The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-08-01

Men ASaert-War Department Sendi
Questlonnaires to Chiefs Of comba,
Branches Devised to Bring Out the
Best Military Thought Regarding
! Progress In Military Tactics.
The War department has under way
an exhaustive study of the influence
| that modern scientific developments
will have upon the technique of war
| fare, especially with regard to avia-
ton, motor transportation and tanks.
The Army Recruiting News in a recent
issue states that while the fundamen-
tai principles of war, such as the ne
cessity for cooperation and the adj
vantage of SURPRISE will always re-
main unchanged, their proper appli-
cation, which constitutes the true
measure of military art, varies con-
stantly with many factors, not least
of which is the advent of new arma-
ment
In order to obtain basis for ar
irving at such uniform doctrine and
understanding, the War department
has sent to the chiefs of combat
tionnaire devised to bring out the best
military thought regarding both basic
questions and questions related to the
specific changes brought about by the
advent of new developments, as avia-
ton, tanks and motor transportation.
'It was known" says the News,
that the latter class of questions
would bring out many divergent views,
and such was the case.
Conclusions Reached.
1T is possible at this time to an
nOunce the conclusions of the War de-
partment to the basic questions, as to
which there was substantially unani-
nous agreement, it is concluded, and
doctrines of tactics and of training
will be based accordingly:
Il. That man remains the funda-
mental instrument in battle, and as
such cannot be replaced by any mag
Unable instrument, short of one more
perfect than the human body, includ-
Ing the mind.
%. That man in the bulk-meaning
the greater portion of armed forces
fights with greatest freedom of action
and with greatest efficiency when on
foot, not on horseback, in a tank, in
an airplane, in fixed fOrtification,
ETC.; that to achieve decisive action he
Is best armed with the rifle and bayo-
net; that man is rendered least vul-
aerable when merely clothed against
The weather and armored by his own
agility, with steel helmet.
49, That battle is normally deter
mined by physical encounter with the
9ayonet, or the fear thereof; all other
agencies of destruction, as artillery,
guns and aircraft, are auxil-
airy in their effect, however potent,
md serve to make possible the ad-
vance of the foot soldier to hand-to-
land encounter.
a. That infantry is the basic COM
)atant arm upon whose success nor
army; the primary duty of other arms,
when associated with infantry, is to |
assist the infantry to achieve its mis-
zion by protecting and aiding it in
very way, and by destroying enemy I
assistance to its efforts.
20. That no arm except infantry can
re expected under normal conditions
O destroy an approximately equal
orce of enemy infantry armed with
ifle and bayonet.
&c. That. while infantry is normally
he basic arm in war, under certain
onditions or during certain phases
avalry may replace it as the basic
rm, for example in operation against
forces, or against foot troops
hose efficiency is below normal for
ny reason.
Cannot Replace Soldier.
due to the great publicity that has
cen given to the possible effect Of
ew instruments Of warfare, coupled
18th the natural centerng of public
lterest on means of destruction which
re both new and spectacular, miscon-
options are likely to arise in the mind
the public as to the powers and
mutations Of various weapons and the
rms developing and serving them.
he War department, by making pub
G in summary form the best military
fought upon such subjects, hopes to
sure that the heresy shall never be-
me implanted in the country that
~ material means can ever replace
war the individual soldier who il
Hing and able to fight.
with regard to the more debatable
estions covered in the second part Of
e QUESTIONABLE, it will be of inter-
to note at this time that on GER
In questions wherein the public
ems to be in doubt there is absolute
reement among military minds. For
ample, there is agreement that the
.reasing use of airplanes carrying
mbs does not tend to obviate the =
cessity for the use Of mobile field
tillery on the battlefields.
Similarly, it is agreed that avfa- +,
n supplements but can never en- Il
ely replace cavalry in all forms Of Il
and use Of aircraft for 81
!, purpose being in general devoted :
greater distances than 1t would be
'sible for the cavalry to reach, and