DRILL.

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SECTION 2.--INTRODUCTION.

1.[4] Success in battle is the ultimate object of all military training; success may be looked for only when the training is intelligent and thorough.

[Footnote 4: The numbers refer to paragraphs in the Infantry Drill Regulations, 1911.]

2. Commanding officers are accountable for the proper training of their respective organizations within the limits prescribed by regulations and orders.

The excellence of an organization is judged by its field efficiency. The field efficiency of an organization depends primarily upon its effectiveness as a whole. Thoroughness and uniformity in the training of the units of an organization are indispensable to the efficiency of the whole; it is by such means alone that the requisite teamwork may be developed.

3. Simple movements and elastic formations are essential to correct training for battle.

4. The Drill Regulations are furnished as a guide. They provide the principles for training and for increasing the probability of success in battle.

In the interpretation of the regulations, the spirit must be sought. Quibbling over the minutiƦ of form is indicative of failure to grasp the spirit.

5. The principles of combat are considered in Part II of these regulations. They are treated in the various schools included in