eneral Reserve_ by means of
which the commander exploits success or retrieves failure.

THE FORWARD BODY, THE SUPPORTS, AND THE LOCAL RESERVES.--The paramount
duty of all leaders in the firing line is to get their troops forward,
and if every leader is imbued with the determination to close with the
enemy, he will be unconsciously assisting his neighbour also, for, as a
rule, the best method of supporting a neighbouring unit is to advance.
But an attack is often held up by well-directed machine-gun fire, and
by determined and well-trained riflemen in concealed or well-prepared
positions. The tactics to be pursued under these circumstances are
thus outlined in "Infantry Training, 1921": "When forward troops are
held up by the enemy's organised fire at close ranges they must keep
him pinned to his ground and absorb his attention by maintaining a
vigorous fire and working their way closer when opportunity offers. It
will be the duty of the Supports to turn the flank of, and enfilade,
that portion of the enemy's defences where a garrison is opposing {56}
the Forward Body. To achieve this, Supports may have to quit their
direct line of advance and follow in the wake of a neighbouring unit,
which is able to advance. It must constantly be borne in mind that
pressure should be brought on the enemy by supporting troops in places
where the attack is progressing rather than where it is held up, never
by the mere reinforcement or thickening up of a line of troops who have
been unable to advance. There must be no slackening of pressure,
meanwhile, by the forward troops who are temporarily held up, or the
defenders will be able to turn their attention to the flanking attacks
which are being directed against them." The Local Reserves are for
local counter-attacks by fire or movement against similar efforts by
the Local Reserves of the enemy. In modern campaigns this work is
effectively carried out by the overhead fire of machine guns
distributed in depth, and the mobile Local Reserves may thus consist of
smaller units detached for the purpose by the Forward Body or by the
Supports. During the great German offensive in the spring of 1918 the
_Attacks on the Somme and the Lys_ were constantly held up by the
vigour and tenacity of the Franco-British defence, and to meet the
necessities of the case the following instructions were issued by the
German General Staff: "If the assaulting troops are held up by
machine-gun fire they are