4 
from view, will bring all the weight of the combat upon the other arms, who will 
thus be sacrificed. This objection is an invalid one, because in large masses of 
artillery, the only case which need be considered, as their employment is ordered 
officially, there will be no idea of defilading all the batteries. Some of them will 
be masked, but the others will be always more or less in the open. It would be 
a mistake to try and carry on indirect fire with the whole mass of guns at the 
same time, because the execution of such fire presents great difficulties; but some 
of the batteries of the mass may well be employed in this kind of fire ; and it may 
be easily understood that under these circumstances artillery may in the future 
utilise certain positions which would have been unsuitable otherwise, on account 
of the amount of cover afforded.” 
“ When several batteries have simultaneously to find the range of a target of 
limited dimensions, the fire of each battery must be concentrated upon an entirely 
distinct point, and all these points must be far enough apart to enable each 
Battery Commander to distinguish the fall of his own projectiles from those of 
the neighbouring batteries. If an auxiliary target is used, as must be the case 
for indirect fire, the direction must of necessity be corrected by the observation of 
the first shots. The errors of the first shots will be more considerable than when 
the laying is direct, and the fall of the projectiles may be confused with that of 
the neighbouring batteries, thus causing great complications.” 
“ Another reason which tends to limit the employment of a defiladed position 
by a mass of artillery, is that it is necessary that the batteries should be in a posi¬ 
tion to defend themselves, and with that view, to sweep the ground in front of 
them at short ranges. A gun defiladed behind a crest can see nothing of it, and 
this situation would become very dangerous at the critical moment.” 
“ The employment of indirect fire in a mass of artillery will therefore be limited 
to certain batteries, as is indicated by the Regulations of June, 1892. The other 
batteries, partly defiladed, will find the range more rapidly, will draw the enemy’s 
fire upon themselves, and will probably sustain greater losses ; but the defiladed 
batteries will produce more serious effects, because they will be able to fire more 
calmly, and will be less exposed to being demoralised by the enemy’s fire.” 
Such are the arguments put forward by the Militar Wochenblcitt to justify the 
employment of indirect fire in the field. They are in accordance with the ten¬ 
dency already noticed in the German Artillery to introduce the practice of indirect 
fire definitely and soon into their proceedings. 
