NOTES ON APPLIED FIELD FORTIFICATION. 
357 
This may seem a large proportion removed from the front of the 
position, but remembering what Yon der Grolz says: 1 “ A General may 
quite well find himself obliged to place a still smaller proportion of his 
force in the ostensible position and keep an actual majority of the army 
in hand to meet the turning operations of the attack and strike offen¬ 
sive blows.” 
As regards the arrangement of the corps in the sections allotted to 
them, the Commander-in-Chief of a large army will probably only give 
the most general indications, such as whether the general line is to run 
at the foot of a slope, along the crete militaire , or in a retired position 
on a plateau and leave the more detailed arrangements to his 
subordinates. 
Selection of Main Line of Defence. 
With regard to the general line of defence to be taken up, the follow¬ 
ing remarks may be made. Setting aside particular cases, such as the 
defence of an important river or mountain warfare, positions may be 
either on a level plain or in an undulating country. In the case of a 
plain the shape of the ground will obviously not influence the decision 
about the line to be occupied, but that line will be chosen that gives 
the greatest amount of open ground in front and offers the most favour¬ 
able localities as points of support, especially on the flanks. But in an 
undulating country there will usually be the choice broadly between 
three situations, viz., at the foot of a slope, on the crete militaire , or at 
a retired position on a plateau, at a greater or less distance from its edge. 
Which of these positions is to be occupied will usually be decided by 
the Commander-in-Chief. The selection is not always so easy as might 
be expected. It is pretty generally acknowledged that where the 
ground offers long, open, gentle, glacis-like slopes, the best position is 
on the crest of the rise. Open fields that can be effectively swept by 
grazing fire, facility for observing the country over which the enemy 
must advance and usually cover for reserves are secured by such a posi¬ 
tion, of which the ground about St. Privat on the field of Grravelotte is a 
notable example. But it is comparatively rarely that such a conforma¬ 
tion of ground presents itself. In probably a majority of cases breaks 
in the evenness of the slopes will present themselves. In some cases 
the slopes, although gentle, will be convex in section, so that while 
their upper parts may be swept by the fire from a line on the highest 
part of the slope, yet towards their lower portions there will be dead 
ground where the enemy may find cover, as in fig. 1. 
Fig. l. 
This will be found to be a very common case. The question will 
arise, should the line be placed at A or at B. In the first case the 
supports can be easily covered by the shape of the ground and can re¬ 
inforce the fighting line comparatively unmolested. For although no 
doubt the falling trajectory of the enemy's bullets may to some extent 
Gentle con¬ 
vex Slopes. 
1 Yon der Grolz. La Nation Armee, p. 340. 
