Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 194, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1917 — TURNING THE COMPANY ON A FIXED OR A MOVING PIVOT. [ARTICLE]

TURNING THE COMPANY ON A FIXED OR A MOVING PIVOT.

The company, like the squad, is turned on a fixed or a moving pivot. If a battalion or regiment is in line and it is desired to throw it into column .of companies, the movement is executed by “companies right (left)” upon the same principle as “squads right (left).” Likewise, if the battalion or regiment is in column of companies, and it is desired to turn it back into a line of the battalion or regiment, the commahds “companies right (left)” will bring about this result, just as "squads right (left)” will give the company front from a column of squads. Also, companies in column, like squads in column, turn on a moving pivot, when it is desired simply to change direction without interrupting the march. On the fixed pivot, the commands are, “Company Right (Left), MARCH,” . . . “Company, HALT,” or, “Forward, MARCH!” as the case may be. At “march,” following the preparatory command, “Company right,” the right flank man in the • front rank faces squarely to the right and marks time. The other front rank men oblique to the right, place themselves abreast of man and also mark time. • ’ In the rear rank, the third man from the right —No. 3 of the first squad, as in “squad right”—moves straight to the front until in the rear of his front rank man. He is followed in column by the second and first men from the right in the rear rank. These likewise place themselves in the rear of their front rank when all face to the right in marching and mark time. The remaining men of the rear rank move straight to the front for four paces, then oblique to the right, place themselves abreast of the third man, cover their respective file leaders, and mark time. The right guide steps back, takes post on the flank and marks time. The fourth command, “march,” if it is desired to go forward—or “halt,” if the company is to come to a stop—is given when the last or end man of the company is one pace to the rear of - the new line.

The command “halt,” however, may be given at any time after the movement begins; but only those halt who are in the new position. Each of the others halts upon arriving on the line, aligns himself to the right and executes front without further command. A change of direction on a moving pivot is executed, as has been said, substantially the same way as in the school of the squad. The command is “Right (Left) Turn, MARCH . . . Forward, MARCH!” The difference between right turn in the school of the company and the school of the squad is that with the company the men do not glance toward the marching flank, and all take the full step only at the command, “Forward, MARCH.” Meanwhile, all those who have reached the line abreast the pivot man take the half step of 15 inches. Each rear rank man obliques on the same ground as his file leader. In the school of the company, little has been said, so far, of the platoon. The reason is that the squad movements, in the nature of things, come first in the instruction and also because the platoon movements —since platoons are composed of from two to four i squads—are simply company movements on a smaller scale and executed in the same manner.