The Director: “Before going into the details of this situation, I desire to say a few words about the conduct of the operations of a patrol. It is impossible to lay down any hard and fast rule for the conduct of a patrol. Each situation will have to be worked out by itself. Each solution will vary with the nature of the country over which you are operating and what the enemy does. A few general principles only may be enunciated.
“The patrol leader, as he advances toward his objective, will mentally make note of various intermediate objectives to serve as stepping stones for his further advance. He can never be certain that he will not encounter the enemy, and must be prepared at all times for such an event.
“If the patrol advances in one body, a hostile patrol will allow them to approach and then ambuscade and capture them. Further, all the members of the patrol would not be able to see much more than one man. If the patrol advances in an extended line of skirmishers, capture is rendered much more difficult, but each man will be acting more or less independently, and it will be most difficult for the patrol leader to control the operations.
“A patrol should assume the general formation of a column on the march, i. e., there is an advance guard, a main body, flankers, and a rear guard. These several elements may be represented by only one man, but the principle is exactly the same. The advance man is necessary to give warning of the approach of the enemy. The flankers are necessary to watch toward the flanks and prevent the enemy from ambuscading the patrol or working around its rear unobserved and cutting off its line of retreat. The main body is necessary to back up the advance man and protect him. The rear man is the “get-away man,” so that in case the patrol is surprised by the enemy, at least one man will have a good chance to escape and carry the news back to the support commander. You must always remember that a patrol that goes out and does not return, or is not heard from within a reasonable time, is the cause for a great deal of uneasiness and anxiety back at the outpost line.
“Some authorities advocate that the patrol commander march as the advance man of the patrol. This is not believed to be good tactics. He should be centrally located so that he will be able to control the operations of the patrol. The patrol leader has been selected for this particular line of work. The officer who sent him out is depending on him to carry out the mission upon which he has been sent and to get information back. He should not, therefore, needlessly make himself a target for the enemy marksman who may be lying in concealment at the turn of a road or trail. If he is the leading man he will be so busily occupied with the task of observation, that he will have little time available for conducting the operations of the other members of the patrol. Furthermore, if anything happens at the front that needs his attention, he can go there in a very short space of time.
“When a small patrol is advancing along a road which is more or less winding and has brush and trees along the side, it is believed that the Boni point formation will usually meet the requirements. In this formation the leading man walks along one side of the road, close up to the brush. The next man follows him at a distance of about 25 yards on the opposite side of the road. The remaining men follow at varying distances on alternate sides of the road. The rear or get-away man should march at least 75 yards in rear of his next preceding man. Flankers are sent out when necessary and where it is possible to do so.
“You will be surprised to see how admirably this formation will meet the situation under the conditions stated. The next time you are out on a winding road through the woods, step over to one side and observe to the front. Then go to the other side and repeat the operation. You will find that from one side your view will be very much restricted, while from the opposite side it will be much more extended. One trial will convince you of the suitability of this formation.”
Procedure
The Director: “Now, having in mind what I have just said, I want each member of the class to determine for himself just where each member of the patrol would be at the moment he, himself, arrived at this point. (The Director indicates the point on the ground where the patrol leader is.) Make a rough sketch of this vicinity to show the solution.
(Note.—The location selected for this situation should be one where there is something that will test the tactical knowledge of the student. To base it otherwise would be of little value.)