Night attacks, on account of the element of surprise involved, do not require great distribution in depth; as a rule, the fight is decided in a very short time by the collision of the opposing forces. However, measures must be taken to protect the flanks, to ensure victory, and to give the first line the impetus necessary to carry it forward in case it is checked.
The British attack on the Egyptian position at Tel el Kebir (1882)
was made by only 11,000 men on a front of about 6 km. After a short
fight the works were taken.
An attempt will now be made to give some approximate
figures for the extent of front that may be occupied in various
situations.
Assuming one rifle for every three meters of front occupied, the following might suffice for temporarily defending a line 1000 m. long:
Firing line 300 rifles
Supports (one platoon in rear of each wing) 120 "
Reserve (two companies) 400 "
Total 820 rifles
Thus O.8 men per meter would be sufficient. This is borne out by the Boer War. With a good field of fire, even a thin firing line, provided with plenty of ammunition, is capable of bringing any attack to a standstill, at least for the time being.
A defense seeking a decision requires fighting at short ranges; the firing line must be kept constantly at the same strength; losses of about one-fifth (killed, wounded, and missing) must be reckoned with; and, finally, a reserve, consisting of about a third of the effective strength of the force, is required for making the counter-attack. The firing line is, from the outset, made as dense as possible, and echelons posted on the flanks must oppose any advance against the flanks.
