The Director: “All right, let us assume that all of these things have been taken into consideration. How may the troops be disposed to best meet them, Lieutenant Wallace?”
Lieutenant Wallace: “We have three squads in the section. We are required to furnish our own outguards in addition to furnishing the garrison for the firing line. I should say that one squad employed on the outpost line would be sufficient. That would leave two squads for the firing line.”
The Director: “Now, there are two plans by which the outguards may be furnished. One is to have each squad cover its own front with an outguard and the other is to have a complete squad detailed as outguard for the section. Which of these plans do you prefer to use in this instance, Lieutenant Ralston?”
Lieutenant Ralston: “I think it would be better to employ one squad as the outguards for the section rather than have each squad do it.”
The Director: “What factors lead you to such a decision?”
Lieutenant Ralston: “If we have each squad furnish an outguard for its own front it would take half of the squad for that purpose. The least that could be sent out would be a cossack post of four men—a leader and three reliefs for a single sentinel post. I would not want to send our automatic riflemen on that duty and interfere with our arrangements for flanking fire. We would not desire to send our rifle grenadier under ordinary circumstances. This would leave only two rifles in the squad and one of these is the squad leader. If we send one squad out to furnish the outguards it can furnish two cossack posts, which are sufficient to cover our front, and it will leave the other two squads intact to occupy the firing line with all their weapons. If the enemy attacks and the outguards are driven in they will fall back on the flanks so as not to mask the fire of the squads on the firing line. This will enable them to drift toward an assembly point or trench in rear of the firing line proper where they will be available to the section commander as a small local support to be thrown in any of the squad firing positions where casualties have been relatively heavy or to put them in where they are most needed to repel the attack.”
The Director: “Of course it is always problematical as to how many men of the outguards will be able to get back; your points are well taken and convincing. I agree with you that the outguards may best be furnished by a complete squad, and this leaves the other units intact for the firing line proper. This now brings us down to the location of two small groups of a squad each. Captain Hodges, what factors will you consider in locating these two groups?”
Captain Hodges: “I would want one near each flank of the area where they can help cover the front of the adjacent groups, and I would want also to cover the front of the position. In order to do this I would break each squad into two groups of four men each. In the right group I would have the automatic rifleman and three riflemen of the 1st squad. The automatic rifleman would have a fire position from which he can cover the front of the adjacent section on the right, and if the one position does not serve the purpose I will have another fire position for him from which he can fire to the front. In the next group of four men I would have the rifle grenadier and three riflemen. They will be charged with covering the front. The group that the squad leader will remain with will depend upon circumstances. He would not be definitely assigned, but would go where his presence is most required. I would have a group of four men of the 2nd squad next to the left with the rifle grenade in it, and near the left of my line I would have another group similar to the one on the right with the automatic rifleman in it. The 3rd squad will furnish the outpost—two cossack posts.”
The Director: “I think you have made a very good distribution of troops. I do not think you can say off hand that you would have the rifle grenadier always in the interior groups. His position must depend upon the prospective targets that he may have. Now, the distribution brings us down to the proposition of the preparation of four short sections of trench sufficient to shelter four men each. This makes it a comparatively simple proposition. You see, when you divide all of this work up in the way we have how it gradually clears up and becomes perfectly simple.
“Let us now locate on the ground the four short sections of trench that will have to be prepared.”