The English of military communications

by William Addleman Ganoe

PROBLEMS

1. On January 27, 1926, you are Corporal Peck in charge of a reconnoitering patrol from the advance guard of the third battalion of the 177th regiment of Infantry. You are proceeding along the road east to Hunterstown from 549 (D, 5 and 6). You arrive at the east edge of J. Bell’s orchard when you see several men at the zero in 602. With the aid of your field glasses you make out four field pieces and limbers to be turning to the north off the road just opposite to, and south of, the men. The vehicles soon disappear behind the knoll of 602. You can see that the men are wearing the enemy’s uniform. After five minutes of observation, the men go out of sight on the far side of the hill, and nothing further happens. After you have written your message at half past four o’clock in the afternoon, you travel under cover of the creek and fields in the general direction of Henderson Meeting House, in the hope of finding out more about the force in the vicinity of 602.

2. On August 27, 1920, you are Sergeant Fenton of a left flank patrol sent out from the second battalion (27th Infantry) which is marching north, as an advance guard to its regiment, toward 546 from Hunterstown. As you come out into the open to the west of the J. Bell farm house, you receive a volley from about twenty rifles from the woods at the north. Two of your men are killed. With the remainder of your men you retire hastily under cover of the Bell orchard to the stream bed which you follow to the north until half way between the Bell house and the “R” in Beaverdam. There you go through the fields to the west until you get a glimpse of the high ground in the vicinity of 574. You can make out through the corn-rows infantrymen deployed and lying down facing you. They extend along the fence for fifty yards on each side of the dirt road. You can see a field piece half way between the ends of the fence and at the edge of the woods. You go back to where you left the stream and write your message. You hand it to one of your men at 20 minutes past two in the afternoon for delivery. You then crawl forward leaving your men under cover in the stream, and remain in observation in the corn-field.

3. You are 1st Sergeant James in charge of a combat patrol from the 38th Infantry which is on outpost duty for the 8th Division at Granite Hill (5, bottom). In passing the house at 5-E the farmer tells you that yesterday at noon he saw about one hundred and fifty saddle-horses in a lot near the cross-roads in Hunterstown. On questioning him further he tells you that there were quite a lot of soldiers about, having a good time, and wearing the enemy’s uniform. You keep on your course. When you arrive at the orchard near 603 it is after nightfall. You hear voices and laughing at the northern edge of the orchard just south of the “6” in 603. You sneak up until you can make out four of the enemy’s infantrymen sitting about a little fire. You charge with bayonets fixed, kill three and capture one. He is half drunk on apple-jack and talks freely. He says his brigade is in bad shape, has marched four days and nights without stopping, has a big outpost at Woodside School House, and that he himself is with a bunch of the advance cavalry in the town. At a quarter of ten at night you hand your message to a member of your patrol for delivery. You then proceed along the road toward 549, looking for more information. You arrive there, having seen nothing of value, the next day at 7 a. m., July 18, 1940.

4. On June 21, 1920, you are a first lieutenant in charge of an officer’s patrol from the 80th Cavalry which is operating as Independent Cavalry for the 190th Division. It is six o’clock in the evening when as you are riding along the road from Texas to Biglerville, three of the enemy jump out upon you. In the struggle which ensues the three are overpowered and sabred by your superior force. You search the dead men, but find nothing upon them but ornaments indicating they belong to the 27th Cavalry. You dismount, tie your horses in the orchard near the word Stiner, and proceed with two of your men along the railroad track toward Biglerville. Near 626 you look toward the town to find the space between you and it well dotted with tents. Placing your men well under cover in the woods, you lie down in the culvert at 626. Before taps is blown in the enemy’s camp, from conversations which have gone on in your vicinity, you have learned that a regiment of cavalry has been encamped there for two days, that no other force is about, and that the regiment will move out at five the next morning, marching toward Goldenville. You write your message at 9:15 p. m. After it is sent, you take up your position again in the culvert.

5. On the 19th of February, 1940, a visiting patrol in charge of Corporal Eaton sent out from 2d Battalion, which is acting as outpost for the 81st Infantry, is on its way to a picket of friendly troops. Its route lies from Boyd School House, E-8 toward McElheny. As it approaches the bridge near the 4 in the 480 contour, it hears footsteps of men hurrying into the timber to the east. The suspicions of the patrol being aroused, it looks about and discovers loose earth scattered over the snow at the abutments of the bridge; upon further investigation it finds fuses leading from the center of the pile of fresh earth. The message is finished on the spot at exactly midnight. After the messenger has departed the corporal and one man remain on guard over the mines whose fuses were cut before the messenger left.

6. You are Corporal Peters sent out with a visiting patrol from Company A, 2d Battalion of your regiment. Your company is Support number 2 of the outpost at the “K” in Oak Ridge, E-8. As you approach Boyd School House, you are not challenged as you expect. You hurry on to where the sentry of the picket should be posted at the cross-roads, only to find him dead of a bayonet thrust. You go to the south side of the school house and there find the remainder of the picket in their blankets in the same condition. You put your hand on one of the men and find that his body is still warm. At fifteen minutes to three, September 30, 1932, you complete your message at the spot where you found most of the picket dead. You then take your remaining man with you and together perform double sentry duty at the cross-roads.

