Drill in it's earliest stages of evolution dates back almost to the dawn of war itself. Fighting was conducted melee style with each combatant rushing into a fray as part of a group. It was each man for himself. Very quickly, armies needed ways to control troop movement and military drill was born and evolved though history till the Greeks started improving on the theory.
The Greek invented what we know as drill in it's modern sense of a group of soldiers moving and maneuvering as one in order to more effective in the battlefield. Greek and (more famously) the Spartans had training programs designed to prepare their soldiers for the complex unit formations needed to be the most effective. It was still simple compared to it's height of domination in antiquity but the concept was there and would continue to be refined upon by the Greek successors, the Romans.
Roman drill was one of many reasons the Roman Empire conquered most of the known world at the time. Romans developed a standard set of commands that could be learned across the army and the formations were simplified (Greek formations could be quite complex and require special skills). Troops were trained in these commands, issued standard gear, and practiced thoroughly. This gave Roman armies a distinct advantage on the battlefield because whomever could maneuver the best and the quickest usually won.
The advent of firearms changed drill but the single shot muskets still needed the precision of close order formations to be effective. Countries developed their own distinct styles of drill as it was still and effective battle field tool. In the days of musket battles, whomever could maneuver to a flanking position would often win that skirmish or battle.
Fast forward to the United States Revolutionary War. The US forces were suffering defeats in the war up to this point. The encampment at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-1778 was a historic event for drill in the United States. Up to that point, the Contenential Army consisted of various militias and colonial armies. They were poorly trained and had inadequate supplies. A former Prussian Officer named Baron Friedrich von Steuben was introduced to General Washington by means of Benjamin Franklin. Von Steuben eventually went to Valley Forge and General Washington allowed him to begin a training program. Von Steuben began training a model company in the military disciplines of the Prussian army. Soon, the model company was efficient at loading and firing their muskets in an orderly manner and could also maneuver at the verbal commands. Impressed with the dramatic transformation, Washington ordered the techniques be taught to the army and the model company became instructors to other groups.
Now it is easy to see why United States Drill and Ceremony bear little resemblance to British Drill despite the intense British influence on the colonies and developing nation.
As weaponry advanced and battlefield maneuvering became less and less required, drill was less and less employed. The trench warfare of WWI essentially eliminated battlefield drill. Drill was continued as a training aid and for it's use in pageantry. Every so often a small change was made to bring us to the current drill used by the different branches of the United States military.
Drill came into the Pathfinder clubs through the attitudes of the time. It was quickly seen as a way to develop aspects that staff wanted to foster in the Pathfinders such as discipline, organizational, moral, etc.
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