The Problem
Situation No. 5:
Just as the order for the relief is completed, you, Major A, receive the following message from the regimental commander:
“No further information of the enemy.
“The general attack will be resumed tomorrow morning at 5.00 o’clock. Your battalion will attack in regimental sector.
“Mission: To pierce enemy position and assist division in penetrating the position.
“Zone of action: No change.
“Line of departure: (Describe in detail).
“The attack will be preceded by 30 minutes’ artillery preparation. The advance of the infantry will be preceded by a rolling barrage. Rate of advance of barrage 100 yards in 4 minutes.
“Station for slightly wounded at ——.
“Regimental C. P. no change.”
Required:
What orders do you give?
Procedure
The Director will distribute the sheets containing Situation No. 5, read the situation aloud and explain the message from the regimental commander. One or more members of the class will be called upon to state his understanding of the situation.
Explanation
The Director: “Let us visualize the situation. The Major has been expecting to receive just such a message from the regimental commander. As a matter of fact he anticipated it when he made the estimate of the situation before issuing his first order for the approach march before dark. He ordered his formation for the approach march so that when the order for the attack came there would be few changes necessary. By his foresight and knowledge of infantry tactics he now has his battalion in the proper formation to make the relief of the 2nd battalion and when this is accomplished he will have his units properly disposed to make the attack tomorrow morning. In other words, the Major started his attack when he made his initial dispositions. And this must be so in every case. When you get into the infantry area of a battle you must get your troops into a formation from which they can make an attack or repel an enemy counter-attack and you must keep them in that formation. That is why the subject of approach march and deployment is so important and that is why troops must be so thoroughly trained in it. During the war the subject was given little attention in our divisions. The British and French instructors brought nothing of it over from the other side. They had communication trenches as lanes of approach and gave little heed to the open warfare end of the game. The American divisions soon realized the necessity for thorough training and the most successful ones were those that spent many of their nights with units from battalions to brigades chasing through the woods, up hill and down dale, practicing the approach march formation. I am sure that when you consider the proposition seriously and visualize what can happen in a situation such as we have had to do with today you will realize the necessity for thorough training in the subject.”
Solution
The Director: “Now let us consider what must be included in the Major’s order for the attack. Captain Hall, what have you to suggest for the first paragraph?”
Captain Hall: “The Major has already given the company commanders everything he knows about the enemy. He has a little additional information to the effect that the general attack all along the line will be resumed tomorrow. This will be included in the first paragraph of the order.”
The Director: “That is all that is necessary. Our second paragraph is a much more complicated affair. What have you to suggest to go into it?”
Captain Hall: “The first thing would be the time of the attack. The orders from regimental headquarters say 5.00 o’clock. That will be included in the order. We have a definite mission for the battalion. To pierce the enemy position and assist our division to penetrate the position—that is, to make a break through, if possible. In order to do this we have got to drive hard. There is no change in the zone of action of the battalion; it remains the same as it was for today. The line of departure should be given. The information about the artillery preparation and the rolling barrage should be included. I think that is about all that must go into paragraph two of the order.”
The Director: “Yes. But you have skimped over two very important points without the explanation they deserve. These are the line of departure and the information about the artillery preparation and the rolling barrage. Let us go into these things a little more in detail.
“The division staff has made arrangements for the artillery preparation to come down along a certain line, and stand there for a period of thirty minutes. Then the barrage will begin to advance at exactly 5.00 o’clock. Unless we have a definite line of departure some parts of our front line may work their way to the front and be caught under our own barrage and you can see what would happen. In case any men do work forward during the night on reconnaissance they must get back a little before 4.30 so as not to get caught under the barrage.”
Lieutenant Barry: “I appreciate all the Director has said. But we have to keep up a reconnaissance during the night to keep in contact with the enemy. He might pull his lines back during the night and if he had decided to make a general retreat we would lose touch and with it a lot of time in conducting the pursuit. I think some of our patrols would have to take a chance on getting back so as not to lose contact. Then, too, if the enemy had pretty definite information that our artillery preparation is coming down on a certain line and we have no men out in front he may move his machine gun squads a little to the front and avoid the barrage altogether and be ready to receive our attack when our first wave goes over the top. If I were commanding one of those assault companies I would keep my front thoroughly patrolled during the night and keep my scouts right up in the enemy’s lines until a minute or two before the barrage comes down. I would have them beat it back a hundred yards and take a chance on escaping from the barrage. As soon as they are out of the way I would then have my special weapons and riflemen keep up a fire on any enemy troops that showed themselves trying to get to a position in front of where the barrage is coming down.”