7. On July 4, 1925, you are Sergeant Black in charge of an harassing patrol sent out from the 68th regiment of Infantry which is acting as outpost for the 12th Division. At a quarter to twelve at night, you have just fired two volleys from Boyd School House in the direction of Oak Ridge, and are proceeding toward C. Topper’s to do the same there, when, as you cross the railroad one hundred yards south of the “r” in Topper, you stumble upon a wagon wheel imbedded in the earth. Cautious inspection reveals four howitzers camouflaged. With the aid of known measurements upon your hand you find that the calibre of each is 6 inches. You finish a message at a quarter to one and then proceed as you intended.

8. On the 21st of August, 1919, you are Sergeant Stuart sent out in charge of a contact patrol from the 99th Infantry acting as outpost of the 32d Brigade. After hard work during which you are nearly captured at the cemetery near Henderson Meeting House, you arrive with your patrol, at ten minutes to nine in the evening, at 601 just west of Hunterstown. A regiment of the enemy’s infantry has been defeated by your troops during the day and it is your duty to find out what you can about the enemy’s whereabouts and intentions. As you look across to the west you see lights in the fields between R. Smith’s farm house and J. Bell’s. You make your way carefully down the hill to the farm house at D-6. As you lie in the edge of the woods nearest the house you count fifteen rows of tents by the glow from the fires. You see no animals or picket lines. The fires die down shortly and the talking ceases. You take turns on watch with the senior man of your patrol. At a quarter to one while you are on watch, fires begin to spring up at the ends of the company streets. Shortly afterwards a young soldier comes to the nearby farm house to get water. He grumbles loudly that he must get up in the middle of the night and complains that the first sergeant has ordered the company to be in ranks at one fifty. You get your message off at five minutes after one and remain in observation of the camp.

9. (Two messages.) On May 31, 1940, you are Corporal Decker in charge of a reconnoitering patrol from the 71st Regiment of Cavalry acting as Advance Cavalry to the 18th Division. You are proceeding toward Heidlersburg from Friends’ Grove School House, and you arrive at 5-A. When, proceeding to the east, you are half way through the woods, you hear hoof-beats on the road to the north. Having proceeded due east, you now arrive at the edge of the woods. There you see several mounted men of the enemy halted near the road fork 545, but the trees in the ravine make it difficult for you to see them clearly. Near the main cross-roads of the town you see a hundred or more dismounted men holding their horses. After watching them for a few moments you realize that the horses are being watered. At five minutes to five you start to write your message where you are. After sending it off you remain to see what is going to happen further.

At ten minutes past five, the mounted men ride west with an advance guard of about a troop. Your patrol was well concealed so that it was able to time the main body as it trotted past the road fork 578 in column of twos. It took two minutes and a half to pass. The group near 545 that appeared to be a patrol has disappeared. While the larger body was passing road fork 578 you heard firing about a mile to the south by less than a dozen rifles. You begin to send a message at a quarter after five and start to return to your command. (100 cavalrymen in column of twos will trot past a given point in one minute.)

CHAPTER IV
MORE PROBLEMS ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE FIELD MESSAGE

1. (Three messages.) On July 18, 1930, you are Corporal Flint in charge of a reconnoitering patrol sent out from the 61st Infantry which is acting as Rear Guard to the 19th Brigade, and which is withdrawing from Goldenville through Table Rock. As you proceed south along the stream which flows past Herman, 500 yds. south of C-7, you stumble upon one of your own regiment seriously wounded and lying at the “V” in Varney, in the open field. He tells you that a regiment of Cavalry of the enemy passed by the nearest farm house going northeast on the dirt road when the sun was overhead. You ask the people of the farm house, who are manifestly in sympathy with the enemy, what they know about the occurrence, but they refuse to answer. On the road are many fresh hoof-marks. You begin to write your message at the Varney farm house at half past three in the afternoon. When you have finished you proceed southwest along the same road and along the creek bed toward the race-track. At the bottom part of the “S” in Stock Farm, you leave your men in the field under cover and go south along the edge of the main road toward Boyd School House. You see several patrols of the enemy but you press on. You have not gone far, however, before you spy a low heavy cloud of dust ahead which seems to be moving toward you. At the Boyd School House Cross Roads it turns west at twenty-five minutes to six. It takes the column, which you now make out to be infantry in column of squads, three minutes and forty seconds to pass the cross-roads (175 Infantry in column of squads can pass a given point in one minute). Since the patrols of the enemy are becoming rather thick, you decide to make your way back to the “K” in Stock Farm. There you finish writing another message at a quarter after seven. You have scarcely sent it off when there is a noise among the corn-stalks near you. You lie low and have your men, whom you have now collected about you, do the same. A friendly uniform appears through one of the corn-rows; it is just light enough for you to make it out. You give a low whistle and signal at which the wearer of the uniform approaches. He turns out to be Sergeant Black of your regiment who is leading a combat patrol. He tells you that he counted twenty passenger coaches hitched together on the railroad to the southwest. The engine was pointed toward the north and opposite the “r” in C. Topper at four o’clock. The enemy’s soldiers were crowding around trying to hurry into the coaches. After the Sergeant leaves you, you try to make your way back to your company. At a quarter to twelve you have arrived under cover of the fields and woods near the road-fork 646 just south of Hamilton when you hear the rumble of wheels close behind you to the south. One of your men counted twelve pieces of light artillery which turned off the road and unlimbered just south of 664. You begin to write another message at the “n” in Hamilton at 5 minutes after twelve.

