Viewing page 98 of 236

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

To win in battle we must destroy the enemy's morale. It is not necessary, as we have pointed out before, to destroy the whole of his forces in order to gain the victory, though such an outcome should be attempted in the rout that generally follows a defeat. In this respect an army may be compared to the human body; to destroy it, one need only destroy one of many vital organs, and its life as an organization then ceases, though separate members may retain the vital spark for some time afterward. The battle in this way resolves itself into selecting the vital part to be destroyed, and assembling and employing the forces necessary for this accomplishment. And since these forces may be employed at a selected vital point only by attacking, it follows as an unavoidable conclusion that one may win only by assuming the offensive. This conclusion is by no means obvious if material conditions alone are considered. With the remarkable efficacy of modern firearms, it is quite simple to show that the rawest of raw companies can destroy many times its strength - if we assume range conditions, where human reactions to war are lacking. To make such an assumption would, of course, remove the determining factor. However the power of the defensive has unquestionably increased with the advance of science, and this fact is one that wise commanders utilize; but in doing so, they must ever keep in mind the relative preponderance of morale. As a purely defensive attitude continues morale inevitably lowers, and the end of such a course can only be defeat.

-10-