Читать книгу Terrain Exercises - William H. Waldron - Страница 50

The Director: “The requirement of the problem involves Major A’s order for the approach march. Lieutenant Ralston, what must the Major do before he is ready to issue his orders?”

Lieutenant Ralston: “He must size up the situation, arrive at a decision as to what he is going to do and then put this decision in the form of an order.”

The Director: “What is the first part of his Estimate of this Situation?”

Lieutenant Ralston: “He will determine upon his mission. I would say that the immediate mission is to relieve the 2nd battalion and that the next phase of it is to prepare to continue the attack tomorrow morning.”

The Director: “Very good. What is the next point he will consider, Captain Harvey?”

Captain Harvey: “He must consider the enemy. The enemy has been retreating before our attack for the past two days. This shows that he is inferior in strength and morale. His defense arrangements must be very much impaired and the confusion that exists behind his lines may readily be imagined. The fact that he is doggedly contesting our advance and that his retreat has nowhere broken down to the extent that we have been able to break through his lines with a deep penetration shows that he still has a lot of fight in him. As soon as it is sufficiently dark to preclude the possibility of aerial observation the enemy will begin shifting his defense elements with a view to preparations to resist our advance again tomorrow. He will be effecting a relief of his worn-out troops, shifting his machine guns to more advantageous positions, changing his artillery so as to more effectively cover the ground which we will have to pass over tomorrow if our attack is a success. All of this will consume several hours. During the period of readjustment and redistribution of troops the hostile activity and fire will naturally be very much diminished. During this same period from dusk until several hours later these same things will be happening in our lines, as you can see. Our artillery will have to be brought up to new positions for the destructive bombardment and the barrage. Our machine guns have to be placed in position to better support the riflemen. Our tanks have to be gotten up ready for the ‘jump off’ tomorrow morning and our worn-out troops on the front lines have to be relieved. It will be a period of lessened activity on both sides. During this period we will take advantage of the opportunity to effect the relief of the 2nd battalion on the line.”

(Note.—The terrain over which the approach march and the relief should now be discussed.)

The Director: “That is a very good discussion of the consideration of the enemy and our troops. Captain Hodges, what other factors enter into the estimate of the situation?”

Captain Hodges: “Our plans, I should say, the Major would want to determine on the formation that he will adopt for the approach march. He wants to arrive on the front line with his assault elements in the best possible formation to go into action. It will be more and more difficult to make changes in the formation as he approaches the location of the front lines. He will therefore start his approach march in as nearly the formation that he wants to be in when he arrives on the line.”

The Director: “You are right. In making a relief of this kind you cannot march a battalion up within the zone of rifle and machine gun fire in a column of files and then expect to get into combat formation and effect a relief properly. It simply cannot be done. You must get into your formation sufficiently far back to make sure of it and then take advantage of the various invulnerable formations to cross dangerous ground to the best advantage and with a minimum of losses. Now, Captain James, what would be your decision?”

Captain James: “To march to the front and effect the relief of the 2nd battalion as soon as possible after dusk.”

The Director: “Very good. Now all of what we have said is termed the ‘Estimate of the Situation.’ I hope you all appreciate the necessity for the battalion commander going through this process of thought before arriving at his decision and framing up his order based on it.

“We are now ready to proceed with a discussion of the Major’s order. Lieutenant Baker, what would you include in the first paragraph?”

Lieutenant Baker: “The information of the enemy and our own troops. This would include information about the enemy’s retreat all along the line during the day; of the point reached by the front lines of our 2nd battalion; of the proposed attack tomorrow morning; of the fact that the 3rd battalion will relieve our battalion tonight; of the action to be taken by the 2nd battalion after we relieve it. This is all that it would be necessary for the troops to know at this time.”

The Director: “I think you have covered the essential points. Captain Hall, what would you include in the second paragraph of the order?”

Captain Hall: “I would state my plan, to the effect that we are to relieve the 2nd battalion tonight.”

The Director: “What is the next part of the order, Lieutenant Barry?”

Lieutenant Barry: “The disposition of the troops and the orders for each element of the battalion: I would want the intelligence section of my headquarters’ company to get to the front at the earliest possible moment, secure the intelligence ‘dope’ and be prepared to take over the intelligence functions as soon as the relief is effected. I would order the section to proceed up to the C. P. of the 2nd battalion right away and instruct them to get on the job. I would also want my communications platoon to get up to the front and make arrangements to take over the communication net and the message center of the 2nd battalion. If these outfits get an early start they will be able to accomplish much before it gets dark. They should lose no time in getting to the front.”

The Director: “Lieutenant Hunt, what would you include in the orders for the companies of the Battalion?”

Lieutenant Hunt: “The Major has decided upon the formation already. There only remains the task of putting the decision into an order. I would preserve the present dispositions of the units and direct: Company A to march at —— (time), in approach march formation; designate the sector of the company; announce the guide (right or left) towards the base company; give the compass bearing of the direction of the march and to make sure that contact will not be lost with the base company will caution to that effect. I would also include in this part of the order the fact that Company A is to relieve the Assault Company of the 2nd battalion which is immediately in its front. The orders for Company B, which is to be the other Assault Company, would contain the same instructions as Company A with the addition of a sentence giving the Company a directing line in addition to the compass bearing of the line of march.

“I would include in the orders for Company C the same line of instructions as for Company A except that I would tell them the distance they are to follow Company A and the fact that they are to relieve the local support company of the 2nd battalion.

“Company D’s orders will include the same instructions contained in these for Company C except directions for them to relieve the machine gun elements of the 2nd Battalion.

“I think these instructions would be all that are necessary for the four companies of the battalion to get them started on the march.”

The Director: “You have covered the points very well. But, there are some instructions that pertain to all of the units of the battalion. These would be included in the final sub-paragraph of paragraph 3 of the order. This paragraph is denominated (x) in the order. What are they, Lieutenant Hunt?”

Lieutenant Hunt: “I should think they would include: The designation of the base Company; instructions for sending a reconnaissance officer and party of guides forward at once; designating the place where the leading elements of the battalion are to halt for the purpose of receiving final orders for the relief of the units of the 2nd battalion; designation of the place where unit commanders are to assemble to receive orders for the relief.”

The Director: “Paragraph 4 of a field order includes administrative arrangements. Can you think of anything that would be necessary to be included in that paragraph of Major A’s orders?”

Lieutenant Hunt: “I can think of nothing. That would depend upon circumstances. These administrative arrangements include: instructions for the trains—which have already been attended to; collecting station for wounded—which will be announced in a later order. It may be assumed that as soon as the advance halted that the rolling kitchen was brought up and the men given a hot meal before relieving the 2nd battalion. If such is the case the kitchen will have to be disposed of in paragraph 4.”

The Director: “What will paragraph 5 contain?”

Lieutenant Hunt: “It will contain information of the time when the present command post of the battalion will close and when and where it will next be opened.”

The Director: “We have now covered the elements of the Major’s order. Let us review them briefly:

“Paragraph 1: Information of the enemy and our own troops.

“Paragraph 2: The Major’s plan of action in general terms.

“Paragraph 3: Distribution of troops—orders for the various elements of the battalion.

“Paragraph 4: Administrative arrangements.

“Paragraph 5: Time of closing the present C. P. and when and where it will next open.

“Now, I want each member of the class to write out the battalion commander’s order on his pad. Base your order on the dispositions that we have discussed in the solution of the problem; use the 5 paragraph order system; endeavor to include all the instructions that we have included in our solution.”