s from artillery bombardment.
(6) The natural difficulties of maintaining control in village fighting
require to be counteracted by increased effort and vigilance on the
part of all leaders, and special arrangements must be made for
collecting information in report centres, the position of which must be
made known to all ranks in the defending force.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VARIOUS ARMS
"The full power of an army can be exerted only when all its parts act
in close combination, and this is not possible unless the members of
each arm understand the characteristics of the other arms. Each has
its special characteristics and functions, and is dependent on the
co-operation of the others" ("Field Service Regulations," vol. ii.
(1921)).
"An intelligent understanding of 'the other man's job' is the first
essential of successful co-operation."--MARSHAL HAIG.
INFANTRY
"Infantry is the arm which in the end wins battles" ("Field Service
Regulations," vol. ii. (1921)). The speed with which infantry can
advance, and the distance which can be covered in one day, are the only
limits to the striking power of well-trained infantry. In the Great
War these limits were largely removed by the use of Mechanical
Transport, and this means of transportation will be used increasingly
in Modern Warfare, in order to bring fresh troops into or near the
scene of action, or to expedite the removal of exhausted troops from
the battlefield. Against these natural limits to mobility are the
compensating advantages of the power of infantry to move into and over
almost any ground by day or by night, and the rapidity with which
trained infantrymen can find or improvise cover.
The main object of battle is to close with the enemy and to destroy him
by killing or capture, and it is this power to close with the enemy
which makes infantry the decisive arm in battle.
THE RIFLE AND BAYONET.--The rifle is the principal infantry weapon, and
the British "Short-magazine {165} Lee-Enfield" rifle is the best rifle
in action. A trained rifleman can fire 15 aimed shots in a minute,
reloading with the butt in the shoulder and eyes on the mark. With the
bayonet affixed the rifle is the principal weapon of close combat for
delivering or repelling an assault, and in Night Assaults infantry
depend entirely upon the bayonet.
THE ENTRENCHING TOOL, carried by all other ranks, is an invaluable
adjunct to the rifle bullet and to the bayonet.
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