382 
COMMENDED ESSAY, 1894 . 
firing at Chalons with a mass of batteries, tells us that careful and 
methodical preparations in a preparatory position 1 are desirable, and 
that, while mnch must always be left to circumstances, anything like ex¬ 
citement or precipitation in coming into action must be avoided. The 
necessity for rapidity must not, however, be lost sight of either, but 
time should be gained rather by everyone concerned thoroughly under¬ 
standing what he has to do and how to do it, than by any visible hurry. 
Since, at the commencement of an engagement a preparatory position 
could usually be selected under cover, the actual movement of the bat¬ 
teries into position would be only over a very short distance, and it 
would be carried out under the immediate orders of the Brigade Division 
Commanders, who should have little difficulty now in ensuring their 
practically simultaneous appearance. The leader of the mass would 
superintend the position of the limbers, and of the ammunition supply 
in general, but he will interfere as little as possible with his subordinates, 
and supply of ammunition will, as we shall later have more closely to 
consider, as far as possible be left in the hands of Battery Commanders. 
The Officer Commanding the artillery (and in our service, as we have 
shown, he will often be in command of the mass) will, however, keep 
in touch with the Officer Commanding the Ammunition Column, and 
will on advancing into action inform that officer as to where he will be 
found. 
As has already been stated, the formation of a mass would usually be 
with some definite end in view, and since such end will very often be to 
overwhelm some portion of an enemy’s line by a concentrated fire, the 
distribution and concentration of fire will be a matter which must 
largely occupy the mind of him who directs it. Whether during the 
early stages of a fight, such as we are now discussing, it will be wise or 
feasible to so concentrate, is a matter on which it is impossible and un¬ 
desirable to lay down any hard and fast rules. It is enough to say that 
the best results will be arrived at in the shortest time if successive por¬ 
tions of the hostile artillery are overwhelmed in turn. 2 It is believed 
that the rules now laid down in our service represent all that is necessary 
here to say on this subject, and that they have been well and carefully 
thought out. 
Colonel Langlois, of the French Artillery, has, however, put forward 
a suggestion which is worthy of careful attention, and which, it is be¬ 
lieved, will help us under certain circumstances to solve a problem which, 
until we have more experience from modern war to guide us, is beset 
with difficulty. When engaged with an enemy who is numerically more 
powerful than are you, it may often be impossible to ignore some of 
his batteries altogether, while concentrating on the remainder. We 
are told that it may then be a good plan to engage the whole of his 
front with a portion of your batteries, and then to concentrate a very 
rapid fire from the remainder unexpectedly, upon successively selected 
1 “ It is, therefore, advisable that the whole of the batteries should be deployed together, under 
cover, immediately in rear of the position, and move into it simultaneously.”—von Schell, p. 43. 
2 Vide “ German Field Artillery Regulations,” 1892, p. 151, paras. 307-8. “ Journal of United 
Service Institution,” Vol. XXXVII., p. 947. “ Field Artillery Drill,” 1893, p. 97. 
“ The maximum effect can only be obtained when fire is properly concentrated upon certain 
objects in the enemy’s position.”—von Schell, p. 103. 
