Terrain ExercisesWaldron, William H. (William Henry)
History
Terrain Exercises
Waldron, William H. (William Henry)
Tactics
“Let us visualize this situation. Let us consider ourselves as being
Sergeant K. He is the fellow that all the orders finally get down to and
the one that has to do the real job out here on the line. You hear the
claims of certain staff corps, from time to time, about the necessity
for having high-class men for the key positions in their enlisted
personnel. Can you show me in any branch of the Army where a high-class
man is required any more than he is right here? Here is a doughboy
sergeant face to face with a problem, the proper solution of which means
more to the success of the operations than any so-called “highly
technical” position in the back areas. Upon what he does and how he does
it may depend the success or failure of this whole military operation.
The lives of the men under him are absolutely in his hands. If he
blunders he may lose all of them.
“With these few remarks let us proceed with the problem.”
Procedure
The Director will read the situation aloud, and make such explanations
as may be necessary. He will call on one or more members of the class to
state his understanding of the situation.
Solution
_The Director_: “Lieutenant Williams, how would you go about your task?”
_Lieutenant Williams_: “In the first place, I would look over the front
and see what it affords in the way of a field of fire. I would next
locate the section groups on the right and left and see where their fire
could help to protect my front and how fire from my position could help
to protect their fronts. I would see how the bands of fire from the
machine guns in the area lay with relation to my front.”
(Note.—The Director will point out the location of the adjacent
section groups on the right and left and the position of the machine
guns. He will also indicate the direction of the bands of fire of
the machine guns. All of this should be indicated by flags of
distinctive color if it is possible to do so.)
_The Director_: “You have done all of the things you mention and the
whole layout is clear to you. What is your next step?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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