_The Director_: “It is assumed that the patrol has advanced a distance of some two miles from the outpost and has arrived at this vicinity. This assumption is made in order to save time and energy. We can get just as much training out of our Terrain Exercise by coming this 600 yards as we could by walking the entire two miles. The idea is that we get into new terrain for each phase of the problem.” Procedure The Director now distributes the papers bearing Situation No. 4 to the members of the class. The Problem =Situation No. 4=: You, Sergeant B, the patrol leader, have arrived at this point. There has been no contact with the enemy. _Required_: What is the formation of your patrol at this moment? Explanation _The Director_: “Before going into the details of this situation, I desire to say a few words about the conduct of the operations of a patrol. It is impossible to lay down any hard and fast rule for the conduct of a patrol. Each situation will have to be worked out by itself. Each solution will vary with the nature of the country over which you are operating and what the enemy does. A few general principles only may be enunciated. “The patrol leader, as he advances toward his objective, will mentally make note of various intermediate objectives to serve as stepping stones for his further advance. He can never be certain that he will not encounter the enemy, and must be prepared at all times for such an event. “If the patrol advances in one body, a hostile patrol will allow them to approach and then ambuscade and capture them. Further, all the members of the patrol would not be able to see much more than one man. If the patrol advances in an extended line of skirmishers, capture is rendered much more difficult, but each man will be acting more or less independently, and it will be most difficult for the patrol leader to control the operations. “A patrol should assume the general formation of a column on the march, _i. e._, there is an advance guard, a main body, flankers, and a rear guard. These several elements may be represented by only one man, but the principle is exactly the same. The advance man is necessary to give warning of the approach of the enemy. The flankers are necessary to watch toward the flanks and prevent the enemy from ambuscading the patrol or working around its rear unobserved and cutting off its line of retreat. The main body is necessary to back up the advance man and protect him. The rear man is the “get-away man,” so that in case the patrol is surprised by the enemy, at least one man will have a good chance to escape and carry the news back to the support commander. You must always remember that a patrol that goes out and does not return, or is not heard from within a reasonable time, is the cause for a great deal of uneasiness and anxiety back at the outpost line.