just
exactly what they are to do, so that the principles it is intended to
illustrate may be properly brought out.=

FOOTNOTES:

[10] This chapter is based on "Company Training," by General Haking,
British Army, which is the best book the author has ever seen on the
subject of company training. "Field Training of a Company of
Infantry," by Major Craufurd, British Army, an excellent little book,
was also consulted.

CHAPTER II

GENERAL COMMON SENSE PRINCIPLES OF APPLIED MINOR TACTICS[11]

=942.= To begin with, you want to bear in mind that there is nothing
difficult, complicated or mysterious about applied minor tactics--it
is just simply the application of plain, every-day, common horse
sense--the whole thing consists in familiarizing yourself with certain
general principles based on common sense and then applying them with
common sense. Whatever you do, don't make the mistake of following
blindly rules that you have read in books.

=943.= One of the ablest officers in the Army has recently given this
definition of the Art of War:

One-fifth is learned from books;
One-fifth is common sense;
Three-fifths is knowing men and how to lead them.

The man who would be successful in business must understand men and
apply certain general business principles with common sense; the man
who would be a successful hunter must understand game and apply
certain general hunting principles with common sense, and even the man
who would be a successful fisherman must understand fish and apply
certain general fishing principles with common sense. And so likewise
the man who would lead other men successfully in battle must
understand men and apply certain general tactical principles with
common sense.

Of course, the only reason for the existence of an army is the
possibility of war some day, and everything the soldier does--his
drills, parades, target practice, guard duty, schools of instruction,
etc.--has in view only one end: The preparation of the soldier for the
field of battle.

=944.= While the responsibilities of officers and noncommissioned
officers in time of peace are important, in time of battle they are
much more so: for then their mistakes are paid for in human blood.

What would you think of a pilot who was not capable of piloting a boat
trying to pilot a boat loaded with passengers; or, of an engineer who
was not capable of running a locomotive trying to run a passenger
train? You would,