The Washington times., 1917-09-15
BRITISH REALISTIC
IN TEACHING j. S.
BOYS" TOF|GHT
BY HEYwooD BROUN.
Especial Gable Dispateh to The
TImes.)

TInes.)
CoNTRoLE AMERIcAIN, AMERI
CAN ExPEDITIoNARY ARMY, Sept
16.- The belief that the EnEiishman
has no Imagination should be added
to the failacies shattered by the war.
The American officers studying here
find the whole British scheme OF war
training is to create the atmosphere
Of an actual battle in practice.
Never let your men remember that
they are charging dummies" said an
English major to a pupil today.
Make them think they're Germans.
1t can be done even without the use
Of dummies. Watch me" .....> ..
A remarkable -demonstration fol.
lowed. The major sent for a. little
Cockney sergeant. Now" be said,
'this stick Of mine with knob on the
end Is a German. Show these. Amsri.
cans. how you would go after him"
The little sergeant did some brisk
work in slashing the end OF the stick
with his bayonet, but the big major
was mol Ike me elnDeTsT me
said, this is;a GermsnS ana thsp .he
would add suddenly. every now and
again, HLook out, my lad-he's com.
ing at you!"
JmaE1nadsa OF EagIIsk.,
And by ana '6y The .inslhuatioI be-
gan to take erect The 1fttle,IhAn had
spent two years on the line and Il
was easy to see that. bit by bit he
was beginning to Visualize the stick
with the cloth knob as a Bochs ad-
versary. His thrusts grew iercer and
fiercer. The point OF his bayonet
flashed into the cloth knob again and
again. He was trembling. with rage
as he played the battle game. As he
finally fung himself upon the stfck
and knocked 1t out of the majors
hands, the officer called q halt
There" he said to the Americans.
eff your men are to train well you've
got to make them believe it's true,
and you can do IT,"
The British have added lots Of snap
to the American training, and show
great aptitude for arousing the COM
petitive spirit. They make even the
most routine sort Of drill a game,
and whether the men are bayoneting
dummies or shooting at tin cans, the
little Britishers keep them at top
speed by stirring up rivalry between
the various organizations. Strangely
enough. the other speciality besides
bayonet work, for which the British
instructors are being used, is organ
lied recreation. Thus an Engllshman
will take HIS squad from practice at
the grimmest OF all war training and
set 1t tossing bean bags or playing
sPrisoner's base. red rover.
and; a score OF games played in, the
streets of every American city. are
used to bring relaxation to the SOL
diers. a.. -. .z -.
Games to Restore Morale.
Then there are other rough and
tumble games in which the. players
buffet each other assiduously in
neutral parts of the body. The en-
phasis is put upon the ludIerous In
all these games. "Thls may seem
and silly to you" explained
an English major. "but we have
IOuno on lne line ludt tne QUICKEST
way to bring back the spirit Of c
regiment which has been battered in
a battle is to take the men as soon
As they come from the trenches and
set them to playing these foolish
little games which they knew when
they were lads. When we get them
to laughing again we know we've
made them forget the fight"
General Sibert has returned from
a visit to the French front. In ad-
dition TO Sibert and Pershing, the fol.
lowing five American major generals
are now in. France: Match, Bullard,
Bundy, and Biddle.