The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-05-14
Continued from last issue)
CHAPTER XIII

our forces of citizen soldiery for eff
Gent service was training. Except for
the Spanish-American war nearly
twenty years before, actual combat ex-
perience of the regular army had been
limited to the Independent action of
minor commands in the Philippines
and to two expeditions into Mexico,
each with forces smaller than a mod
ern American division.
The World war involved the ham
ding of masses where even division
was relatively a small unit. 1t was
one thing t. call 100000 or 100000
men to the colors, and quite another
thing to transform them into an or
ganized, instructed army capable of
meeting and holding its own in battle
against the best trained force in Eu-
rope with three years actual war ex-
perience to its credit.
A general scheme of schools for the
A. E. F. was prepared by the opera
tons and training section, but in order
that this instruction should be as conf
plete and uniform as possible and at
the same time be co-ordinated with
other activities, 1 declared that train
ing should be handled by officers who
could devote their entire time to it. An
additional section of the headquarters
staff therefore was established, called
the training section, to function under
my personal direction AS chief of this
section Col. Paul B. Malone was
chosen, with Col. HI. B. Fiske as his
assistant.
Appeal in British Methods.
The British methods of teaching
trench warfare appealed to me very
strongly. They taught their men to
be aggressive and undertook to perfect
them in hand-to-hand fighting with
bayonet, grenade and dagger A GER
tain amount &C this kind of training
was necessary to stimulate the morale
Of troops by giving them confidence in
their own personal prowess.
Through the kindness of Sir Douglas
Haig we were fortunate early in our
experience to have assigned to US Lieut..
Gen. r. 81. X. Butler and other officers
Of the British army to assist In this
individual training.
Later on several French and Brit
fish officers also came to lecture at a
number of our schools.
Differ on War Principles.
We found difficulty, however, in
using these allied instructors in that
the French and, to large extent, the
British had practically settled down to
the conviction that developments since
1914 had changed the principles of
warfare. Both held that new condi-
lions imposed by trench fighting had
rendered previous conceptions Of train
ing more or less obsolete and that
preparation for open warfare no long
er was necessary. French publications
and manuals were generally in accord
with this theory.
If the French doctrine had prevailed
our instruction would have been limit
ed to brief period of training for
trench fighting. A new army brought
up entirely on such principles would
have been seriously handicapped with
out the protection of the trenches. 1t
would probably have lacked the ag-
gressiveness to break through the enc
my's lines and the knowledge of how
to carry on thereafter.
It was evident that the victory could
not be won by the costly process Of at
frifinn h1t thaf xyo ShnulA hox,o fo
drive the enemy out into the open and
engage him in a war of movement. In
struction in open warware was based
upon individual and group, initiative.
resourcefulness and tactical judgment,
which were of equal advantage in
trench warfare
Therefore, we took decided issue
with the allies, and, without neglect
ing thorough preparations for trench
warfare, undertook to train mainly for
open warfare, with the object from the
start of vigorously forcing the
offensive.
Rifle Practice Urged.
Intimately connected with the ques-
ton of training for open warfare was
the matter Of rifle practice. The earli-
est of my cablegrams on this subject
was In August, in which it was urged
that thorough instruction in rifle prac-
tice should be carried on at home be-
cause of the difficulty of giving it in
France:
"Study here shows value ana desir-
ability Of retaining our existing small
arms target practice course. In view
Of great difficulty in securing range in
France due to density of the popula-
ton and cultivation, recommend as
fast as practicable the complete course
= be given in the United States before
troops embark. Special emphasis
should be placed on rapid fire."
My view was that the rifle and bay
onet still remained the essential
weapons Of infantry, and my cable
stressing the fact that the basic prin-
ciples Of warfare had not changed,
were sent in an endeavor to influence
the courses Of training at home IN
fortunately, however, no fixed policy Of
instruction in the various arms, under
a single authority, ever was carried
out there.
Insensible to advice, the inclination