The Plattsburg Manual: A Handbook for Military TrainingGarey, E. B. (Enoch Barton)
History
The Plattsburg Manual: A Handbook for Military Training
Garey, E. B. (Enoch Barton)
Military training camps -- United States; United States. Army -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
He gives to patrols the same information and the necessary orders as to
their routes and the frequency with which the same shall be covered.
Each patrol should go over its route once before dark.
Every picket should maintain connection by patrols with outguard on its
right and left. Each commander will take precaution to conceal his
outguard and will generally strengthen his position by intrenching.
RELIEVING THE OUTPOST
Evening and shortly before dawn are hours of special danger. The enemy
may attack late in the day in order to establish himself on captured
ground by intrenching during the night; or he may send forward troops
under cover of darkness in order to make a strong attack at early dawn.
Special precaution is therefore taken at those hours by holding the
outpost in readiness, and by sending patrols in advance of the line of
observation. If a new outpost is to be established in the morning, it
should arrive at the outpost position at daybreak, thus doubling the
outpost strength at that hour.
CHAPTER II
ATTACK AND DEFENSE
Combat is divided into two general classes, the offensive (attack) and
the defensive.
THE THEORY OF ATTACK
Decisive results are obtained only by the offensive. Aggressiveness wins
battles. If you want to thrash a man go after him; don't wait for him to
come to you. When attacking use every available man. Have every man in
the proper place at the proper time and in a physical and moral
condition to do his utmost.
ADVANTAGES OF THE ATTACK
(1) You can elect the point of attack while the defender must be
prepared to resist at all points.
(2) The fact that you are advancing in spite of the defender's fire
stimulates you and depresses the enemy.
(3) You leave your dead behind while the defender must fight among his
fallen comrades, which is demoralizing.
(4) You usually are conscious of the fact that you have more men on your
side than the defender. You have more rifles on the line than the
enemy.
(5) Your fire is usually more efficacious than that of your opponent
because it is usually converging while his is diverging.
These advantages alone will not necessarily insure success, but fire
superiority, if gained and maintained, does insure success. By gaining
and maintaining fire superiority you remove all doubt as to the final
outcome of the attack.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF ATTACK
The most usual kinds of attack are:
Frontal Attack. This attack is delivered directly against the front of
the enemy. It offers little opportunity to bring more rifles against the
enemy than he can bring against you. Decisive results can only be
expected when your force is larger than your opponent's or when his is
unduly extended. It is a dangerous and costly method of attacking.
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