You, Lieutenant W, commanding the first platoon, have been detailed to form the advance party. It is now (h). Your platoon is formed here.
Required:
The action that you, Lieutenant W, take, and the orders you issue to your platoon.
Procedure
The members of the class are assembled at (g) on the (n—o) road (see explanation of symbols), where it is intended that the advance guard formation is to be taken up.
The Director: “Before taking up the problem for solution, I want to make a few remarks on the formation of a column of troops on the march and to review briefly the formation and duties of an advance guard.”
Explanation
The Director: “A column of troops on the march consists of a main body and such covering detachments as may be necessary. These covering detachments are denominated advance guards, rear guards and flank guards. They are thrown out for the purpose of gaining information of the enemy, to protect the main body from surprise, and to hold off the enemy a sufficient length of time for the main body to prepare for action.
“The covering detachment that goes ahead of and protects the march of a marching column is called an ‘advance guard.’ It consists of a series of detachments or groups increasing progressively in strength from head to rear, each being charged with the protection of the group immediately following it from surprise and thus gaining time for the latter to get ready to fight.
“Formation.—The advance guard is normally divided into a support and a reserve. From the support, an advance party is sent to the front a few hundred yards, and from this advance party a small patrol, technically called a ‘point,’ is sent out. From time to time as the occasion demands, patrols are sent out to the right and left. These are called ‘flankers.’