553 
FIGHTING- BOOKS, 
BY 
CAPTAIN A. E. BUTCHER, R.A. 
INTEODUCTIOK 
“Garrison Artillery Drill (1895),” Vol. I., p. 476, lays down :—“That 
each C.R.A. of a district, will, during peace time, elaborate in principle 
and detail a system for fighting his command.” 
The vital importance of the above paragraph can hardly be over¬ 
rated, as the most usual form of attack to which a modern coast fortress 
(and more especially one protecting a channel which leads to an inner 
harbour) is liable, is that known as “ running past ” and, in resisting 
such a form of attack the fort will be called upon to engage ships 
moving at rates varying from 14 to 20 knots an hour, according to the 
facilities, or the reverse, offered by the channel to reasonably safe 
navigation. 
Even taking the lower limit :—“ The time from an enemy’s ship 
being first sighted until its arrival within fire, will—even in day time — 
be less than half-an-hour; at night, far less. Supposing the hostile 
ships are a quarter of a mile apart they will arrive within a minute of 
each other. Each ship will, as a rule, be under the fire of each fort 
only 15 minutes at the outside.” 
It would be quite impossible under such circumstances for a battery 
commander in the heat and excitement of action to give detailed orders 
as to projectiles, &c., for each particular class of ship at each particular 
range, and, in order to avoid dire confusion, such details must be 
worked out previously. 
After an approaching hostile ship has been identified and her descrip¬ 
tion passed to the G.G.C.’s, these officers should know, without any 
further instructions, the most suitable projectile with which to attack 
her at the various ranges, and the whole system of fighting the fort 
should proceed like clockwork with a minimum of orders. 
Unless a regular sj^stem of fighting a fort has been worked out, 
down to the smallest detail, in time of peace, and unless such a system 
has been continually practised at drill, we may find ourselves placed in 
the humiliating position of seeing a hostile ship pass our fort prac¬ 
tically unharmed. 
a G.A.D. (1895), Yol. I., p. 488. 
11, YOL, XXIY. 
73 
