92 
ARTILLERY POSITIONS AND SCREENING GUNS. 
(2.) Cases 
against use 
of reverse 
slope. 
(3.) Cases 
for use of 
reverse slope 
commanders and infantry leaders whether a larger or smaller number 
of hits were obtained against guns placed in front, on top or in rear of 
a ridge. 
The results of Competitive practice prove this. A battery often 
shoots beautifully during the elementary and service practice at Oke- 
hampton, but goes to pieces under the strain of the Competitive. In 
the same way, a 1 st prize battery at Competitive might not do so well 
as another when casualties are being caused by the enemy’s fire. 
(2.) Having admitted (1), I may perhaps be allowed to say that 
guns should seldom, if ever, be placed on the reverse slope of a hog’s 
bach :— 
(a) When the ridge in front is very wide. 
(b) When the reverse slope, on which the guns stand, 
exceeds 5°. 
(c) When the ground in front sinks very much towards 
the enemy. 
(3). Guns should be put on the reverse slope of a hog’s bach :— 
[a) When it is absolutely impossible to hide them on the 
forward slope or crest by a natural or artificial 
screen of any sort, and when the range is very 
short. 
(i b ) In certain cases when the slope immediately in rear 
of the summit of the hog’s back does not exceed 
5° or 1 in 11. 
(c) During the artillery duel at long ranges, when the 
slope in rear of the crest suddenly increases from 
something under 5° to a slope exceeding 20°; 
thus affording protection to the limbers and 
wagons from the enemy’s artillery fire falling at 
an angle of descent of 9° to 11°, to which we must 
remember to add half the angle of opening of 
shell after burst, viz. :—(-If- to “ =) T 9° to 10°, 
thus arriving at an angle of descent of lowest 
shrapnel bullet (at ranges of 3,500 to 2,500 yards) 
of 18° to 21°. If the slope suddenly increases to 
20° the limbers are safe. 
( d ) When there is absolutely no position on the front 
slope, owing to the steepness of the incline ; and 
when the crest is (what we call when hunting in 
Ireland a f razor bank ’) too narrow for a gun to 
stand on. 
1 See page 39 and trajectory (Fig. 2) of Maj,-Genl. Kohne’s “Shrapnel fire of Field Artillery,” 
from translation by Colonel N. L. Walford, E.A. 
N.B.—The angle of opening of English 12-pr. shell is less than that of the French or German 
shell, according to the Field Artillery drill. Thus we must he prepared for much more searching 
effects of shrapnel fire behind a crest than we are accustomed to reckon with in England. 
However, the 12-pr. hand-book says the angle (f opening averages 18°. Probably the latter i§ 
right. See Fig. 2 and 3. 