Explanation
The Director: “That is all very interesting. Those are important points that we must not lose sight of in our operations against an active and crafty enemy. He will pull all kinds of stunts on you and you have to be just a lap ahead of him to best him. All of this shows the great necessity for combat training. We must have patrol leaders and scouts that know the importance of all these things and know how to go about them. We hear so much about the technical branches and the high order of training that is required. If there is any training more difficult than that of the ‘doughboy’ I have yet to see it. Take the training of patrol leaders and scouts for the single phase of infantry combat that we have just been discussing. I leave it to you if there is anything more technical and difficult in the training of soldiers. If these men fail the whole military operation falls down and may be an utter failure. A half dozen machine guns on a battalion front that have moved forward a few yards and escaped the barrage will be able to hold up a whole battalion. So let us not neglect the training of our scouts.
“If the enemy should fall back during the night our scouts will follow him up and keep in touch with him, word will go back to the battalion and on back to the division so that arrangements can be made to alter the plans. In that case the battalion commander will order a general advance to keep in contact.”
Solution
The Director: “Lieutenant Hunt, what would you include in paragraph 3 of the Major’s order?”
Lieutenant Hunt: “The detail orders for each element of the battalion, giving the designation of the organization and the particular part that it is to play in the operation. There will be orders for Company A, the right assault company; Company B, the left assault company; Company C, the battalion reserve, and Company D, the machine gun company. Then the orders for the elements of the Howitzer Company hold off to support the attack. I believe that would complete paragraph 3 of the order.”
The Director: “What would you include in paragraph 4, Lieutenant Williams?”
Lieutenant Williams: “I would include the location of the station for slightly wounded. I do not know of anything else.”
The Director: “And paragraph 5 would contain what?”
Lieutenant Williams: “The location of the regimental and battalion command posts.”
Explanation
The Director: “I think we have discussed everything that must be included in the battalion order. If you will compare all of this with some of the battalion orders you, as Company Commanders, received in France, you will see how sadly lacking some of them were. What we want to do is to prevent a repetition of those conditions and that is why we are devoting our time and attention to these things now. We want to be prepared to solve these problems if the time ever comes when we have to do so again.”
Procedure
The Director: “Now, I want each member of the class to write out the Major’s order on his pad. See how much of the details that we have discussed you can get into the order.”
Sufficient time is allowed for the purpose.
After the orders have been completed the Director will distribute the mimeograph sheets containing the order and one or more of the members of the class will be called upon to read his order and follow with the corresponding paragraph of the solution.
The order will be as follows:
“There is no further information of the enemy. The general attack all along the line will be resumed tomorrow.
“Our battalion will attack at 5.00 o’clock a. m.
“Mission: To drive hard, pierce the enemy position and assist our division in making a penetration of the position.
“Zone of action: No change.
“Line of departure: (Describe line in detail.)
“The attack will be preceded by 30 minutes artillery preparation. The advance of the infantry will be preceded by a rolling barrage. Rate of advance of barrage 100 yards in 4 minutes.
“Company A will attack in the right (left) half of the battalion sector.
“Company B will attack in the left (right) half of the battalion sector.
“Company C will be battalion reserve and follow at a distance of about 300 yards. One squad will be sent to the (east) and one to the (west) boundary of the battalion sector to maintain connection with adjoining units.
“Company D will support the attack of Companies A and B in accordance with previous instructions.
“Elements of the howitzer company in each company sector will support the attack.
“Station for slightly wounded at ____ (indicate).
“Plan of signal communication: No change.
“Command posts:
“Regiment: At ____ (indicate).
“Regiment: At ____ (indicate.)”
Approach March and Deployment Card No. 5
Director’s Key
1. Distribute sheets containing Situation No. 5. Read and explain. Have one or more members of class state his understanding of the situation.
2. Explain situation. Prepared to receive order for attack. Formation from the time of taking up the approach march. Training of troops in approach march formation.
3. Discuss Major’s order. Information of enemy; information of our own troops; time of attack; mission of battalion; line of departure; artillery preparation.
4. Details of solution. Necessity for designating line of departure. Artillery barrage. Scouting and patrolling. Keeping contact with the enemy.
5. Necessity for infantry combat training.
6. Paragraph 3 of the order: Orders for each element. Assault companies; battalion reserve; machine gun company; howitzer elements.
7. Paragraph 4 station for slightly wounded.
8. Paragraph 5 of order. Signal communications and location of C. P.’s.
9. Have class write out order. Distribute solution. Have one or more members of class read their order and compare it with the solution.
Explanation
The Director: “When the battalion commander has finished giving his orders the Company Commanders will go back to their respective companies and the Major will go to his command post. By this time the company reconnaissance parties should be back at their companies and ready to guide the various elements up to the lines where they are to make the reliefs.
“The Company Commander will assemble his officers and non-commissioned officers and go over the whole situation with them and issue the orders for the company. This order will conform to the five paragraph system; will contain the essential elements of the Major’s order and detailed instructions for each element of the company.
“The Company Commander will then conduct his company to the front in such formation as to take advantage of the natural cover afforded and so as to be as invulnerable as possible to the enemy’s fire.
“The details of the actual relief will depend upon the cover available and what the enemy is doing to interfere with it.”