IVIDUAL TRAINING

=1093. General.= The first thing to be done is to accustom the soldier
to darkness and to teach him to overcome the nervousness which is
natural to the average man in darkness.

The best way to do this is to begin by training him in the use of his
powers of vision and hearing under conditions of darkness, which are
strange to him. The company should be divided into squads for this
instruction.

=1094. Vision.= Take several men to ground with which they are
familiar. Have them notice the different appearance which objects
present at night; when viewed in different degrees of light and shade;
the comparative visibility of men under different conditions of dress,
background, etc.; the ease with which bright objects are seen; the
difference between the visibility of men standing on a skyline and
those standing on a slope. Post the men in pairs at intervals along a
line which the instructors will endeavor to cross without being seen.
The instructors should cross from both sides, so as to compel
observation in both directions. Have a man (later, several) walk away
from the rest of the men and when he is about to disappear from view,
halt him, and estimate the distance. Send a man (later, several)
outside the field of vision, to advance on the rest of the men. Halt
him when he enters the field of vision and estimate the distance. Send
a number of men outside the limit of vision and then let them advance
on the rest of the men, using cover and seeing how near they can
approach unobserved.

=1095. Hearing.= Place a number of men a few yards apart and make them
guess what a noise is caused by, and its approximate position. The
rattle of a meat can, the movement of a patrol, the working of the
bolt of a rifle, the throwing down of accouterments, low talking,
etc., may be utilized. Take special pains to impress upon the men the
penetrating power of the human voice, and the necessity of preserving
absolute silence in night operations. Have blank cartridges fired and
teach the men to judge their direction and approximate distance away.

=1096. Finding Bearings.= Show the men how to determine the points of
the compass from the North Star. The Big Dipper constellation looks
like this:

[Illustration: Fig. 1]

The North Star is on the prolongation of a line joining the two
"pointing" stars, and at above five times the distance between the two
stars. At another time have those same men individually locate the