Middletown transcript., 1917-09-08
SELFHELPS for the:
NEW SOLDIER
By a United States Army Officer
Copyright, 1917, by the Wheeler Syndicate, Inc
THE COMPANY IN LIHE OF SKIR-
MISHERS.

The company in skirmish line exc
cutes a number of commands as if
in close order, except that the skirmish
intervals are maintained. For this
reason the movements are, in the ma
ture of things, less precise, but they
approximate those in. close order.
Thus, the company in line Of skir-
misherS advances, halts, moves by the
flank or to the rear, obliques, resumes
the direct march, passes from quick
time to double time by the same COM
mands as in close order.
Company right (efD" by the skir-
mish line is executed as explained for
the front rank in the school of the COM
pany. That is to say, we have now a
single rank extended by twice the
number of men, at half-pace intervals,
or Is inches apart approximately a
yard of front to each man, as against
% inches in close order, which single
rank may be turned on a fixed pivot
precisely like the front rank of COM
pany or a platoon.
Company half right Qeft" is exc
cuted in the same way, except that the
line is halted when it has swung
around to an angle of As degrees.
The rules for the deployment Of a
company are necessarily less simple
than those for the deployment of
squad; for there is double considera-
ton to be borne in mind. In the de-
plOyment of the company, the individ-
ual squad must be deployed, but it
must also be deployed with reference
to and in conformity with all the other
squads of the company. For this rea-
son, it is necessary, as a part Of the
preparatory command, also to estab-
lish "base squad" which is to serve
as q guide to the line.
The preparatory command is, there
fore, Gas skirmishers, guide right Cleft
or center)." If the company is in line,
this designates the actual right Cleft
or center) squad as the base squad. If
the company is in column of squads,
the command, "Guide right Qeft)" des-
ignates the leading squad, upon which
the other squads will deploy either to
the right or left. The command "Guide
center" designates the center squad,
which may or may not deploy without
advancing further according to direc-
tions; the other squads conform to it,
and the guide thereafter is center, un-
less otherwise.
To repeat, the base squad, designat-
ed as above, advances or not at the
command of execution, MARCH" de-
pending upon the point chosen by the
captain on which the base is to rest.
The corporal of each of the other
squads commands his men, Follow
me-" or "By the right Qeft) flank" de-
pendent upon whether the command
to deploy is given when the company
IS in line or in column of squads.
If in line, the corporal marches his
men off by the right or left flank, as
the case may be, until he has sufficient
interval in which to deploy. The squad
nearest the base squad deploys first
after the base squad, the second squad
from the base deploys next. and so on,
until all the squads are deployed.
If the company is in column of
squads, at the preparatory command,
the corporal, as has been said. gives
"Follow me-" and at MARCH" he
places himself in front of the squad
and leads it into place. The squad re-
mains at close order until it reaches
the skirmish line, to which the cor
poral takes it by the shortest route
No. of the rear rank, however, steps
into the place of the corporal in the
front rank and marches there as long
as the corporal remains in front of his
squad. Arriving On the skirmish line
abreast of the squad ahead, the squad
then deploys.