THE BATTLE OF FRANCE
In our exercises the batmen are the enemy: they like
it a lot. . .. It's not altogether unpleasant, waiting,
sitting in the grass at prepared positions, while your
officer crawls about in the mud carrying your gun
and pack!5
We were at the corner of a wood that dominated
a deep quarry. Aeroplanes turned and roared away,
shining in the sunlight: but they were taking no part
in the game. The platoon of officers came towards
us across the country in what seemed to me too close
a formation. I said so.
'The problem/ the instructor replied, 'states that
the operation takes place before dawn and in a fog.
Otherwise you'd be perfectly right of course. This
approach would be impossible/
There were shots. The enemy responded. The
exercise over, the instructor made his criticism. He
spoke to the commander of the attack, a young
captain with glasses and a fair moustache.
It was a good move to send your first section
against the enemy's flank, but you should have done
it when you were inside the wood, not in the open/
*I just told the leader of the section what he was
expected to do. I left the rest to his initiative/
'Your approach to the wood was too oblique.
The fog might have lifted a dozen times/
During the criticism, I looked at their faces. They
were keen and intelligent. The instructor told me
that these young officers were working with a
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