ation
of the organization and, where appropriate, the staff subdivision
concerned, as well as the date and hour of beginning and closing the
journal, and the place (or general area) where the commander is
located.

Each entry includes, where appropriate, a time notation: for example,
as to the occurrence of an incident; the receipt (TOR) or despatch
(TOD) of a message; the receipt or issue of an order. The serial
number assigned to the entry is recorded. The "time dated" is the date
and hour of the incident, or, in the case of the message or order, the
date and hour appearing thereon.

Entry of the nature of incidents or of the content of messages and
orders, etc., is made under the heading "Incidents, Messages, Orders,
etc."; for example:

As to an incident:

Enemy bombed light forces in screen from northward.

As to a message:

Our troops held up on Beach A since 0500 this date.

In the case of a message or order, the source and the action
addressee(s) are recorded in the columns marked "From" and "To
(action)" respectively. The content of the despatch or order then
follows. The amount of detail to be included depends upon the needs of
the work sheet (see below) in its capacity as a basis for the running
estimate of the situation. Further details can be ascertained, if
needed, by reference to the journal file.

The action taken ("None" entered, if none is taken) is indicated
briefly under that heading. In the case of the above entry as to the
enemy bombing light forces, the "action taken" might, for example
read:

Prepared for torpedo attack.

A single journal may be maintained for the commander concerned; or, if
so desired, separate journals may be kept, for their respective
purposes, by the several principal officers of his staff.

The journal itself and its use are readily adaptable to informal
methods of preparation and maintenance. The Journal Form may be
prepared hastily, as needed or desired. Where appropriate, the Journal
Form may be made up in quantity by printing, multigraphing, or other
practicable methods.

Journal File. The file to support the journal is merely an assembly of
the records (messages, records of oral orders, and the like) from
which the journal is compiled. Each item of the file bears a serial
number corresponding to that of its entry in the journal. An ordinary
spike-file is frequently adequate for safe-keeping of these records
while in use. When the jo