manual for commanders of infantry platoons. - US Army Combined ...

16 MANUAL FOR COMMANDERS OF IN9FANTRY PLABTOONS.
officers give himn full support so that he may maintain his
anzdrtactieai
moral
iole.
The scrgea~zit commanz~din~g a hanlf prlatoon.-The
prazctice, the
sergreant
fit s t noncommissio1zedl
is, in
officer wtho has
authiority,
considerable
and, besides, he comm~ands a2sutliciently
of mimenso
small number
thaL he c~tn memember or note all
ing;
the
them--clothiabg
details concern­
equipm~ent, armamllent,
is his rale.
sulpplies,
His maul
etc.
duties
Th'lis
can be
wcords:
expressedl
To dou
in the
wh'it-ev
followving
is necessary in order that
and
the
matdriel
personnel
of his half platoon
gTood condcition.
shall always
In
be
a w-ell-dlisciplinedl
present and in
half
only
platoon
make
the
several
oflicers
daily
need
inspections and do not have to do the
w~ork of the sergeant.
In battle the sergeaznt commanding
rate,
a section
that of
has
file
an
closer.
important
His superiors must
tell
speakr
him that
to him
fear
often;
is contagious; that the safety
requires
of
that
the country
any weakness or the
must
beginning
be imamediaztely
of any
suppressedl;
confusion
that to hesitate
is perhaps
to kill a
to
coward
preserve 20 enemies or to cause the dleathi of 20
comra~des.
In the advance the sergeant does not: put himself in the firing
line, but sees that
In
all
order
the others
that
are
he mnay
there.
perform his duties
mnanner
in the
it
most
is necessary
energetic
to give him much greater authority in
the field than in peazce
Th~le
time.
co~rporal.--The corpor-al lives intimately with his men; he
is their mess chief andl
The
justice
best
of
corpo~ral
the pence.
is the one who alwast·
for his
has
squadl
hot soup
under
and food
all circumstance~s.
delegate
The sergeant;
to h~im any
should
part of
not
the 'permanent
he
responsibilities
should assume
which
himself. The proper employment:
consists~in
of a corporal
confiding to him the execution of successive
outlinedl
and ~rvell­
talsks. From the gradle of corporal
shown
those
the
men
best
who have
qlualifications for command are
sergeanits.
chosen as
Select~ion of speciaclist8 inz the comzpanies.-The qlualit~ies
looked
to be
for in selecting specialists
Clerks
are:
: Well ordieredl and accurate mind; discretion.
Liaison agent-s: Absolute dlevotion; legible
for
wYriting;
mak~ing comprehensive
aptitude
reports; memory of terrain.