rr METHOD OF INSTRUCTING [IRMISHERS AND SMALL GROUPS OF SKIRMISHERS [FROM A FRENCH OFFICIAL DOCUMENT OF OCTOBER, 1916.] r\ \ - TRANSLATED AND EDITED AT THE ARMY WAR COLLEGE \jp July, 1917 &4$& WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1917 WAR DEPARTMENT, Document No. 633. Office of The Adjutant General. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, July 16, 1917. The following pamphlet on method of instructing skirmishers and small groups of skirmishers is published for the information of all concerned. * [353.549 A. G. O.] By OROER OF THE SECRETARY OP "WAR! TASKER H. BLISS, Major General, Actiny Chief of Staff . OFFICIAL: H. P. McCAIN, The Adjutant General. 3 INTRODUCTION. It is deemed advisable to publish these notes on Methods of Instructing Skirmishers and Small Groups of Skirmishers: for in it subaltern and noncommissioned officers will be able to find useful information and practice schemes. The procedures indicated in this pamphlet are in no sense manda- tory; they are offered simply as examples. The initiative of officers of every rank in organizing their troops and in directing their instruction is weakened in no way. 5 TABLE OF CONTEXTS. Page. I. Necessity for a detailed individual instruction of the skirmisher 9 II. Preparation of the exercises 10-11 III. First series of exercises. Individual instruction in shooting under conditions of active service 11-14 Exercise No. 1. Fire under active service condi- tions 11-13 Exercise No. 2. Discovering targets 13-14 IV. Second series of exercises. Exercises in defense, for groups of skirmishers 14-17 Exercise No. 3. Defense of a line quickly organized during the combat 14-16 Exercise No. 4. Defense of a trench that has been . organized for some time 16-17 V. Third series of exercises. Exercises in approach, for groups of skirmishers 18-23 Exercise No. 5. Practice in the utilization of the ground in order to advance 18-19 Exercise No. 6. Exercise in making an advance under artillery fire. For skirmishers or small groups of skirmishers 19-21 Exercise No. 7. Exercise in making an attack. For a group of skirmishers 21-22 Exercise No. 8. Exercise in making an attack. For several groups of skirmishers 22-23 VI. Fourth series of exercises. Exercises in making an assault, in close fighting 23-35 Preparatory exercises 23 Exercises in bayonet fighting 23-24 Exercises containing element of sport 24-25 Exercises in firing in preparation for close combat 25 Exercises in grenade throwing 25 Exercise No. 9. Assault prepared by the artillery (exercise for a half platoon) 25-27 7 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS. VI. Fourth series of exercises Continued. Page. KxiTfise No. 10. Assault prepared by grenu : rise for a small group of skirmishers) 28 Exercise No. 11. Combat on the enemy position (exercise for a group of skirmishers) 29-32 Diagrams 31 :W Exercise No. 12. Grenade fighting in a fire or con- necting trench 32-33 Exercise No. 13. Organization of the captured ground (exercise for a group of skirmishers) VII. Fifth series of exercises. Combat patrols 35-37 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS AND SMALL GROUPS OF SKIRMISHERS. I. NECESSITY FOR DETAILED INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION OF THE SKIRMISHER. Close fighting is carried on almost exclusively by groups of skirmishers -who are often beyond the reach of any coordinated management and act in whatever way they can on their own account. A combat at close quarters is the total of scattered struggles. It is necessary, therefore, to instruct every man in great detail, in order that he may be a real combatant. The knowledge of the skirmisher is generally limited to elementary ideas regarding shooting, grenade throwing, and utilization of the ground. This rudimentary knowledge makes a skirmisher nothing more than a private of the ranks, often incapable of fighting to any purpose when he has no officers. In battle the slowness of the movements, immobility, disorder, and unexplainable retirements are partly the result of lack of individual instruction of the skirmisher and the noncommissioned officers. The changing, as in officers, noncommissioned officers, and men, the service in the trenches, and battle periods complicate and inter- fere with the instruction. The object of the following pages is to make easier the task of the officers and noncommissioned officers by suggesting a series of graded exercises, methods of organizing these exer- cises, and the points to bring out. These exercises, which are simple and very short, will be practiced especially during the period of relief, when the length of the rest allowed the men permits of de- tailed instruction. A knoicledge of how to conduct small groups of skirmishers in battle is indispensable to noncommissioned officers and corporals, and is indeed the basis of their efficiency. Exercises like those which are given in the following pages will be particularly profitable to them. These exercises are also especially valuable to sharpshooters, picked grenadiers, and machine gunners, who by reason of their own indi- vidual qualifications, really conduct the fight. 3426 17 2 9 10 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. II. PREPARATION OF THE EXERCISES. STRENGTH OF THE GROUPS OF SKIRMISHERS TO BE INSTRUCTED. The instruction should be individual. When skirmishers maneu- ver in a group, the strength of the group ought not to be more than 15 men in order that it may be possible to give instruction to each individual soldier. (Each group of skirmishers will always include several picked grenadiers and one or two machine gimners. In each exercise the number of men indicated is the number which will permit the giving of the instruction under the best conditions). Thus the groups of skirmishers will be either squads or half platoons (one-eighth of a company at full strength) from which the noncom- missioned officers will often be withdrawn in order to give complete initiative to the skirmishers. Choice of ground. The following exercises are practiced only in the group for close combat (except the march under artillery fire). Consequently, it is not necessary to have a very large field. The smallest uncultivated field may be used. Choose ground of varied character, rather irregular, and of small extent in order to allow opportunity for individual action. Representation of features of the exercise. The preparation of the exercise demands only a few minutes (all that is necessary is to deter- mine the features to be represented and to adapt them to the ground at one's disposal). The enemy will be represented realistically by groups or lines of skirmishers placed in a situation conforming exactly with reality (hardly visible places from which to direct their fire