84 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
The observers must be in telegraphic communication with the 
battery. For this purpose the employment of the so-called clock tele¬ 
graph (Zeiger-Telegrap/i), as used by the Military Committee and by 
some divisions of artillery when practising, is to be recommended. 
In the case of curved defensive fire, as also in that of curved dis¬ 
mounting fire, we must in the first instance carefully mark by pickets 
the plane of alignment of each gun. For this purpose the projection 
of the centre of the muzzle of the gun on the platform is marked by 
a stake or bandrol. This done, an assistant mounts on the parapet 
with a picket and plants it as nearly as possible in the plane passing 
through the bandrol and the intended point of impact. 
The next thing is to find an intermediate point between this pro¬ 
visional guiding point and the gun, from which the intended point of 
impact can be seen, and to align it on the bandrol and the guiding 
point. This intermediate point is then to be marked by a picket, and 
the guiding point exactly aligned between it and the intended point 
of impact. 
Lastly, by repeating this process, the centre of the muzzle, the inter¬ 
mediate point, the guiding point, and the point that is to be struck, are 
brought into the same plane. 
In the case of curved defensive fire it is generally possible to make 
use of some point above or behind the gun in order to bring the guiding 
point on the parapet into the plane of alignment. 
The gun is now to be laid on the guiding point with the deflection 
corresponding to the range, and the necessary elevation given by means 
of the quadrant. 
Since in this kind of curved fire the protecting parapet, and conse¬ 
quently the guiding point which has been fixed upon it, are tolerably 
close to the gun, we must, in order to avoid large lateral errors inlaying, 
get the gun into such a position each time that the plane of sighting 
[Visir-Ebene) — i.e., the vertical plane passing through both sights when 
the deflection has been allowed for—shall coincide with the plane of 
alignment. In order to avoid this roundabout and difficult process the 
guns should, as in the other kinds of curved fire, be guided by means 
of the plumb-line till their plane of symmetry coincides with the marked 
out plane of alignment, and must be provided with the aligning appar¬ 
atus, in order that the direction may be given in the usual way. When 
the directing plates have been laid down and fixed, the direction and 
its necessary correction are given by means of the aligning apparatus 
only. 
As the effect of the fire will always be watched as much as possible 
from the covering parapet, there will be no difficulty in applying the 
ordinary rules in correcting the firing-, since the new practice tables 
give all the necessary information, including the vertical and lateral 
spread of the projectiles. 
cover was thereby increased in height by 0-66 metre." In order to avoid changing the dispositions 
which had been made the curved breaching fire was continued with the charge and elevation 
originally decided on. It took about 120 shots to destroy the portion of the crowning which was 
in the way. 
