Fatigue Management

Chapter Three
Fatigue in the Military
Preceded by fourteen stretcher
cases, the extended column made
slow progress along the escape
route. Men at the rear sent messages
forward, saying, "Keep moving. The
Japs will be on to us." They halted at
dusk. The stretchers could go no
further in the darkness. No
information percolated along the column until, as PTE
J.J. Mannion relates, "an order or a ‘mulga' or something
came along, saying that we were to wait till morning."
Platoons clung together, preparing a scratch meal from
each man's meagre contribution. Where the men sat, there
they slept beside the track ...
CPL C.S. Edwards, describing the evening halt on the
ridge, declared that "the entire battalion lay down, posted
no sentry, and the enemy perhaps half a mile away didn't
molest us. It was truly a miracle."
Raymond Paul
Retreat from Kokoda: The Australian
Campaign in New Guinea 1942, 1958
Another embarrassing
moment occurred early in
our tour when I was on
sentry duty for my section.
At that time, information
was scarce about friendly
troops in the area. We
thought at the time that we
were in the front line. 0200
hours came around; another
half -hour before I was to
wake the next relief.
Suddenly, to my left I saw
about thirty lanterns slowly
coming down the far hills and heading for our position. I
thought it strange that the enemy would use light at night.
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