510 DEDUCTIONS FROM SOME FIELD ARTILLERY PRACTICE. 
ranging and to begin to shoot for effect is dealt with under the head of 
verification later on. 
When firing time Shrapnel for effect there should 
be no “ + grazes” and very few “ + lows.” For this 
reason, in corrections of elevation during time 
Shrapnel fire “ + lows ” should be noted as 
Thus, in the last example, although two + per¬ 
cussion shell would be required at 1975, before a correction was made 
to 1950, one “ + low” would bring about that result. 
“ Lows ” should never be noted as — unless they burst on the bottom 
line of the target or below it. 
Hits whether from percussion or Time Shrapnel, may be noted as 
4- 1 
Ricochet hits and hits on cover behind which troops are posted as = 
The reason is, hits are seldom misobserved. Effect from Time Shrap 
nel may be noted as ± and as “ high-low.” The observation of effect 
is very important. By far the most satisfactory and comforting verifi¬ 
cation is effect, but at long ranges, a well-trained assistant using a teles¬ 
cope is required to observe it. When firing fast, say at about 10 rounds 
a minute, unless there is a good deal of wind, some portion of the target 
should usually be obscured by the smoke of the bursters, even at 4000 
yards. If then the target appears almost always quite clear, either the 
fuze is short or the elevation long. Dropping the latter will seldom 
do harm; though it may do no good, there is often no time for any other 
correction. Some French regulations prescribed, I believe, a rapid rate 
of fire in order to verify by commotion amongst the enemy. If there 
was no disturbance or trouble, it was known that either the elevation 
or fuze was wrong. In any case there can be no doubt that every 
opportunity should be taken to observe effect, for it can hardly be mis¬ 
observed and the bugbear of shooting is the misobservation of + ’s and 
—’s. It is very common to wait, especially when firing against artillery 
for the smoke to drift past a hostile gun in order to observe a round. 
That is always dangerous. Observation should be instantaneous. 
Fewer rounds will be wasted by repeating till one round pitches in line, 
than by one round misobserved owing to the drift of the smoke. 
The analyses all show that corrections of elevation and fuze were 
very seldom attempted during battery fire, although it must often 
have been quite clear to the Battery Commander that such corrections 
were necessary. It is very probable that they realised there was no 
time and it is suggested that some such order as " From No. 3, 2000 
yards ” should be held to mean that the order was to be taken up by 
guns in succession, without any disturbance in the interval or rotation 
of fire. 
And similarly as regards a change of fuze. If the Battery Comman¬ 
der named the gun that had Just fired in the case of a correction of 
elevation, the gun that had just loaded in the case of a correction of 
fuze, there should be no fire pauses. 
Othsr hints 
for eievation. 
4 (two +’s). 