and rapid and imperceptible shifting). The side representing the enemy will be directed by one or more officers or noncommissioned officers, to whom the director of the exercises gives the necessary instructions (signals mutually understood if possible). The whole advantage of the exercise depends upon the manner in which the features are represented and upon the impression of reality produced. It will only be necessary for the instructors to draw upon actual situations experienced in war. Method of directing the exercise. The director of the exercise brings about movements of the skirmish group being instructed, either by having an incident produced as the notion strikes him (by means of a signal to those representing the enemy), or by putting problems up to the group: "You notice that the enemy's fire has slackened." "Somewhere in those bushes there is an enemy skir- misher watching you; every time that you show yourself a bullet METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 11 cracks." The incidents and the problems should always be in accord with the simple situations which occur continually in the course of close fighting. The mistakes that are made will be marked by eliminating the men who are responsible for them. Therefore, the instructor should keep in mind the conditions of close fighting, in order to be able to determine what movements are possible and what are dan- gerous. An excellent means of putting the private on hia guard against certain mistakes is to remind him that a certain mistake was made in a certain combat by such and such a skirmisher or group of skirmishers, and that it had such and such a result. After the exercise has been gone through with once, have it begun all over again after having quickly gone over and criticised the mistakes made the first time (this repetition is possible for most of the exercises, which are always very short). The number of instructors and the ground which is available will not always permit of having the exercise practiced simultaneously by all the squads or half-sections. These will take their turn rapidly before the same instructor and on the same ground. HI. FIRST SERIES OF EXERCISES INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION IN SHOOTING UNDER CONDITIONS OF ACTIVE SERVICE. EXERCISE No. 1. INSTRUCTIONS IN FIRING UNDER CONDITIONS OF ACTIVE SERVICE. The object of this exercise is to teach the soldier to fire carefully and without haste, choosing the enemy whom he wishes to bring doivn. The exercise is divided into two parts: 1. The arrangement of his firing position by each skirmisher. The instructor, having deployed the group to be instructed into skir- mishers four or five paces apart, instructs each man to post himself so as to fire in a certain direction. Each skirmisher chooses a position near where he is when the order is given and proceeds to arrange it. The instructor verifies the protection and concealment. In the course of the work he places himself at a certain distance in advance of the skirmishers and makes sure that the men show themselves as little as possible, that they do not attract attention when working, that the appearance of the ground is not changed, and that the evidences of ground having been broken are covered up. When the work is finished the instructor has fresh skirmishers occupy the positions that have been arranged and takes the first group 200 meters away from the line of these positions. There he points out the mistakes that have been made by showing which positions are too visible and would thus attract fire, as well as evidences of clumsi- 12 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. ness which would reveal the position of the skirmishers (rifles show- ing, rifle barrels too visible while the skirmishers are shooting, etc.). 2. Firing at objectives which are common on the battle fitld. The instructor determines in advance the features of the combat to be represented. He instructs one or more officers or noncommissioned officers and some skirmishers to represent the enemy and gives them special orders accordingly. Upon the appearance of a target the skirmishers fire or abstain from firing. The instructor verifies the target chosen and the range. From time to time he has the fire of the group directed by a skirmisher. FIRING AT MEDIUM AND AT LONG RANGES. Points upon which to give instruction. One fires only when there is a chance of Jutting the target. Beyond 600 meters do not fire upon individuals or upon a tar- get difficult to draw a bead on; as, for ex- ample, a line of skirmishers widely sepa- rated from each other and moving rap- idly. Features to represent. ENEMY PATROLS. Let enemy patrols approach in order to be more certain of bringing them down. The skirmishers divide among themselves the men who make up the hostile patrol. Avoid showing oneself to the enemy, and make ready to fire in silence. Have patrols appear marching in the direction of the group of skirmishers. Distant patrols and patrols appearing suddenly and only a short distance away, in order to accustom the skirmishers to making their dispositions quickly. FIRING AGAINST A CHAIN OF ENEMY SKIRMISHERS WHO HAVE BEEN CHECKED. Locate the position of the enemy skirmish- ers by observing the evidences of the ground having been broken, the place whence the shots come, rifles showing, etc. Keep close watch on the enemy whose po- sition has been discovered, take aim, and wait for him to show himself. Fire when the enemy shows himself in order to reconnoiter, fire, or work; When one's position is particularly well located by the enemy, endeavor to shift from the discovered position without attracting the enemy's attention. Fire obliquely, so as not to expose one's self to point-blank shots. (This applies especially to the automatic-rifle men equipped with automatic rifles, because they are easily located by the enemy.) Represent at a distance varying from 100 to 400 meters a line of skirmishers, of whom some will be very well hidden and others will commit voluntarily the most usual mistakes. In the course of the different exercises the enemy line will be placed in different kinds of positions (along a slope, in a trench, in a field, in broken ground, among rubbish, in the midst of bushes, on the edge of a wood, etc.) in order to ac- custom the soldier to observe quickly, on whatever kind of ground the enemy may have taken up his position. METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 13 FIRING AT A MOVING ADVERSARY. Ilava the line of skirmishers represent- ing the enemy make several movements (quick rushes, creeping, single individ- uals leaping from shelter to shelter). Observe carefully all the signs which in- dicate that the enemy is going to shift his position. Aim 9,1 a point which