THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
47 
CUEYED FIEE. 
BY 
COUNT BYLANDT-RHEIDT, 
MAJOR-GENERAL IN THE AUSTRIAN SERVICE, 
"President of the Technical and Administrative Military Committee. 
TRANSLATED EBOM THE GERMAN BY 
MAJOR J. R. OLIVER, R.A. 
1. Curved Fire in General. 
Curved fire is employed when the object to be struck is so secured 
against direct fire by an intervening covering mass that tfie projectile 
has to pass clear over the latter in order to bit tbe former. If the 
covering mass lies nearer the object than the gun we shall have, 
according to the end to be attained, the following kinds of curved 
fire:— 
(a) Curved breaching fire ; the aim of which is to cut out one hori¬ 
zontal and two or more vertical cannelures in a scarp in order to bring 
it down, and with it the mass of earth behind it, and in this way to 
produce a practicable entrance into the interior of the work. 
(b) Curved demolition fire; in which there is no attempt to form 
regular cuts, the breaching being effected by repeated blows distributed 
over the face of the scarp that has to be battered. This kind of fire is 
employed to destroy detached walls and masonry embrasures, and to 
render untenable reduits and other casemated works. 
(c) Curved enfilade fire; the object of which is to bombard either 
whole fronts or individual faces in the direction of their length, in such 
a manner that guns and troops placed behind the parapets and tra¬ 
verses may be struck, and the traverses and rampart damaged. 
If the cover be nearer the gun than the object of fire we shall have 
—according as the gun belongs to the defence or the attack— 
['VOL. IX.] 
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