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 detachments, the facilities for observing the enemy and for movement in any direction.

The position of readiness will be in the immediate vicinity of the fire positions, and the guns may be actually in position awaiting the target.

When moving alone on the march, scouts working in pairs must be pushed well out ahead and on the exposed flank or flanks, and they should be trained to use a system of signals to indicate the following: (1) "All clear"; (2) "Enemy in sight"; (3) "A good target in sight"; (4) "Cavalry" (prepare for); (5) "Artillery within range"; (6) "A good gun position."

Six simple and unmistakable signals can easily be arranged and learned during peace training, which might prove invaluable in war, for "opportunity" is everything to the machine gunner, and is usually so fleeting as to demand instant action in order to obtain success. On moving to occupy a position as a battery, the guns will usually be in line at from 10 to 100 yards interval, with the section commanders leading their sections and the scouts well ahead; the flank guns must arrange for the protection of the flanks by scouts in the same manner.

The Germans consider that ground scouts should never go into the proposed position, as they are likely to expose themselves to the enemy, and thus "give the position away," and, as already pointed out, "surprise" is the