Show The Principles of War WarBY I IBY BY BY FIELD MARSHAL FOCH POOH Commandant of Allied Armies and Master Strategist t P The unknown is a constant factor in war Avar Everyone knows this wo may sa say and inasmuch as everyone knows know S it it will vill he be duly feared eared an anti and cease to exist Such is not the thc case casc All AU armies ha have lived and marched in jn the un un- known I It is from the Sous of or Wissembourg that Marshal MacMahon rahon m learns of the thc Prussians Prussians' ians' ians approach at nt the thc be beginning beginning- of August 1870 Until t then he lie ignores their numbers thc their r points of assembly the c extent of their 1 preparations I. I But the third German army ent entOn On August 1611 rn and till noon I of the similar Ignorance nce exists at it German general headquarters Armies ba badly l commanded cd wo we might t say 23 But does not not the same thin thing g occur constantly In Napoleons Napoleon's army The best commanded armies have I I marched marche and maneuvered manou in the unknown un unknown un- un un-I un known It was Inevitable Ine but they have II resisted that dangerous condition the they I have ha come out victorious b by depending on protection which has enabled them to exist without danger cr in to an atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere atmos atmos- phere full tul of or peril perU Vanguard End Doubt T To return ret to our theory how shall that unavoidable unavoidable unknown be he overcome overcome overcome over over- come how can we pierce the dense densel t I fog tog which always envelops the situation i situa- 1 I 1 I Uon tion and the enemy's actions D By the J a advance guard I 1 In former w wars r it was at very cn short I distances II in Irl presence of or an enemy clearly clarl seen whose whole power po and ancI position r tion lion were were readily ascertained that dispositions dispositions dis dis- positions were taken Inter Later with Increasing In Increasing In- In creasing range an and power of or weapons 1 I distances have Increased cover has been more eagerly enger- sought extended or order er nore and more empl employed ed Bythe By Bythe I th the e smoke o of or his powder tho the enemy showed what positions he held AVith smokeless powder conditions change ItIs it itIs itis is tho the unknown absolutely and contin- contin And to overcome the unknown which accompanies Lis us to tho the vcr very contact contact contact con con- tact with our opponent there thore Is ia only ono one resource the search till tin the last I I II I J t I I 1 I I r I I ring erin Alsace is no better informed I moment even on tho rho battlefield of or in In- In formation And nd the nation must concern n 11 the main bod body of the enemy In reality with his patrols with his detached d troops of ot every er kind the tho enemy 1 Is s everywhere He lIe Is however with hl Ills 1113 s I main bod body at one point only In on ono o j region It Is the main body wo we wish wisp to strike It II Is s against the main bo body I we wo must guat guard it Is about tho main 1 bo body that we wc 1 need ee Information W c e must know where it is and for tor that t reason W wo- wo o must pierce the protective e troops which l f evidently cover er It H. Advance Guard Unc Force Our instrument of information mus must t therefore be possessed of or force Corce Yett Yet that is not all w we e must know leno what who t the main bod body consists of or and ho how w much It Is worth Th The n advance vance guar guard guardI d I must therefore In order to compel the main bod body of or the tho opponent to show itself It Itself It- It 1 self tOI force e It to deploy deploy- that requires require s I attack attach alta k means artillery an and InI in In- In fan fantry tr To o. rat extent must an a advance vanco guard carry carn out its mission of or reconnaissance reconnaissance recon recon- and Inversely that mission Is carried out when such first dut duty the obtaining of oC information as to the enemy's main bod body Is c completed But Dut there therb is another con condition unfavorable un- un unfavorable un un- favorable to our maneuver namely dis dis- We Vc arr arrive c In column of or route or 01 evenin oven even ovenIn In several columns an nn arm army corps fifteen fifteen teen miles or more mora long requires five J or six hours to lo pass a given point to P S m t 1 n 11 d s I j 1 I t I I 1 J enable Its tall to join tho the head During Durin these five or six lx hours It disposes only of or a part of or Its forces Tho commander of the army corps cannot contemplate however pouring pouring- his troops drop b by drop into even an action alrea already y di di- di He must therefore assemble his troops and then deploy them and place them facing their objective Under different C circumstances a different different dif dir ferent form of assembly must bo be as as- as Van Aau to 0 Cover er Troops Troop As Assembly The rho operation which takes a n Jon Ions time needs to 0 bo be protected under penalty penalty pen pen- alt alty of oC bein being compromised That isS is protection and nd therefore the b business of or the advance guard It must insure the arrival In place of all the battle troops In spite of or tho the presence of oC tho tiro ellem enemy To fo cover the as assembly of the forces later Inter their employment such is the sect second second sec sec- ond and dut duty pertaining to the advance guard It implies especially time resistance must be he offered pd with weak forces over an extended front II How ow can that bedone be bedone done B By ston strong positions according to ton Carnot By maneuver maneuver when there Is spaced space enough the position which suffices for tor the desired result is Is as we have seen that I which provides obstacles and a a. clear clearfield I field of or fire tire Tactics will wil consist In n hastening to such positions In to order to there begin besin the battle at long range b by fire to delay dela- the decision lon Deployment Space Since to td Ue lie Covered Co AVe Ye must l c evidently cover the tho place of as assembly but w we must also alo cover I the entry of or the troops into action netlon co cover cor r therefore space enough for the j deployment of tho the main bod body The Tire I ground occupied b by an nn advance nd guard ma may for that reason equal the length o of tho tiro frontA front I A regiment acting aa as advance guard to a division can in that manner have to lo stretch over 1500 l OO 1500 2000 yards ar l lI or even more to cover the whole space required by bJ the division It can enn do so In safety through h tho the use of ot ground under the tho conditions which we have examined That is not in contradiction with the I limits proscribed h by regulations regul with frontages det determined there because for forthe tho the a advance vance guard it Is not a n question of ot battle batUe to defeat the enemy and ancl therefore not a question of or battle for foe matlon The purpose I Is 15 different we propose propose propose pro pro- pose to discover cr the enemy and to 1 guard buard against him over a certain space and during a n. certain time i AVe We e must provide for the main bod body for maneuver ma ma- ma- ma not only tho the ground necessary but al also o nil all the outlets which it ma may need for Its development de j To insure possession means to allow of ot carr carrying out in safety movement I and deployment The advance guard must consequently hold an any positions position positions positions' controlling the outlet or or controlling points from which the enemy might mis-hi bring fire Cire to bear on such outlets o oon or oron on the place o of deployment ment J The function of or the tho advance guar guard Is la then not only one ono of protection tion of material safety it Is also one ono of prepa preparation ration of or tactical safety safely But Dut as long as wo we have not beaten beaten or at least attacked him tho the t thas enem J has his Ills freedom of or action and can ac accordingly cordingly alter altel his dispositions or avoid tho the maneuver which we plan Continued tomorrow 1 J Want ant to lo rent your our rooms rooms' A 1 want ul will do o it Was J |