By Sergeant Quivey
It's an important thing to know, so listen up...
There are three companies, blue, red and green (yeah yeah, so I'm brilliant). Each has six soldiers and one 1st Sgt (I wanted more, but ran out of room). You'll notice that each soldier is either a one or a two. Just like a real company!
If you see anything that looks like a triangle, or an arrow, it's a direction marker (I'm trying to keep it simple). The large triangles show the facing and the movement direction,
There is a sequence to most of these illustrations. The seqence will usually be pretty obvious from reading the texts, but just as a rule of thumb: the lightest, most transparent colours mark the starting positions, whereas the boldest colours mark the ending position (ie, the one the Colonel wants you in). There are of course a few transitional positions in between, but they are neither as transparent nor as bold as the starting and ending positions.
So shoot me... I hate jumping from one program to the next, but you'll have to live with it unless you want to purchase Photoshop for me
Yes...
Most of the Good Colonel's commands are based off this very simple move. In a fault that he seems bound and determined to continue, our Good Colonel is speaking backwards.
The battalion at this point is fronted and in line to the Major.
For once, the Good Colonel is speaking like a normal Englishman, so we must read from left to right. Unless the Good Colonel has lost his marbles, before this command is given the battalion is already formed in a Column of Companies. All we do at this point is Company into Line on the First Sergeant. Remember, the Guide is Left (or on the Colours, whichever way you want to think about it), so dress on your left guide (which would be me)!
Ok, in order to do this properly, we must pretend that the Good Colonel is speaking a different dialect of military commands, for when he says “Right Face”, he doesn’t mean a normal “Right Face”.
The battalion should be in a battle line at the beginning of this command. At the command “Right Face”, the company will right face –however- the First Sergeant will right face again until he is at a 90 degree angle with the rest of the company. He will also take few steps forward. The first file of men will then follow him until they also are in a position 90 degree from the rest of the unit. The second file will then follow the first, only they shall take up a position at 45 degree from the rest of the unit. At this point, we can all stay still and relax until El Capitan gives the command “forward march”. Then we pretend that we are performing a simple “By Files Right” and continue on our merry way.
This command from the Good Colonel sounds deceptively similar to the previous command. The good news is, it is deceptively similar. The only variation is that the First Sergeant and the first and second files will position themselves as above to the left of the company, not the right. The rest is the same (only we pretend it’s a “By Files Left”). When it is in motion, instead of the battalion looking as if they are running away, the battalion is marching stoutly and forcibly forward
Let the madness continue. Our Good Colonel should be read from left to right on this one. First we perform the motions for “By Right of Companies to the Rear”, only be ye not confused when thou zyxt El Capitan looking as if he did not hear the order. On this move, El Capitan must stand still and watch as each file passes the pivot point. When the last file has passed the pivot point he will, if he has time, call “Halt” and then call “Front”, or if he does not have time, he will simply call “By the Left Flank March”. Amazing! If you happen to have access at this point to a hot air balloon, you will see the method in the Colonel's madness, for the battalion has now effortlessly gone from a battle line, into a retreat position, and into a Column of Companies, thus confusing our adversaries beyond fathom. If you don’t have a hot air balloon, it will all look like madness and you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Ok, this command is given when the battalion is in a Column of Companies. This time we must read the command from right to left, because our Good Colonel really needs to learn basic grammar and sentence structure skills. At the command march, each company will perform a Left Half Wheel, and then start marching until they are on line with the company to their right. At this point they will not right wheel into line, but will rather right turn into line (it’s quicker). As each company reaches its place on the line, they will fire at El Capitan’s discretion. If you are the first company in line, this command is really great, because you don’t have to move anywhere!
As above, read this right to left. Each company (except the last) will Right Flank, and then march until the company to their left has marched past them. Then they will perform a Left Flank and double quick to their spot in the line, forming on the company to their left. Once again, as each company comes onto line, they should fire at their commander’s discretion.
