New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-01

give instruction in the practice OF their
specialties and give lectures on the theory
of modern warfare. Six hundred selected
American officers could easily be handled IN
each of these schools, and the duration of
the course Of it be based on the experience
of similar schools in France) would not
exceed two months.
In other words. by the first of January
the American army would have corps OF
two or three thousand instructors, taught
by men with years of practical experience
in the type of warfare the American army
will wage abroad. These American in
structors could thus prepare the new army
in the methods of the Western front and
accomplish at least all the preliminary
work pending the arrival of a corps OF
veteran Americans with experience gained
at the front themseves-the ultimate and
ideal instructors for our army.
1t is simple problem in arithmetic. II
las taken our regular army four months
to get the new training If the National
Army Is instructed az was the regular army
of old. it, too, will require four months OF
special training after it lands In Europe
But if its course be shaped from the start
toward this ultimate final training behind
the lines. there is no reason why the four
ronths cannot be reduced to two
1t will be asked, At what stage of the
came should the new training start, and
wherein does it differ from the old Amerl-
can training?
The military authorities in this country
have had a curious conception, which is un-
doubtedly the result Of peace time train
ING. that we should train our men first to
be soldiers and then to fight. That is,
they seem to distinguish between the pro
fession of soldering and fighting. When
questioned the other day on the fact that
many of the Reserve Officers training
camps gave no hint of the present war
fare and all the time was spent on Civil
War tactics, a regular army officer, who
stood among the highest in his class at
West Point, put a stop to all further re-
marks by stating in a conclusive tone of
voice: well. at least they learned to be
soldiers"
This distinction between soldier and
fighter should be discarded. But those
things which TO the mind of the profess
sional army man probably make up his
conception Of a ldier"-discipline, obedi-
ence and physical endurance-must be en-
rhasized more than ever. An undisci-
plined army is as doomed TO failure to-day
as il was in the times of Alexander, Caesar,
Napoleon. Lee or Grant. For this reason
all the "close order" work, the drilling on
the parade grounds, the physical exercises,
the long marches to harden the muscles,
the use of the rife and bayonet-every-
thing that goes to make up the funda-
mentals of soldering as we'll as Of fight
ing-should be taught with a vengeance
and intensively. This, as we have already
pointed out. covers a period Of two or three
months. The work in extended order"
and maneuvring, which has equally great
disciplinary value, then commences.
Right here is where the change must be
made in order to save time.
The American Field Service Regula-
tons. written to guide our army in the
field, are based on a type Of warfare used
il. the Civil War and slightly modified IN
the Spanish War and in fighting with
Indians and Filipinos. 1t consists in Skin
mishing through open country or woods, IS
usually an isolated action of the infantry
(or backed by few pieces Of field artil-
lerv) and is designed to be conducted
against an enemy who likewise fights as
cur grandfathers fought
Instead of teaching it with the excuse
that it has disciplinary value" it should
be completely discarded and the type of ex-
tended order drill and maneuvres evolved
en- the Western front in the present war
through actual experience should be substi-
tuted, leading up directly to trench war
fare. Incidentally this has as great or
even greater disciplinary value From the
very start men should be trained not only
in the use of the rife. but In the use of the
automatic machine rife, the hand and rifle
crenades, machine guns and all the various
weapons which go to make up the arma-
ment Of a present day infantry organiza-
ton. These men, as well as those in the ar
tilery, should be impressed with the enor-
nous Importance of the closest cooperation
between the two arms and Of the need of
constant accommodation. The tactics
that will be used in France should be
taught-tactics different from those which
might be used in Mexico. In other words,
the new army should be put through as
much as possible of what the regular army
has been through these last months in
France and as much as possible Of this
work should be given here in America, so
as to shorten the delay behind the lines
once they reach the other side.
If this be done the National Army units