you know the enemy will pass, and fire when he reaches that point. After a shift of position tcaitfor those icho have been left behind. TARGETS WHICH THE SKIRMISHER SHOULD CHOOSE IN PREFERENCE TO OTHERS. Represent these different objectives during the course of the exercise. Noncommissioned officers. Machine guns. Runners, signalmen. Points through which the enemy en- deavors to creep forward. Enemy elements in movement. Enemy batteries. On the appearance of these targets, the skirmisher abandons for the moment, and without receiving any order to do so, the target which he has been firing at. EXERCISE No. 2. DISCOVERING TARGETS. Intensive utilization of the ground and of concealment cause a very common sensation the feeling that the battle field is empty. This disagreeable sensation and the fire received from an invisible enemy often produce disorder or cause a check in the advance. The following exercise, discovering targets, has as its object accus- toming the skirmisher to distinguish quickly targets which are distant and difficult to perceive, and by that means developing his faculties of observation and his keenness of vision. The instructor places the unit to be instructed (an entire platoon) in a position from which the view is extensive. He chooses targets situated at distances varying from 600 to 1,000 meters. These targets will take the form of a deployed line on a level with the ground, and they will not be very visible (the edge of a field, a grassy ditch, a cleared spot or a darker colored spot in a cultivated field). The target having been designated, each soldier takes aim, and the instructor walks past behind each skirmisher and makes sure that he is aiming at the real target. (It is generally discovered that there is a con- siderable proportion of the men who are aiming at something else besides the real target.) The instructor may have the targets deaig- 14 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. nated by the noncommissioned officers or the corporals. The exercises in shooting are completed by the exercises in shooting in preparation for close fighting. (See Exercise in close fighting.) IV. SECOND SERIES OF EXERCISES EXERCISES IN DEFENSE FOR GROUPS OF SKIRMISHERS. EXERCISE No. 3. DEFENSE OF A LINE QUICKLY ORGANIZED DURING THE FIGHT. Tliis exercise is a direct application of the preceding exercise. to which is added further instruction. FIRST PART. OCCUPATION OF THE POSITION BY THE SKIRMISHERS. The squad under instruction must defend a position, in a sector designated by the instructor, against a force twice or three times its own strength and placed at from 500 to 600 meters away. Arrangement of firing positions. The instructor deploys the squad as skirmishers five paces apart; he instructs each man to choose the most favorable position near the place where he is and to arrange it. Watching the terrain. The instructor teaches his men how to watch the terrain. lie shows them the points to which they should give particular attention; the lines from which the enemy may emerge (ridges, edges of woods, hedges, etc.); the shelters wliich the enemy will endeavor to reach; the groups which may be able to creep forward. If it is possible, the range corresponding to these different points will be estimated. SECOND PART. DEFENSE AGAINST THE APPROACH OF THE ENEMY. Having already decided what action the enemy will take, the instructor will have the enemy advance. (See the preceding exer- cise for the representation of the features of the fight and the points upon which to give instruction.) METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 15 FURTHER POINTS UPON WHICH TO GIVE INSTRUCTION. Features to represent. Choose ground which presents a dead angle before the position, so as to oblige the skirmishers to shift their positions in order to get around the dead angle. llave several groups of enemy skir- mishers posted in a ditch or behind a slcpe which it is possible to enfilade by a slight shift of position. Movements of small groups of the enemy attempting to sneak around the flanks of the defenders. Points upon which to give instruction. Always try to take the enemy by surprise in fir ing. H'Acn the position no longer permits firing on the enemy, shift to another. (Utili- zation of rifle grenades.) Automatic riflemen should seize every occasion/or enfilading the enemy or firing upon him obliquely. (Shift your position if necessary.) Forestall the outflanking movements of the enemy and all his attempts to fire on the position from the flank. Organize for resistance in the position despite a threat of envelopment. In order to make the exercise more interesting, the instructor may arrange it in the following manner: The defending group must prevent the assailants from approaching a line determined on in advance (at assaulting distance or as far as a hand grenade can be thrown). To do this, every time that the defenders fire skillfully the instructor will remove one or several of the assailants from the fight. On the olher hand, every defender who makes a mistake (position not skillfully fixed up, skirmisher exposing himself for too long a time to make observations or to fire, etc.) will likewise be put out. 16 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. THIRD PART. DEFENSE AGAINST THE ASSAULT. Place the enemy in a line of shelters about 150 meters away from the defenders. Features to represent. Have several enemy patrols come out. If the defenders fire, suppose that a cer- tain number of the defenders are after- wards disabled by the enemy bombard- ment. Have waves of assault appear. (Sup- pose that there are liquid-fire throwers among them.) Points upon which to give instruction. Do not fire upon enemy reconnoitering parties who come out to determinine the effects of the preparation. When the assaulting waves appear, do not fire at haphazard; choose an adversary (officers and noncommissioned officers whenever possible, squad leaders, liquid- fire throwers, grenadiers, etc.) and aim at him coolly. (The instructor will give his attention especially to this point.) TLe men supplied with V. B. rifle gren- ades will establish a sustained barrage fire. When the adversary approaches within a distance of 50 meters, put down the rifle in order to establish a barrage with grenades. COUNTER ATTACK -WITH THE BAYONET. The instructor will always have a coun- ter attack executed with the bayonet, in order to seize a part of the enemy's defenses in the pursuit as he falls back, or to drive off the enemy when he has taken position prone on the ground at a short distance away, or to render assistance to a neigh- boring unit. EXERCISE No. 4. DEFENSE OF A TRENCH WHICH HAS BEEN ORGANIZED FOR SOME TIME. For this exercise, construct a trench element (a roughly made trench representing a trench that has been torn up), or a shelter (if necessary, simply a corridor with a slight covering, as large as the exit of a shelter and large enough to hold a squad). METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 17 Points upon which to give instruction. Features to represent. Lookouts. The lookouts remain constantly at their posts, even during the most violent bom- bardment. They are relieved very fre- quently (about every ten minutes during the bombardment). The officers andnoncomm issioned officers make frequent inspections to see that the lookouts are vigilant. Gas alarms. The instructor has the lookout service represented. While the noncom. is inside the shelter, the instructor removes the lookouts. RECONNAISSANCES AND ENEMY ATTACKS. (Refer to the preceding exercise.) POSITION INVADED BY THE ENEMY. 