458 THE TRAINING OF A HOWITZER FIELD BATTERY. 
keeping men in reserve for whom work can be found in the front line. 
This is a well recognized principle as applied to guns, and is equally 
true in regard to men. The contention that only a minimum number 
of men should be exposed to hostile fire, even if admitted in other 
cases, does not apply to howitzer batteries when firing from behind 
cover 
8. "Future possibilities .— 
The influence of howitzer batteries equipped with H.E. shell on the 
tactics of the future, the extension of their present limited role on the 
field of battle and the degree to' which they may supplement batteries 
equipped with Shrapnel shell, are matters which do not come within 
the scope of this paper, which is restricted mainly to the training 
necessary to meet present requirements. A few examples may how¬ 
ever be given to show that further development of howitzer fire is 
possible. 
The employment of indirect fire has many opponents and but few 
supporters, one of the objections to it being that it is useless against 
a target moving to a flank. It is quite possible however that a well 
trained howitzer battery should make good practice, with indirect fire 
and using aiming posts, at an infantry target moving across its front. 
The angle of deflection available on the sights as they stand is 16 
degrees; by inverting the foresight this angle is more than doubled, 
while with crossed sights, i.e., the right tangent sight used with the 
left foresight, or vice versa, an angle of 68 degrees becomes available. 
At a range of 2000 yards, and moving across the front at three miles 
an hour, infantry would remain in this arc of fire for half an hour; if 
moving obliquely to the front the time would be proportionately 
longer. During the whole of this time the Battery Commander could 
follow them with shells by a gradual alteration of deflection and ele¬ 
vation. A slight alteration of pattern in the sights would very much 
simplify the application of deflection for this purpose, but it is quite 
possible even with the present sights. 
This same angle of deflection could also be made use of for distri¬ 
bution of fire on a broad target. The effect of the blast of H.E. shell 
has, it is believed, not been definitely ascertained; but assuming that 
it has a radius of 25 yards the fire of one battery could be distributed 
over a width of 300 yards without leaving any spaces between the 
circles of destructive effect. Infantry advancing to the attack after 
the artillery duel, could to this extent be covered with shell from be¬ 
hind cover, up to the closest ranges; the deflection for distribution 
being increased as the target approached. 
There is no doubt a traditional feeling in favour of standing up in 
the open to fight it out, and if attacked by infantry which had not a 
superior artillery to support it, it would probably be better to send for 
the limbers and gallop to the top of the hill to meet the attack, pro¬ 
vided time permitted sudi a course. On certain occasions indirect 
fire will however be the best and when such is the case, full advantage 
should be taken of the capabilities of the howitzer in this its strong 
point 
