422 
TRAINING ARTILLERY SCOUTS. 
Also, considering the improvements in modern weapons and the 
greater power that these place in a commander’s hands for decisive 
action, the importance of reconnaissance work has much increased and, 
if turning movements and similar manoeuvres are to be successful, a 
careful study of the ground must form the principal preliminary towards 
attaining such a result. 
In the artillery, the arm that has to commence the fire action, the 
value of a previous reconnaissance is of primary importance. In the 
preliminary portion of the action, when the advanced guard batteries, 
or Horse Artillery with the Cavalry division are sent forward to 
reconnoitre and make the enemy disclose his position, opportunities 
will occur for R.A. officers’ patrols to examine the ground with a view 
of occupying it subsequently with the main line of guns or of discovering 
the probable position of the enemy’s guns and how such would appear 
from the side of the attack. 
This need not interfere with the cavalry patrols or reconnaissance, 
but is purely technical work from an artillery point of view, carried 
out with a view of gaining the greatest advantage from the ground 
when the artillery duel commences later. 
If such R.A. officer’s patrols comprised, in addition to the officer, 
some N.C.O.’s who had been previously trained in reconnaissance work, 
reading maps, &c., a very thorough study of the ground could be com¬ 
pleted in the short time that would probably be available. Also the 
appearance of the target which the enemy’s line of guns would present, 
how far they could be screened from view from our position, or the 
positions of their wagons and limbers, might be discovered from some 
point of vantage, and would be of great value when pointed out on 
the arrival of the C.R.A. and the battery commanders later. 
At the commencement of the artillery duel the whole of the batteries 
should open fire simultaneously and, if possible, make their fire come 
upon the enemy in the nature of a surprise, and it is only by 
a knowledge of the ground beforehand that such a result can be 
attained. Some of the batteries also may have to use indirect fire at 
this stage to get the full value out of the formations of the ground. 
The value of the men who had previously been with the officer’s 
patrol would now be obvious, and they could be of great assistance 
to the battery commanders in taking up position, in pointing out the 
target offered by their gun sand the general line of the enemy’s position. 
When in action they could be employed as combat patrols to guard 
against surprise or form part of an officer’s patrol posted to observe the 
effects of our own fire from some advantageous position on the flank, give 
notice of the massing of troops and guns for a counter attack and 
prepare the C.R.A. for meeting such by artillery fire. 
With the assistance of these men when taking up position, the 
Nos. 1 could be trusted to act as ground scouts and these latter would 
not be found necessary. The name “ combat ” patrol has scarcely the 
same application to artillery as to cavalry and “ observation ” patrol 
might more clearly denote the duties in the artillery arm. 
Machine gun or magazine fire from a covered position can render a 
