Everyone Hated Training

Six War Years 1939-1945, Barry Broadfoot, 1974

Everyone in the forces hated training. It was intended, of course, to instill absolute discipline. Do this, soldier, or do that, sailor, and don't ask why. But so much of it was in the military term, chicken shit. Too much time was spent on parade square drills. Too much on the art of saluting. Too much in the correctness of walking-out dress. Too much on how to pack a haversack, stow a hammock, board an aircraft. Too much bayonet drill. Who would ever get close enough to a German to stick that thing in his gut?

But then came the realization of what it was all about. The almost automatic action of cleaning the rifle after firing could save your life because a jammed barrel could mean a blow-up. Those hours of digging silly slit trenches in the rain paid off when shells were bursting around you. All those hours and days and weeks of training, apparently meaning-less, all came together. The soldier, the sailor, the airman in combat had to ignore fear but still live with it - and it was the housekeeping lessons learned long ago in some Canadian training camp that helped him live with war.

But, oh God, like everyone who went through it, I remember the frustrations, the chicken shit, the rules and regulations, and the cocky corporals and the overbearing sergeants of those training camps, they were enough to break a man's spirit. But if they did, perhaps he was not much.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EST

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Unidentified Canadian infantrymen negotiating an assault training course, England, August 1942. Photographer: Alexander Mackenzie Stirton. Mikan Number: 3205243. From the Library and Archives Canada virtual exhibition Faces of War.

Battle Drill Training Examples (1944)

From an Appenix to Report No. 123 on Battle Drill Training. Published under the Canadian Military Headquarters (CMHQ) Reports 1940-1948.

Examples of Exercises and Schemes Used at C.T.S. in Battle Drill Training

1.     Battle Drill Training offers constant surprises to accustom the soldier to the unusual. The unexpected is bound to happen! The following small observation scheme has been used with good results:

In the middle of a lecture an Assistant Instructor dressed as an Italian prisoner bursts into the lecture hall and stops momentarily as if surprised where he is. He then bolts for the stage platform and clambers up on it. He is hotly pursued by two other Assistant Instructors who catch him on the platform and a short struggle ensues. Then into the hall burst two M.P's. One of them fires two shots at the crowd on the platform and the lecturer appears to be shot and falls. A whistle is blown and all disappear. The students are asked a number of questions, e.g., (1) How many shots? (2) How many were in the struggle? (3) Who appeared to be shot? Etc.

This was made as realistic as possible and was particularly designed to take the students by surprise. (C.M.H.Q. file 2/Reports/4/2: Report of C.T.S. July 1943).

2.     A night scheme in Battle Drill Training involved a platoon which was assumed to have been cut off during the day's operations. The platoon commander was ordered to attempt to rejoin his unit. This necessitated a move of the platoon back to its own lines through enemy infested territory. It demanded:

(a)     Choosing of route from map and by ground observation during daylight.

(b)     Control of movement at night and maintenance of objective.

(c)     Interpretation of sounds, occurrences, etc., at night.

(d)     Pinpointing any enemy activity which is met on the way, i.e., tank harbours, patrol posts, enemy headquarters, M.G. posts, number of enemy wounded at R.A.P., etc. The object was to demonstrate the need for initiative at night as well as by day, and the necessity for acquiring all information in an accurate form so that it can be acted upon, namely, target co-ordinates to C.S.O., areas of troops concentrations, tank harbours, etc., to B.M. controlling patrol activity in that sector. (C.M.H.Q. file 2/Reports/4/2: C.T.S. Reports, May 1943).

3.     In this scheme, called "Into battle," carriers, complete with equipment, were "gone over" by the instructors; mechanical faults were set up in the vehicles, and weapons and ammunition were tampered with. The crews were them given an hour to be ready to go into action. (C.M.H.Q. file 2/Reports/4/2: C.T.S. Reports, May 1943).

4.     Rifle students march and fight their way across 15 miles of country to the Downs. They arrive there about dusk. Company vehicles then come up with food and greatcoats. They then have to arrange all-round protection, night administration, sent out patrols to locate an enemy A.F.V. harbor, then they must organize and attack it at dawn. They then march to the Assault Course, go over it and march home. (C.M.H.Q. file 2/Reports/4/2: C.T.S. Reports, May 1943).

5.     On a scheme where they were behind the enemy's lines, the students were given slips of paper telling them where they could find friends and where they could find ammunition. Out of a hundred students not one was noticed who memorized the information and destroyed the paper. As a result, the enemy---whom the students knew were operating in the area and on the lookout for them---were able to capture a few and from the information gained smash the whole plan. (C.M.H.Q. file 2/Reports/4/2: C.T.S. Reports, March 1943).

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

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Infantrymen of Lieutenant D.S. Barrie's platoon of The Highland Light Infantry of Canada relaxing during a rest period, France, 20 June 1944. Location: France. Date: June 20, 1944.
Photographer: Ken Bell. Mikan Number: 3205673.
From the Library and Archives Canada virtual exhibit "Faces of War."

Battle Drill Training (1944)

Excerpted from Report No. 123 on Battle Drill Training. Published under the Canadian Military Headquarters (CMHQ) Reports 1940-1948.

This report deals with the development of modern methods of training and the evolution of Battle Drill Training with particular reference to its adoption by the Canadian Army in the United Kingdom.

It is necessary first to define clearly the difference between "Battle Drill" and "Battle Drill Training," as these terms are now understood. "Battle Drill," according to the manual Fieldcraft and Battle Drill, means the reduction of military tactics to bare essentials which are taught to a platoon as a team drill, with clear explanations regarding the objects to be achieved, the principles involved and the individual task of each member of the team "Battle Drill Training", on the other hand, is more comprehensive. It consists of a high standard of weapon training, "purposeful physical training, fieldcraft, battle drills proper, battle discipline and battle inoculation".

Battle Drill training is founded upon the axiom that "until every soldier looks on himself as a ruthless killer, using cover with the facility of an animal, using his weapons with the practised ease of a professional hunter and covering the ground on the move with the agility of a deer-stalker, infantry battle training will be based on false foundations" (C.M.H.Q. file 2/Battle School/1: Report on First G.H.Q. Battle School). Its object is, therefore, to inculcate into a body of fighting men a system of battle discipline and team spirit, and to give every man a knowledge of certain basic "team plays." Which will guide him in any operation he may undertake in battle. It has the further advantage of making the men physically fit, relieving boredom in training, and inoculating the soldier and his commander against the fear and noises of battle (C.M/H.Q, file 2/Report./4: Precis on Battle Drill, C.T.S.).

Owing to the romantic aura surrounding the term "Commando," newspaper writers have occasionally referred to Battle Drill Training as "Commando Training." It should be clearly understood that Battle Drill Training is not a special type of training confined to units of the Special Service Brigade, but a form of training which all Canadian infantry men are required to undergo.

