Part 10

Form the company into fours, turned to a flank as in column of route: tell the dummy section commander of the preceding company to march off; string the company out after him, the men marching off in files at about ten paces between each file without further command after the first one has gone, each as it moves off touching the next to follow, to give it notice. When they are all strung out, let the rear dummy section commander follow. Then pass orders up the line; use only the form given in I.T., 96 (3). To make sure that such verbal orders have reached the intended recipient, the only way, though a slow one, is to require him to send back a report that he has taken the action required. Thus, a message from the rear to the leading portion to halt would be answered from the leading portion by a report passed down the line to the commander “The leading portion, or, etc., has halted.” Let your first order be to halt, passed from the dummy company in rear up to that in front “From Colonel A. to all companies—halt.” On receiving the order one man of each file halts on his ground and turns to the rear, the other goes forward to the next file as quickly as he can without noise, delivers the order, and returns to his former place, when he halts and faces the other way from his comrade. Thus, on the completion of the order to halt, one man of each file will be facing each way. Bayonets will usually be fixed in night operations, and it is important, especially in Rifle Battalions, to accustom men to carry the rifle on the right shoulder, with the hand round the small of the butt and never at the trail, otherwise there is much danger of someone getting a stab as well as an order.

After the halt, get on the move again by passing up the word to advance, and practise any other likely orders:—“Go fast in front,” “Go slow in front,” “The rear cannot keep up,” and so on. Follow the orders up the line and see that men do not tamper with the form of the order en route, and that they speak in a whisper when giving it over. Section and platoon commanders must be told all orders as they pass, see that their units conform, and look after the maintenance of the distance between files.

Next practise lateral communication, the four platoons in one line in close order, with company intervals between each, representing the leading platoons of four companies drawn up in line of columns of platoons at deploying intervals and ready for a night advance. Lateral connecting files need to be closer than when following each other, so put out connecting files to the flanks in a similar way to what was done before, but at six, or eight yards interval. Then move, halt, and deploy the supposed column by means of these files, dressing and interval being kept up by the files moving up or stepping short, and closing on or inclining from any named company of direction without specific orders.

_II. Marching and Formations._

Form up the company and get it into fours as if in column of route, dummy company section commanders as before. Practise marching off from the halt, and halting, passing the word from the front or rear company along the men on the flanks of the fours. As the order comes along, the flank men of the fours nudge or shove the other men in their respective fours, and whisper to the flank men in the four in front or behind. There is seldom any need to speak, as a push or pull is enough. The platoon commanders get the word from the flank men of the sections of fours, and from one another as well, as they are to follow the order along their own platoons, and go forward or back to the commander of the next platoon to whom they must repeat it, and then resume their proper places. The platoon commander of the leading, or rear, platoon is responsible for passing the word to the nearest platoon commander of the next company. The company officers must arrange also to hear all orders, and should have fixed positions, known to all, which they will only quit temporarily. In marching off from the halt, the rear portion of the company should step out well, as soon as the order reaches them, so as to avoid straggling, while the leading fours preserve a uniform pace. In halting in battalion, the leading fours should close up on the company in front, and continue to do so, till it is seen that it has finished closing up; there is always bound to be a good deal of straggling at first owing to the method of giving orders. When this system is in good working order, move and halt the company on your own audibly whispered word of command, the platoon commanders repeating it, the system of communication being kept up as before, but the men moving at once on the word; this will give a fairly simultaneous action throughout the company while ensuring against loss of touch.

On the same lines, practise forming line from column of platoons, mass, and column of platoons from column of fours, and marching in line, paying attention throughout to dressing and the covering of files in line.

_III. Night Assault._

Choose a position as objective, and form the company, in line or in column of platoons, about three hundred yards from it, with scouts about eighty yards in front of the company (F.S.R., 137 (4)). This is the formation which would usually be adopted at the position of deployment. When the scouts have got about one hundred yards from the position, or up to a line which they would recognise in the dark as being in close proximity to it, they should halt, and wait for the arrival of the company. The whole then move silently forward towards the position till you give the word or signal for assault, when all charge. Practise this stealthy advance right on to the position, as if the enemy were not alert, and also make the charge from some distance, as would be done if the enemy opened fire, which is recognised to be what will most often happen. After the assault the men should be rallied by the non-commissioned officers taking all men within their reach, and forming them into extemporised sections ready to be reformed into platoons and to begin entrenching.

If by chance you get material, you may introduce refinements, in the way of wire-cutting men with each section, sand bags with each man, and bags stuffed with straw carried ready to throw on to abatis or to fill up trenches, to be carried in a fixed place in the company.