1. The enemy gets into the trench be- fore the garrison comes out of the shelter: Clear a space about the exit with the grenades provided for this purpose inside the shelter. 2. The enemy passes over the trench and assaults the next trench: Face to the rear and shoot the enemy in the back. 3. The enemy gets into certain parts of the trench: The men who are in contact with the enemy organize for themselves a breastwork with sacks of earth and dispute possession of the ground with grenades. The nearest noncommissioned officers prepare a counter attack with grenades immediately. 4. The group is surrounded by the enemy: Organize the defense so as to be able to offer resistance on every side by using the connecting trenches and shell holes to form a kind of closed work. Collect all munitions in order to prevent waste. 3426 17 -3 The instructor has the attack on the trench started and represents the features in the following manner; The alarm signal is given at the mo- ment the enemy approaches the trench. Several of the enemy assigned to clean- ing up the trench are left about the shelter, while the group representing the assaulting wave continues to advance. The instructor places several enemy groups in the parts of the trench near that portion which is occupied by the unit being instructed. Suppose that the noncommissioned officers are disabled, in order to accuston the men to resisting even when thro\| on their own resources. 18 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. V. THIRD SERIES OF EXERCISES EXERCISES IN APPROACH FOR GROUPS OF SKIRMISHERS. EXERCISE No. 5. PRACTICE IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE GROUND IN ORDER TO ADVANCE. The instructor deploys the squad to be instructed (without the corporal), with intervals of five paces between the men in a shelter situated at a medium distance of from 200 to 400 meters from the portion of the enemy represented. He instructs the skirmishers to approach, each one using his own judgment, to within 150 meters (assaulting distance) or to within 30 meters (distance for throwing hand grenades) of the enemy position. (This exercise is not for studying the method of advance. Its sole purpose is to study the utilization of the ground.) FIRST PART OF THE EXERCISE. Each skirmisher advances, utilizing the ground to the best advan- tage. The instructor does not hesitate to point out mistakes in the course of the exercise. The men who disclose themselves uselessly and are clumsy in utilizing the ground are assumed to be disabled, and are ordered to remain in place while the others advance. SECOND PART. The instructor points out rapidly the mistakes that have been made (marked by the men left in place). He shows how the ground should have been utilized. He brings out especially the following points, which are the principal things to learn from the exercise. A skirmisher should never see a new shelter several paces in front of him without throwing himself into it. Before advancing, he must know exactly the shelter that he wishes to gain, and he must consider carefully the manner in which he is to make the movement. METHODS OF MAKING THE FORWARD MOVEMENT. Rush. If the rush is made in a group, there should be a concerted signal for the start. Do not attract the attention of the enemy before starting. Spread out while running. There must be no laggards. Creeping forward. Use the same manner of approach as those near by, if it permits creeping into a new position without making a rush over open ground. Complete the approach with tools, if METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 19 necessary. Carefully avoid creeping one after the other through the same approach, unless completely hidden. When a new shelter has been gained, enlarge it, if necessary, in order to make room for others to come in. This exercise may appear simple and well known to all; neverthe- less it can not be too often repeated. In combat, the use of the ground in order to advance is extremely difficult, because the men have not sufficiently learned beforehand how to observe the ground from a position on a level with the surface, and because this lack of skill is aggravated by a sort of paralysis caused by the near-by crack of the bullets. EXERCISE No. 6. EXERCISE IN MAKING AN ADVANCE UNDER ARTILLERY FIRE FOR SKIRMISHERS AND SMALL GROUPS OF SKIRMISHERS. Zones which are under artillery fire are usually traversed in small columns or in skirmish lines; in this case the soldier has only to follow the commands of the officers and noncommissioned officers . Often, however, on account of the violence or the suddenness of the fire, the officers and noncommissioned officers must give up the ordinary methods of advance. The skirmishers then find themselves thrown for the moment on their own resources. If each man is not familiar with the skirmish maneuvers, that is, if he is not capable of acting so as to accomplish the desired purpose when he is alone and does not receive any orders, the group breaks up, scatters, and disappears for the rest of the combat. The cases in which the skirmisher will have to depend upon his own initiative under artillery fire are the following: 1. Passing through a violent barrage fire of heavy artillery. The instructor emphasizes the following points: Each one advances in his own manner, and tries ' ' to dodge between the shells. '' When a shell is heard approaching, lie doivn in a shelter (shell hole), then run quickly to the next shelter, the moment after the explosion of the shell, and continue thus until the zone of the barrage fire is passed. The movement is begun on the command: "Each one for himself, forward, " or when the platoon chief is seen to adopt this mode of advance. In the course of the advance, the skirmisher observes the movements of his platoon chief, which are his guide as to how he is to conduct himself. He goes toward a shelter near his chief when he sees him stop or