detachment had ascertained the strength of the position and the manner in which it was held by the defender.[1]
Examples of the successful employment of flanking fire by small forces:
The flanking fire, delivered from the Bois des Ognons by about 30 men of the 12th Company, 72nd Infantry, compelled the French to withdraw their left flank. (Combat on the Gorze—Rezonville road, 16th August, 1870).[2]
At Gravelotte-St. Privat, flanking fire is said to have caused the withdrawal of nine French battalions which had until then delivered an effective fire upon the Prussian Guard Artillery.[3]
8. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TERRAIN.
The defense requires extensive, open terrain, permitting unobstructed view, while the attack requires stretches of ground hidden from the observation of the enemy and sheltered from his fire, in order that the troops may be deployed for action at the decisive ranges. A piece of ground will rarely possess all these advantages, but, nevertheless, well-trained infantry will be able to defend sucessfully a piece of ground that has a poor field of fire, and infantry which is energetically and skillfully led will be able to cross even an open plain.
At the longer ranges, a force will, in the first place, endeavor to keep concealed. While advancing, troops will rarely be able to take advantage of available cover, but at a halt and while firing they will be able to do so. Their taking advantage of the ground should not lead to a diminution of the energy of the advance, and should not cause parts of the force to fall behind.[4] "The terrain exerts considerable influence on the formation of troops. Open country requires that distances be increased so that the losses may be minimized, while close coun-*
- ↑ Wald und Ortsgefecht, p. 192.
- ↑ Kunz, Kriegsgeschichtliche Beispiele, 8-9, p. 146.
- ↑ Ibid., 10, p. 24, and 12, p. 24, et seq.
- ↑ This is equally true of ground that is difficult to march over; the troops must cross it. The evasion of difficult portions of terrain usually leads to disorder and a dispersion of the troops. For the advance of the 18th Infantry Brigade at Wörth, see Kunz, Kriegsgeschichtliche Beispiele, 14, p. 101. (Thick underbrush in the woods on the Fuchshübel.)