_IV. Night Entrenching._

Practise marching with arms and tools, and taking up a position to be entrenched, with especial regard to avoidance of noise. When entrenching by night, the trenches cannot be chosen to give a field of fire unless it has been possible to obtain access to the locality by day, and mark them in advance; failing this the company commander, as soon as the position is reached, must send patrols, and go himself, to ascertain that no commanding ground, at least in the immediate vicinity, has been left unoccupied, and, at the first light, all other such points within effective range as it is possible to hold, should be secured and entrenched, without orders from higher commanders. A full illustration of this, however, can only be done by parading at night.

_V. Search Work._

Practise the company in going off, as if detached from the column to get touch with other troops, or to find a gate or bridge by which some obstacle, wall, canal, etc., met with, can be passed. The company moves off dropping connecting files to keep touch with the halted column, the files halt at their distances, and pass word if the company has achieved its mission, and close on the company when the column comes up, but not before, else the column will be left out of touch; or, if the need has passed and the company is recalled to the column, the connecting files again remain at their posts till the company is gathered back on them.

_VI. Surprises._

When only a few men are on parade, advanced education, combined with some amusement, may be got by experimenting in the best ways of laying out obnoxious persons, such as hostile patrols, who have to be rushed in silence (F.S.R., 138 (5)). Before beginning a stalk, the quarry should be kept under observation to see which way he looks when halted, and any other idiosyncrasies. The assailant should creep up to him either on his flank, or from behind, moving one foot at a time, and bending down, though not on all fours. If the sentry looks his way, he must stay absolutely motionless, till he again looks away. My informant on this matter was a friend of a successful rifle thief in Upper India.

After putting the company through the above daylight course, you should, of course, put theory into practice and do some real night work whenever you get the chance, putting out a skeleton enemy or some observers to tell you how much noise you make, and follow out the full instructions as to orders, watchwords, etc., given in F.S.R., 138 and 139. Test your men as to their ability to see in the dark; some men can see much more than others; spot these men and tell them off as “Night Scouts.” Even if they are not otherwise qualified as scouts, they are most useful in guiding the company over rough ground.

A SCHEME OF A COMPANY TRAINING.

I give below, as an example of the application of the foregoing exercises, a scheme of company training which I actually carried out. This was in the days before platoons, so I have altered the scheme to show what I should have done had the company organisation been what it now is. I was given from Monday in one week to Saturday the next week to march out into camp, about 10 miles, and get back, i.e., two days of march, and ten halted working days. I had thirty-five rounds per man of ball cartridge available for field practice musketry, and a sufficiency of blank for the requirements of skeleton enemy and for use with the men in one or two of the exercises. My men were Regulars, and during the previous furlough season I had grounded them piecemeal in field work.

+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- DAY. | | FORENOON WORK. | AFTERNOON WORK. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 1 |Monday | March out to camp. March | | | discipline and work of | | | connecting files. Advanced | | | guard. Sanitation. Water | | | piquet and sanitary patrols. | | | Pitched a perimeter camp as | | | for savage warfare. Trenched | | | tents against rain, and | | | made a shelter trench round | | | camp. Alarm posts. | -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 2 |Tuesday | Individual advance in | Improved and | | | deepened camp | | extended order. Retirement | entrenchments, made | | by pairs. | loop-holes, night | | | rests, and obstacles. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 3 |Wednesday | Platoon and Section in | Field practice | | attack as part of Company. | Musketry:—Individual | | | advance in extended | | | order. 7 rounds ball | | | per man. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 4 |Thursday | Platoon in independent | Field practice | | attack. | Musketry:—Section | | | in independent | | | attack, 7 rounds | | | ball per man. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 5 |Friday | Platoon in retirement. | Preliminary | | | training for Company | | | attack. Fire | | | discipline and | | | control. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 6 |Saturday | Company in attack with the | Prepared target | | battalion. | positions and markers | | | butts for | | | snapshooting. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 7 |Monday | Company in attack with | Snapshooting, 7 | | Battalion. | rounds per man. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 8 |Tuesday | Company in attack acting | Snapshooting, 7 | | alone. | rounds per man. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 9 |Wednesday | Outposts. | Company in attack, | | | 7 rounds ball. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 10 |Thursday | Defence. | Company in | | | retirement. -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 11 |Friday | Night attack. Parade at | Hasty expedients. | | 2.30 a.m. | -----+----------+------------------------------+---------------------- 12 |Saturday | March back to quarters. | =====+==========+==============================+======================

Transcriber’s Notes

Catalog page Changed Miscellaneous Tactica to: Tactical pg 62 Changed close and re-form to: reform pg 63 Changed expect either a counterattack to: counter-attack pg 67 Changed this exercise, though to: through pg 76 Added period after: left on the position pg 124 Changed trenches or make loopholes to: loop-holes pg 125 Changed the line of loopholes to: loop-holes pg 136 Changed: (I.T, 156 (5)) to: (I.T., 156 (5)) pg 182 Added comma after: entrenchments, made loop-holes pg 183 Added period after: 7 rounds ball per man pg 184 Added period after: Friday Night attack