give the signal for "assemble, " In addition it is a good thing to 20 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. teach the officers and noncommissioned officers how to tell the zones where the barrage fire is less violent, so that they may lead their men in that direction. The instructor will insist especially on the fact that the best way to escape a barrage fire is to get through it quickly. There is no lack of examples to prove that the losses fall especially upon the men who haven't the courage to follow their unit. 2. The men are greeted with a sudden and violent outburst of fire from the 77' s. The instructor emphasizes the following points: Lie down quickly in the nearest shelter at the command of "Lie down," or when the chief of the unit lies down. Do not move during the outburst, for the artillery may be persuaded to cease firing if the target is no longer visible. When the outburst has stopped, have only one idea, to advance in order to get out of the marked zone. One at a time the men cautiously begin to advance again, so as not to provoke a new outburst. One man's clumsiness is enough to draw the artillery fire upon the whole group. Utilize the ground so as to get through unnoticed ; take care not to advance several at a time. Thus rally little by little about the platoon chief, who should advance in front of his men with the same caution they themselves display. The exercise can be carried on in the following manner: A bugle is used to represent the fire of the artillery, each blast representing the arrival of a shell. One may adopt the following scheme to represent the average intensities of artillery fire: Medium intensity (1 to 3 blasts a minute on a company front); violent barrage fire of large caliber (about 10 blasts a minute); sudden outburst from the 77's (from 20 to 30 blasts a minute). The instructor deploys the unit to be instructed (half platoon) as skirmishers at 4 or 5 pace interval (single squad line) and puts it in motion toward a distant objective. FIRST PART. March under artillery fire under conditions which are common. Rushes of considerable extent or quick rushes at the command of the noncommissioned officer who leads the unit. Action by the file closers, who keep each man in his place, either by keeping everybody in alignment or by making the men close up the ranks. METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 21 SECOND PART. (Refer to what has been said previously.) Going through a violent barrage fire of heavy artillery. The instruc- tor supposes that a barrage fire 100 or 200 meters long (long enough for the exercise) is established on a crest, along a road, etc. Advance one at a time. Sudden and violent outbursts of 77' s. Advance one by one. After each one of these incidences, the instructor has the march resumed under the ordinary conditions encountered under artillery fire, in order to reform his men, and to demonstrate conclusively that the way to conduct one's self under the above two conditions fre- quently encountered in the march under artillery fire, is not to begin to scatter and fall into disorder, but to progress according to a method laid down. EXERCISE No. 7. EXERCISE IN ATTACK TO BE EXECUTED BY A GROUP OP SKIRMISHERS. The object of this exercise is to teach the skirmishers how to approach the enemy while protecting themselves by their own fire. (It is a reproduction of the exercise for utilization of the ground, to which is added the idea of protection by one's own fire.) In the first place, the instructor places the group to be instructed (without any noncommissioned officers) at about 400 meters from the represented enemy. He instructs the group to approach the enemy position either to assaulting distance or to the distance proper for grenade throwing. Conventions: An advance can not be made over open ground until the moment when the fire of the enemy is supposed to dimin- ish or cease. For the purpose of securing conditions proper for this exercise, the instructor will represent losses on the part of the adversary whenever the assailant carries on the fight skillfully by his fire. On the other hand, each assailant who makes a mistake will be eliminated from the exercise. METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. POINTS UPON WHICH TO GIVE INSTRUCTION. 1. Those indicated in the preceding exercise (utilization of the ground in order to advance). 2. The following new points: FIRE PREPARATION AND SUPPORT OF A MOVEMENT. Points on which to give instruction. Before advancing, locate and destroy or intimidate the enemy skirmishers. (See exercise No. 1, in the paragraph Fire against an enemy line which has been slopped fire combat.) When a neighboring group is about to advance, take aim at the points occupied by the enemy skirmishers, in order to be ready to fire as soon as they appear (auto- matic rifles and machine guns). Before advancing, notify neighboring groups, in order that they may prepare to fire upon the enemy skirmishers. Features to represent. If the fire combat has been well man- aged, have the enemy skirmishers appear more and more rarely. During a movement have several en- emy skirmishers appear. If the movement is not protected by fire, eliminate several skirmishers from the exercise. OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE. Cessation or slowing up of the enemy's fire; fire badly directed. Suspension of fire or inattention on the part of the enemy. Fire by our artillery. It should be firmly fixed in the mind of each skir- misher that effective fire by our artillery in the course of the combat means " For- ward." Teach the skirmishers to be able to tell readily whenever parts of the enemy line are unoccupied, so that they may slip into them. Represent these conditions by word of mouth [i. e., simply say "The enemy's fire has ceased, etc."]