At the time of the Somme, British senior commanders insisted that the company (120 men) was the smallest unit of manoeuvre; less than a year later, the section of ten men would be so.
Under Somme-slaget insisterede de øverste britiske ledere på, at et kompagni (120 mand) var den mindste operative enhed, men mindre end et år senere var det i stedet grupper på 10 mand.