Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-09-24
INFANTRY BEARS THE eRuNT.
Man With the Rifle Is the Main De-
pendenee.

pendenee.
After reviewing the incidents CT our
recent battles and hearing the Opin-
writes Col. Repington. the noted Brit
ish military expert. | have come 10 the
conclusion that Notwithstanding big
guns. airplanes. tanks and other con-
trivances OF modern warfare. the in
fantry remains the most potent force
in battles. and nothing can replace 1t
or make up for its absence.
have the greatest admiration for
what the gunners. the pilots and the
tank crews have done. Our artillerists
have simply been wonderful, being
most powerfully armed and represent
ing nowadays perhaps 80 to 80 per
cent of our fighting strength. Their
courage is cqualled only by their
skill. Their creeping barragcs are
fcarsomc things. and their counter
battery work improves month by
month. They are up with 1000 yards
of the front line OF infantry in attack.
even with their six inch guns. and
more devoted comrades in battle new
er did infantry boast.
Heroes Of Air Forces.
There is no need of praise for the
air force, which is a band of heroes.
Every day adds to the lustre Of their
great achievements. In reconnaissance
lighting. in photography and in bomb
ing. far and near. they are terror
to their enemies and n joy to their
friends. Words may fail to describe
the unSurpassahle records OF indi-
vidual heroism in the air and the
slccplcss attention of the mechanics TO
their machines. If the tanks have
bricfcr traditions. their record is still
most honorable and brilliant. Their
services in the recent battles are
known to all.
Yet it is the infantry which storms
and holds positions. which clears out
the enemy. takes prisoners and per-
forms the eliminating act in each To-
cal conquest. II suffers the heaviest
loss by far. and il cannot give it's full
fighting value unless the units are
kept up to strength and sufficient re-
liefs are supplied to allow the divi-
sions to he withdrawn for training
about one month out Of every three.
Filling Up the Gaps.
There Is strict correlation between
training and losses, but training de-
pends on the timely arrival of drafts.
and the armies in France have no
control at all over drafts; that bust
ness belongs to the civil government,
and Is mainly that of the war cabi-
net.
The spirit Of units Is maintained
when they are quickly filled after suf-
fering heavy losses. and as surely the
men lose spirit when the units are I'LL
ed. The strength Of the infantry was
brought up nearly to standard estab-
lishment after our defeats in the
spring.
From the point of view OF the COM
mandcr- in chief IT Is most expedient
that we rc-cnforce our infantry at all
available means and that at the very
least, we should he prepared to main
tain the existing numbers of the in
fantry divisions in France at full COM
plemcnts through the coming year.
Men Will Win War.
We are not going to win the war by
machines. but by men. 1t should be
our special concern to meet the de-
mands for new infantry. could point
out dozen directions in which ,scono-
mics might-be made in masQwer.
but in the army establishments alone
think we should draw from distant
stations still larger numbers OF men
to serve in France.
On August 1t was our grand SUI
premacy in infantry which enabled us
TO establish firmly and with success.
and no tanks shone in that supremely
wonderful adventure by the Austria
lians. the night of the surprise Of Mont
81. Quentin.