Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 164, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1917 — SELF HELPS for the NEW SOLDIER [ARTICLE]

SELF HELPS for the NEW SOLDIER

By & United State* Army Officer

(Copyright, 1917, by the Wheeler Syndicate, Inc.) SQUAD—WHY AND WHAT it ,18. £ The squad is the integral unit upon ' which all collective movements are based.* Soldiers are grouped into squads of eight for the purpose of instruction and discipline; for control as component factors in a platoon or ■ company; and for convenience in executing orders which may call for a small number of men. At the command “fall in,” 4he eight men line up in two ranks of four. The man who stands at the left of the front rank is the base of the squad, and it usually forms up the position which he has taken. He is the squad leader —a corporal—while the other seven men in the squad are privates. The corporal gives the commands by which the squad, when an individual unit, executes its movements. If the squad is formed with the company, the captain will give the commands controlling example, but the corporal will repeat to his men the preparatory command. When a squad falls in, all the members (except the corporal) assemble in the order of height from right to left. The rank falls In 40 inches behind the front rank. This is called distance. At the command “right . . . dress I” each man places his left hand flat upon his hip, hand straight downward, fingers and thumb extended and touching. Each man, except the front and rear rank man on the right of the line, turns his head and eyes to the right and takes steps of two or three inches so that his, right arm, hanging in thf position of “Attention,” will lightly touch the elbow of the raised left arm of the man on his right; and each man must also take a position in the line so that his eyes and shoulders are in line with those of the man (or the first two or three men) on his right. The two men in the right file keep their head and eyes to the front. The rear rank men cover in file — that is, each man places himself directly behind the man in front of him, as well as on line with those to the right of him. At the command “Front 1” every man drops his left hand to his side, turns his head straight to the front, and takes the position of “Attention.” If the command is “left .. . DRESS!” the squad dresses on the extreme left man, who keeps his head straight to the front; but in both “right . .DRESS!” and “left DRESS!” only the left arm is raised. By means«of the raised elbow, the men get the proper space (or interval) between them, and the command also gains the proper alignment for a squad, a company, or a larger body of soldiers. In marching, unless otherwise commanded, the alignment described above is preserved. A guide is designated, either “guide right,” or “guide left," and the men maintain their alignment by yielding to pressure from the side of the guide (right or left, as the case may be), and resisting pressure from the opposite side. In order that each man may know his place in the squad—for, as will later be explained, the details of his own movements will vary according to his position In the unit—the squad lead or instructor will give the command, “count off.” At this, each man, except the right file, turns his head and eyes to the right. The right file (namely, the man at the extreme right of the front rank and the man at the extreme right of the rear rank, 40 inches behind him) keep their heads and eyes, to the front. Simultaneously, these two count “one!” the two men in the next file, front and rear rank, simultaneously count “two!” and as they count “two,” they swing their heads in unison back to tße position of attention. The same with “three” and “four.” When the count Is finished, the whole squad has returned to the position of attention, and each man knows thereafter exactly what he himself is to do when certain commands to the squad are given.

HOW A SQUAD TAKES INTERVAL AND DISTANCE.

While for v mhrching and. the purposes of drill In the tnanual of arms a squad Is kept In “close order"—that Is, the distance of the crook of the elbow between man and man in each rank, and 40 Inches between the front and rear ranks —certain kinds of Instruction could not be given in that formation. The setting-up exercises (calisthenics) or the bayonet drill could not be executed at close order. It is essential, therefore, to distribute the men so while they still remain in a precise and military formation, they may be sufficiently separated for each man to' have room for the swing of his arms and legs or the charge of his bayonet. In order to effect this, the squad will execute tiie commands, “take interval,” or ‘Take distance.” When the squad is at a halt, the command is given, “Take interval —to the right (left) ... MARCH.” At “to the right (left) ” the four rearrank men march backward four steps and halt. At the command of execution, “march,” all men in both ranks face to the right. The leading man in. each rank then steps off. When he has advanced four paces, the second man in each rank steps off, keeping four paces behind his leader. Then follow the third men in each rank, at an interval of four paces from the two men ahead, aacb rear-rank man abreast of

the corresponding front-rank man. The command, “halt!" is given when the No. 3 men are three paces distant from the No. 4 men, and all halt and face to the front. From this formation, the command “assemble” Is given when it is desired to bring the squad back into close order. The command is worded, “Assemble, to the right <left). .' . . MARCH 1” At “march,” the front-rank man on the right or left, as the case ■may be, stands fast, while the rearrank man of the same file closes up behind him to the regulation distance of 40 Inches. The other men face to the right (or left), move in by the shortest line and face to the front. “Take distance” varies in that it Is executed to the front rather than on either flank and provides a different arrangement of the men, although, for the purpose of exercise and instruction, the result is substantially the same. This movement must be executed after the squad has counted' off. At “march,” following the preparatory command, “take distance,” No. 1 of the front rank moves straight to the front. When he has taken four paces, No. 2 of the front rank also moves straight to the front, followed by No. 3 of the front rank at four paces, who, in turn, is followed at four paces by No. 4 of the front rank. Then when No, 4 has his proper distance. Nos. I,' 2, 3 and 4 of the rear rank each step off four paces fexactly as the front-rank men have done. The command “halt” Is given when all have attained their distance.

To “assemble” the squad, at this command, No. 1 of the front rank stands fast, while the other numbers move forward until they reach their proper places in line.

TURNING THE SQUAD.

When a squad is marching in line, there are two ways of turning it—on a, moving or on a fixed pivot. The squad is turned on a moving pivot when it Is marching as a separate unit or when, in a column of squads, the Command “column right (left)” is given. The moving pivot, in which the pivot man on the front .rank advances at the half-step of 15 inches uptil the line is abreast of him, is designed to turn a column precisely but with the least loss of headway. A fixed pivot, “squads right (left),” turns each squad in its place on the designated base, right or left, and is a movement which bears important relation to every other squad in the column. For if the forward movement is not entirely checked by the pivot man's turning and marking time in his tracks, the whole company will be thrown out of alignment. Being in line, the squad executes the command “Right (left) turn ... MARCH” as follows*. " At “march” the pivot man (No. 1) of the front rank faces *to the right, taking first the full step of 30 inches, in order to clear the space directly behind him, and then advances at the half-step while the other men of the rank oblique to the right until opposite their places in line. Each then executes a second right oblique, and on arriving abreast of the pivot man, takes the half-step until the last man in the rank arrives on the line, when all proceed at the full step. To turn the squad on a fixed pivot, the command “Squad right (left) . . . MARCH!” is given. At “march,” the right man (No. 1) in the front rank faces to the right and marks time. The other front-rank men, obliquing to the right, plate themselves abreast of the pivot man and also mark time. In the rear rank,. No. 3, that is, the third man from the right, moves straight to the front until he is 40 Inches in the rear of bis front-rank man. He then faces to the front and marks time. The second and first men of the rear rank follow No, 3 in column until they also are directly behind their front-rank men. They then face to the front and mark time. No. 4 of the rear rank meantime moves straight to the front at the side of No. 3 for four paces. He then faces to the front and steps up abreast of No. 3. As the last man arrives in his place—or, when performing the movement by numbers, at the sixth count after the command is given—both ranks execute “forward march” without further command. “Squad right (left)” Is a muchused and. Important movement that requires much practice for proper execution, especially by the rear-rank men, who too often undertake to scramble into position. The pivot man also must be extremely careful to turn in his tracks and not to take ground, an admonition easily comprehended, but frequently neglected in execution. The pivot man and the rear-rank men have it in their power to make or spoil this movement, which, improperly executed, will disrupt and disarrange an entire column.