STAFF RIDES.*
A STAVE' ride is a campaign without troops. It is the logical development from the old Sriegapiel or war-game. But
whereas the war-game was a campaign conducted indoors and on a map, a Staff ride is an outdoor tactical exercise conducted on the ground itself. It differs only from manoeuvres in the absence of the human pawns. The orders are, however, given and carried out exactly as they would be in war, by a real, corporeally existent Staff, and the ground itself is carefully studied both from the strategic and the tactical point of view. It is sometimes said that too great a strain is placed upon the imagination of officers by asking them to take part in peace exercises without troops ; but we agree with Colonel, now B rigadier-General, Haking in holding Staff rides, if properly conducted, to be of immense practical value. In many ways they are more practical and more real than peace manoeuvres with troops, where showy deeds of valour against blank ammunition are apt to produce gross absurdities and to teach lessons that are positively harmful. In manoeuvres, again, even greater absurdities result from the difficulty of obtaining a sufficiently wide manoeuvre area. Troops, for instance, are frequently massed on the high-road under hostile artillery fire because the adjoining fields are out of bounds, or the opposing forces suddenly discover that the "key to the position " is the private park of some gentleman who will not allow the troops to enter it. A party of officers in plain clothes, ou the other hand, is a much less formidable body, and can generally get access even to the most jealously guarded enclosures.
But instructive as it is when properly conducted, it is exceedingly easy so to handle an exercise of this kind that it becomes an entire fiasco, wasting the time and demoralising the temper of those who are taking part. Indeed, to direct a good Staff ride probably requires more forethought and greater experience than does the conduct of manoeuvres with real in place of imaginary troops. General Haking, whose experience of a Staff ride, now brought up to the level of a fine art, is second to none, has consequently prepared this book, which deals with all the difficulties, and discusses in close detail the arrangements which should be made for every conceivable form of exercise, both small and large. We are glad to see that he insists very strongly upon two points,—the absolute necessity for limiting each ride to a very few officers, and the importance of securing the prompt revision of all work by the directing Staff imme- diately it is handed in. Moreover, for purposes of instruction it is not sufficient to tell an officer that his work is bad or good; the full reasons must be given why it is judged to be bad or good. This entails almost continuous labour upon the directing Staff from 7 a.m. till past midnight daily, and for this reason, and also because the officers under instruction are working at high pressure, it is generally inadvisable to prolong any one ride beyond three days.
We should add that on the peg of the various imaginary situations which may form the scheme for a Staff ride General Haking hangs a large number of tactical disserta- tions which should be of the very highest value to the military student. And lest any one should think that Staff rides are intended for senior officers only and are wasted on the junior ranks, General Haking very properly reminds us, as did Sir Ian Hamilton in his volumes on the Manchurian War, that, when all is said and done, it is the company commanders who win battles, and that skilful leading and high training on the part of the company officers have quite as much effect upon the issue of a campaign as good Generals and an experienced Staff. In particular, Staff rides or regimental tours are specially to be recommended for Terri- torial officers who have not many opportunities of manoeuvring with troops, and who will find it comparatively easy to spare three days now and then to a form of instruction which certainly gives the best return of any for the very short time that can, as a general rule, be snatched from private business.
• Stag' Hides and Begisunital Tours. By Colonel B. C. B. Halting. London Hugh Bees. [Si. 6d. net.]
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