Manual of Military Training: Second, Revised EditionMoss, James A. (James Alfred)
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Manual of Military Training: Second, Revised Edition
Moss, James A. (James Alfred)
United States. Army -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
The squad is the unit upon which all of the work of the company
depends. Unless the men of each squad work together as a single
man,--unless there is _team-work_,--the work of the company is almost
impossible.
=9. Company Drill.= Several squads are banded together into a
company,--the basic fighting unit. In order for a company to be able
to comply promptly with the will of its commander, it must be like a
pliable, easily managed instrument. And in order to win battles a
company on the firing line must be able to comply promptly with the
will of its commander.
The object of company drill is to get such team-work amongst the
squads that the company will at all times move and act like a pliable,
easily managed whole.
=10. Close Order.= In close order drill the strictest attention is
paid to all the little details, all movements being executed with the
greatest precision. The soldiers being close together,--in _close
order_,--they form a compact body that is easily managed, and
consequently that lends itself well to teaching the soldier habits of
attention, precision, team-work and instant obedience to the voice of
his commander.
In order to control and handle bodies of men quickly and without
confusion, they must be taught to group themselves in an orderly
arrangement and to move in an orderly manner. For example, soldiers
are grouped or formed in line, in column of squads, column of files,
etc.
In close order drill soldiers are taught to move in an orderly manner
from one group or formation to another; how to stand, step off, march,
halt and handle their rifles all together.
This practice makes the soldier feel perfectly at home and at ease in
the squad and company. He becomes accustomed to working side by side
with the man next to him, and, unconsciously, both get into the habit
of working together, thus learning the first principles of
_team-work_.
=11. Extended Order.= This is the fighting drill.
Modern fire arms have such great penetration that if the soldiers were
all bunched together a single bullet might kill or disable several men
and the explosion of a single shell might kill or disable a whole
company. Consequently, soldiers must be scattered,--_extended
out_,--to fight.
In extended order not only do the soldiers furnish a smaller target
for the enemy to shoot at, but they also get room in which to fight
with greater ease and freedom.
The object of extended order drill is to practice the squads in
team-work by which they are welded into a single fighting machine that
can be readily controlled by its commander.
=12. Parades, reviews, and other ceremonies.= Parades, reviews and
other ceremonies, with their martial music, the presence of
spectators, etc., are intended to stimulate the interest and excite
the military spirit of the command. Also, being occasions for which
the soldiers dress up and appear spruce and trim, they inculcate
habits of tidiness,--they teach a lesson in cleanliness of body and
clothes.
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