The members of the class are assembled at s, the point where Major X receives the messages from his assault companies.
The Director: “Before taking up the problem for solution, I wish to make a few remarks upon the employment of a machine gun company with an assault battalion.”
Explanation
The Director: “The following, in general terms, are the principal tasks of the machine guns on the offensive:
“(1) To cover the deployment of the infantry and its advance to the first firing position.
“(2) To support the attack of the infantry.
“(3) To support the infantry in continuing the attack or taking up the pursuit after the enemy’s main position has been captured.
“(4) To assist in the consolidation of the position whenever the limit of the advance is reached or the infantry is brought to a standstill.
“During the combat the function of the machine guns is to assist constantly the advance of the infantry by fire power. The use of machine guns only at decisive points in the fight is not sufficient. They must be so used as to exert a continuous influence from the beginning to the end of the fight. They can act by fire alone and cannot be used as assault troops.
“Every assaulting infantry battalion habitually retains and employs its machine gun company. The machine gun company almost invariably acts under the direct orders of the battalion commander. Only in very exceptional cases will the company act under the orders of the regimental machine gun officer after H hour, although he frequently will prescribe tasks for it during the barrage prior to H hour.