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Basic Training Syllabus; 1942

The Standard Syllabus for Basic Training, 1942

Basic Training Centre

The Object of Basic Training

1.     To give a thorough grounding and practice in subjects which are required basically, of soldiers in each branch of the Canadian Army.

2.     To have each man reach such a standard that his time in a Special to Arms Training (SAT) centre may be devoted entirely to:

(a)     Exercise, rather than instruction, in elementary subjects already taught;

(b)     Building upon this base the knowledge particular to the branch of the Service to which the man belongs.

3.     To establish a sound mental and physical base upon which to build a fighting soldier.

The syllabus is based on a 45-minute period, a 9-period or 6 ½-hour training day and a 5 ½-day week.

Training must develop in all ranks the confidence that they cam "hand it out" harder and "take it" better than the enemy. To this end all training must be designed to develop a high fighting morale, in other words "fighting fit" and "fit to fight." No outdoor exercises will be cancelled on account of bad conditions, mud, etc. An essential part of training is to learn how to overcome the elements, as well as the enemy.

Block Standard Syllabus

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Boxing

Basic and Battle Physical Training, Part IX; Boxing and Wrestling, 1945

Chapter 1 — Boxing

Section 1 — Introduction

1.     Instruction in boxing is given to military personnel for two main reasons, first, for its military value and, second, for its recreational value. Boxing also contributes greatly to the development in the soldier of useful physical and moral qualities.

Section 2. — Military Value of Boxing

2.     The value of boxing in relation to training for war depends on the method of instruction, and on the spirit in which the training is carried out. Instruction must be based on sound technique, for boxing is an art—the art of being able to defeat brute force by skill. The training should develop the individual soldier's fighting qualities, and should inspire him with a feeling of confidence in his own skill and ability.

3.     There is a close similarity between the tactics used in boxing and those used in warfare, and this should be emphasized during training. The "on guard" position, like the attitude of the unit in the fighting zone, should be one of watchful readiness, prepared for either immediate attack or defence. Movement or footwork must be purposeful. The utmost use should be made of the terrain (or ring) to tire out the opponent, and to manoeuvre him into a disadvantageous position. The left and right fists are the advanced guard and the main body respectively, and they fulfill similar purposes—the left to break the opponent's defence, to expose weak spots and to pin him down, the right to exploit any advantages and to deliver the knock-out blow. Similarly in the attack, the skilled boxer, like the skilled commander, does not begin the attack by rushing in to land a favourite punch. He first tries to discover his opponent's weak spots and then at the opportune moment, when the target is vulnerable, he launches his attack with determination, skill, and enterprise.

4.     In boxing there are three types of attack. These are:—

(a)     A direct attack, which is made at speed.

(b)     An indirect attack, which is made after inducing the opponent to make a lead or begin an attack. This result can be brought about by showing an opening (i.e., by setting a trap), and then countering as the opponent makes his attack.

(c)     A time attack. This takes place when the opponent's attack can be anticipated and a counter blow "in time" made against it (e.g., a right cross counter on an opponent's weak left lead).

5.     All the above attacks have the initiative and should force the the defender to conform. The boxer who holds the initiative will dominate the fight. The indirect or time attacks are the most deadly, because they surprise the opponent by hitting him just as he is starting his attack, and at a time when his mind is fully concentrated on attacking. The unexpected blow is always the most devastating one, and has the greatest demoralizing effect. It is the prelude to success both in the boxing ring and on the battlefield.

6.     Just as each arm of the service has its special characteristics, each individual boxer has his strong and weak points, which must be developed in such a way that the strong are strengthened and the weak are concealed. A tall man with a long reach should develop his ability as a long range boxer, and should not "mix it” with a short, stocky opponent, or he may be beaten by employing wrong tactics. A purely defensive boxer will rarely win, although defence, scientifically studied and skillfully applied, may enable a boxer to defeat an unskilled opponent who is bigger and stronger than himself. In addition, a sound defence promotes self-confidence and enables a boxer to maintain the initiative even when he is on the defensive. A successful defensive action should always be followed by a counter-attack.

7.     As in training the soldier for war, training for boxing must be a real preparation for the actual fight. It must bring the boxer to an optimum state of fitness so that he has the endurance to last the distance, the will to withstand fatigue and pain, and the spirit, skill and ability to conquer his opponent. If he is allowed to train at times when he should be on duty, or to train only under the best conditions of place and weather, he will fight soft. A man will fight as he trains. If he trains hard, and with determination and imagination, he will fight with these same qualities.

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Images taken from Handbook for Military Artificers,
Prepared in the Ordnance College, Tenth Edition, 1915

Tests for Candidates for Artificers' Courses of Instruction

The King's Regulations and Orders for the Army, 1912 — Para 744

Artificers' Course—A N.C.O. Or man recommended must be of good character, and should have worked at his trade before he enlisted.
     He will be tested before recommendation. The test for a smith, fitter, or wheeler is shown in Appendix XX.
     An application may, at any time, be submitted to the commandant Ordnance College, but in the case of an N.C.O. Of man of the R.A., through the officer i/c records.
     The duration of the course depends on the abilities and previous training of the man.
     N.C.Os. And men selected for these courses will be sent to Woolwich with their kits and equipment, but without rifles.

Appendix XX

Tests for Candidates for Artificers' Courses of Instruction (As Smiths, Fitters, or Wheelers) at the Ordnance College

(Referred to in Para. 744.)

Any of the following tests may be selected:

Smiths

1.     Make a pair of hollow bits to take not less than 1-inch round iron.
2.     Weld two pieces of round iron, 1-inch in diameter, to form a right angled joint.
3.     Make a smith's sett hammer.
4.     Make a smith's fuller, with eye for a shaft.
5.     Make a nave band, 6 inches internal diameter, from a bar of flat iron 2 inches by ¼ inch.

Fitters

1.     Chip and file to gauge a square, 2 inches long, on a bar of round 1 ¼ inch iron or mild steel.
2.     Drill, chip, and file (to gauge) a l-inch square hole in a wrought iron plate l inch thick.
3.     Cut a square, to size, on the centre of a round bar 1-inch diameter.
4.     Cut a slot 1/2-inch wide and 3 inches long in a flat bar of iron or steel 2 inches wide and 1/2-inch thick.

Wheelers

1.     Make a mortice and tenon joint as is used for an earbed of a wagon.
2.     Connect two pieces of timber, 6 inches by 6 inches by l inch by common dovetailing.
3.     Make a small sunk panel door 16 inches by 10 inches by l inch.

Directions for carrying out the Test.

1     The test being decided upon, the candidate will be given the tools and material he considers to be most suitable for doing the work. He will not be advised as to the selection of either the tools or the material, and every, precaution will be taken to insure that the work is done entirely by the individual who is being examined. ( Note.—A smith will be allowed the services of a hammerman.)

