ARTILLERY POSITIONS AND SCREENING GUNS. 
79 
From tMs it will be seen that the cone of dispersion (or angle of 
opening) of the present German and French shell is greater than that 
of our 12-pr, The trajectory of the present German gun is more 
curved than our 12-pr. This will increase the searching effects of 
their shell in comparison to ours if opposed to our troops. On the other 
hand, their “ gun of the future 11 has its trajectory almost coinciding 
with that of our 12-pr. (see Fig. 3) ; but this is again counterbalanced 
by the trajectory of our 15-pr. being more curved than that of our 
12-pr., or even than their u gun of the future/ 1 
Accordingly our 15-pr. is as nearly as possible the “ beau ideal 11 of 
Major-General Rohne. 
Page 63, Yol. II. Field Artillery Drill, 1889, gives 8° as the angle 
of opening of the shell after burst. Again, the (< angle of descent of 
the 12-pr. B.L. at 2,900 yards is 7° 29' ; and of the lower part of the 
cone the angle of descent would be not less than 15°; consequently 
few, if any, of the balls would ricochet/ 1 
This sketch (A) is assuming that the Field Artillery Drill of 1889 is 
FIG. A. 
wrong when it gives the angle of opening as 8°; and that the 12-pr., 
hand-book of 1895, is right, when it says on page 33 that “ the 
average angle ot dispersion is 16 0 . 11 
Again (vide page 63, Yol. II., Field Artillery Drill, 1889) “ with 
;percussion shrapnel the ascending angle after graze is greater than 
the angle of descent. Thus an angle of descent of 6° gives an angle 
of ascent after graze of 8° (B) if ground sloped 2° towards the target/ 1 
FIG. B. 
(vide sketch below, see Fig. C.) 
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of 
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^SceA, r 
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FIG. C. 
All this is omitted from the drill-books of 1893 and 1896. 
Illustrating the sweeping effects of artillery fire against troops on 
the reverse slope. 
This would give a descending angle of 4° and an ascending angle of 
5° 40' to the slope/ 1 
Result« 
greater 
searching 
effects of 
foreign 
shrapnel. 
The effects 
of ricochet 
on the level 
and on for¬ 
ward and 
rear slopes. 
