Arizona republican., 1922-02-14
GOLD STEEL
'OF D0UGHB0Y
STILL BASIC
Of WAR
Postwar Analysis By War
Department r eveals
Doughboy With Bayonet
Remains Deciding Agent
[RepubIican A. p. Leased WIrel

w "A > III ~ u L y n, Feb. 13.-The
"doughboy" with a bayonet still is
"the basic combatant unit in battle
in the virtually unanimous judgment
OF the American army, officially rem
dered in cold postwar analysis. Air
craft, tanks, bombs, machine guns,
cannon, merely are valuable auxil-
iaries for the infantryman 'fn the
bulk armed with rifle and bayonet
and each foot soldier armed only by
his 'own agility" and a steel helmet.
For battle is normally determined
by physical encounter with the
bayonet or the fear thereof" the Of
ficial conclusion of the army made
public today asserts. 1t is based on
answers to a widespread question
naire' sent recently through the war
department bureaus and out through
corps and divisional areas, even
down to the commanders of regi-
ments, to lay the groundwork for the
doctrines Of tactics and OF train
ing" on which postwar building of
the army shall proceed. The answers
We're unmistakable. There has been
no chance soldiers who
fought in France believed in the age
L..
it was with Cromwell's grim host bid
ding for victory with push of pike"
with Napoleons old guard that dies
but never surrenders," with Pick
ett's flower of the South at Gettys-
burg, SO ii was with Pershings bud
dies in France. Cold steel was the
ultimate arbiter of battle.
The conclusion follows IAN exhaus-
tive study of the influence that mod
ern scientific developments will have
upon the technique of warfare. es-
pecialiy with regard TO aviation, mo-
tor transport and tanks" Chiefs OF
all combat branches had their say on
the QUESTIONABLE, designed ito bring
out the best present military
thought" both on basic principles and
as to changes in fighting technique
necessitated by new weapons.
Man Fundamental Agency
The departments statement admits
that the latter phase was expected
to show that specialists Of any kind
particularly in newly discovered
agencies will in their enthusiasm
make some claims for their special
ties not safely to be accepted except
after the proof, either of the results
of war or special tests under simu-
lated war conditions"
The expectation was realized and
as the research work goes on tests
will be made ito solve debatable
questions" Among these is that of
the comparative value Of bombing
planes and fixed heavy guns in sea-
coast defenses. 1T is possible at this
time" the statement added, ito an
nounce the conclusion of the war de-
partment result from the answers to
basic questions TO which there was
substantially unanimous agreement.
1t is concluded, and doctrine of tao
tics and of training viii be based ac-
cordingly:
THAT man remains the funda-
mental instrument in battle. and as
such cannot be replaced by any imag-
Unable instrument short of more
perfect thing than the human body,
including the mind.
That man in the bulk-meaning
the greater portion of the 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 q fixed forti-
fication, etc: that to achieve decisive
action he is best armed with the
rifle and bayonet; that man is rem
dered least vulnerable when merely
mored by his own agility and a steel
helmet.
Bayonet Rules Battlefield
'oThat battle is normally deter
mined by physical encounter with
the bayonet or the fear thereof: all
other agencies OF destruction. as ar
tillery, machine guns and aircraft,
are auxiliary in their effect. however
potent, and serve TO make possible
the advance of the foot soldier TO
hand to hand encounter.
THAT infantry is the basic COM
batant arm upon whose success nor
mally depends the success OF the
army; the primary duty OF other
arms, when associated with infantry,
is to assist the infantry to achieve
its mission by protecting and aid
ing it in every way and by destroying
enemy resistance to its efforts.
"That no arm except infantry can
be expected under normal conditions
to destroy an approximately equal
force of enemy infantry armed with
rifle and bayonet.
THAT while infantry is normally
the basic arm OF war under certain
conditions or during certain phases,
cavalry may replace 1t as the basic
arm, for example. in operations
against mounted forces or against
foot troops whose efficiency is below
normal for any reason"
Misconceptions arise in the public
mind, the statement said. as to the
possible effect of new agencies Of
war and in making public results of
its studies, the war department
"hopes to insure that the heresy shall
never become implanted In the coun-
try that any material means can ever
replace in war the individual soldier
who is willing and able to fight
~H