enemy's fire must be reduced so
as to permit further advance. The more effective the fire to which the
enemy is subjected the less effective will be his fire.

309. Occasionally the fire of adjacent battalions, or of infantry
employing fire of position, or of supporting artillery, will permit
the further advance of the entire firing line from this point, but it
will generally be necessary to advance by rushes of fractions of the
line.

The fraction making the rush should be as large as the hostile fire
and the necessity for maintaining fire superiority will permit.
Depending upon circumstances, the strength of the fraction may vary
from a company to a few men.

The advance is made as rapidly as possible without losing fire
superiority. The smaller the fraction which rushes, the greater the
number of rifles which continue to fire upon the enemy. On the other
hand, the smaller the fraction which rushes the slower will be the
progress of the attack.

310. Enough rifles must continue in action to insure the success of
each rush. Frequently the successive advances of the firing line must
be effected by rushes of fractions of decreased size; that is,
advances by rushes may first be made by company, later by half company
or platoon, and finally by squads or files; but no subsequent
opportunity to _increase_ the rate of advance, such as better cover or
a decrease of the hostile fire, should be overlooked.

311. Whenever possible, the rush is begun by a flank fraction of the
firing line. In the absence of express directions from the major, each
captain of a flank company determines when an advance by rushes shall
be attempted. A flank company which inaugurates an advance by rushes
becomes the base company, if not already the base. An advance by
rushes having been inaugurated on one flank, the remainder of the
firing line conforms; fractions rush successively from that flank and
halt on the line established by the initial rush.

The fractions need not be uniform in size; each captain indicates how
his company shall rush, having due regard to the ground and the state
of the fire fight.

312. A fraction about to rush is sent forward when the remainder of
the line is firing vigorously; otherwise the chief advantage of this
method of advancing is lost.

The length of the rush will vary from 30 to 80 yards, depending upon
the existence of cover, positions for firing, and the hostile fire.

313. When the entire firing line