|of the width of a hand. |rank man = 60-70 cm. -----------+-------------------------+-------------------------------- England |About 0.80 m. |1.50 m. from heel of front rank | |man to heel of rear rank man | |(according to German method of | |measuring, about 1.20 m.). -----------+-------------------------+-------------------------------- Switzerland|About 0.75 m. |0.80 m. from back of front rank | |man to breast of rear rank man. -----------+-------------------------+-------------------------------- Belgium |About 0.80 m. |1 m. from heel of front rank man | |to heel of rear rank man | |(according to German method of | |measuring, about 0.70 m.). -----------+-------------------------+-------------------------------- Japan |About 0.85 m. |0.75 m. from back (or knapsack) | |of front rank man to breast of | |rear rank man. -----------+-------------------------+-------------------------------- (b) Division of the Company Into Three or Four Platoons. In Austria, France, and Italy, platoons are considered as distinct bodies, so long as they have sufficient numerical strength. They are placed side by side and constitute the company in line. In Germany and Russia the company is at each formation divided into platoons of approximately equal strength. In the armies of Austria, France, and Italy, it is contended that the soldier has nothing further to learn when once he is taken up for duty in the company. All movements are executed, after preparatory commands given by the company commanders, by commands of execution or signals given by platoon commanders. The execution of movements is retarded by this procedure and the movement itself becomes clumsy. It would also seem that the multiplicity of commands in the simple, oft-repeated movements, is superfluous, especially in the weak platoons at peace strength. [Illustration: France.] Column of platoons from line (par. 121 German I. D. R.: “Form column of platoons”) is formed in Austria as follows (Austrian I. D. R. par. 360): At the preparatory command, “Column,” given by the company commander, the leaders of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th platoons command at once, as in forming column of fours to the front, “Fours right (left), column right (left).” At the command “march,” the platoons step off, each turning in column to the rear, and are conducted to their new positions, halted, and dressed to the right (left).