o prevent him sending
reinforcements to the part mainly threatened, and ultimately to drive
home with the successful assault of the main attack. The rest of the
force is small and is retained in General Reserve to meet emergencies.

In the second plan, a general action is developed by a part of the
attacking force and the remainder is retained in General Reserve, to be
thrown in when the opportunity arrives, at the right time and in the
right place. In this case, the "remainder" is not less than half the
available force.

The first plan can be adopted when the commander of the attacking force
has definite information as to the extent of the enemy's position, when
he knows where its flanks rest and when he knows the approximate
strength of the forces arrayed against him. It must also be possible,
without undue risk, to divide the attacking force into parties of such
strength that neither can be overwhelmed by the enemy in detail, and it
is to be noted that in the case of a serious check there is only a
small General Reserve to restore the battle. The second plan can be
adopted when information is incomplete, and owing to the strong force
retained by the commander in General Reserve, the situation can be
exploited and developed by fighting without undue risk.

STRENGTH OF THE ATTACK.--It must always be remembered that a commander
can never be too strong when making an attack, for he can never be
perfectly sure of what force he may encounter, or at what moment the
adversary may make a counter-attack. An attack {55} on an enemy
presupposes a superiority of force at the place where the attack is
made, for war is but the art of being stronger than the enemy at the
right place at the right time, and for an attack to have a reasonable
hope of success the attackers, at the point where the penetration takes
place, must be superior.

DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS.--Each phase of the Attack will normally
require three separate bodies of troops for its execution: a _Forward
Body_ to seek out for, and when located attack, the enemy along the
whole front of the sector allotted to it and by relentless pressure to
wear down the enemy's resistance in order to discover the weak portions
of the defence; _Supports_ to penetrate the weak portions of the
defence and forthwith to attack the flanks and rear of those portions
of the defence which are holding up the Attack; with Local Reserves for
dealing with local counter-attacks; and a _G