2. A change in the direction of the line of march is effected by giving a fresh point or points to move on.
3. When once a firing-line has been formed, a change of direction under fire will be effected either as described in S. 48, or by forming a new firing-line in the required direction from the troops in rear, the old firing-line being withdrawn.
4. Undue rapidity tends to exhaust the men, and thus impair the accuracy of their fire. During the earlier stages of the attack, the ordinary pace should, therefore, be maintained.
5. When the defender’s fire begins to tell seriously the advance must be continued according to circumstances as laid down in S. 136 (3).
149. Machine Guns.
1. The effective use of a machine gun depends on the promptitude of its commander in utilising opportunities which are, as a rule, very brief.
2. Machine guns form an integral part of the battalion to which they belong, and will, as a rule, be employed under the orders of its commander. This should not, however, prevent general officers commanding brigades from detaching machine guns from their battalions, especially in the case of reserve battalions, and employing them either massed or in groups should the tactical situation so demand. It must be remembered, however, that when massed their position will be more easily discovered, and they will form a large and vulnerable target for the enemy’s fire.
3. Machine guns may be employed with advantage in the attack in the following conditions:—
(i) To cover the advance of the firing line by engaging the enemy from positions in close support of it.
The gun should generally be regarded as a long range weapon and in ordinary open ground it would rarely be advisable to push it into the firing line, where it would offer a conspicuous target to the fire of the enemy, but in a broken or enclosed country, where the gun could be brought up under cover, occasions may arise where it could be usefully employed in a forward position.