THE TRAINING OF A HOWITZER FIELD BATTERY. 
451 
Section officers and layers have therefore 
a great deal to attend to in placing the posts 
and only frequent practice on varied ground 
will enable them to perform this duty rapid- 1 
1 y and well. If the reverse slope of the hill 
is steep, difficulty will be found in selecting 
a suitable position for the posts. In the 
diagram (see Fig. I.) the points K and L 
alone fulfill conditions (a) and (£), namely 
that both posts should be cut by the lines 
mn and xy, but condition ( c ) cannot be com¬ 
plied with and must be sacrificed. If how¬ 
ever it is possible to select, instead of ihe 
target itself, a forward auxiliary mark which 
is at a higher level than the target, the 
ground available is at once enlarged and all 
the conditions can be met. If the posts are 
placed at R and S, they are both cut by the 
lines m n and p q, and are moreover 20 
yards apart.* 
The following additional advantages 
which result from the use of an auxiliary 
mark may be mentioned here. The opera¬ 
tion of planting aiming posts can be carried 
out without attracting the enemy’s notice; 
for, with the exception of the Battery Com¬ 
mander during the few seconds in which he 
is choosing his auxiliary mark and measur¬ 
ing the deflection, no one need show above 
the crest line or see the target. Complete 
surprise of the enemy, if desirable, can thus 
be ensured, and cover for the layers while 
placing their posts is also obtained. In the 
case of an ill-defined obscure target the use 
of a clearly visible auxiliary mark to the 
right or left of the target will give more 
rapid and accurate results than an attempt 
to point out to the section officers and layers 
a ranging point on the target itself, f When 
a ranging point is employed the interval be¬ 
tween the pairs of aiming posts requires 
attention. If the battery is far from the 
posts and the range is short, the interval be¬ 
tween the pairs of posts must be reduced 
by that fraction of 20 yards, which is repre¬ 
sented by the proportion of the former 
measurement (distance of battery from 
posts) to the latter (range from the guns). 
* The manner of using an auxiliary mark described in the handbook, would seldom be of any use 
for field howitzers; it is more suitable for siege work in which time is of little importance. 
t At practice this year one battery used a forward auxiliary mark in four out of six series ol 
battery practice. 
