FIELD AETILLEEY FIEE. 
269 
Founds short . [ — ] 
„ over . [ + ] 
„ doubtful ... [ ? ] 
Selection of projectile for ranging. When the range is long or the 
target is at all indistinct then the forged steel common shell, on 
account of its large bursting charge and consequent large cloud of 
smoke, is invaluable ; but, as pointed out before, its man-killing 
properties are beneath contempt. Whenever, therefore, local circum¬ 
stances render the observation of percussion shrapnel possible then 
that projectile should be employed for ranging purposes. 
Difficulties of observation and the means of overcoming them . These 
difficulties are numerous and will be discussed under their different 
headings as follows :— 
Personal difficulties. Bad or failing eyesight. Want of training. 
Smoke. Our own. That of the enemy. 
Projectiles. Our own. Those of the enemy. 
Formation of ground and position of enemy with regard to it. 
Light. Mirage. 
These difficulties cannot be spoken about without mentioning also 
many that are equally incidental to laying, the remarks made about 
the one may therefore be taken as, in a great extent, applying to the 
other. The difficulties about to be set forth being sufficient sometimes 
to almost paralyse the artillery, they are worthy of the most careful 
study, and this not alone by the officers concerned in the technical 
administration of fire, but also by the Brigade Division Commanders 
and the higher artillery leaders, for it will be shown that, by the 
action of these latter only, in the placing of the batteries and, in some 
cases, by their special initial orders as to the regulation and succession 
of the fire in the batteries under their commands, that observation 
and laying is made easy, or even possible. It will be impossible to set 
forth every combination of wind, light, ground, etc., that may arise, 
but the general remedies for each class of difficulty will be given. 
Personal difficulties. These may arise from failing or defective eye¬ 
sight, and the only remedy is to have a trained observer to assist the 
Battery Commander. 
If a trained observer is employed implicit reliance should be placed 
in him, and it is better that the Battery Commander should not look 
at the target at all; if differences of opinion arise, which cannot, as 
on the practice ground, be decided by the range party, they only cause 
both parties to distrust their own and the others powers of observation. 
An officer, especially if he be a sportsman with a good eye for country, 
almost invariably makes a better observer that a non-commissioned 
officer or gunner, as his education enables him to grasp more quickly 
some new combination which may not have occurred in his experience 
before. 
The observing party mentioned in Yol. II. of “ Field Artillery 
Drill ” (q.v.) is generally only possible when a single battery is in 
action and, as this can only happen in exceptional cases, Command¬ 
ing Officers must not get into the habit of trusting to observing 
parties for the corroboration of their own observation. 
At practice camps it is often possible to send two or three good 