2. On September 1, 1927, you are a first lieutenant of Infantry in charge of an expeditionary patrol from the 26th Infantry, which is acting as outpost to the 18th Division. The outpost is covering the general sector from Stiner, 1,000 yards north of Texas, to Bender’s Church, B-7. The Division is encamped between Biglerville and Guernsey. Your patrol leaves the outermost picket near Table Rock at three o’clock in the afternoon. Its mission is to capture a strong officer’s patrol of the enemy which is supposed to be proceeding north along the railroad from Hamilton. You conceal yourself and your patrol in the shrubbery near the railroad bridge south of Table Rock Station. At five minutes after four you hear footsteps and subdued talking to the south. You allow the first two men to pass you, and when the main body of the patrol is near the bridge you spring out upon them with bayonets. The mêlée lasts for about three minutes. Four men finally survive—the leader of their patrol, two of your men, and yourself. Because of the wound of the foreign officer, whom you make out by his insignia to be a staff officer of their 132d Regiment of Engineers and a Captain, you decide that you will be unable to risk bringing in your prisoner at once. You question him as to what he has been doing and he tells you that he has been all day on the road and that his regiment has marched for three days from the south without stopping to pitch camp. He will answer no other questions. You bind and gag him, after you have taken him into the field to the bottom of the “S” in Table Rock Station. There you start to write your message twelve minutes after the end of the fight. After you have sent off the communication you and the one remaining man keep guard over your prisoner.

3. (Six messages.) On October 29, 1945, you are Sergeant Murray sent out in charge of a strong reconnoitering patrol from the 82d Infantry which is acting as Advance Guard to the 34th Brigade. You send a message from Mt. Olivet School House (7-top) that the country is clear of the enemy from there back to Center Mills from which you have come. You finish your message at half past one in the afternoon. At ten minutes after two, from the main cross-roads of Guernsey, you start another message in which you let your Commanding Officer know that you have seen nothing of the enemy, and that the roads have been patrolled to a distance of eight hundred yards on each side. You keep on going south along the railroad. As the first two men of your patrol enter the railroad cut five hundred yards south of the main cross-roads of Guernsey, they receive a volley from the top and west side of the embankment. They back out while you with the remainder of your patrol skirt the top of the cut to the west. Three men run to the west into the fields and woods. Your fire does not reach them. You continue to scour the country as far as the stream. At five minutes to three you begin to write a message from the farm house near the southern exit of the cut. You then proceed south along the railroad as before. As you approach Biglerville you try to see through your field glasses any signs of the enemy’s men or wagons which might be in the town. Seeing none, you go carefully and completely around the village back to your starting point. Two of your men then enter the main street from the east. After investigating the first eight or ten houses, they signal you to approach. You then with your patrol go along every street of the town, go into the main stores and houses, but you can find no trace of the enemy. At 20 minutes to five you finish your message at the cross-roads five hundred yards southwest of the “B” in Biglerville. You then take the main Carlisle road and proceed south on it. As you go you inspect all bridges, railroad tracks, streams, and ground in general for eight hundred yards on either side of the road, but find no enemy. At twenty-five minutes to six you begin your message at the Stiner House. Before you now go south, you investigate for eight hundred yards the roads leading to the east and west from the main cross-roads south of Stiner. After your men return you proceed along the side of the road south toward the stream. As you come up to the bridge, although it is getting dusk you see a sentinel on the bridge, and you collect your men in some bushes near the north abutment. You tell them that when you give the word they are to charge with you across the bridge at a run with bayonets fixed. There is no sentry at the north end of the bridge, and the one at the south end seems to be lazily looking into the field. You give the signal and your patrol leaps out, but in the middle of the bridge your whole party is caught by fire from machine guns located near the wooden fence half way between the word Texas and the bridge. All but two of your men fall. You are hit in the leg, but are dragged back off the bridge to a copse at the edge of the stream. Waiting for further developments, but hearing nothing more of the enemy except laughter at the other end of the bridge, you have your men carry you further eastward along the stream to a place of comparative safety in the woods. You start writing your message twenty yards south of the railroad crossing east of Stiner at seven o’clock. You find that you will be unable to travel for some time. After sending the message, you remain with one man where you are, both of you concealing yourselves as well as possible.