. Have a part of the enemy line evacu- ated progressively by a well-concealed movement. EXERCISE No. 8. EXERCISE IN ATTACK. TO BE EXECUTED BY SEVERAL GROUPS OF SKIRMISHERS. The object of this exercise is to teach the different parts of a chain of skirmishers to combine their efforts in the course of the combat. The same dispositions and the same conventions are used as in the preceding exercises. The groups of skirmishers will be either - or small parties of varying strength placed by the instructor METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 23 under shelters of different appearance (chain of skirmishers in a position for close combat). The corporals and the noncommis- sioned officers will be apportioned among the groups of skirmishers. Points upon which to give instruction. The groups which are favored the most by the ground approach as near as pos- sible to the enemy, in order to start the movement in advance. These groups enlarge the shelter which they attain, so as to permit other groups to join them. The groups endeavor to discover unoc- cupied spots which may exist in the en- emy line, so that they may slip into such places and break up the enemy's resist- ance by outflanking him. They seize every occasion for taking the enemy in flank and bringing oblique or enfilading fire on him. Groups which have halted protect by their fire groups which are advancing (previous understanding if possible). The machine gunners seek every occa- sion/or protecting the movement in advance and for inflicting a surprise by fire upon the enemy. They will slip into the shelters situated in advance or on the flanks of the chain of skirmishers, and will hide themselves care- fuUy. They will reveal themselves only at the moment that a favorable opportu- nity presents itself. Features to represent. Choose an irregular field, favorable to the action of small groups of skirmishers. Separate the groups by intervals, so as to give them greater liberty of movement. Represent an enemy line of combat, not continuous, and composed of ele- ments, some more advanced than others. Place enemy parties behind a slope, in a sunken road, etc., so that they may be enfiladed by groups which succeed in slipping forward to the slope or road. The instructor will improvise small in cidents, the object of which is to teach machine gunners to surprise the enemy. For example: Enemy line which re- veals itself in order to fire during a move- ment of our men or during the assault; advance of the enemy over a passageway which may be swept by our fire; a group of enemy skirmishers halts upon a spot which may be enfiladed. VI. FOURTH SERIES OF EXERCISES EXERCISES IN MAKING AN ASSAULT AND IN CLOSE FIGHTING. PREPARATORY EXERCISES. A considerable proportion of the value of the individual combatant is in the assault. One must seek, therefore, by appropriate exer- cises, to develop to the highest degree the talent of the skirmisher for the assault and for the combat which follows. EXERCISES IN BAYONET FIGHTING. The assault necessitates hand-to-hand fighting. A man naturally hesitates to come into actual physical contact with the enemy, and life in the trenches increases this natural tendency. Bayonet fenc- ing should be practiced in order to develop the 'aggressive spirit of the combatant as well as his vigor and agility. 24 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. I. MOVEMENTS IN PLACE (WITHOUT ADVANCING OR RETREATING). A short review of the bayonet-fencing movements for the purpose of verifying the correctness of these before going on to the exercises in their practical application. II. MOVEMENTS AGAINST THE DUMMY. In place. Place the soldier before the dummy and give him very rapidly the commands for a series of movements: "Thrust, Thrust again, Right face and thrust, etc." The soldier should face about, at a bound and without stopping, from one direction to another and should thrust home each time. Duration of the exercise: 30 seconds for each man. Charge against the dummy. The dummy should be about the size of a head, in order to oblige the men to thrust accurately. The squad having been placed about 50 meters from the dummy, each man in his turn rushes upon the dummy and executes several move- ments at the command of the instructor. The instructor should give his special attention to the correctness and the vigor of the move- ments and the accuracy of the thrusts. Also have the men attack dummies placed at the bottom or on the opposite sides of trenches (sunken roads, etc.) in order to accustom them to thrust far and at the same time keep their balance on the edge of the parapet. Fencing against dummies, combined with the surmounting of ob- stacles. Choose irregular ground, and set up on it obstacles placed close together. Set up groups of dummies in various places. The instructor decides upon the route that is to be followed. Each soldier is sent forward in turn against the dummies; a record is taken of the time which each takes to cover the course. The estab- lishment of obstacles will be easy in a copse or underwood, in which it will be sufficient to bend over the branches to various heights. Exercises containing the element of sport. Exercises containing the element of sport are excellent means of developing the individual courage of the soldier and giving him confidence in his strength and agility. Agility is particularly necessary because the struggle takes place on ground that is torn up, among barbed wire, craters (shell and mine), and trenches. Every day the troops will practice: Leaping obstacles and ditches or streams; foot races and relay races, combined with the leaping of obstacles. To teach them to surmount quickly accessory defenses, set up an entanglement not very closely woven to represent an entanglemeni METHOD. OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 25 that is not completely destroyed. Similar entanglements may be set up on the course where the obstacle races are held. Exercises in firing in preparation for close combat. In a melee, the assailant is exposed in the open before an enemy who is under cover; lie can not see clearly; it is necessary therefore to have him practice in distinguishing enemy skirmishers immediately and anticipating their fire by firing upon any adversary who may appear. The instructor places a certain number of skirmishers representing the enemy on rather irregular ground (combination of trenches, brush, debris). These skirmishers, well hidden, appear and disap- pear, making the movements of the charge and of fire from behind shelter. Exercise executed in place. The skirmishers to be instructed are placed in the position about 50 meters from the enemy. They ob- serve the movements of the enemy and take aim as soon as an enemy appears. At the beginning of the exercise aim is to be taken sloicly, each man indicating the mark at which he aims; then aim is taken more rapidly, but always correctly. else executed on the march. The instructor will then have the skirmishers march upon the enemy line. Each man keeps his eyes open while advancing. On the appearance of an adversary, he stops and fires. Exercise combined mih the surmounting of obstacles. The skirmish- ers who execute the two previous exercises correctly may be prac- ticed at traversing difficult ground or at getting through entangle- ments under the protection of their fire. Exercises in throwing grenades. Grenades -are in continuous use in the course of a combat at close quarters. In all the exercises, the men will be supplied with cloth balls, so as to accustom them to having recourse to the grenade in the course of a fight. Daily prac- tice should be had in grenade throwing (in various positions, behind