Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-11-08
NATIONAL GUARD
taught WARFARE
(Continued from Page "

explaining the fine points of map ma
neuvcring to a Bull ctin reporter
yesterday. The captain IL as Interested
Ms any of his scholars. and can rap out
Information AZ fast az he can qucs-
tions. Here Is what he had to say
about the school for militia officers,
and, by the way. he has started cor
rcspondcncc school for the six officers
on Maui and the three on Hawaii so
that they will keep in touch with the
problems that are to he worked out In
the field next summer.
The war game, or, as We now term
II. map maneuyers. IL a method of
military instruction that has within tho
last ten years been taken up in ear
nest throughout the service. II IL now
not only q part of the line class and
the STAFF class work at Fort Leavcn-
worth, but also part of nearly every
post graduate course ut each military
post. To explain, briefly. how II works,
let me show you our maps.
Now. any map can he used that Is
Of scale sufficiently large to show de-
tails of the ground-say twelve inches
to one milc-but for purposes of this
kind, "A military map IL better. l mean
by that one which shows all the fea-
lures by certain conventional signs ia
miliar to all military men. Thus such
a map as this represents the ground
upon which certain combats or ma
neuvers are supposed to take place.
Officers are detailed to command
troops which are represented on the
map by little cardboard blocks and
pins. one side Is called the Red and
the other the Blue. These forces arc
supposed to belong to imaginary gov
crnments which are at war. Before
the game the instructor must work
through the problem from both sides
To he sure that he Is giving situations
that possibly could exist on the ground
represented by the map. Conditions
must be brief First we have what IL
called general situation which IL in
formation relative to the supposed
state of war that both the opposing
l'I''S NpHih hHvW dS VI
course. This information Is furnished
10 both the Red and the Blue leaders.
Then we have special situations FOR
each stage of the maneuver that a.c
cr the other.
Working in the Dark. ..
Upon receiving the general situa =.
ton and the first special situation the
cri,ors detailed to act as leaders of
the hoe tile forces retire to other rooms
and there plan on a map much smaller
than this just how they will handle
the troops under their orders. While
this Is going on the director of the
game sets forth to the officers not
actually In the play, or the observers
AZ they are termed. the full condi-
tons under which both sides are to
work. Thus the interest of the oh
serving officers Is aroused and discus
sion at once begins az to what the
Reds or the Blues had better do. Such
discussion IL of itself of great value.
The given time having passed for
the leaders of both sides to formulate
their plans, one side or the other IL
called In, say first the Reds In the
presence of the director and the OBJ
servers the leader of that side IL re-
quired to state what orders he has
given and what he plans to do. His
troops are then put upon the map--that
Is. the cardboard blocks to scale-and
the pins. etc, are placed as he has
ordered. No remarks relative to his
dispositions are made at this time,
whether he makes tactical errors or
not. The Red leader now retires to his
own room and the Red troops are COW
cred or removed from the board, and
initial orders likewise.
Thus the game progresses. the sides
being called In alternately. No move
Is mode on the map unless actually
movement can only cover so much OF
the map as troops could march In the
time allowed. For instance, we allow
infantry to cover. say, from two and
"A half to three miles per hour, depend
ing upon the given conditions of the
roads. For every movemeD: made the
leader Of each side explains to the OBJ
servers and the director his military
reasons, asking the director such ques-
tions relative to conditions as he may
desire, the former always retaining the
right, however. to decline to answer If
It is possible for the leader to work
out the answer himself. Thus Il play
er may wish to know whether, when
his forces reach a certain hill. he will
he able to see some crossroad or farm
house near which he has reason to be-
lieve his enemy is located. Such a
question would. no doubt, cause smile
round the board, for II the player
knows how to read the military map
he should be able to work out the an
swcr himself.
When Forces Clash.
$50 stem by steD the forces draw