=Front of Attack.= The tactical unit for an attack is a division. A division that is placed in the front line for this purpose is called an attacking division. To such a division is assigned the task of attacking and capturing a definite length of front of the hostile position. All the necessary means to carry out this mission are in the hands of the division commander. The tactical unit for an _assault_, in this division, is the battalion. Each assaulting battalion is placed in front of that part of the hostile line against which it is to operate, which is called its front of attack. The length of this front is variable with the tactical situation. Also, this length in no way indicates to the enemy the strength of the attacking troops because they are disposed for the attack in depth. According to the size of the front of attack, the battalion commander will place two or three companies in the assaulting column, and two or one company as reinforcing support. =Conditions of the Assault.= An assaulting battalion must be disposed in a certain manner, which is called the assaulting disposition. In establishing this disposition, we must consider the distance of the assault and the outline of the assaulting lines. =Distance of the Assault.= The distance over which the troops make their assault across “No Man’s Land” must not be too great. This is to avoid as much as possible the enemy’s barrage and machine gun fire. For this reason, parallels of departure or jumping-off trenches, if necessary, may be constructed out in front of the first line for the assembling of the assaulting troops. On the other hand, your own first line should not be so near to the enemy’s position as to be in the zone of artillery dispersion when your own batteries are firing at the enemy’s first line. However, one is not always master of this distance, as it is a result of long fighting and occupation of the two positions. The proper concealment of these attack works, such as the parallels of departure, is an essential condition of success. =The Trace of the Lines of Departure.= The trace of the lines of departure must be parallel to the first line of the enemy, not to your own, so that the assaulting troops will simply have to start in a perpendicular direction from the lines of departure to reach their objective. In other words, the assault is a simple frontal attack without maneuvers.