fantry to return the enemy's fire in order to continue the advance without excessive losses, the advance by fire and movement is begun. This is called the attack. (b) At the first firing position, each attacking unit seeks to gain fire superiority over the enemy to its front. Fire superiority is obtained by subjecting the enemy to such heavy fire that his fire becomes so inaccurate or diminishes so in volume that it is no longer effective. This sometimes necessitates a steady accurate fire for a long time. (c) Once fire superiority has been gained, a sufficient number of weapons must be continued in action to maintain it. Therefore, further advance is made by infiltration or by successive rushes of fractions of the troops engaged in the fire fight. The movement of advancing fractions is covered by the fire of those remaining in position. The size of the fraction advancing is determined by the STRONG POINT CENTER OF RESISTANCE amount of fire which can be spared without losing fire superiority. (d) Every lull in hostile fire is utilized to push groups to the front and occupy the natural strong points of the terrain from which covering fire, particularly that of automatic weapons, can be delivered to facilitate the further progress of the assaulting units. (e) The attack will not generally encounter a uniformly held continuous line of defense. It will have to overcome a defense disposed in depth consisting of a series of centers of resistance or strong points covering the main routes of advance, with relatively lightly held intervening intervals. By a stubborn defense of these localities, the defense will seek to limit the penetrating action of the attack and overwhelm by counter-attack the assaulting elements which succeed in penetrating its front (see Plate VIII). There will consequently be inequality in the resistance encountered on the front of attack and as a result the assaulting units will not make uniform progress. Each unit presses on as rapidly as possible within its own zone of action but certain units of considerable size will be held up by strong resistance while others which encounter only minor resistance will be able to advance. The latter press on without regard to the progress of the units held up and then attempt to outflank the main hostile resistances (see Plate IX). The bat SUPPORT PLATE XII-(c) Support Reinforcing the Assaulting (2) Reserves are employed primarily to envelop points of resistance outflanked by the assaulting echelon, to continue the action of assaulting echelons which have disorganized, depleted, or exhausted, and to take in flank hostile counter-attacks directed at a section of the assaulting echelon (see Plates XIII (a), (b), (c), and (d)). 5. The Assault.-(a) The assault is the last advance to the enemy's position without intermediate halt. (b) Assaults are of two kinds, viz: sault, Infantry units advance in an orderly manner under cover of the rolilng barrage, the leading elements following the barrage as closely as possible consistent with safety from hostile fire, until close to the enemy's position when the general assault breaks up into local assaults. (3) General assaults are sometimes produced by the employment of divisions and larger reserves to strike a decisive blow against some part of the hostile line. In such cases, all the fire available, particularly that of the artillery, is brought to bear on the decisive part of the battlefield and under cover of this fire the Infantry advances rapidly to the assault of the enemy's position. ENEMY Reserve Employed to Take in Flank a Hostile Counter Attack Directed at a Selection of the Assaulting Echelon ASSAULTING UNIT ENEMY COUNTER ATTACK ASSAULTING UNIT PLATE XIII-d Reserve Employed to Attack Enemy Counter Attacking Troops in Flank (d) Local Assaults.—(1) A local assault is an assault initiated and executed by a small unit (squad, section, platoon, company or battalion), in order to take immediate advantage of a weakening in the hostile resistance. They are delivered by each unit at the earliest moment that promises success. (2) Local assaults are usually executed by advancing and firing simultaneously. Automatic riflemen advance at a walk firing from the hip; riflemen advance at a walk, stop every few steps to fire standing, and reload while advancing. This class of fire is called assault fire. (3) Sometimes in making local assaults, the rifle and automatic rifle fire can be dispensed with. In such cases, the assaulting troops make their final advance to the enemy's position either at a walk or run. (4) Another class of local assault is the prepared assault. A prepared assault is one made on a portion of the enemy's position which can be taken only by a frontal attack, supported by artillery. In such a case, a heavy volume of artillery, machine gun, 3inch trench mortar, and 37 mm. gun fire is put on the enemy's position. Under cover of this fire, the assaulting troops work their way forward as close to the enemy's position as possible and, when the preparatory fire lifts or ceases at a prearranged signal or hour, assault the enemy's position. (e) When the assaulting troops reach the enemy's position, the fight continues both above ground and through the trenches. Under-ground shelters are bombed and trenches are searched for the enemy; this is called "cleaning up" or "mopping up." (f) While part of the troops are cleaning up the enemy's position, others fire at any of the enemy who attempt to escape by running. Supports and reserves still in hand, are held, as far as required, to meet any counter attack which the enemy may make. 6. Reorganization.