DOUBLE TIMING 212. The length of the step in double time is 36 inches; the cadence is at the rate of 180 steps per minute. To march in double time the instructor commands: 1. Double time, 2. MARCH. If at a halt, at the first command shift the weight of the body to the right leg. At the command March raise the forearms, fingers closed, to a horizontal position along the waist line; take up an easy run with the step and cadence of double time, allowing a natural swinging motion to the arms inward and upward in the direction of the opposite shoulder. In marching in quick time, at the command, double time, March, given as either foot strikes the ground, take one step in quick time, and then step off in double time. When marching in double time and in running, the men breathe as much as possible through the nostrils, keeping the mouth closed. A few minutes at the beginning of the setting-up exercises should be devoted to double timing. From lasting only a few minutes at the start it may be gradually increased, so that daily drills should enable the man at the end of five or six months to double time for 10 to 15 minutes without becoming fatigued or distressed. After the double time the men should be marched for several minutes at quick time; after this the instructor should command: 1. Route step, 2. MARCH. In marching at route step, the men are not required to preserve silence nor keep the step; if marching at proved intervals, the latter is preserved. To resume the cadence step in quick time, the instructor commands: 1. Squad, 2. ATTENTION. Great care must be exercised concerning the duration of the double time and the speed and duration of the run. The demands made upon the men should be increased gradually. When exercise rather than endurance is desired, the running should be done on the balls of the feet, heels raised from the ground. DOUBLE-TIMING EXERCISES 213. While the men are double timing, the instructor may vary the position of the arms by commanding : 1. Arms forward, 2. RAISE. 1. Arms sideward, 2. RAISE. 1. Arms upward, 2. RAISE. 1. Arms backward, 2. CROSS. At the command Arms, down, the double-time position for the arms and hands is resumed. The instructor may combine the following with the double time: 1. Cross step, 2. MARCH. 1. Swing legs forward, 2. MARCH. To continue these exercises but still continue the double timing, command: 1. Double time, 2. MARCH. To march in quick time, command: 1. Quick time, 2. MARCH. Marching in quick or double time, to halt, command: 1. Squad, 2. HALT. RIOT DUTY 66 214. Definititon of riot.-A riot is defined in law as "A tumultuous disturbance of the public peace by three or more assembled persons, who, in the execution of some private object, do an act, in itself lawful or unlawful, in a manner calculated to terrify the people." Blackstone defines it as "When three or more actually do an unlawful act of violence, either with or without a common cause or quarrel." The persons who commit the riot constitute a mob, which has been defined as a compound mass of human beings in which each one has for the moment all the follies and evil passions of the rest, in addition to his own." The distinction between a "mob" and a " crowd" is the distinction between an unlawful assembly and the "peaceable assembly" guaranteed by the Constitution. Riots spring from mobs, which usually have their inception in crowds. In times of great excitement it is sometimes very difficult to decide when the crowd, which may not even have become disorderly, degenerates into a mob. It frequently is when some person, by his zeal or from some unlawful purpose, sways the crowd and becomes its leader. It is not difficult, however, to decide when the mob has actually begun rioting. 215. Use of National Guard.-It is usually only when mobs have become so large or so threatening, that the authorities can not cope with the situation, or when it appears that this condition is about to arise, that the National Guard is ordered out on riot duty. 216. Assembling troops. When the National Guard has been ordered out for riot duty by competent authority, promptness in assembly and in proceeding to the scene of trouble is of the greatest importance. Not only the possibility of preventing overt acts by the mob by timely arrival, but the demonstration to them of prompt and efficient response will frequently go far toward quelling or preventing such acts. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance to be prepared for immediate response to such a call. The system that is generally in effect for notification of the personnel is sufficient for this purpose. If the company commander has laid his plans for this purpose care fully, and trained his company in them, any reasonably efficient company should march out of the armory, fully uniformed and equipped, within an hour of the notification to the captain. To insure this the company commander must have with him, at all times, a list giving the names of his lieutenants and first sergeant, their addresses, both house and business, and telephone numbers. He can then get in touch with them, notify them, and proceed to the armory. The lieutenants, having similar lists of the sergeants and corporals of their platoons, notify the sergeants, and they the corporals, or the lieutenants 'notify both, as previously arranged and practiced. The corporals, each with a similar list of the men of their squads, notify them. The first sergeant notifies the personnel of the company headquarters detachment.. In each list there should be a second in command listed, who will be notified in case the principal is absent, sick, or can not be located. An even better method where previous arrangements have been made, is for the captain to give the local telephone exchange a list of the organization members, with their telephone numbers, and have them called from there. In an exchange where there are several operators this perhaps might be the quickest method and leave the company officers and noncommissioned officers free to get to the armory and be preparing for the move. In communities where there are fire sirens, bells, or gongs, arrangements with the proper authorities should be made, and usually are, for a special signal which will be recognized by all National Guard men as notification for immediate assembly at the armory for duty. This should, however, be in addition to the personal notification. 217. Formations for riot duty.-Normal combat formations are not suited for use in riots. The extended line meeting the unequally distributed resistance offered by a crowd or mob is easily bent and the skirmishers forced further apart. It offers little opportunity for a concentration of strength and is easily broken. On the other hand, troops in close order formations are handicapped by reason of the masking of the rear man by his file leader, which deprives him of freedom of action. Special formations which tend to bring the men closer together when increased pressure on the line is encountered, without serious masking of individuals, are better suited for use against crowds and mobs. A formation that becomes stronger with increased pressure affords a concentration of strength where it is most needed and is less liable to be broken. These special formations are explained in the following paragraphs and they should be practiced frequently and vigorously, from a halt and in march from quick and double time. Armory training should be supplemented by practice in the streets adjoining the armory. 218. Riot-duty tactics.-Riot-duty tactics are divided into four classes as follows: a Crowd. b Mob. c Open country. d Interior. Of the four classes, crowd tactics are the most important, and the most frequently used in quelling disorder in its initial stages. Any disorderly assembly should be first dealt with as a crowd, unless it has actually fired upon the troops, preparation always being made to meet mob violence in case the transition occurs. Usually most trouble in towns and cities, in its initial stages, may be handled by methods applicable to crowds, which are less drastic than measures necessary for dealing with a mob. 219. Special formations for use against crowds.-The following formations which can be executed by a squad or platoon, are especially adapted for use against crowds. 220. The wedge.-The squad being in line, assembled, to form wedge: 1. Squad, 2. WEDGE. The squad leader gives the command and, at the command of execution springs about three paces to the front and in front of No. 3, front rank. The men, moving at a run, post themselves in two lines to his right and left rear, each man one-half pace behind and one-half pace to the right (or left) of the man ahead of him. The front rank men are on the squad leader's right rear, No. 3 nearest him, then No. 2, then No. 1. The rear rank men are on his left rear, No. 1 nearest him, then No. 2, then No. 3. No. 4 of the rear rank follows the squad leader and takes position inside the wedge. If the movement is executed from a halt, the squad leader and the men halt when they reach their proper positions; if the squad is marching in quick time, the wedge continues to advance in quick time and, if in double time, the wedge advances in double time. The squad leader sets the wedge in motion from a halt and regulates its gait and direction with the command, Follow me. The squad being in wedge formation, to assemble in line: 1. Assemble, 2. MARCH. If at a halt, the squad leader stands fast; if marching, he halts. The men resume their proper positions with relations to the squad leader. The squad being in wedge formation, marching at quick or double time, to march to the rear: 1. To the rear, 2. MARCH. |