2     On completion, the test job will be forwarded to the commandant, Ordnance College, with the following certificate:—

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Saturday, 5 July 2014 4:43 PM EDT

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Target Practice

Regulations and Orders for the Active Militia The Schools of Military Instruction, and the Reserve Militia (in the cases therein mentioned) of the Dominion of Canada; 4th March 1870

170.     Officers commanding corps should avail themselves of every opportunity during the annual drills, to impart the necessary instruction in rifle shooting to those under their command; they should bear in mind that there is no difficulty or mystery in the matter; that to enable a man to learn rifle shooting, it is not necessary that he should got through a course of lectures on the theoretical principles of projectiles and musketry, it is sufficient to teach him:—

1st. Position Drill, which he can learn when being instructed in the Manual and Platoon Exercises.

2nd. That he should be shown and learn how to align the back and front sights of his rifle upon the object aimed at.

3rd. Not to wink or shut his eyes when he pulls the trigger.

4th. Not to pull the trigger with a jerk, but with a steady pressure of the finger,

5th. To hold the sight of the rifle perpendicularly, that is, inclining neither to the right nor to the left.

Attention to these five simple rules, with some power of judging distance, and a knowledge of the influence of the wind on the flight of a bullet, is all that is required to enable a man to become a good practical shot. The explosion of the charge has a tendency to throw muzzle up and bullet high; to counteract this, press center of heel plate firmly to shoulder. The sun shining from left, lights up right side of back notch, and left side of foresight; its these spots are aligned on the mark, the ball will go left, and vice versa.

171.     The allowance of ammunition for practice by corps armed with the Snider Enfield Rifle, during each year, will be 40 rounds of ball and 2 rounds of blank for each man actually effective, and the same may be drawn upon requisition of Commanding Officers through the Deputy Adjutant General of the District.

172.     Under no circumstances shall Practice with Ball Cartridges be engaged in, without the men in uniform and under the command of an officer or non-commissioned officer, who shall be held responsible for the proper conduct of the party. After firing, at target practice, Commanding Officers will require every man to clean his rifle before returning it to the Company's arm racks.

173.     Militiamen are forbidden to tamper with or injure the arms issued for their use. Should alterations or repairs be required, they must be effected by a competent armourer or mechanic.

174.     Officers commanding corps are required to keep careful and accurate returns of all Target Practice, in accordance with forms provided from the office of the Adjutant General of Militia, and may be obtained upon application to the Brigade Major in each Division.

175.     Officers commanding corps will be careful that each man under their command shall within each year fire at target practice the number of round authorized for such purpose, and he will see that no individual volunteer expends more of the practice ammunition than his fair share.

176.     Ammunition authorized for annual target practice of any corps, is not to be used at rifle matches, other than those between members of the Corps to which ammunition is issued.

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Duties of Flank and Rear Guards

Hints on Skirmishes

Regulations and Orders for the Active Militia The Schools of Military Instruction, and the Reserve Militia (in the cases therein mentioned) of the Dominion of Canada 4th March 1870

342.     Skirmishers (with supports and a reserve if necessary) can be extended to protect the flanks of a column; when so extended they move by the flank inclination of their files in a direction parallel to the advance of the column, their supports corresponding with such movements. Whenever the column is halted flank guards face outwards.

343.     Should the column have to retreat and the rear guard become engaged in disputing the ground with the enemy, the flanking parties must be particularly on the alert to check any attempt on the enemy's part to steal round and turn the flanks, which it may be presumed a pursuing enemy will always endeavour to do.

344.     It may be often desirable, with the view of searching ground more effectually, to move the flanking line of skirmishers, properly supported, in prolongation of the skirmishers of the advanced guard, and retired into direct echelon.

345.     It is the duty of Rear Guards acting in concert with the flanking parties, to protect the rear and flanks of the column from sudden attack, to secure the safety of the baggage, and to bring on stragglers. Rear Guard is usually kept closer to the main body than an Advanced Guard, the mode of forming it is to be found in the Drill Book, its strength and composition must depend u|)on circumstances and the nature of the country, also, whether the Column is engaged in making a forward movement, or in retiring before a superior force, in the latter case there is no duty that demands more skill, judgement, courage, and determination on the part of the Commanding Officer and men under his command.

Infantryman, Canadian Volunteer Militia, 1863-1870

This volunteer wears the full dress uniform authorized for the Canadian Volunteer Militia in 1863. Few units would have worn the shako shown in this image, substituting the inexpensive (and far more comfortable) forage cap. The style is generally similar to that worn by British regular infantry, with the white-metal buttons and badges commonly used by militia units within the British empire. Reconstruction by Ron Volstad. (Canadian Department of National Defence)

Source page.

Canadian Military History Gateway

346.     Every Rear Guard should be provided with axes and entrenching tools, in order to have the means of breaking up roads, blocking up defiles and bridges, intrenching positions, and throwing obstacles in the way of a pursuing enemy; a few trees judiciously felled across a road at well chosen spots, may cause considerable delay to the enemy and check pursuit.

347.     When in actual presence of the enemy a retreat is usually conducted by the successive retirement of skirmishers on their supports, who have previously been extended, if possible under cover, fresh supports being thrown out from the reserve, and thus the whole may be withdrawn in succession from point to point, sheeting the most advantages positions which the nature of the ground along the line of retreat may afford.

348.     Should the Rear Guard be hard pressed, every wood, fence, bridge, or defile, should be defended with the greatest vigour and obstinacy.

349.     If there be cavalry or guns with the Rear Guard they should be brought into use, in order to support and relieve the Infantry, wherever circumstances may render it desirable, and the nature of the ground will admit.

350.     When skirmishing,men should remember that in the field an enemy will be opposed to them, whose business is to keep himself as much as possible under cover at the same time that he them whenever they expose themselves.

351.     Two lines of skirmishers opposed to each other on smooth ground, and keeping their lines properly dressed, are never seen in a real fight. All that is required is that the men of a line of skirmishers should be in such communication that they are able to afford each other a mutual support. In advancing across open and unbroken ground, the line will be maintained with more or less regularity, because there is no inducement to break the order

352.     Where ground is broken, so as to afford cover some parts and not in others, the files advancing over the unbroken ground, should observe a regular line; but those files which may have in front of them any ground where cover is to be obtained, such as a hillock, or a clump of trees, or rocks, should dash forward to seize it at their utmost speed, notwithstanding that by so doing they may place themselves in advance of the general line by 30 or 40 paces.

353.     If the enemy is in possession of this vantage ground, a dash to dispossess him of it should be made, by the converging at full speed of such a number of files as will serve to drive him out. If you succeed in doing so, you establish a post in the midst of the enemy's lines, and he must fall back, because you flank him on both sides, while your general line advancing occupies him in front. If the enemy's skirmishers are sheltered by a hedge, ditch, bank or any other line affording cover, a quick officer will select the weakest point in the enemy's line for attack, and will direct a number of files to converge on that point at full speed sufficient to overcome resistance. In this way again a post will have been established in the midst of the enemy's line, which will flank him to right and left, while your general line advancing will occupy him in front.

