The 1st section is in a line of squad columns 25 yards to the front; the 2nd section is in a line of squad columns 25 yards in rear of you. For some minutes enemy shells have been falling in the area which is occupied by one of our batteries at the rate of about 4 per minute. At this moment the fire increased materially. The men have left the guns temporarily.
Required:
What do you do?
Procedure
The Director distributes the sheets containing Situation No. 3 and points out to the class the extent of the shelled area. It should be in the direct line of march of the 2nd platoon.
Solution
The Director: “Captain Hall, how do you size up the immediate situation?”
Captain Hall: “Our original mission has not changed. We must continue the march to the front regardless of what the enemy does. The 2nd battalion must be relieved tonight and our battalion must make the relief. We cannot stand here and wait for the enemy’s fire to let up. It is obvious that we cannot go through the shelled area without ruinous losses. The only thing left for us to do is to go around it.”
The Director: “Those are the points I wanted to bring out. The question before us is: How are we going to get around the shelled area? What have you to suggest, Lieutenant Barry?”
Lieutenant Barry: “In the first place I will have to decide the question as to which side of the shelled area we are to use in getting around it. If the whole platoon goes around one side and the enemy fire shifts in that direction we may get caught in it and lose a lot of men. I think we would reduce our chances of loss by using both sides and having one platoon go around to the right and one to the left.”