tpost commander will
rely upon his infantry and upon such artillery and machine guns as may
be allotted to him, and if the area he is occupying is that in which
the commander of the Main Body will meet attack the Outposts will be
provided with a greater proportion of artillery and machine guns.
Resistance is offered by the entrenchment of each Sentry Group in an
all-round post, and depth and elasticity are given to the defence by
the establishment of entrenched Piquets in selected, mutually
supporting positions commanding with their fire every avenue of
approach, covering the flanks of neighbouring Piquets, and so arranged
in plan as to bring converging fire upon the enemy as he advances to
the attack. These Piquet positions will be strengthened, when
required, by the Supports, who will either assist in manning the
defences of the Piquets or will occupy similarly prepared defensive
posts on the flank. Local Reserves may sometimes be required for local
counter-attacks, and in certain cases a General Reserve is provided.
The degree of Resistance to be offered by the Sentry Groups depends on
the tactical situation and will be specified by the Outpost commander.
In certain cases the Sentry Groups are permitted in face of a heavy
attack to fall back to the Piquets, but if they do so they must be
warned of the danger of arriving headlong on the Piquet only just ahead
of the enemy. In consequence of this danger such retirements are
rarely permissible at night. The Piquets are generally posted on the
Outpost Line of Resistance, in which case they hold their positions to
the last man and the last round, until further orders are received from
the commander of the force protected.

DISTANCE.--The distance of the Outpost position from the troops
protected is regulated by the time the latter will require to prepare
for action and by the importance of preventing the enemy's field
artillery from {132} approaching within effective range of the ground
on which these troops will deploy if attacked. Heavy guns and mortars,
although motor traction gives them great mobility, are unlikely to
accompany the enemy's Advanced Guard, and preparation to withstand or
prevent their fire will not usually be required from Outpost troops.
The effective range of shrapnel is 5,500 yards, the limit of the
effective range of machine guns is 2,000 yards, and of Lewis guns and
rifles the effective limit is 1,400 yards. The position on which the
Main B