THE TRAINING OF A HOWITZER FIELD BATTERY. 459 
In wooded or enclosed country it may be found that the service 
method of placing aiming posts cannot be carried out. On the crest 
of the hill in front of the position in which it has been decided to 
place the battery, there may be only one narrow gap in the trees 
houses or rocks, through which the target can be seen; evidently 
therefore, only one pair of aiming posts, those of the gun of direction, 
can be aligned on the target or auxiliary mark through this opening. 
If however the layers link themselves together with pieces of cord 20 
yards in length they can plant their aiming posts at equal distances 
from the posts of the gun of direction and the lines of fire of all the 
guns will thus be parallel. This plan can also be adopted in open 
country; * and if a third post be used to prolong the line of fire of the 
gun of direction down the reverse slope of the hill, the same advan¬ 
tages are gained as are claimed for the use of an auxiliary mark, viz: 
complete surprise of the enemy, a,nd cover from view for the layers 
while placing their posts thus making it possible to conceal from the 
enemy for a. considerable time the exact position of the battery. In 
this method, a ranging point deflection for each gun, according to its 
distance from the gun of direction, has to be ordered, if fire is at first 
directed on a ranging point. To ensure parallelism of the lines of fire, 
the layers must be dressed to a flank each time they plant their posts, 
front and rear, but it is not of great importance that the line of rear 
posts should be exactly parallel to the line of front posts. On the 
other hand, in the service method of planting aiming posts, the dress¬ 
ing of the posts is of absolutely no importance and should never be 
insisted on a,s the layers are thereby only hampered in the selection 
of the most favourable ground for their posts. 
9. Summary .— 
The general impression left on the mind after watching this year’s 
practice is distinctly favorable to the future of howitzer batteries. 
The experience gained has helped to remove the impression that 
prevails that they are lacking in mobility; the equipment is undoubt¬ 
edly heavy and its weight would tell in a campaign upon the condition 
of the horses ; but there is nothing in peace experience to show that 
for short advances into action they are not as mobile as 15-pr batteries. 
At Okehampton, one of the batteries advanced from behind “ Hol- 
stock Hill ” to “ The corner of the wall ” in 11 minutes; another ad¬ 
vanced from the same place to “ Oke Tor,” including the steep ascent 
from “ Cullever Steps” in 25^ minutes, the time being taken from 
the order “March” to “Action Front.” In each case four gunners 
were mounted on each of the new limbers, which carry that number. 
Those who know the ground will appreciate the degree of mobility 
requisite for such movements, the actual distance covered is, on such 
ground, no measure of the performance. 
The great accuracy of the gun, the high trajectory and varying 
angles of descenc, the perfection of the large clinometer as a laying in¬ 
strument and the large angle of deflection available on the sights, 
* It was tried at Okehampton this year. 
