BOULANGER ON WAR. The General's Ideas on the Best French Tactics.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 208, 25 June 1887, Page 8

BOULANGER ON WAR. The General's Ideas on the Best French Tactics.

Genetul BoTTLANoru, who is the moit reserved man in Paris, is the subject of a pamphlet, jnst out. In thib there appears a letter written by Iho General in 1 884, in which he outlined his ideas of the best system of tactics for the improvement of the French service. As he has followed this plan since, his ideas possess great interest, considering the possibility of their being at no distant day called into play. He says nothing is more demoralising to the French soldier* than to have to wait before attacking the enemy. He observed this in 1870, and, in his opinion, it was the cause of disaster. Bold, dashing, offensive tactics are in fact those best adapted to the temperament of French troops. It is to these tactics that the army must have resort when it finds itself again on the battlefields of 1870. The General then gees on to speak on t =f practicability of uniting offensive tactics of this nature with the conditions of warfare . imposed by the now armaments and improved force of musketry or artillery fire. He himself would not seek to expose with lightness of heart to the lire of the enemy large masses of troops, while they were making their way to shelter under cover of skirmishers, but he would like to see, at the decisive moment of attack, a solid, forI midable, irresistible and almost superhuman kind ef charge from dense masses I held in reserve, and this would be more productive of a successful result than the fragmentary and rather isolated attacks in V °« U In this way," he say?, "we should see whether our French battalions, with their bands playing and colours fiying, officers leading and fire glowing in their hearts, would not swear all before them, like those grenadiers of the great army who got up to Ferny without having burned a cartridge. As to the great losses which might be sustained during theso massive charges, owing to the rapidity and precision of the enemy s fire. General Boulangor remarks that more troops would, in the event of defeat, fall on the roadside, in prison and in hospitals, but 'in any case modern warfare is. insatiable, and half the country should be ready to die for the other half, one cry of " Forward I" being in every mouth.