354.     Skirmishers advancing in the open should consider no inequality or accident of ground too insignificant to afford shelter of some sort, if it does not protect one part of the body, it will another. Thus even a large stone should be made use of, and a small tree stump may save a man's life.

355.     In wood fighting no man should fire except from close behind a tree; after delivering his fire,he must load under cover of the same tree and when loaded, he will select a tree in advance, and then dash up to it suddenly—and so on. Experienced skirmishers in a wood will establish a footing in this way often close to the enemy's general line. And if this is done and maintained, the enemy's line must go back.

366.     Skirmishers when holding ground in the open where there is no cover, should lie down, their supports and Reserve, when within range of fire and no cover available for them, conforming to that movement.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 22 June 2014 2:35 PM EDT

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Ortona Platoon graduated at Wolseley Barracks, 11 October, 1968.

The Royal Canadian Regiment Depot
Command Junior NCO Course - 1960s

Instructions to Assist Platoon Commanders and Platoon Sergeants in Carrying Out an Inspection

General

1.     The following points become second nature with experience and in a good unit, both in being noticed at inspection and in their observance by the men.

Full wear must be extracted from clothing and as long as it is serviceable it must be worn. There is however no reason why part-worn clothing should not be clean, correctly pressed and in good repair.

It is usual to inspect, starting at the right hand man of the front rank, from the heaf downwards, the front of the rank before the back of it, and the men before their arms.

General Impression

2.     Is the soldier clean? Is his uniform clean, well-fitted, pressed and correctly put on? Is he standing at the correct position of attention? Are his weapons clean?

Note: Before starting to inspect see that any incorrect positions are put right. The inspecting officer should be accompanied by the next senior on parade who will note anything he is told.

Head-Dress

3.         (a)     Is the cap clean and free from sweat and hair grease?

(b)     Does the cap sit squarely on the man's head?

(c)     Is the badge in the correct position?

(d)     Are the badges and buttons clean and shiny and free from all foreign matter?

(e)     Is the chin strap shining?

Cleanliness

4.         (a)     Is the face and neck clean and closely shaven?

(b)     Is the hair short and have the sideburns been removed to a reasonable height?

(c)     Is the hair on the top of the head a reasonable length?

Check at this point to ensure the eyes of the troops are not following the inspecting officer.

Battle Dress Jacket

(a)     From the front:

(i)     Does the jacket fit?

(ii)     Does the fly of the jacket make a straight line through the belt buckle with the fly if the trousers?

(iii)     Are all buttons done up?

(vi)     Is the jacket belt done up and snugly fastened?

(v)     Are the flashes clean and properly sewn on?

(vi)     Have all the loose threads been removed?

(vii)     Are the pockets stuffed with papers, cigarette packages, etc?

(viii)     Is the tie properly positioned and neatly tied?

(ix)     Is the collar of the shirt neat and clean?

(x)     Does the shirt fit properly?

(b)     From the back:

(i)     Is the jacket fastened to the trousers with the buttons provided?

(ii)     Is the jacket properly pressed?

(iii)     Is the shirt collar clean?

Web Belt

(a)     From the front:

(i)     The belt must fit snugly so that during a long parade the weight of the bayonet cannot pull it down to one side.

(ii)     The buckle must be central and in line with the fly of the trousers.

(iii)     Is the brass clean and highly polished?

(vi)     Is the belt clean, not caked with cleanser?

(v)     Are the ends of the belt correctly fastened and squarely under the outer part of the belt?

(b)     From the back:

(i)     Is the bayonet frog on the left hip and not under the arm or in the small of the back?

(ii)     Is the bayonet clean and free from rust?

(iii)     Is the belt properly positioned?

Hands

7.         (a)     Are the hands clean and free from stains?

(b)     Are the finger nails clean and trimmed?

Battle Dress Trousers

(a)     From the front:

(i)     Are the trousers ell up on the hips?

(ii)     Are braces being worn?

(iii)     Are the trousers hanging the right distance from the ground?

(vi)     Are they clean and well pressed?

(v)     Are the puttees correctly rolled?

(vi)     Are the puttees around the bottom of the trousers?

(b)     From the back:

(i)     Do the trousers fit well in the rear?

(ii)     Are the jacket and trousers buttoned together?

Boots

(a)     From the front:

(i)     Are the boots clean and shined all over?

(ii)     Are the boots laced correctly?

(iii)     Are the ends of the bootlaces concealed?

(vi)     Do the bootlaces lie flat and are not twisted?

(b)     From the back:

(i)     Are the boots in a good state of repair? (Have some men lift one foot at a time.)

Summary

10.     It will soon become apparent to all men that they must be well turned out to avoid being checked on inspection.

Take your time initially and you will soon find that you will become very observant and will be able to conduct your inspection thoroughly in a minimum amount of time.

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German Infantry in Action (1941)

German Infantry in Action (Minor Tactics), Prepared by the General Staff, The War Office, February, 1941; Reprinted in Canada, May 1941.

Section Formations

There are two normal formations for the section when extended, i.e., single file and extended line. The section should only be split up in exceptional circumstances, and if it is, must still operate as a complete unit.

Platoon Formations

The platoon normally deploys into one of two formations, 1.e., arrowhead or wide arrowhead. The platoon commander can, however, order other formations, e.g., sections one behind the other in file or single file or two sections forward and two in rear.

Company Formations

The Company normally deploys in one of two formations, i.e., arrowhead or wide arrowhead. The distances between platoons are given only as a guide.

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Advanced Driving and Maintenance School, Woodstock, ON

Over the next few years, Canada will be recognizing a variety of military anniversaries, including those of the First and Second World War. When many Canadian think of the conflicts of the 20th Century, their minds invariably turn to operations overseas, whether that be the trenches of France and Flanders, the hills of Sicily or the beaches of Normandy. Few, unless they have a direct connection, also think of the intense and widespread military efforts that took place in Canada during each war.

Ranging from Sam Hughes and the CEF building Camp Valcartier in 1914, to the many airfields of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan airfields all over the country, to the many temporary schools of instruction, camps sprung up all over Canada during the world wars to suport Canada's forces overseas (and on the seas). Many of these camps were dismantled as quickly as the returning forces were demobilized. Sold back to municipalities, or turned to other purposes, in short years the remaining buildings disappeared one by one, along with the memory of what had been there and what training took place in those camps.

In many cases, the last remaining vestiges of these camps are a few old news stories and photos, and the occasional discovery of a piece of evidence that they existed. The following images represent one such clue; during the Second World War, Woodstock, Ontario, was the home of No. 11 Advanced Driving and Maintenance School (A.D. & M.S.). On property now occupied by the racetrack, with perhaps the original structures of one or two buildings remaining under new exteriors, the Canadian Army trained officers and soldiers in the skills to keep Canada's mechanized army in the field and ready to fight.

