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5.

(4) In the case of an infantry division which occupies approximately 50,000 yards of road space, it will require then a minimum of nine groups of four machine guns each to cover the division when on the march.

For the satisfactory conduct of the defense of a marching column, the machine guns must be highly mobile and capable of moving across country. In general, they must occupy elevated, open positions some little distance off the line of march and move by bounds, by pairs or groups of four, in order to keep pace with the elements of the column.

(5) Elements of corps troops similarly will require anti-aircraft machine guns for their protection when on the march, and there should be available in the corps also, the anti-aircraft artillery required for the protection of particular points alone the line of march. 

b. (1) Troops engaged in combat with hostile ground troops must be protected from attacks from the air in order that they may give their individual attention to the tasks before them. This protection is necessary in both the attack and defense. The disposition of the elements of antiaircraft defense in this case should be such (a) that no hostile aircraft can cross above the front line without being subjected to the fire of antiaircraft weapons or to the attack of pursuit aviation, and (b) that it is possible to cover with the fire of the antiaircraft weapons, all troops units and establishments of sufficient importance to warrant it.

(2) A single division in combat occupies an area, depending upon circumstances, of from about 2,500 yards frontage and 10,000 yards depth in an attack, to about 8,000 yards frontage and 14,000 yards depth on the defensive. Assuming the figures above given in paragraph 5 a above, and allowing for a reasonable overlapping of areas, it will require from 3 to 12 groups of four antiaircraft machine guns each to cover the division area. 

(3) For an attack, troops are well advanced and disposed in a relatively small area. It is essential, therefore, that their protection from air attack be particularly effective. Furthermore, a successful advance will demand the prompt forward displacement of antiaircraft weapons so that the protection furnished be not interrupted, and this advance will result in increasing the size of the division area. It is evident therefore that considerably more than 3 groups of machine guns will be required. On the other hand, on the defensive, when the elements of the division are more or less dispersed through a relatively large division area, all of the terrain therein need not be covered by the antiaircraft weapons as effectively as in the attack, but rather the troops and establishments within the area must be covered. This indicates that a number of groups slightly less than 23 may be taken as the practical upper limit of this estimate.