-The units which make an assault are usually badly mixed by the time the enemy's position is captured. Therefore, before advancing further it is usually necessary to reform the squads, sections, platoons, companies and battalions which made the assault. Also, the leaders and commanders who have been killed or wounded must be replaced, and ammunition replenished. This is called reorganization. Reorganization usually takes considerable time, therefore, if the advance is to be con tinued immediately, it is better to have units which have been in reserve up to this time, continue the fight by leap-frogging the units which are disorganized. Leap-frogging one unit through another is called, executing a passage of lines. 7. Pursuit. (a) As stated in paragraph 5 (f) the troops in the assaulting echelon, after capturing an enemy position, fire on any of the enemy who attempt to escape by running. This is called pursuit by fire. The pursuit proper, which is the act of following a retreating enemy to complete his capture, demoralization, or destruction is not begun by units in the assaulting echelon until the danger of a counter-attack seems removed and until reorganization has been effected. However, when the retreating enemy gets beyond range, numerous patrols are sent out to follow and maintain contact with the enemy. (b) As soon as practicable, a coordinated pursuit of the enemy is inaugurated. Any reserves, which are still intact, are employed for this purpose; they pass through the assaulting echelon and take up the pursuit, the former assaulting echelon following in reserve as soon as reorganization has been effected. If no reserves are intact, the assautling echelon, after reorganization, takes up the pursuit. (c) Pursuing troops advance in formations adapted to the situation. While under hostile fire they are deployed as described in the attack and approach march. When not under fire they advance in route column. (d) The enemy is vigorously attacked wherever found. While part of the troops are attacking in front, others work around the flank to cut off and destroy or capture the retreating troops. 8. Organization of the Ground.-Whenever the advance of a unit is definitely held up and further progress is impossible, the troops dig in and hold their ground. This is called organization of the ground. The longer troops remain stationary, the more thoroughly is the ground organized. At first each man digs himself an individual shelter. Later on these shelters are connected, and gradually continuous trenches are developed. Obstacles are put out in front and everything possible is done to reduce losses and facilitate holding the ground. A HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR, by John Buchan. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1922. Four volumes, 600 pages each. Dark blue cloth, royal octavo. Price $20,00 per set. During the war Colonel Buchan took advantage of his opportunities to write a series of historical monographs on the various phases of the conflict. After the Armistice he assembled this mass of material together with other that he had collected and employed it as the basis of a definitive history. All of this, coupled with first hand consultation with the Allied leaders places beyond question the accuracy of the facts that he has recorded and verifies beyond a doubt the logic of his deductions. The work is a history that will stand the test of time. And this is a point that the military man must consider in the purchase of a history of the War. He does not want one that will be superseded in the near future. The Army has been waiting for a complete history of the World War, one that may be relied upon as authentic and one that is readable. In Colonel Buchan's work we have all of this, an evenly balanced and unbiased account of the great conflict from all points of view-military, naval, political and economic-written in fascinating narrative style alive with emotion. The author fought through the Boer War with Lord Roberts and during the reconstruction period served as Private Secretary to Lord Milner. At the outbreak of the World War he again came into the service where he was Liaison officer between the British and French G. H. Q.'s. In 1916 he was appointed Director of Information in the British Foreign Office, which position he held to the end of the war. Through his hands passed all the secret information gathered together day by day. His was the unique opportunity from every aspect and from all angles. Add to all of this Colonel Buchan's practical knowledge of modern warfare; his personal acquaintance with almost all of the pelling, and I predict a great success leaders of the Allied Armies and his special training as a historian. The result qualifies him as no other man could be qualified to write a standard and permanent history of the great conflict. So much for the qualifications of the author. Our own Deputy Chief of Staff has set the stamp of approval on this great work. In his introduction, General Harbord says: "This history is one on which in my opinion, the future historian, struggling with the mass of historical matter yet to be written, may rely." Again addressing the author, General Harbord says: "I congratulate you on having decided to bring out in America so admirable a work. Its interest is com for it. No person anxious to be informed on the war as a whole should fail to read it." This set of books will be found to be specially suitable for organization libraries and they should find a place in many of them. |