No. 11 Advanced Driving and Maintenance School

Click for larger version.

See these images in the Woodstock Museum online collection:

•  Advanced Driving and Maintenance School - Parade
• Advanced Driving and Maintenance School at Fairgrounds (1943)

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Sunday, 4 May 2014 5:07 PM EDT

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Corporal T.C. Mackenzie [Loyal Edmonton Regiment], Sergeant R.W. Williams [Calgary Highlanders], Private N.E. Smith [North Nova Scotia Highlanders] and Gunner H.D. Gingell [13 Canadian Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery], who all received Military Medals, at Buckingham Palace, London, England, 27 June 1945. Photographer: Harold D. Robinson. Mikan Number: 3205673. From the Library and Archives Canada virtual exhibit "Faces of War."

Principles Of Training

Army Information Digest (U.S.), reprinted in the Canadian Army Journal, Vol 7, No 3, October 1953

Supervision over replacement training by Army Ground Forces [in World War II] was guided by five basic principles, established early and adhered to throughout World War II. In general, these principles are applicable to the Army's training today:

1. The individual must learn to work and fight as a member of a team. Throughout all aspects and levels of training this concept of teamwork is constantly emphasized.

2. The troop commander himself is responsible for training, rather than the specialist who might actually conduct it. This reflects the basic military principle of personal leadership.

3. General military proficiency is stressed. Create the soldier first, the technician later.

4. Rigid performance tests are given to insure uniformity, adjustment to exacting standards and the earliest efficient completion of the training mission.

5. Realism characterizes all training whenever possible. Live ammunition and rugged training areas are concrete expressions of this fundamental requirement.

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J.F.C. Fuller, On Instructing the Soldier

Brevet Colonel J.F.C. Fuller, D.S.O., "Moral, Instruction and Leadership," Journal of the Royal United Services Institution, Vol. LXV, February to November, 1920

Instruction is like a map which the instructor opens and explains. He points out the short cuts and the good roads, but the actual movement over the ground itself must be left to the instructed; to drag a man across it would be a deplorable waste of time.

There are three main ways of instructing a man:—

(1)     By interesting him in his work, that is by increasing his knowledge, for knowledge creates interest, and when a man is interested the effort of learning is reduced to a minimum. To be interesting an instructor must be skilful, and as a magnifying glass concentrates rays of light, so must he be able to concentrate the attention of his men. This can only be done if he continually varies his subjects, makes the men run through them at maximum speed, and so gives no time for their thoughts to wander.

(2)     By repeating a subject again and again until it sinks into a man and becomes part of him. This method is not so good as the- first, but with some men it is necessary; at best it is most tiring for the instructor, who should, however, guard against turning himself into a human gramophone, for even repetition requires skill and individuality.

(3)     By terrorizing. This is a bad way and it should never be used unless (1) and (2) have failed. It is bad because it creates fear. — We do not want fear, we want courage. If a man will not learn by the first two methods, there is nothing for it but to teach him by the third; for it is better to be hated and followed than to be despised and abandoned. It is better than nothing, for it maintains unity of action.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

Updated: Friday, 21 March 2014 12:03 AM EDT

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Platoon No. 10. S10. C.B.D.T.C. Vernon, BC. March 1943. Meeres Studios photo, Vernon, BC,
Photo credit: from the collection of Maj Fred Mills (RCASC) via Maj Craig Mills (The RCR/Cdn Gds).
Maj Fred Mills is in the centre of the back row.

Battle Drill Training (1943)

During the Second World War, there were training centres for the Canadian Army spread across the country. With the most common focus of attention on Canadian army service during the Second World War being on the forces overseas, we easily forget how extensive the training system was in Canada, and the value and scope of work done by the thousands who ran these establishments.

Huge efforts were made to staff these camps and to conduct required training, and many training locations expanded from existing facilities or were built from nothing to meet the Army's needs. The photo above provides a good indication of how well equipeed the Training Centres had become by 1943 (the summer of the invasion of Sicily and still a year prior to D-Day).

No 110 Cdn Army (Basic) Training Centre, Vernon, BC

• NPAM Training Centre from 9 Oct 40 to 14 Feb 41.
• Placed on Active Service: 15 Feb 41
• Disbanded 30 Aug 43 upon organization of S17 Cdn Infantry School.
  • Source.

Brief history - No. 110 Canadian Army (Basic) Training Centre — Vernon

During both World Wars, Vernon was an important training ground for Canadian troops. The military camp, #110 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre, trained thousands of soldiers from 1940-45. The 19th Infantry Brigade made its headquarters here, comprising of 3rd Battalion Irish Fusiliers (Vancouver Regiment), Winnipeg Light Infantry, Prince Albert Volunteers, 26th Field Company Royal Canadian Engineers, 25th Field Ambulance and various support units. Some 6 km to the east of the camp on the edge of the Coldstream Ranch was the Battle Drill School. This camp trained Canadian soldiers in advanced fighting skills from 1942-45. It was the first FIBUA (Fighting in Built up Areas) training centre in the world. To this day, unexploded artillery and mortar shells used in training are still turned up by the frost and development of the surrounding hills. Internment camps were also located in Vernon during the World Wars; in WWI for Ukrainian Canadians (this camp is now the site of a high school) and in WWII for people of Japanese descent (mostly from Vancouver). After WWII, the camp was mothballed. In 1949 it was reopened and became an Army Cadet Training Centre for the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. - Source. - Location.

The Boys Anti-Tank Rifle

• Boys Anti-Tank Rifle (Wikipedia)
• Stop That Tank! Disney Training Film on the Boys Anti-Tank Rifle (Youtube)
• Boys Anti-Tank Rifle (Youtube)

The Bren Gun

• Bren Light Machine Gun (Wikipedia)
• Bren Gun (Youtube)
• Bren Gun at the Range (Youtube)

The 2-inch Mortar

• 2-inch Mortar (Wikipedia)

The Thompson Sub-Machine Gun

• Thompson Sub-Machine Gun (Wikipedia)
• Thompson Sub-Machine Guns (Youtube)

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The Military Instructor

Excerpted from A Military Ready Reckoner, by William Cooke, Drill Sergeant, 1st Battalion, Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards; 1862

And above all things the Instructor should never resort to coarse language, as such conduct on the part of an Instructor can only point to his own incapacity to communicate instruction.

When explanation fails to produce the desired result illustration must be employed, so that all may feel and understand their way with equal advantage.

And again the Instructors should never tell a man that he is stupid, much less think so. No! the Instructor should employ such a mode of reasoning as will make up for the apparent want of intelligence in the man. By such means you avoid pointing out one man as inferior to the other in point of intelligence.

