THE TRAINING OF A HOWITZER FIELD BATTERY. 
453 
that the fire from the whole battery, 
from one section, or from one individual 
gun, is too much to the right or left, he can 
correct it accordingly with the order “ All 
guns (or right section or No. 3 gun) 40 min¬ 
utes more right (or left).” 
The deflection available on the sights 
as they are placed on the gun, viz.: ■— 
7 degrees right and 9 degrees left, 
gives a wide angle in which to 
select an auxiliary mark and to apply the 
corrections for errors of line. As the flight 
of the shell in the air can be followed with 
the binoculars even when standing at some 
distance to a flank, the correction of individ¬ 
ual guns by the Battery Commander is quite 
possible (when he can see the target) even 
during '‘Battery fire.” As a rule, however, he 
would probably content himself with judging the result of the fire as a 
whole after ranging was completed. Deflection necessary for distribu¬ 
tion of fire is ordered by sections after the range has been found. 
In the example given (see Fig. II.) the auxiliary mark was 4 degrees 
to the left of the target and 40 minutes left was judged to be the de¬ 
flection for drift and wind ; thus "3 degrees 20 minutes right deflection” 
was first ordered by the Battery Commander (i.e. t 4 degrees right, less 
40 minutes left). The Section Commander ordered 1 degree 50 minu¬ 
tes left for level of wheels and the subsequent corrections for line were 
I degree right and 40 minutes left, 2 degrees right being the order for 
distribution of fire. Each of these is chalked on the trail separately, 
right deflection on the right, and left deflection on the left. The resul¬ 
tant deflection—3 degrees, 50 minutes right—which should be on the 
sights, can thus be easily checked. The separate record of each cor¬ 
rection is especially important at drill, so as to ensure that all the altera¬ 
tions of deflection ordered, have been complied with and also for the 
information of a new No. 1 or layer who may come up to replace a 
casualty. For the same reason it is useful to mark lower down on the 
trail the elevation ordered for “ Battery fire.” It will be noticed that 
the error in line of the first round fired from a gun is caused by the sum 
total of errors in the following, viz.: —Allowance for wind, angular dis¬ 
tance of auxiliary mark (if any), alignment of aiming posts and level of 
wheels. As a rule time should not be wasted in minute corrections for 
line, of each gun, the opening of “ Battery fire ” when the range has 
been found should on no account be delayed for this purpose. 
The application of the corrections described above is not such a 
lengthy or elaborate matter as it would appear to be, nor does it inter¬ 
fere in any way with the process of ranging ; the average rate of rang¬ 
ing of one battery at practice this year was 6 mins. 22 seconds when an 
observing party was employed, and 5 minutes 3 seconds when the 
Battery Commander observed for himself. 
In the training of the layers to a free use of the deflection leaf and 