obstacles, etc.). EXERCISE No. 9. ASSAULT PREPARED BY THE ARTILLERY. (Exjercise for half platoon.) The assault prepared by the artillery is the general case of a coordinated assault. In this exercise only a small number of features are represented, in order to fix in a clear-cut manner the outline of the assault before going into details. The instructor should give his entire attention to the IDEA OF ORDER, which should be profoundly inculcated in even 26 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. the least important skirmisher. In critical moments of particularly unstable morale, in which badly led troops go to pieces in a few minutes, order must take precedence over rapidity. Steady men know neither waverings in the ranks nor halts, because all march together with the same step. Nor do they retire, because the man who becomes confused and turns his head to right or left, seeking en- couragement, finds his neighbors in their places, instead of finding either emptiness or confusion. Men who know how to fight in good order are tightly bound to their leaders. They drive ardently into the enemy lines and remain grouped in good order in spite of obstacles surmounted and kilometers passed over. Troops without cohesion or discipline disappear at the first trench of the enemy. Disorder and loss are inseparable. The endeavor to inculcate the notion of order in critical moments is manifested by a series of mea- sures of detail which occur in the execution of each movement in the course of the exercise. Organization of the exercise. The enemy position will consist of a double line of defenses, about 100 meters apart (trenches or obsta- cles hastily organized in the course of a combat). The half platoon is placed, at the beginning of the exercise, at about 150 meters from the represented enemy position, the men deployed at intervals of 4 or 5 paces. This exercise, practiced by a small number of men, permits each skirmisher to be instructed in detail regarding the critical circumstances of the fight in which he will frequently be thrown on his own resources. It is an excellent preparation for analogous exercises for platoons and companies. The exercise includes the jumping off, the advance, the charge, the crossing of the first trench, the re-forming beyond the first trench, and the assault on the second trench. 1. The jumping off. Preparation of the Bortie steps. Concealing the preparatory movements. Simultaneous sortie on the whole front of the group. (It is especially important to assure good order at the moment of departure, and in order to make sure of this, the advance for the first few yards should be made at a walk.) Also represent the case of a sortie by squad columns through openings in the entangle- ment. Have the columns deploy when they have passed the en- tanglement. Give attention to every flaw which may occur in the movement. 2. The advance. Long-distance rushes at rapid pace. Alignment. Fire before the charge is prohibited. When obstacles (craters or en- tanglements) are encountered, advance toward practicable passages or openings. Pass quickly through the openings and re-form imme- METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 27 diately on the other side. According to the orders given, either con- tinue the advance or lie down on the other side of the obstacle and get ready to open fire to cover the passage of the men who follow. The latter is particularly the role of automatic riflemen. When halted, grenades (represented by cloth bags) should be thrown if possible. The group that is halted advances again as soon as it has re-formed. 3. The charge Points upon which to give instruction. At 50 meters from the enemy lower the bayonet and charge straight upon the enemy trench. During the advance watch carefully the Features to represent. Place several men in the enemy posi- tion and have them appear during the last part of the advance and retire on the flanks at the moment when the skir- enemy position. Shoot any enemy who j mishers arrive at the enemy position. may appear. Have a larger number of men make their appearance if the inarch has been too slow. 4. The crossing of the first trench Go over the trench in a single bound. Nail on the spot any enemy that shows himself. In passing, throw grenades into the opening of the shelters. Place dummies in the position. Represent entrances to shelters. Each man should throw a rag ball into these entrances, without pausing to do so. Have several enemies appear in the second trench. 5. The re-forming beyond the first trench Rt-form in line lying prone beyond the captured trench. Open fire on the succeeding defenses if there is opportunity (machine guns and automatic rifles). As soon as the line is re-formed, continue the assault. 6. The assault on the second trench. The same procedure is followed as for the first trench. This second assault is always to be repre- sented, in order to accustom the men to advance at a single burst as far as the furthest limit of their objectives, stopping just exactly long enough after surmounting an obstacle or carrying a line of defenses to re-form their lines. 28 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. EXERCISE No. 10. ASSAULT PREPARED BY GRENADES. EXECUTED BY A SMALL GROUP OF SKIRMISHERS. The assault is prepared by a small group of skirmishers throwing grenades in cases where a group of skirmishers has succeeded in taking position in a shelter at a short distance from the enemy. The exercise is practiced on irregular ground in order to avoid im- probable situations and to make individual advance easier. The group of skirmishers is commanded either by a noncommissioned officer or by a man designated by the instructor. PREPARATION FOR THE ASSAULT. Points on which to give instruction. The skirmishers slip into the shelter which is nearest to the enemy. The chief of the group has his men fill the magazines of their rifles and fix their bayonets, which they conceal. He arranges the signal for the assault. The chief of the group designates a cer- tain number of skirmishers (preferably automatic riflemen) who conceal them- selves carefully and hold themselves in readiness to fire upon any enemy who may try to stop the movement of the grenadiers. Chosen grenadiers or skirmishers sup- plied with grenades (have the grenade belonging to the group collected) ap- proach the enemy position, using the en- trenching tool where necessary to open the way completely. Thegrenades are thrown by the grenadiers as soon as they are within throwing distance (reserve the O. F. grenades for the last). (The use of V. B. (rifle) grenades sim- plifies the work of the grenadiers and covers their movement.) Features to represent. Ground will be chosen to represent a shelter or a dead angle at some dozens of meters from the enemy position. Have several rifles appear in the enemy loopholes, skirmishers firing over the parapet, grenadiers whose arms are visible for a moment. A noncommissioned officer, placed in the position of the enemy skirmishers, watches the movement. He immedi- ately puts out of action any assailant who remains exposed more than 3 or 4 seconds. CARRYING OUT THE ASSAULT. If there is opportunity, make several false assaults (feints) in order to mitlead the enemy and to oblige him to show him- self to our skirmishers who are ready to fire. At the signal, the assault should be made in one quick rush, and without making any outcry. Shoot every enemy who shows himself. Have one or two enemies make their appearance. METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. 