The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-10-16
ATTACKING IN MASSES.
Contempt for Modern Weapons Among
 French Strategists.

French Strategists.
 | The Red Infantry advanced in com
 pany column to within twelve hundred
 yards of the rise. Then the White col
 onels began to push their men up into
 the fighting-line. For the moment I
 thought that the Red divisional gene
 ral commanding on the right had de-
 termined upon a frontal attack upon
 the three batteries in action against
 him. But this was not so, He directed
 one of his brigades to advance to the
 right of the village, in which the Red
 Horse artillery guns had unlimbered,
 the other to advance to the left Thus
 the former advanced under cover, the
 latter directly across the open. In fact,
 the infantry still in company column
 marched obliquely to the hostile line of
 fire, from twelve to eight hundred
 yards, Then, and then only, did 1t from company front. Nor were these companies extended As far as sections
 were concerned there was some loosen- ing in the formation, but the men ad- vanced shoulder to shoulder, halting to
 fire about every hundred yards. If not firing the men were allowed to kneel.
 The attack was made by battalions In
 echelon on a battalion front Up to seven or eight hundred yards the bat
 talion advanced in line of company col umn, then deployed and pushed forward to the attack by companies, at about three hundred yards interval, Once an attack was launched, battalion after battalion followed the leading compa- nies The success of an operation seemed to be decided in the favor of the officer who could hurl the largest mass to destruction in the shortest possible time. Such tactics may have won Ma poleon's battles, but in the present-day warfare they are impossible. In the engagement which has drawn forth these criticisms, the Red were able by virtue of blank ammunition to push so many men on the Hanks of General So- lard's brigade that he was forced to fall !, back.
 I was so appalled, at what I had seen that I immediately questioned French officers upon their system. They were always guarded in what they said. The trial at Rennes is still green in the memory of the French army. But little by little I was able to arrive at the req soning which has allowed the present infantry training to live Tn spite of the teaching of modern wars. At first the officers replied to my queries by saying that these grand manoeuvres were not for the men, that they were simply games of chess, for the instruction of the higher ranks. We" they said, | practice all our attack formations dur ing our small battalion manoeuvres." then pointed out that 1t was impossi- II. e.. ,AA ,1r @1 l~ ;,,l practice at the same time. To this they | readily agreed, but saved themselves by stating that they referred to the men not taking sufficient cover In the grand | manoeuvres It was not until we had | talked well into the evening that I got | to the bottom of their meaning. In | spite of South Africa and its lessons, the idea is prevalent in the French | army and rules its training, that there | Is only one factor in warfare. That Is | infantry advance. According to them, | battles in the future will be won and | lost as were battles In the past in pro- portion to the weight of infantry hurled | forward to the attack. Artillery fire, | infantry fire and cavalry movements will be but a means to the one end which end is the arrival of the infantry | at the position required. The duty of the general-all the strategy and tac- ties of the past fortnight have pointed | to thls-will be to hurl such an ava lanche of infantry upon his enemy, that sheer weight of numbers will drive him back. No matter If battalions, regi- ments and brigades are swept away in the attempt The supports must be in such force that the torn and shattered | line, reinforced, can surge forward be- yond the temporary checks caused by casualties. When I pointed out that