The Brigade is a tactical unit. The Division is both an administrative and tactical unit. The highest rank now authorized by law in our Army is that of Major General, of whom there are fourteen, eleven in the line and three in the Staff. The size of the platoon is fixed as the number of men whom a Lieutenant can actually command upon the battlefield and carry forward with him by the force of his own personality in an attack. In our Army one First Lieutenant and one Second Lieutenant are authorized for each Company, Troop, or Battery. It is considered by some military critics that a Lieutenant cannot control on the field of battle more than forty men. At war strength (one hundred and fifty men) additional Lieutenants will be necessary, as platoon leaders, but are not provided for. The trained infantryman is called upon to make reconnaissance, obtain information of the enemy, guard his command by systems of outpost when at a halt, or as advance and rear guards while on the move. He must be able to construct or repair roads and bridges over which he marches; prepare shelter when necessity demands; dig intrenchments to reduce his own vulnerability in the face of an enemy, and make his fighting power greater; communicate by systems of visual signaling, involving a code now in use, called "The International Code"; must understand and apply the principles of hygiene, sanitation, and first-aid; must know something of woodcraft, and, above all, he must keep sufficiently strong and rugged to withstand the rigors of campaign. A few of the rules laid down in drill regulations and textbooks on infantry training and of general bearing relative to combat and leadership are included below as indicative of the vital importance and broad scope of this branch of the Service and the fallacy of depending upon raw, untrained troops to fight the Nation's battles. Commanding officers are accountable for the proper training of their respective organizations within the limits prescribed by regulations and orders. Success in battle is the ultimate object of all military training; success may be looked for only when the training is intelligent and thorough. The excellence of an organization is judged by its field efficiency. The field efficiency of an organization depends primarily upon its effectiveness as a whole. Thoroughness and uniformity in the training of the units of an organization are indispensable to the eficiency of the whole; it is by such means alone that the requiste team-work may be developed. The Drill Regulations are furnished as a guide. They provide the principles for training and for increasing the probability of uccess in battle. The following important distinctions must be observed: (a) Drills executed at "attention" and the ceremonies, of guardmounting, parades, reviews, and inspections, are disciplinary exercises designed to teach precise and soldierly movement, and to inculcate that prompt and subconscious obedience which is essential to proper military control. To this end, smartness and precision should be exacted in the execution of every detail. Such drills should be frequent, but short. (b) The purpose of extended-order drill is to teach the mechanism of deployment; of the firings, and, in general, of the employment of troops in combat. Such drills are in the nature of disciplinary exercises and should be frequent, thorough, and exact in order to habituate men to the firm control of their leaders. Extended-order drill is executed at "ease." The Company is the largest unit which executes extended-order drill. (c) Field exercises are for instruction in the duties incident to campaign. Assumed situations are employed. Each exercise should conclude with a discussion, on the ground, of the exercise and principles involved. (d) The combat exercise, a form of field exercise, of the Company, Battalion, and larger units, consists of the application of tactical principles to assumed situations, employing in the execution of the appropriate formations and movements of close and extended order. Combat exercise must simulate, as far as possible, the battle conditions assumed. In order to familiarize both officers and men with such conditions, companies and battalions are frequently consolidated to provide war-strength organizations, the quota of officers not participating being assigned as observers or umpires. Since the firing line can rarely be controlled by the voice alone various forms of visual signalling are used. The infantry must have the tenacity to hold every advantage gained; the individual and collective discipline and skill needed to master the enemy's fire; the determination to close with the enemy in attack, and to meet him with the bayonet in defense. Infantry must be trained to bear the heaviest burdens and losses, both of combat and march. Modern combat demands the highest order of training, discipline, leadership, and morale on the part of the infantry. The art of leadership consists of applying sound tactical principles to concrete cases on the battlefield. Self-reliance, initiative, aggressiveness, and a conception of team-work are the fundamental characteristics of successful leadership. A correct grasp of the situation and a definite plan of action form the soundest basis for a successful combat. |