66 TARGET PRACTICE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



However, most infantry officers have a range-finder field 

 glass of either the regulation or other make, which is their 

 private property, and with this they practice. 



Exj)eriments in certain infantry regiments on unknown 

 ground have given the following results in estimating dis- 

 tances by the eye: Officers, skillful in estimating, make a 

 mean error of 12 per cent of the distance; officers not very 

 skillful, 20 per cent; privates of the active army and non- 

 commissioned officers of the reserve army, 30 per cent. 



With the Labbez and Goulier instruments, using a tape- 

 line or wire for measuring the base, the mean error is from 

 2.0 to 3.5 per cent of the distance. 



With the field-glass range finder, the mean errors are 7 or 

 8 per cent of the distance. 



It is considered that, to be useful, a telemeter should give 

 the range to within 50 meters. 



FIELD-ARTILLERY TARGET PRACTICE. 



The program of instruction in target practice for the field 

 artillery is comprehensive and minute. It comprises — 



1 . Exercises preparatory to actual practice, viz : 



(a) Indoor work for officers only. 



(6) Outdoor work for the whole battery. 



(c) Simulated fire. 



(cZ) Practice in designating objectives. 



2. Actual practice at targets : 



(a) Preparatory firing. 



(b) War practice, 



3. War practice of masses of artillery. 



1. {a) The object of this indoor instruction is to teach offi- 

 cers how to conduct target practice under all conditions. 

 The instructor announces whatever conditions he may choose, 

 as to target, weather, estimated distance, etc. ; the officer 

 being questioned must then give immediately the resulting 

 commands for the fire ; the instructor announces the observed 

 strike of the shot, the pupil continues with his orders as to 

 range, fuse, etc., as thougli conducting actual practice with 

 his battery. The instructor's oral indications are sometimes 

 replaced by pictorial representation of the hits on a black- 

 board sketch of the terrain. 



The j)upi]s in this exercise are the captains and lieutenants; 

 the field officer is the instructor. This work is continued 



