_Captain Harvey_: “The equipment to be carried. I would say:
“‘Rifle and belts of ammunition only will be carried. The bayonet will be fixed. The scabbard and canteen will be left here.’
I would not want the men to carry anything that is not absolutely essential.”
_The Director_: “You are right. The members of the visiting patrol travel light. They do not want to be hampered with equipment that is not necessary. Above all, they do not want anything with them that will rattle and make a noise. They leave the bayonet scabbard at the post of the support because if they wear it on the belt it will be dangling between the men’s legs and interfere with their freedom of movement. They will probably not need any water on this short march so I see no objection to leaving the canteen behind, although, on the other hand, I can see no objection to carrying it. That is a mere matter of opinion. The bayonets are fixed so as to have them ready for hand to hand night fighting in case it is required. A great deal of the night work will be done with the bayonet. Rifle fire is effective only for short distances due to inability to see the target for any distance. Now, Captain Harvey, how do you conclude your order?”
_Captain Harvey_: “In the usual manner by telling the men where messages are to be brought, I would say:
“‘Messages will be brought back to the support, here.’”
That concludes the order. I see my error and will profit by it in the future.”
_Captain James_: “There is one point in the order that I did not understand. Captain Harvey detailed his automatic rifleman as ‘supernumerary.’ Just what does he mean by that.”
_The Director_: “He means that he is an extra man not specifically detailed with either patrol. But, if for any reason, one of the other men is unable to go on the patrol when the time comes the supernumerary will take his place. Do you see the point now?”
_The Director_: “I hope you all now realize how far astray you can go in issuing tactical orders if you fail to follow the five paragraph system. On the other hand, I hope you have observed how simple it is to include all of the essential elements in an order if you do follow the system. You here see the system applied to the most insignificant element in the domain of tactics, the visiting patrol. You see how nicely it fits. If you were issuing an order for a division of 20,000 men you would see how well it works there. I hope you will all stick to this plan of issuing orders. You positively cannot go far wrong if you will. If there are no further questions we will proceed.”