To give it greater power both in attack and defence, and enable small detachments to hold important strategical or tactical points. To act as escort to artillery and to assist in the pursuit.
With Infantry.—To cover the first advance with fire. In attack they should be held back until the last reserve has been thrown in, when they must be used to bring an overwhelming fire to bear on the point selected for assault. Owing to their narrow beaten zone and great accuracy, they can safely fire over the heads of prone infantry within 100 yards of the position. A Japanese officer who commanded a machine-gun battery at the battle of Mukden said on one occasion he "continued this fire until their attacking infantry were within 30 metres of the enemy's position."[A]
They may also be used to reinforce threatened points, when their mobility will enable them to arrive at a distant part of the battlefield with the rapidity of cavalry. They should rarely be used in the firing line, where their fire, being dispersed, is less effective than an equal volume of rifle fire, and where they are at once the target for every rifle. Machine guns can never engage artillery, and should avoid engaging other machine guns or firing on a line of skirmishers.
They are particularly useful at night with the outposts, and can be trained by day on roads, defiles, or bridges, and thus can be used in the
