What action do you take?
Procedure
The Director should point out the location of the enemy and should indicate the exact location of each member of the patrol, so that all members of the class will make their solutions on the same basis.
The Director: “Captain Hall, what would you do under the circumstances?”
Captain Hall: “I would send a message to the support commander telling him what I have seen.”
The Director: “Is there anything that you would do before starting to compose your message?”
Captain Hall: “I do not think so. I have located the enemy and want to get the information back as quickly as possible.”
The Director: “That is true. But there are certain things that must be done in connection with it. You have discovered what you estimate to be the enemy’s main body. You know the strength and composition of it. You know what he is doing for the time being. The members of your patrol are still in patrol formation and must be told what to do. In other words, there are several things to be done. In the first place, you want to dispose your men for observation of the enemy and to prevent surprise. Enemy patrols may be operating in the vicinity. One of these may pick you up and prevent you from getting any information back. This is the thing you must guard against. You must consider the contents of your message and you must figure out how you are going to get it back considering the fact that there is an enemy patrol of six men operating between you and the outpost line.
“When the patrol has encountered the enemy the disposition must be such as to permit the leader to observe the hostile force for the purpose of forming an estimate of its strength and composition, dispositions, and probable intentions. With this end in view, the leader must go to a vantage point from which he may obtain a good view of the enemy. The remaining members of the patrol must be so disposed as to guard all the avenues of approach from the known direction of the enemy’s forces, in order to prevent surprise.
“Lieutenant Barry, what disposition would you make of the members of the patrol?”