“These are the duties of the advance guard. These are the things that platoon, section and squad leaders must ever keep in mind when they are on advance guard duty. These are the things that we officers must learn about in time of peace in order that we may do them as a matter of habit in time of actual service. “_Distances._—The distances between the several elements of the advance guard are fixed by the general rule that ‘the element in front must be at such a distance that the next succeeding element will not be involved in a disaster to the former.’ [Illustration: Formation of Advance Guard of One Company for a Battalion] “The point will be from 150 to 200 yards in advance of the advance party. The latter will be from 300 to 400 yards in front of the support and the main body will follow at a distance of from 400 to 500 yards. It will thus be seen that the head of a battalion with one company as advance guard will be about 1,400 yards away from the enemy. This allows a minimum distance of 400 yards from the leading man of the point to the enemy. If a deployment becomes necessary, it can be made in comparative security. These distances are not fixed. They are flexible. They may be increased or diminished to meet the situation. When the advance guard commander prescribes distances between the several elements it is not to be taken that the exact distance will be maintained at all times. It is merely an indication of the approximate distances desired. “_Communication._—Communication between the several elements of the advance guard and with the main body is kept up by means of connecting files which march between them. They employ signals and act as runners when necessary. “Are there any questions?” Procedure The Director will endeavor to answer any questions that may be asked by members of the class. After all questions have been cleared up the Director will hand a copy of the problem to each member of the class. A few minutes are allowed for the class to read over the problem. _The Director_: “Please give me your attention while we go over the problem.” The Director reads the problem aloud, each member of the class following from the copy in his possession. The direction of places mentioned are pointed out. _The Director_: “Lieutenant Williams, give a brief statement of the tactical situation, as you understand it.” Lieutenant Williams states his understanding of the tactical situation. As he proceeds the Director makes such explanations as may be desirable. One or more additional members of the class may be called upon to state their version of the tactical situation. All of this is for the purpose of fixing the elements of the problem firmly in the minds of the members of the class and prevent any subsequent misunderstanding of them. _The Director_: “Captain Hastings, you note that the problem states that our battalion is a right (left) flank guard. Just what do you understand by that?”