29 EXERCISE No. 11. COMBAT ON THE ENEMY POSITION. (Exercise for a group of skirmishers.) This exercise is never practiced separately; it is added to one or the other of the two preceding exrcises in assault, but only when they have been ivell learned, so as not to cause disorder by the multiplicity of details. The exercise is carried on on a prepared practice ground, representing either a group of trenches (see figure below) or a point of support on the field of battle which has been hastily organized (hedges, borders of woods, village, etc.). The instructor determines the features to be represented. He has the enemy represented by several groups of skirmishers, com- manded by noncommissioned officers to whom he has given special orders. Each noncommissioned officer is charged with keeping good order and taking note of errors. The noncommissioned officers stop the exercise when the assailants have arrived within a few paces of their groups. (See the examples of preparation of practice grounds.) CARRYING AND CLEANING UP OF THE FIRST TRENCH. (Cleaning up which must be done by each skirmisher as he passes.) Points upon which to give instruction. Leap right over the enemy trench. Do not descend into the trenches or commun- ication trenches, except to pass through them, if they are too large to jump over, or to clean them up quickly; always attack on the open ground so as not to be delayed and so as to permit the whole line to take part in the fight. A. n armed adversary should never be left in one's rear. This is necessary to avoid being shot in the back. Make sure that the Germans lying in the trench are dead. Seek out the shelters at once, so as to pre- vent the enemy from getting out of them. Throw grenades into the openings. The openings are not always easily distin- guished, because they are often partly obstructed by the bombardment. Disarm the prisoners and deliver them quickly to the wave charged with clearing up the trench, then rejoin your unit. (Clearing up the trench is completed by troops especially charjed with this duty.) Features to represent. Place dummies in the trench. Carefully conceal a few men and have them fire upon the assailants from the rear if they are not discovered. Represent shelters under the parapet and shelters opening into the communi- cation trenches. Have several men run out of these. If the opening is not quickly covered, represent at the exit of the shelter a serious resistance such as will give the assailant trouble. Represent the wave whose duty it is to clear up the trench by several men pro- vided with certain insignia. 30 METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS. FIGHT TO FORCE INTO THE OPEN ENEMY GROUPS WHICH RESIST. When a man has no enemy directly before him, he should help hia neighbors who are struggling with an enemy group by taking the enemy in the rear or the flanks. When a group resists obstinately in a corner of the trench, the groups of at- tackers who have entered the trench to the right or left attack the resisting group by advancing along the trench; to such an advance the defense can oppose only one or two rifles. Advance through the communication trenches joining the trenchei when they are near the route which is to be fol- lowed. This is to prevent the enemy's flanking the space between the two trenches. Reconnoiter at once the emplacement of a machine gun which is going into action; riddle it with a hail of bullets. (This is the role of the automatic riflemen.) Try to take the machine gun in reverse. I f possible, throw grenades into the midst of the gun crew. Use the VB (rifle) gre- nade to destroy the gun crew from a distance. Before a counter attack, seek ahd'er quickly (this is the r61e of the machine gunners, fusileers, and automatic rifle- men, who watch especially the attempts at counter attack); stop it by gun fire or grenade throwing. Then recommence the attack. NOTE. The exercise is first practiced nce without any incidents being represented, so as to get fixed in the men's minds the form of the assault and the manner in which they are to re-form after surmounting an obstacle, before entering into the details of close fighting. The points which the instructor should bring out are the following: During the artillery preparation fire into the embrasures, the enemy loopholes, and on the emplacements of the skirmishers that can be spotted, in order to give the enemy the feeling of insecurity in the places from which he fires. Watch the wall or the hedge so as to be ready to fire, during the charge, if an enemy rifle appears. Drive the enemy from the wall and from the first hedge by means of offensive grenades. Reform after carrying the wall and the first hedge. Group the enemy in certain places so as to represent knots of defenders separated by unoccupied spaces, as always happens after a preparation by artillery. Represent a communication trench or- ganized as a firing trench, certain parts of which are occupied by the enemy. Represent a machine gun firing through i a loophole or going into battery above the parapet. Jfachine gun flanking the interval be- tween two trenches. Machine gun placed in the open field in a hole. Represent several attempts at counter attacks by groups of skirmishers rushing in on the flank. Small counter attacks with grenades. METHOD OF INSTRUCTING SKIRMISHERS, 31 fxarnp/esoffa organizgho/j of the ground for exercises infiyhhna in an enemy position. Example of fh& organization of a group of rr&ncftej. Barricade hastily thrown up . rench (load f( Ditch representing the. 2? trench nch +fjj Moc/iine gun for Flanking^ *'/* utoOxtr focJf offer ffie capture efthc Orei/p ino cammunicofion trench organ iztd fe flout ffit infer m/ Eaemr arovef/nc/ixf/ng <3/iCO.) */ro arc t* rtmt rtrm^et Htil/eftestrirm tinware jetfiry MtrtM^jfit cntony/tmtnts f^Jjrf ~*~~*~-+$ - ' ' ~ i- -il Entrances tostie/rerj undv+frefvr farf aimplv b/odte4 out to represent a trtncli fern up ty ff/e artillery. Half latoon to At instruct**, f/ac*