SHRAPNEL EIRE. 
207 
are instances on record where the facing slope has been found to be the 
safer position. The remarks at p. 201 tend to confirm this view. 
3. In the case of infantry, even when standing in the open, their 
want of height tends to make the use of percussion shrapnel very unad- 
visable; and this is more and more the case when they take advantage of 
cover or lie down. The different conditions may be divided mainly into 
three—(1) when they are in column formation, or smaller columns in 
support; and (2) when in the extended order adopted when the enemy’s 
fire becomes heavy. Their rate of movement will in the 1st case be 
comparatively slow; in the 2nd quicker, but still not very fast; in the 3rd 
it will be at a sharp double, as rushes are made from one position to 
another. In all three there will be considerable pauses; during which, 
however, advantage will be taken of cover, or the men will at least 
lie down. 
The shelter will, in the case of the attacking line, be natural obstacles 
-—such as the reverse slopes of hills, banks, ditches, hedges, woods, &c .; 
but in all cases where the defenders have well chosen positions, they 
must to a very great extent expose themselves in the open. On the 
part of the defence, field works (often on a large scale), shelter 
trenches, gun pits, and buildings rendered defensible will be largely 
made use of. 
1. The power of common shell against columns has been proved to 
be very slight. It is to shrapnel that we must look again for good 
results. 
Under certain circumstances percussion shrapnel may have to be used. 
The best place to burst them seems to be on the front rank or in the 
column itself. At very short ranges they might be burst close to the 
front rank; but at such ranges it is very unlikely that columns would 
expose themselves, and it is only in the case of a surprise that such 
would be the case. 
Time shrapnel, with their power of covering the whole column from 
front to rear, will undoubtedly offer the best chance of success; and they 
should consequently always be used when possible. They should be 
directed on the centre of the column, and burst at the distances in front 
of it already laid down for the different ranges. The recommendation 
often given is to lay at the head of the column ; but this necessitates 
wasting a large portion of the cone of dispersion on the ground in front, 
and the rear companies may hardly be reached with an effective and 
well spread fire. 
2. As will have been seen from the Okehampton experiments, an 
attacking line in extended order is exposed to very severe treatment 
by a battery immediately in their front; and this is due very much to 
the great amount of ground which time shrapnel can cover with effective 
bullets in the direction of the line of fire. Percussion shrapnel were un¬ 
fortunately not tried under the same conditions, but it is hardly probable 
that they would do anything -like the same work. 
A glance at the plans of the ground covered by shrapnel, which 
accompany this paper, will show that the projectile would be most 
