The excessive physical strain that a continuous combat imposes on foot troops in mountain warfare requires a degree of physical conditioning and a high level of field hardening. The training of troops in preparation of such operations requires to be conducted in mountainous and rugged hills to be effective. It is essential not only to acclimatise them, but also to condition stamina and bodies. The necessity of conducting rapidly advancing infantry operations without the aid of normal vehicular transport for heavy weapons, ammunition, ration and supplies demands an ability in foot soldiers to resort to pack animals, hand transport and all kinds of improvisation to keep up the vital equipment and supplies in movement through difficult and rugged mountains.

A forceful repetition of a major lesson learnt in the Ethiopian and Tunisian campaigns was the necessity of seizing high ground and the avoidance of natural approaches. This terrain brought out this lesson with greater emphasis than before. The importance was realised of securing dominant terrain for observation and working along high ridge lines in order to force the enemy out of strong positions. Two other lessons, which were stressed, concerned artillery and mine warfare. Artillery operations in mountains produced several lessons like a continued 24-hour reconnaissance for routes and areas, a determination to continue effective support and refusal to admit that positions were impossible even to the point of winching in the guns and blowing out positions with demolitions. The lessons of campaigns with respect to mine warfare were a repetition of the lessons of the earlier campaigns. The confined routes and roads punctuated at every turn by blown bridges and demolitions forced our advance to go through heavily mined areas and rapid effective clearing operations were vital. Artillery could not "shoot in" infantry right on to the objective in mountainous country. It must lift early on to the reverse slope. MG fire was, however, effective for the purpose. Minefields were encountered in woods and mines were met under slippery stones across streams.

Map reading is a very different matter in the mountains. Any objective to be reached may be three or four miles away, but unless a careful study has been made it would take three to four hours to reach it. The average rate of advance is two miles in the hour plus one hour for 1000 feet. It is hard work and only by practising in the mountains or by a specialized physical training can this standard be reached. It is important to practise hill walks. In mountain country, hill features, salient or spurs, valleys and escarpments need to be recognised readily from a map. To do this one has to understand contours and make use of them. They enable one to compare the relative height of places.

Unlike in the plains, mountains provide with a host of prominent landmarks. To find a way one must know how to select right landmarks for guidance. It is, therefore, necessary to visualise clearly from the study of a map exactly what a terrain is like. In choosing a route one has to walk on the flat of the foot, not on the toe, otherwise the calves get sore and one becomes tired. Climbing a hill along a ridge will give a good view, climbing blind, one could be ambushed. Pathless valleys are often obstructed by vegetation and meandering streams. The valley, however, is the surest way to the hills, but while in them, vision is very obstructed. It is tedious to walk along the slopes of a steep hill when there are rocks and numerous gullies to be crossed, but it does avoid skylines. Moving along the watershed or ridge may involve a great deal of ups and downs, but there are no gullies and it gives a good view.

Selection of route will depend upon the type of country but tactical considerations permitting, the easiest route is the best route and usually the quickest, especially with a large party. Having chosen the route, a sense of direction is not sufficient alone. Keeping direction is a matter of logic and requires an alert mind capable of noticing and remembering details. With a map and a compass one can get lost through carelessness. All troops should be trained to find their position on a map at any time, but the map is of little value in mist or when one is already lost. Errors in map making are often more errors of scale than of direction. The main use of the compass in mountains is to prevent one from moving in the opposite direction. It is seldom necessary to follow an accurate route, this makes progress slow. A compass gives the direction but not the best route.

The sun is east in the early hours of the morning, south at midday and west in the evenings and at setting time. It moves 15 degrees in an hour. With a watch, therefore, direction can be found and with a compass, the time. At night, the Pole Star pointing to the true north is the only useful one and the Great Bear the best guide for finding it. On getting lost in the mountains, the best policy is to sit down in a sheltered spot, go over in mind the ground covered and to think about it carefully trying to discover where and when one went wrong. If that doesn't mean much, follow the track back to some known point from which one can start again or try to get correct bearings from a nearby hill or mountain top.

Calculating how long it will take from one point to another, do not neglect the chance that a mile on the map may be two miles on the ground, depending on the rise and fall of the ground. While walking on hill, balance is most important for safety and lessening of effort; a surefooted step will not dislodge stones. Keep pace regular and in rhythm. Always start slowly and have warm clothing ready to put on when one reaches the top. When coming downhill, run with short steps.

Mountain operations have shown that once MT has to be left behind and infantry has to move on first into battle or mountain , similar equipment to carry the necessary stores and supplies are required by an infantry battalion. Animals may be available, but they are unlikely to be always available at the right time or in sufficient numbers, so some sort of improvisation in place of man-pack is necessary. If pack equipment is available, the large pack is the best substitute. It has several advantages. It is large enough to take ammunition, stores etc. as well as men's kit, should it be necessary for him to carry it. It is less conspicuous than the small pack which if fully packed is liable to show up as regular shaped box as a man crawls over a skyline. Moreover, it fits more irregularly on the back.

One of the most awkward thing to carry on is a 3 inch mortar load. In climbing steep slopes, a man must have both hands free to assist him over rocks and pushing his way through undergrowth. To enable him to do this, the mortar loads must be on his back. Each of the mortar loads, barrel, bipod, base plate and a container of three bombs can be attached to the outside of the large pack if it is an improvised man-pack. By this methood, the team can cover difficult terrain in a minimum of time and with a minimum expedition of energy. The weight carried by a man should not be high up on his shoulder, but so placed that the maximum weight is taken through the pelvis.

Before the induction of MT, every unit had animal transport. Now very few units are well-versed in animal management. It is important that personnel in every unit, in particular infantry, should know how to look after animal transport and how to saddle and load them. It is imperative that animals have proper saddlery and troops know how to use blankets, ropes and web equipment. Mules become very conspicuous when taken forward unless there is a covered line of approach. They invariably draw enemy fire and make a large, slow moving easy target. When animals are under close enemy observation, loads will have to be manhandled.

Mountain sickness is a distinct condition which may develop in a man who is not acclimatised to heights, particularly above 10,000 feet. Altitude has a distinct effect on body and it takes about two weeks to get used to the results of being high above sea level. Training should be carefully graduated and all the muscles that will be used in climbing should be tutored by purposeful PT and exercise. It might, of course, be necessary to fight in the mountains without any time for acclimatisation or special training, in which case no permanent harm will be done and, in fact, fitness will not pose any difficulty at a height under 8,000 feet.

Getting the wounded back to medical officer is very much delayed in difficult country, so knowledge of first aid is of paramount importance. The journey back to a place where medical attention can be given is invariably an extremely uncomfortable one for the wounded man and the weather condition may be severe. Carrying a man a long way on a stretcher is hard work on level ground, but when the country is steep, rocky and broken, it requires a much greater power of endurance on the part of the stretcher-bearer and the wounded. In mountain warfare bantams and carriers are very useful for getting the wounded back. Mules fitted with special litter and saddles are also useful over broken country. A point of special importance in the mountain is that when a man is wounded he must attract attention if he possibly can, otherwise stretcher bearers may have great difficulty in finding him.

There is a prevalent belief that clear water running down a mountain stream is always pure and fit for drinking. Although this may be true near the source of supply, it is not usually so further down, particularly near a habitation. Certain types of malaria-carrying mosquitoes breed exclusively in clear streams and if the water is warm enough, malaria may be prevalent. Altitude itself has no effect on the incident of malaria.