All men should be made to feel equally worthy of the Instructor's attention ; thus by a plain mode of reasoning you bring the awkward man to a sense of his own weak points which always acts as a powerful stimulant towards greater exertion, thereby enabling a slow but sure recruit to stand on an equal footing need with his more active comrade.

A good temper the is an indispensable qualification in an Instructor. Respect a man's feelings as you would your own, at the same time be firm yet moderate and reasonable in all things which can never fail to produce the desired result,—a good and well trained soldier. And in conclusion allow me to remark that no Instructor can ever exceed that standard of perfection where further information or instruction is no longer required.

No Instructor should ever feel himself beyond the province of correction, though corrected by individuals of less experience. It's by such correction that you can ever hope to attain to anything like a standard of perfection in the art of training a Soldier.

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A example of the Solano Target
(Click for larger image).

New British Target

The Montreal Gazette, 17 February, 1909
(London Leader)

The fact that new targets are to be used which will abolish the necessity of firing at concentric rings at known distances may be of interest to that class of young men which dodges the territorials because rifle-range shooting is poor sport.

The old bulls-eye target is obsolete, having been formally condemned by the Army Council in their order of October, 1907.

Mr. Solana, the inventor of the new targets, condemns the old bull-eye in a sentence : "Not only are men encourage to fire at objects over distances at which objects in war are invisible," he says "but they are taught to fire with a nice accuracy utterly impossible in war through the rapid pulse and strong pulse induced by excitement and exertions."

The soldier today does not stand up in a line of his fellows and fire point-blank at short range at an opposite line of the enemy. The modern rifle gets more and more like a rapid lead pump; the enemy is nearly always invisible, except for the shortest possible periods, and battles range over vast areas.

Until Mr. Solano invented his wonderful apparatus, therefore, the modern soldier could get no training whatever in the work of learning how to kill his enemy under the conditions he would find on the battlefield. He has had field work, of course, but there has been no means of telling whether the shooting was effective.

The Solano targets have received the hearty approval of the Duke of Connaught and Earl Roberts, and have won for their inventor the warm thanks of the Army Council.

They may be described as a rifle-man's education in eye-training, distance judging, and rapid fire.

They are inexpensive, and by their means field firing practices may be carried on within the radius of a room or a barrack yard. The Solana triangle and linear targets, for individual and collective firing, will in time replace the old pattern marks at the ranges.

A triangle has been chosen instead of the circle, as being in direct relation to the human figure; and others of these targets represent infantry, cavalry, and guns, etc., at varying distances and in natural tints.

The most interesting part of the new invention, however, is undoubtedly the Battle Practice Target.

It is, with its many accessories, no less than a miniature field of battle. The size of all the objects on it—men, rocks, clouds, lights, trees, etc.—bear a mathematical relation to the distance at which they are shown. The marks—that is, the model troops—are tinted with atmospheric effects from life studies; a portion of the work for which a lady artist, Miss Coral Lubbick, is responsible.

The target is capable of the effects of dawn, of day, and of night. It can be made to represent summer, winter, and autumn, and mountain and desert scenes, and it can show various skies.

It trains men to fir at men, reduced to what they would show us, by day, in the field, with all the mutations of changing positions, distances, etc.

It can be a night scene, with varying gun flashes and sounds, to train men to judge the posirion and distance of the enemy under such circumstances.

It can be used as a training, in a small space, for signalling work, helio and flag, under conditions which men would have to deal with in the field.

The target can be provided with ordinates and wind velocity scales, and scoring sheets are provided to show the progress of individual marksmen and squads.

Indeed any body of men, who proved at all successful in scoring on this strange target, would prove very ugly customers in the real place.

In addition, the men will go through physical exercises prior to target practice, which will give them the high pulse and heavy breathing necessary for realistic inaccuracy.

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Lieutenant Eric Costin operating a wireless telegraph apparatus; 29 August, 1911.
Source: Toronto Public Library Digital Archive.

General Order 48 of 1905

Signalling

The following instructions, &c. relative to signalling are authorized:-

Permanent Forces

(1).     Two officers of each squadron, battery and company of the following permanent units will be selected and trained as Signalling Instructors, viz.:-

• The Royal Canadian Dragoons.
• The Royal Canadian Mounted Rifles.
• The Royal Canadian Field Artillery.
• The Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery.
• The Royal Canadian Regiment.

(2).     Ten per cent of the establishment of non-commissioned officers and men of the above units will be trained as Assistant Instructors. Of the above ten per cent, not more than three shall be non-commissioned officers, of whom only one may be a staff sergeant or sergeant.

(3).     The above details will be available as Instructors and Assistant Instructors for the militia units of their respective arms, and while so employed will receive extra pay according to the class of certificate held by them, viz:—

(4).     Of the staff of Assistant Instruction in each unit the five best of the rank and file may be classified as paid signallers and receive 10 cents a day as such throughout the year. No signaller shall be qualified for this unless he is in possession of an Assistant Instructor's certificate or grade "A" certificate.

(5).     Paid specialists are not to be allowed to draw specialist pay in more than one capacity at one time.

Syllabus of Instruction

(6).     (a)     Learning the alphabet, numerals and special signs.

(b)     Acquiring proficiency in reading from and sending on the various instruments.

(c)     The use, construction and care of the various instruments.

(d)     The detailed duty of station work and the method of dealing with messages.

(e)     Establishment of various kinds of stations in the field.

(7).     The standard of efficiency required to obtain the "Instructor's," "Assistant Instructor's' "A" Grade and "B" Grade certificates will be as follows:—

		Reading and Sending @ words per minutes					Percentage of accuracy	Theoretical examination percentage of marks.
		Heliograph	Small Flag	Lamp	Sounder	Semaphore
Officers	Instructors	8	8	8	8	10	95	66
	Grade "B"	Trained	6	6	6	8	90	66
N.C.O., rank and file	Assistant Instructors	8	8	8	8	10	95	66
	Grade "B"	Trained	6	6	6	8	90	66

(8).     A qualified officer, assisted by the senior, or by a specially qualified, non-commissioned officer of the rank of sergeant, will be detailed by each officer commanding a permanent unit to take charge of the signallers.

(9).     The system laid down in the "Signalling Instructions" is to be adhered to. As the signallers of one corps may, at any time, be called upon to communicate with those of another, identity of system is absolutely necessary.

(10).     In units provided with certified instructors, classes will be formed for regimental Instruction under regimental arrangements .

(11).     Members of a signalling class when under instruction will be relieved from duties which interfere with the course of instruction .

(12).     Commanding officers will he held responsible for their signallers being thoroughly trained in Heliograph, Lamp, Flag and Semaphore and for the number of their signallers being up to the establishment and fit for inspection at any time during the year.

(13).     The regimental signallers in the permanent units will have at least three hours practice weekly throughout the year. Brigade practice will also take place whenever possible, under the supervision of the district signalling officer or a selected instructor.

