SHRAPNEL EIRE. 
191 
time shell they would have to he hurst much closer. In Fig. XI. A is 
a percussion, i? a time shrapnel, hurst 30 yds. short, at 1600 yds. range. 
Here the areas affected are not very dissimilar, hut the amount is still 
in favour of the time fuze; and although this last has the advantage of 
affording ricochet, which is entirely wanting with the percussion, yet 
since at such a length of hurst the bullets lie very close together, it 
is not absolutely required to ensure such an effect on the target as to 
make certain of hitting every man in the area. In a word, the effects 
are fairly equal. But to obtain this similarity of effect, spread on the 
target has been given up to a serious extent. The percussion shell 
30 yds. short only embraces a front of 9 men, whereas the time at 
80 yds. would cover 20. If both were burst at 80 yds., however, a 
percussion shell would, compared with a time, lose far more in propor¬ 
tion; for here the area of target it covers is comparatively much 
smaller, and while the distribution of the bullets has increased, the 
ricochet (which is therefore more than ever necessary) is wanting. 
At 120 yds. the disproportion would be even more marked. 
In Fig. Xl.a, the two circles A and B contrast the effect of a 
percussion and time shell at 1600yds. range, burst 40 yds. short; 
CD , EF } 100 yds. short. Here the difference between the two becomes 
still greater. 
At 2000 yds. range, a percussion shell 30 yds. short would only just 
touch the top of the target with the very lowest bullets of the cone, 
and 40 yds. short would miss it altogether. At 2300 yds. it would only 
just touch at 20 yds., and miss at 30 yds. At 2600 yds. it would 
miss altogether at 20yds., and at 3000 yds. at 15 yds. short. 
The loss sustained by using percussion fuzes may be very clearly 
shown by contrasting the number of bullets in an area of target such 
as that shown in Fig. Xl.a. Bange, 1600 yds.; shell burst, 40 yds. 
short. 
Time Fuze* 
Area affected. Bullets, 
sq. ft. 
Direct hits . 99 .... 61 
J of ricochet . — ... 7 
99 
Percussion Fuze, 
Area affected, 
sq. ft. 
Direct hits . 39 ....... 
There is, of course, no ricochet with the percussion shell. 
In the former case, not only is the proportion of bullets to area 
('68 per sq. ft.) rather more than in the latter (*64 per sq. ft.), but the 
difference of area affected is about 2\ times greater. 
It may be assumed that if the height of the target is 6 ft., a 
percussion shell whose centre of cone passed about 1 ft. from its top 
would produce the maximum effect. 
If this assumption is correct, the following table will give the best 
distances at which to burst percussion shrapnel for a few different 
ranges, and the number of men covered by shells so burst. The third 
68 
Bullets. 
24 
