Platoon

“ Each platoon commander conducts his platoon over to the right and gets it into approach formation directly in rear of and with its front as nearly parallel to the line of departure as possible. The proposition of bringing a platoon or any other unit up to a point immediately in rear of the line of departure in a column of files and making the deployment from that formation is fraught with great danger and is almost sure to result in confusion, losses and great consumption of time. ”

“ Captain: Yes, that's right. All the men in the platoon might not stop at the best fire-position and in the hurry and excitement of the moment the platoon commander might also fail to do so, but if a man goes forward and lies down, the whole platoon knows that they must not go beyond him. Individual men who, owing to slight undulations of ground, may not be able to fire when they halt in line with this man, can creep up until they can see. ”

“ Each platoon should be assigned its special duties, the duty roster drawn up for all sentry and patrol duties, details, etc.
Have all the men locate the enemy trench as they come on duty and give them the range. ”

“ Platoon the fire unit. In combat, the platoon is the fire unit. From 20 to 35 rifles are as many as one leader can control effectively. (250)
288. Special duties of platoon leaders. Each platoon leader puts into execution the commands or directions of the captain, having first taken such precautions to insure correct sight setting and clear description of the target or aiming target as the situation permits or requires; thereafter, he gives such additional commands or directions as are necessary to exact compliance with the captain's will. He corrects the sight setting when necessary. ”

“ As a platoon commander one works with the platoon commander on one's left or right, leaving the platoon sergeant to keep in touch with the platoon on the other flank. To have a fellow subaltern to talk to as one lies in a ditch being shelled is a great comfort.
However, we were kept along the road we had first lined for about an hour before any further move was made, and most of the officers of the regiment congregated in a little group while we were waiting for orders. ”

“ The company now vaguely felt that something was wrong, and suppressed cries of 'Hay, corporal! you're pivot man!' 'Hay, second platoon! wake up!' came to us from front and rear. With a start, our guilty squad awoke to its new responsibilities, and a sense of the eternal watchfulness of the soldier's life. Qui vive? Qui va?
The day before Marshal Joffre arrived, I asked our guide, a Plattsburg veteran, whether the Faculty Company was to participate in his review of the battalion. ”

“ The tactical unit of Infantry is the platoon. The action of a whole battalion is compounded merely of the separate actions of its sixteen platoons, each performing the separate rôle, in a general plan, that may be laid down by the Battalion Commanders, some to advance and fight, some to act in support, some to lie [231] in reserve, some to engage in a flank attack, others to fetch and carry food, water and munitions. ”

“ I think I would send my platoon sergeant to the company commander to let him know just what is required and to secure definite information as to when and where tools and wire will be available. It is of little use to get a lot of men up to the platoon area unless they have something to work with. Besides the area is more or less crowded at this time with men of the support elements of the 2nd battalion. ”

“ Each of the three companies in the front line was to establish one platoon post.
3. For purposes of this operation the four platoons of each company were known as W, X, Y, Z. Their respective duties were as follows:—“W” platoon was to seize the position in the enemy front line and cover it during consolidation; “X” platoon was to consolidate and garrison the post; “Y” platoon was to carry the necessary ammunition and stores across No Man’s Land; “Z” platoon was to garrison the old British front line during the operation. ”

“ Our platoon heading the battalion. The company commander gave us as guide a great lout of a sergeant who kept up a stream of invectives. All the world and his wife were at the windows. Left—Right! Left—Right! Our pace quickened going up the hill, and we had to hang on to each other in order to keep our intervals. ”

“ Question as to whether platoon should be brought up now; nothing for men to do yet; no necessity for exposing them. Have platoon sergeant, section leaders, and platoon and section guides report at once. Leave platoon in charge of one section guide.
3. Size up situation. Determine upon dispositions, component parts of combat group, methods of deploying a platoon. Decide to deploy sections side by side. Outguards.
4. Factors that govern selection of position; field of fire to front; mutual support with adjoining units. Front that platoon may cover. Depth of section area. ”

“ Your platoon consists of forty men and a Lewis gun. Soon after dawn and when your men are still in the trench at D, you see what you take to be a strong platoon of the enemy advancing straight towards you from the north; a couple of groups of men are fifty yards in front, and the remainder of the platoon is advancing in fours along a country road, which passes close54 to your position. You see the platoon when it is at A about 1,000 yards off. ”

“ In the absence of orders from the battalion commander, the company commander will determine whether the fire of the company will be distributed over the front of the whole battalion or whether it will be concentrated upon a portion of the front. The method of advance from one firing position to another will be determined by the company or platoon commander. Where the company is employed as a whole the advance may be by platoon. ”

“ Your subalterns and platoon sergeants you must use as your delegates in supervising and leading the platoons to which they belong, except when they are needed to act specifically as platoon commanders, keeping themselves constantly on the move among the men, looking at the details of the work, sighting of rifles, aiming, use of cover, choice of lines of movement, not lying down themselves nor participating in the operation as combatants. ”

“ The first sergeant is never assigned as a guide. When not commanding a platoon, he is posted as a file closer opposite the third file from the outer flank of the first platoon; and when the company is deployed he accompanies the captain.
Musicians, when required to play, are at the head of the column. When the company is deployed, they accompany the captain.
Guides and enlisted men in the line of file closers execute the manual of arms during the drill unless especially excused, when they remain at the order. During ceremonies they execute all movements. ”