(14).     The district officer will, from time to time, test the efficiency of the signallers.

(15).     Requisitions for stationery for signalling classes should be included in the annual demand made by commanding officers of the permanent units.

(16) . Two supernumeraries per service squadron or battery and one supernumerary per company should be trained in order to replace men becoming non-effective.

(17).     A report on the efficiency of the units inspected will, after each inspection, be forwarded (on A.F.B. 225) by the Inspector of Signalling to the Militia Council. The signallers of the units which are shown in the annual report of the Inspector of Signalling as having qualified, will be entitled to wear badges and receive the gratuity authorized in paragraph 20. The signallers of any corps who fail to to qualify at the annual inspection will not be permitted to wear badges for the year.

(18) . The Inspector of Signalling may be accompanied, on his annual tour of inspection, by an assistant instructor of the instructional signalling staff.

Signalling Establishments for Active Militia

(19.) The undermentioned numbers of officers, n.c. officers and men of each unit of the several branches of the service, exclusive of the permanent force, are authorized to be trained as signallers, vis:—

• Cavalry—l officer and 2 n.c.o. or men per squadron.
• Artillery (Field)—1 officer and 4 n.c.o. or men per battery.
• Artillery (Garrison)—l officer and 4 n.c.o. or men per company.
• Engineers—1 officer and 2 n.c.o. or men per company.
• Infantry—2 officers per battalion and 2 n.c.o. or men per company,
• Army Service Corps—1 officer and 2 n.c.o. or men per company.
• Medical Corps—I officer and 2 n.c.o. or men per company.

(The above details are not to be considered as in excess of the authorized establishments.)

They will be examined in signalling at their headquarters or at the annual camps.

(20) . Those officers, n.c.o. and men who pass the tests for instructor and assistant instructor will be granted a gratuity in the case of:—

• An officer — $5.00
• A n.c.o. or man — 3.00

Non-commissioned officers and men who pass the standard of efficiency of a Grade "B" certificate will be allowed to wear badges.

(21).     The "Signalling Instructions" for the British Army will be the test book.

City Corps

(22).     Courses of instruction for city corps will cover, as nearly as possible, the syllabus laid down for the permanent force.

The use of the Heliograph is optional.

Rural Corps

(23).     The course of instruction for rural corps at the annual camps will he limited to sending and reading proficiently messages by semaphore. This will not prevent officers and men from attending full courses of instruction at other times.

Courses of Instruction

(24) . In order that officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the permanent force may thoroughly qualify themselves for the position of instructors and assistant instructors, and also that a uniform system of signalling may prevail throughout the Canadian Militia, courses at Instruction will be conducted under the supervision of the Inspector of Signalling at the several permanent headquarters, as notified from time to time in Militia Orders.

(25), Officers and non-commissioned officers of the Active Militia, including the Signalling Corps, will be allowed to attend classes if vacancies exist. Due notice will be given.

Each class will last from six weeks to two months.

As efficient instructors an trained, opportunity will be taken to establish courses of instruction at the larger centres for the benefit of the Active Militia.

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Recruit Training (1914)

From: Infantry Training (4 – Company Organization), 1914

Before being dismissed recruit training every regular recruit will be examined by the depot or battalion commander and a medical officer, who will determine whether he has attained the necessary standard of efficiency, and is physically fit for the duties of a trained soldier.

This examination may take place as soon as it is thought that a batch of recruits has attained the required standard, but never later than six months after enlistment, deducting any periods spent in hospital or under detention.

When once a recruit has been passed as above, he must be considered a trained man with the exception of musketry. A recruit must on no account be passed temporarily and the final stages of the syllabus postponed with a view to taking him for other duties in the meanwhile. The entire course of his recruit training must be continuous.

A special report must be made by the depot or battalion commander, to the district or brigade commander as the case may be, about any line recruit who, after six months training, is found too weak or too awkward for the duties of a trained soldier.

The necessary standard of efficiency before a regular recruit is dismissed recruit training is as follows:—

(a)     The recruit must be able to turn out correctly in marching order and fit to take his place in the ranks of his company in close and extended order drill.

(b)     Carry out an ordinary route march in marching order.

(c)     Have completed his recruit gymnastic training.

(d)     Be sufficiently instructed in musketry and visual training to commence a recruit's course of musketry immediately after being dismissed recruit training.

(e)     Be sufficiently trained to take part in night operations.

(f)      Understand the principles of protection and his duties on guard or outpost.

(g)     Be able to use the entrenching implement and entrenching tools and understand the method of carrying tools.

(h)     Be well grounded in bayonet fighting.

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The drill square became an asphalt Calvary

Albert Arthur Fisher by Martin Windrow; from M. Windrow and F. Wilkinson, The Universal Soldier, Fourteen studies in campaign life A.D. 43-1944, 1971

The tricks of improving one's turn-out came hard, and Bert went through hell before he mastered the art of smoothing the toe-caps with a hot spoon, and brushing the muddy blanco on to his webbing in just the right way to give a smooth, caked finish. The drill square became an asphalt Calvary, stalked by instructors who glared under the near-vertical peaks of their caps and howled at him in the weird mock-genteel accents of the British drill sergeant.

'Ho my GAWD ! H'I ain't nevah SEEN nuthink laike you lot ! 'Ow am I h'ever agoin' to turn this SHOWAH into SOLJAHS!… Squa-a-a-d SHUN! H'as'y' WERE ! Sufferin' CHRAIST 'ow many taimes do you need TELLIN'… THAT man there, yes YOU, you long streak o' piss, GET them h'elbows IN ! ' On and on, in a terrible sing-song rhythm, the voice rising to a falsetto screech … 'Lef'ri'lef'ri'lef'ri … Squa-a-a-a-d … HALT! Orda-a-a-h … HIPE! down two three across two three CUTAWAY ! Well that was bloody 'ORRIBLE Fishah, so the 'ole squad will now do it again for YOUR benefit … ' Sweat pouring down the back, arms and legs shaking with fatigue, the rough serge rasping the neck raw above the collarless flannel shirt, rigid and impotent while the contorted face bellowed and writhed inches from his own … 'Y'know what h'Im goin' to do, Fishah? H'Im goin' to CLAIMB up your front by the button'oles, FORCE your nostrils open with me pace-stick, CRAWL up into your pointy little 'ead, AND KICK SOME MUCKIN' SENSE INTO IT!'

And when it was over for another day they would collapse on their beds for a full half-hour before finding the strength to take off their equipment. The food was adequate but drably institutional—soggy boiled spuds, greasy, evil-looking bully beef, grey, unidentifiable mush of root vegetables, doughy puddings. In the evenings there was nothing but the N.A.A.F.I.—tepid beer and torn copies of Reveille or Blighty.

