and the sizes and widths of all shoes issued to the men of their commands. 117. Methods of fitting shoes.-When the foot-measuring machines and shoe-fitting devices are not supplied, have the man put his stockinged foot in the shoe to be tried on. The shoe should be laced snugly and the soldier with a 40-pound burden on his back will throw his entire weight upon one foot. The officer or enlisted man will grasp the leather of the shoe over the ball of the foot, and as his fingers and thumb are brought slowly together over the leather he should feel the shoe snugly filled without apparent tightness, while the leather should lie smooth under his hand. If the leather wrinkles under the grasp of the hand, the shoe is too wide and a narrower width is needed; if the leather seems tight and bulgy and the fingers tend to slip over easily, the shoe is too narrow and a greater width is needed. Usually it will be necessary to try on several pairs of shoes, and test in this manner, before an entirely satisfactory fit is secured. The officer fitting the shoes will also press in the leather of the shoes in front of the toes to determine the existence of sufficient vacant space in that region to prevent toe injury. Under no circumstances should this vacant space in front of the great toe be less than two-thirds of an inch, or the width of a man's thumb, nor should there be pressure on top of the toes. Shoes must in every case pass satisfactorily the above-described test, and no shoes will be issued or worn by enlisted men which are not fitted in accordance with this regulation. 118. Breaking in shoes.-Shoes should be properly broken in before beginning a march. The following is suggested, but not required: The soldier wearing his new shoes should stand in about 22 inches of water for about five minutes until the leather is thoroughly pliable and moist; he should then walk for about an hour on a level surface, while the shoes dry on his feet, to the irregularities of which the leather will be molded in the same way it was molded over the shoe last in its manufacture. On taking the shoes off, a very little neat'sfoot oil should be rubbed into the leather to prevent its hardening and cracking. If it be desired to waterproof the shoes, a considerable amount of dubbin should be rubbed into the leather. If this makes the feet perspire unduly, thereby keeping them soft, the amount of dubbin should be reduced. 119. Socks-Correct fit and importance thereof.-Properly fitted socks are essential to the comfortable clothing of the 39854-27-4 soldier's feet, and conversely it may be stated that socks too short or too long will at least partly nullify the effect of correctly fitted Army shoes. Although the flexibility of the texture and shrinkability of woolen socks of different weights and the variations in the relative lengths, widths, and shapes of soldiers' feet make it impossible to determine a fixed system of size fittings for socks corresponding with the fixed sizes and widths of Army shoes, there is, nevertheless, a general plan of selecting socks according to sizes that can be used with satisfactory results. Light or heavy woolen socks will be habitually worn for marching. The socks will be large enough to permit free movement of the toes, but not so loose as to permit of wrinkling. Repaired socks or socks with holes will not be worn during long marches. (See also par. 166.) DESCRIPTION, USE, CARE, PRESERVATION, MAINTENANCE, MINOR REPAIRS, AND (OR) ADJUSTMENTS OF THE VARIOUS ARTICLES OF SUPPLY AND EQUIPMENT 120. The description, use, care, preservation, maintenance, minor repairs, adjustments, and (or) cleaning of the various articles of supply and equipment are mostly found in training or technical regulations. Their length precludes publishing them in full in this manual and their importance prevents condensation. Organization commanders must be familiar with those pertaining to supply or equipment which is issued to them, as their responsibility is fixed and definite for the condition in which this Government property is maintained. Besides the clear indication of the discipline of an organization which an inspection of its equipment indicates, and consequently the battle efficiency of its personnel, no organization is fit for field service which has arms or other equipment that is not in good, serviceable condition. Following is a list of references to regulations and manuals where these subjects are treated: Automatic pistol. Automatic rifle. A. R. 30-2720. T. R. 190-35. T. R. 300-50. T. R. 310-20. T. R. 310-20. T. R. 150-5 and 320-10, T. R. 320-15. T. R. 320-25. Browning machine gun (machine-gun companies). T. R. 320-35. 121. This includes saddle equipment, harness, holsters, leather belts, mounted leggins, shoes, gun slings, and instrument cases, such as for field glasses, etc. The care of equipment, especially that of leather equipment, is important and officers and noncommissioned officers should be familiar with the methods involved. All men should receive instruction in this subject, and the cleaning of leather equipment should be done habitually under the supervision of a commissioned officer. Leather equipment must always be cleaned after being used. A mounted duty is not complete until horses, harness, saddlery, arms, and equipment have been put again in condition. Leather properly cared for will remain soft and pliable until absolutely worn out; but if not cared for or improperly cared for it soon dries out, becomes stiff and brittle, its fibers are then easily broken, and the equipment rendered useless in a comparatively short time. A cleaning agent and an oiling agent are necessary to keep leather equipment in first-class condition. Neat's-foot oil is an animal oil used to