FRANCE. G7 



every year to keep the officers in practice and enable tlieni to 

 solve without hesitation any problem in fire direction. 



(6) Following on this work indoors comes its application, 

 using the guns and men in the barrack court, stable corral, 

 or on the drill ground. These drills continue the exercis(3 of 

 the officers in giving commands appropriate for any condi- 

 tions under more real surroundings, and habituate the men 

 to their work, so that all, esj)ecially the noncommissioned 

 officers, absorb the ideas governing the selection of the vari- 

 ous kinds of fire and their application. 



The captain thus gets his battery in hand and knows what 

 he can expect of the intelligence, quickness, and coolness of 

 his subordinates. He is the instructor. He begins with the 

 simplest conditions, as "fixed target, range so and so," and 

 proceeds to the most complex. He takes the case of chang- 

 ing objective, moving target, rapid fire, distribution of fire, 

 etc., until his directions are translated into correct action 

 almost mechanically. When this is well done he takes his 

 battery to the drill ground for a continuation of the L,ame 

 work. 



When the separate batteries have been sufficiently prac- 

 ticed in this way, the group (three batteries) is similarly 

 exercised by the major in the various group problems. This 

 is always done on the drill field or, better, on varied ground. 



(c) The preceding practices have been chiefly mental exer- 

 cises. In the simulated fire they are continued, but made 

 more real by the use of dummy cartridges and projectiles, 

 and of petards of stout pasteboard holding about 4 ounces of 

 black powder. The latter are caused to explode along the 

 positions supposed to be held by the enemy and give an imi- 

 tation of his fire, and of the striking projectiles of the battery 

 being instructed. 



This work is first done by battery and then by group. It 

 is usually preceded by practice in observation of fire, using 

 petards so as to show the chiefs of platoon how to estimate 

 overs and unders, rights and lefts, as well as the height of 

 the burst. When they are fairly skillful in this, the prog- 

 ress of fire, the whole battery working together, can go ahead 

 as though actual projectiles had been used. 



(d) The practice in designating objectives by the officers, 

 sergeants, and pointers, is continued throughout the year in 

 all weather and conditions of the atmosphere. The idea is so 