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The Needs of Infantry

By Arthur Bryant in the London Times
Republished in Canadian Army Training Memorandum, No 57, December 1945

In every war, victory in the final resort depends on the Infantry. "The least spectacular arm of the Army," Field Marshal Montgomery has described it, "yet without them you cannot win a battle. Without them you can do nothing at all. Nothing!" Or, as "Field Service Regulations" puts it, "success in war, which is won by proper cooperation of all arms, must in the end be confirmed by Infantry." The only arm which can penetrate virtually anywhere it has to fight its way to and through the objective. "It is in this that Britain—not normally regarded as a military nation at all—has always excelled.

Though despised at the start of our major wars as military bunglers, and hopelessly handicapped at first by lack of equipment and up-to-date training, we have always emerged victorious in the end, not only at sea, our traditional element, but on land, with our Infantry—guards, riflemen, Highlanders, Light Infantry, fusiliers and county regiments alike—winning for themselves an international name. The archers of Agincourt who so unexpectedly routed the armoured knights of the Middle Ages, the British line which did the same to Napoleon's Grande Armee, the men of Arnhem; the story is always the same. The phrase and the weapons change, but the genius of the British foot soldier remains a constant, or at any rate, recurrent factor. In time of peace, this is forgotten, and nowhere more quickly than in England.

Outside the little world of the professional army a profound ignorance of our military tradition settles down like a fog at the end of every war. The popular conception of the Infantryman in the twenties and thirties was of a dense if honest, chap carrying a rifle, mechanically forming fours, and going through much inexplicable marching and "spit-and-polish." Support was lent to this view by recollections of the last war, when the true function of Infantry was largely lost sight of and when great masses were mown down while mechanically walking behind barrages which a machine-minded age supposed could take the place of human resources and skill. In 1940 the Germans reminded us they had given a preliminary hint in March, 1918—what Infantry, properly trained and supported by other arms coordinated to a single purpose, could do in the way of penetrating even the strongest defensive position. The great men who led the British Army through the fiery ordeals of Norway, Dunkirk and Greece took the lesson to heart and improved on it.

Today, the British Infantryman is almost the most versatile craftsman in the world. His is an astonishing range. He has to be able to handle and service a wide variety of weapons and to use them under conditions of close fighting in which the slightest error or mechanical defect may bring immediate and fatal retribution. His is no single-type job, like a gunner's or signaller's, but a multiple one in which he must constantly adapt himself to unforeseeable conditions. He has to be what the Commando is in the popular eye—a jack-of-all-trades—of infinite resource, ready to look after himself in all situations and to turn his hand to anything at any moment. Digging in with pick and shovel, crawling silently on patrol In the dark, climbing cliff and rock and crossing river, swamp and forest, negotiating minefields and wire, manning trenches, storming positions, repelling tanks or dive-bombers, these are all in a day's—or night's work. He has to be alert and quick in practical common sense, always on his guard against danger, versed in the arts of concealment, observation and deduction, and perfectly coordinated in body, mind and heart. Between him and his officers and comrades there has to be the closest and, at the same time, most flexible cooperations practised and tested teamwork on which perfect confidence can be based. And, because in modem war dispersal is essential, and because once battle is joined there is little time or opportunity for orders, he has to be able to act on his own initiative. It is on the individual Infantryman and the platoon and section that the fate of even the best-planned action depends.

Above all, the Infantryman has to be physically strong and spiritually courageous. His place in action is nearest to the enemy; that of the greatest danger and discomfort. Carrying his own weapons and equipment, fighting sometimes for days without sleep or rations, living in wet clothes and sodden or frozen trenches amid din, stench and horror, he needs the highest standard of fitness and toughness. Without a great heart he is nothing. In defence he has to hold on when every natural feeling prompts him to yield. In attack he has to force his way through the line where the defender has planned to hold him and get under his guard. Only the flame of his spirit can enable him to maintain the momentum of attack. It is not that he is braver than the men of other arms—he would be the last to make such a claim—but that he needs his courage more. The sailor has his ship, the artilleryman his gun, the cavalryman his tank, but the foot soldier has little but his pride and morale. On the day of battle everything turns, not as in a ship on the captain, but on the individual private the lowest common denominator—standing firm, even though there is no one to oversee him. If he does not, the best-laid scheme will fail.

First Problem

The first problem of training, therefore, is to give the Infantryman an invisible armour of personal pride and morale that will stand the test of battle. In our army this has always been the task of the regiment, and it is the essence of a British regiment that it regards itself as second to none.

In continental armies the conception of the elite stormtrooper has often prevailed, with the great mass of Infantry regarded as mere cannon-fodder and as socially inferior to other arms. "Notre armée," an Italian officer remarked before the war to a Highland officer, "Cavalerie bon, Infanterie très bourgeoise." "Dans noire armée," the indignant Highlander replied, "Artillerie bon, Cavalerie bon; Infanterie bon, tout bon; Infanterie avec la jupe creme de la creme!"

Nothing could have expressed more perfectly the attitude of the British Infantryman. He regards himself, however, recruited not as a pawn in a despised bourgeois corps, but as a member of a peculiar, distinguished and exclusive tribe. It is his pride in this which gives him background in battle. There is not a regiment in our army whose history embalmed in its peculiar traditions, idiosyncrasies and customs—is not worthy of a Homer.

Anything that tended to weaken the morale-building qualities of the regiment would be a fatal blow to the fighting strength of the British Army, yet the regiment by itself is not enough. For one thing, it is too small a unit to stand up to the casualty drain of modern global war. Again and again in the present and last war, it has proved impossible to fill the depleted ranks of a front-line battalion with men of the same regiment. Instead, men from other regiments have been hastily drafted in and sent into action before they have had time to acquire new loyalties and pride - sometimes with serious results. Men who have to stand the unpredictable strains of battle are not arithmetical digits who can he moved about to satisfy the demands of logistics. For this reason some who most value the regimental tradition have begun to ask whether a regional grouping of our historic regiments for common training and drafting in time of war might not he an advantage. Local pride and feeling, especially in the ranks, can be a very potent factor in creating morale and the geographical evolution of our regimental system begun in the days of Cardwell—might perhaps now be taken a step farther. Martial loyalties need not conflict, a man may be as proud of his division as of his regiment and the better soldier for his dual pride. But the main new development in Infantry training has been the Battle School. This, born in the dark days after Dunkirk to train men in a new technique of war, has grown into the School of Infantry.

In the famous parent school on the northern moors and in the satellite and divisional schools now established in every command and theatre of war, Infantry Officers and soldiers are trained in the latest developments of their craft and—in General Paget's phrase—"physically and emotionally prepared for the shock of battle." With an equipment and range of experience greater than that which any regimental training unit can command, the School of Infantry, like John Moore's School for Light Infantry at Shorncliffe, has not weakened the regimental tradition but has fed and strengthened it. It has almost certainly come to stay as a permanent institution.

Posted by regimentalrogue at 12:01 AM EDT

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