soften and preserve leather. Apply with a moistened cloth to the flesh side of moistened leather. Unit of issue, pint. Castile soap or an alkaline soap is used in cleaning leather equipment. Apply as a lather on a moistened sponge. Unit of issue, pound. The cleaning agent, either castile or ordinary harness soap, is used to remove all dirt, sweat, and other matter which ordinarily accumulates in the surface pores of the leather, preventing the penetration of oil. Castile soap is a powerful cleanser, frequently containing an excess of free alkali, which renders it an active agent in removing dirt. However, castile soap has no tendency of itself to soften and preserve leather. Good harness 1 When published. soap, on the other hand, contains no free alkali, but frequently contains a certain percentage of uncombined fatty substances available for softening and preserving purposes. White soap may be used in place of castile soap. The oiling agent penetrates the pores of the leather and saturates the fibers, making them pliable and elastic. Dry leather is brittle; leather excessively oiled will soil the clothing and accumulate dirt. The condition to be desired is sufficient oil to obtain softness and pliability without exudation due to an excess. Neat's-foot oil has been found by long experience to be the most satisfactory and is issued for this purpose by the Ordnance Department. Daily, or as often as used, leather equipment should be wiped off with a cloth slightly dampened in water to remove mud, dust, or other foreign substance. (It should never be cleaned by immersing it in water.) This takes but a few minutes and maintains the appearance of the equipment, but is, however, insufficient of itself to properly preserve it. Bits and other metal parts of harness should be wiped off with a rag slightly moistened with oil. At intervals of from one to four weeks, depending upon climatic conditions and the use to which it has been subjected, it is essential that the equipment should be thoroughly cleaned. To do this properly, all parts of the equipment should be separated and the entire equipment reduced to its simplest elements. All surface dust and mud should be wiped off with a damp sponge. The sponge should then be rinsed out, moistened in clean water, and squeezed out, and a thick lather formed by working the sponge vigorously on the castile soap. When a thick creamy lather is obtained each piece of the leather equipment should be thoroughly cleaned, working the sponge upon every portion and drawing each strap its entire length through the lathered sponge, so as to thoroughly remove the salt, sweat, or dirt from each leather piece. After the leather parts are made fairly clean with castile soap the sponge should be rinsed again and a thick lather be made with the saddle or harness soap. This should be thoroughly worked into every part of the equipment in order to obtain a fine surface dressing and finish, When the leather has been allowed to become partially dry but not hard, it should be rubbed vigorously with a soft cloth to give it a neat, finished appearance. If the foregoing instructions have been carefully executed the appearance of the equipment should be perfect, and if the leather is thoroughly soft and pliable nothing further is re quired. In general, however, it will be found desirable to apply a small amount of oil from time to time. It is not practicable, owing to different conditions of climate and service, to prescribe the frequency of oiling. It has been found that during the first few months of use a set of new leather equipment should be given at least two applications of oil per month. Thereafter it is entirely a matter of judgment as indicated by the appearance and pliability of the leather. Frequent light applications of oil are more valuable than occasional heavy applications. The necessity for a light application of oil before use, when new equipment is received, is that leather frequently remains a considerable period of time in storage in an arsenal, thus drying out. Upon issue of the equipment this oil should be immediately replaced. As new equipment is clean, no application of soap is necessary. All that is necessary is that the leather be slightly moistened, and that the oil be lightly and quickly applied. As far as practicable the oil should be applied on the flesh side, as it penetrates much more readily from this side than from the grain side. Leather which has been cleaned should still be damp, or about "halfway" at the time of oiling. The oil should be applied with a rag or with cotton waste moistened in it to prevent an excess being used. The use of an excess of oil will do the leather no injury, but it will continually ooze out and will soil clothing. The tendency is to use too much oil; about 1 ounce is enough for a set of harness. After leather equipment is oiled it should, if possible, remain in a warm, dry place for 24 hours, and then be rubbed thoroughly with a coarse cloth to remove any unabsorbed oil. The following cautions should be observed: Keep the leather clean. Keep leather pliable by frequent light applications of oil. Use only materials furnished by the Ordnance Department. Shoe polishes, etc., are almost invariably injurious. Dry all leather wet from whatever cause in the shade; never in the sun or close to a steam radiator, furnace, or boiler. Leather should habitually be stored in a cool, dry place, without artificial heat. In active campaign or on the march, advantage should be taken of such opportunities as the situation affords to keep the equipment out of the mud and protect it from rain, dust, and heat. Racks can be improvised with forked sticks and crossbar, or advantage taken of a neighboring fence. A piece of |