NUMBER 1 Rank and file in combat: What they’re doing How they do it ★ UNCLASSIFIED XXXXXXXXXXXX DISSEMINATION OF RESTRICTED MATTER .—The information contained in restricted documents and the essential characteristics of restricted material may be given to any person known to be in the service of the United States and to persons of undoubted loyalty and discretion who are cooperating in Government work, but will not be communicated to the public or to the press except by authorized military publi

The purpose of “Combat Lessons” is to give to our officers and enlisted men the benefit of the battle experiences of others. To be of maximum benefit these lessons must be disseminated without delay . They do not necessarily represent the carefully considered views of the War Department; they do, however, reflect the actual experiences of combat and, therefore, merit careful reading. For this reason also no single issue can cover many of the phases of combat; lessons will be drawn from the repor

Again and again reports from the battlefields confirm the importance of leadership in every grade, whether it be Corporal or Colonel. Other combat lessons are important; the exercise of leadership in battle is vital. Leadership has often been defined in theory. Here are some instances of its application or its absence on the battlefield. These are but a few examples; there are many others. ★ Junior Officer in Battle Captain William T. Gordon, Infantry, Sicily : “Since November 8, I have had seve

Surprise Saves Lives Major John R. Patterson, Infantry, Sicily : “The mission of our battalion after landing south of Gela in Sicily was to capture the airport at Biscari . The battalion used the silent night attack . The three rifle companies were in line with the heavy-weapons company in reserve. To reach its line of departure, the battalion crossed two precipitous ridges using two control lines, then climbed the cliff at the airport to the line of departure. All this was done silently under c

In Bivouac Report of Commanding General, 43d Division, New Georgia Campaign : “Security in bivouac was a big problem in this New Georgia operation. The Japs conducted harassing raids against our bivouac areas with some success for a period of about a week. Our initial plan had been adopted on the advice of other units experienced in jungle warfare. It called for complete immobility at night, with grenades and bayonets as the only defense weapons. Gun crews were directed to fire only in the event

Patrolling in the Jungle An officer with considerable experience in jungle patrolling gives this advice: “Patrols are most likely to give away their presence in an area by their footprints. “Shine from the smallest metal surface, such as a belt buckle, or a watch, must be avoided. A luminous watch constitutes a real danger. “A white skin is most conspicuous, and the practice of some patrol members marching stripped to the waist is inviting trouble . “Dark clothing is essential. “Any noise, such

The following comments on the use and effectiveness of infantry weapons in jungle warfare appear in the report of the 43d Division on the Munda Campaign— New Georgia : Basic Weapons “The M1 rifle is doubtless the best all-around weapon possessed by our troops. Its serviceability under existing campaign conditions is excellent. Ammunition supply was adequate, since the rifle was normally fired only at observed targets. The Japs possessed a number of our M1 rifles, apparently considering them a su

Artillery “Close” Support Lieutenant Colonel McCormick, Field Artillery, New Georgia : “Our infantry, finding themselves with a mobile enemy on three sides and a swamp on the fourth, called for defensive fires. A horseshoe of concentration fires was laid down around them. Infantry commanders stated their willingness to accept responsibility for any casualties resulting from these fires, which were adjusted so close to the defensive positions that fragments were received within the perimeter. The

Opportunity Lost Captain Putnam, Infantry, Sicily : “The infantry should be given practical training in cooperation with tanks. I don’t mean the armored infantry—they’re part of the armored division and work with them all the time. I mean ordinary infantry like us. I know our regiment didn’t have any training with tanks in preparation for combat. At Branieri we just didn’t know how to work with the attached tank unit. When our tanks came up to support us after we had broken up the German attack,

Buddy System Lieutenant Colonel William O. Darby, Commanding Officer of Rangers, Italy : “In our work we use the ‘Buddy’ system—the men always work in pairs. They live in pairs, eat in pairs, do guard in pairs—even do KP in pairs. Confidence in each other is developed. They can pick their own buddy from within their platoon. Realism “In our training we never do anything without battle noises and effects. We always use live ammunition. We use mines, barbed wire, and protective bands of machine-gu

Antipersonnel Fire Report of Operations, Arundel Island : “It was apparent that the Japs were concentrating their forces on Stima Peninsula .... The area was divided by coordinates and assigned to various artillery and mortar elements. Heavy fires were placed on them throughout the night. During the advance down the peninsula the next day numerous enemy dead were noted, verifying the effectiveness of the previous night’s concentrations.” ★ Dealing with Tree Snipers Report of Operations, 43d Divi

Reinforcing Fire Lieutenant Colonel R. D. Funk, Field Artillery, Battalion Commander : “If I can spare the radios I am going to send one to the artillery battalion that reinforces me the next time we are in direct support. Then when one of our observers calls in a fire mission we can simply tell the radio at the other battalion to take the mission direct from the observer. This will eliminate a relay through our Fire Direction Center and speed things up considerably. Transportation “We keep only

Booby Traps Seventh Army Report, Sicily : “A German Luger pistol was ‘booby trapped’ on a table. A new replacement picked it up. Two were killed and fourteen wounded in the resulting explosion.” ★ First Division Report, Tunisia : “A Luger pistol was found lying on the ground. An American infantry lieutenant carefully tied a long cord to it and then, getting into a hole, pulled it to him and put it in his pocket. Later in the day while examining the pistol he attempted to remove the magazine. The

Japanese Pillboxes Lieutenant Colonel McCormick, Field Artillery, New Georgia : “In most cases pillboxes were built in two decks to permit the occupants to drop through a trap door during heavy shelling. They were used for heavy-weapons firing and had communication trenches which concealed light machine guns protecting the pillboxes. All were mutually supporting and very well concealed.” ★ Superman Myth Exploded Operations Report, 43d Division, New Georgia : “Our troops here came to regard the S

Reverse Slope Tactics Second Lieutenant S. W. Malkin, Infantry, Platoon Leader, Sicily : “Enemy machine guns, mortars, and automatic rifles were located on the reverse side of the hills so as to catch our advancing infantry as they came over the skyline.” ★ Don’t Gawk! Private George Scott, Infantry, Sicily : “Several times German planes pretended that they were involved in a dog-fight to secure the attention of the ground troops. Then they swooped down in a strafing run.” Traps and Mines Privat