FIELD ARTILLERY FIRE. 
205 
between 2000 and 3000 yards increase the elevation by 200 yards. 
3000 and 4000 * „ „ „ 300 „ 
4000 and 5000 „ „ ,, 400 „ 
if the next round is again observed short increase again by a like 
amount and so on until a round is observed to burst “ over.” The 
“ LONG BRACKET,” is then said to be found. 
The amount of increment may appear excessive but it is better to err 
in this respect than to fall into the error of making small corrections 
and thus, if the amount of correction really required is a large one, 
“creeping up” to the range at the cost of a larger expenditure of time 
and ammunition. 
!N"ote.—W hen a correction in elevation is ordered it is made by all the guns and not only by the 
one about to be fired. 
If the first round is observed over the converse of the above opera¬ 
tion takes place. 
Example— 
2400 yards ... ... short. 
2600 * „ . 
2800 „ . 
3000 ,, ... ... over. 
The “ Long Bracket ” is, in this case, between 2800 and 3000 yards. 
From this bracket we now proceed to find the “ SHORT BRACKET,” 
which in our service as in the German, is taken at 50 yards, or metres, 
the method is to fire a round, or rounds, at the mean of the last two 
elevations that have been observed to bracket the target. 
Thus, in our example, a round is fired at 2900 yards, which is 
observed over 
2900 yards . over. 
The target is now known to be between 2800 yards, which was short 
and 2900 yards, which was over; a round is now fired at the mean of 
these two last elevations 
2850 yards . over. 
The target is now between 2800 and 2850 yards, or a bracket of 50 
yards, which is known as the short bracket. 
The short bracket being established a series of four, six or more 
shell, known as the “ VERIFYING SERIES ” is fired at the mean of 
the elevations of the short bracket. (In France and Germany at the 
lower of these two elevations.) If the target is a horizontal one of no 
great depth, such as a line of skirmishers, one-third to one-half of 
these rounds should be observed “ short;” if the target has height 
one-fourth to one-third of them should be observed “ short.” If these 
conditions are not obtained a correction of 25 yards plus or minus may 
be made and the process repeated if the range is a long one and the 
target stationary, but it is generally the custom to pass to shrapnel fire 
without firing another verifying series. 
In cases where the target is of a transitory nature there will not be 
time to verify the range and shrapnel fire will have to be opened at the 
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