Cossack Maneuver in the Trenches
Translation details
Model:mistral-large-2512.Translated text
Section titled “Translated text”A game that excellently sharpens visual acuity while also training in the art of stealth.
Each Scout participating in this game has a number composed of 3 digits sewn onto the front of their hat. The length of the digits should be at least 3 inches so that they can be easily distinguished from a distance of 100 meters.
The entire troop then divides as follows:
Two or three platoons (or 2—3 patrols if only 1/2 troops are taking part in the game) march 300 meters away from the camp with the order to return to the camp by stealthily creeping in—first crouching, then crawling—so that the defending garrison left behind in the camp’s trenches does not spot the approaching attack. If the terrain makes the defenders’ task easier than the attackers’, then only 1 platoon, or 1 patrol, remains in the camp for defense. Each side is assigned an impartial judge.
As the attacking side approaches, the garrison, under good cover to remain unseen, observes the attackers’ movements and attempts to read the opponents’ numbers. As long as the enemy’s numbers are not distinguishable, they are considered beyond firing range.
The closer the attackers come, the more carefully they must ensure they do not expose themselves above cover (a rock, bush, etc.) and make it easier for the defenders to read their numbers. A good Scout should also not forget, in their eagerness, that while creeping, they must only look from the side of the cover. It is forbidden to turn the hat so the numbers face sideways or backward, or to cover the numbers with a hand. When the garrison or the attackers are able to read the numbers, they call them out loudly, and the judges record them. When they are within 50 meters of each other (or of the camp), the judges from both sides loudly announce the numbers they have recorded, and their owners must withdraw from the game.
When the attack commander believes their unit has approached so closely that further concealment is impossible, they give the signal to charge, especially if the terrain is open, and the defenders then try to read as many numbers as possible aloud. When the attack comes within 10 paces of the camp, the judges signal that no more numbers may be read. The judges then read out the numbers recorded just before and during the charge across open ground. Those whose numbers are read withdraw from the game and are properly counted as casualties.
If the attack reaches the camp in numbers equal to the garrison (after counting casualties on both sides), victory is theirs. If they arrive in fewer numbers than the garrison, the garrison wins.
Source scan: Polona / National Library, marked “Public Domain”. View scan — page 25.
Metadata
Section titled “Metadata”- Type: game
- Traits: Not stated in the source
- Source: Herman A. Mojmir, Ćwiczenia i zabawy skautowe (1912)
- Printed pages: 13–15
- Digital edition: Digital edition · Source record
- Open the edition at the relevant page: p. 13
- Read the source text: ciz-022