“ Every man in the platoon figures out the platoon objective and endeavors to fix it with respect to some features of the ground so that he will be able to pick it up promptly after his platoon starts to advance. ”

“ This was only a preliminary to the absolute reorganisation of the platoon, which was now rightly coming into its own, and regarded as the most important tactical fighting unit. We had already been lectured at Souastre by Lieut.-General Sir Ivor Maxse, our Corps Commander, and later Director General of Training, also by Major-General Thwaites, on the new organisation of the platoon, which was now to consist of four specialist sections: (1) Riflemen, (2) Bombers, (3) Rifle Grenadiers, (4) Lewis Gunners. ”

“ The obvious advantage of the three-platoon organization of the company is that fewer platoon commanders are required, which fact is well worthy of attention in the mobilization of units of both Line and Reserve, especially in view of the extraordinarily heavy casualties among the troop leaders in the course of a campaign. ”

“ The basic independent unit of organization was the platoon, and the platoon therefore became the principal training unit. In the organization of this unit the scheme followed was to assure to each a certain nucleus of enlisted instructors trained in the various specialties, in addition to the platoon commanders, who were qualified to carry on the instruction along approved lines within the unit. This nucleus was taken from the graduates of the specialists’ schools of the depot. ”

“ In general, the company, when acting alone, is employed according to the principles applicable to the battalion acting alone; the captain employs platoons as the major employs companies, making due allowance for the difference in strength.
The support may be smaller in proportion or may be dispensed with.
231. The company must be well protected against surprise. Combat patrols on the flanks are specially important. Each leader of a flank platoon details a man to watch for the signals of the patrol or patrols on his flank. ”

“ Then for our platoon occurred one of our occasional bawlings out. As we waited, having loaded, we saw the 4th, 3d, and 1st platoons ordered over the fence into the field on our right. Being used to seeing the company split into its detachments for different purposes, and hearing no orders, we remained placidly in the ditch—for we are now old soldiers, and are learning not to hunt trouble. But the lieutenant came running, and with a few sharp words deftly removed the scalp of our leader, and retired with it at his belt. So over we scrabbled, and took our place in the column. ”

“ Having asked any other questions suggested by the situation or the ground, the captain will then take the rest of the company forward over the ground covered by the platoon, halting at the place where the platoon changed its pace from a rush to a walk, so that the men can see for themselves that cover from fire has been reached. He will then move the rest of the company forward and tell them to halt and lie down in what each man considers to be the best fire-position, not necessarily adopting the same position as that chosen by the leading platoon. ”

“ In front of the Medical Officer are the men who hold the line. There are four platoons to a company, four companies to a battalion; and with each platoon is one stretcher bearer, making sixteen bearers to each battalion. These stretcher bearers are trained in first aid, dressings, setting fractures and so forth by the M.O. of their regiment when they are out at rest billets behind the lines. ”

“ This platoon will cover your right flank and report immediately any changes which take place in the disposition of the enemy. Your station for the slightly wounded will be at Table Rock. You are going to be at the Good Intent School House, where messages are going to reach you. Of course, you give your officers whom you have assembled, the contents of the aeroplane message which you received. You want the infantry combat wagons to assemble at Table Rock, [122] and you want them to go there after all the troops have cleared the road. ”

“ The signal platoon or squad indicates that the platoon commander is to cause the signal which follows to be executed by platoon or squad.
You will observe that in no case is the right hand or the left hand specified. The officer may either face the company or have his back toward it.
CHAPTER VII FIRST AID TO THE INJURED
In the army, as in civilian life, you are very often your brother's keeper, as well as your own. Doctors cannot accompany a scout, a patrol, or the firing line. They are seldom present when a man falls overboard. ”

“ The platoon leaders move forward through the center of their respective platoons; men to the right of the platoon leader march to the left and follow him in file; those to the left march in like manner to the right; each platoon lender thus conducts the march of his platoon in double column of files; platoon guides follow in rear of their respective platoons to insure prompt and orderly execution of the advance. ”

“ Now we put in practice for the whole battalion the tactics we had studied by platoons, sending men forward from the right by squads in rushes, making a new line by degrees, always keeping a constant fire on the enemy—for we had a hundred rounds today, so that if we were decently accurate we should make him too nervous to be very dangerous in return. We went about fifty yards at a time, our sergeants and platoon leaders in the rear, behind them the captain and his orderlies and behind all the major and his aides. ”

“ The small-arm men are to be formed into companies of 80 men, with four petty officers. Each company to be commanded by a Lieutenant, with two other officers. The company to be subdivided into two platoons, and each platoon into two sections, and to be exercised in such movements as are absolutely necessary to manœuvre as a company and in battalion, by the officers who are to command them. ”

“ The captain allots a part of the target to each platoon, or each platoon leader takes as his target that part which corresponds to his position in the company. Every man is so instructed that he will fire on that part of the target which is directly opposite him.
If the target cannot be seen with the naked eye, platoon leaders select an object in front of or behind it, designate this as the aiming point, and direct a sight-setting which will carry the fire into the target. ”

“ As soon as the range is announced each front rank man sets his sight at 1050 and each rear rank man at 1150. Squad leaders assure themselves that sights are set and that the men of their squads understand the aiming point and sector and then raise their hand as a signal that all are ready. Similarly, the platoon leaders raise their hands to show that all of the squads are ready, and when the captain sees that all of his platoons are ready, he signals to begin firing. ”