eam ve of 
gro 
favourable te 
indirect fi 
140 A PLEA FOR INDIRECT FIRE. 
visible, firing on such a target. Formerly, such asituation was hardly 
possible, this we venture to think is no longer the case. One thing 
however is certain, viz., that in these days of highly trained gunners, 
an attack by the direct method, on a well posted and efficient artillery, 
will be an exceedingly costly operation and should only be resorted to 
in case of actual necessity. 
As an example of what has been stated, those acquainted with the 
ground in the vicinity of Worth, will agree that the difficulties of the 
German gunners would have been enormously i increased had they been 
opposed by the actual number of French guns available at that battle, 
_ but equal in range and power to their own, firing smokeless powder, 
Indirect fire 
Manceuvres. 
Conclusion. 
and using indirect fire, from well chosen positions behind the Worth, 
Hlsasshausen, Morsbronn ridge. 
There is one more point in connection with indirect fire which tends 
to discredit it, viz., the scant recognition which it receives from 
umpires ab manceuvres and field-days. At the conclusion of the New 
Forest Manoeuvres an umpire was heard to observe that the smokeless 
powder had proved a failure, because it was impossible to tell what the 
guns were doing. If manceuvres strive to be an accurate repre- 
sentation of war, surely small difficulties of this nature should not 
debar us from gaining valuable experience. So long as noise and 
smoke is the criterion of artillery success on these occasions so long 
will the true methods of attack remain unpractised. 
In conclusion, we come to the question. Is indirect fire worthy of 
further development or not? If this question be answered in the 
affirmative, then follow the questions (1).—Is our present clinometer a 
satisfactory one? And (2).—Is the training for indirect laying as 
thorough and practical as that for direct ? 
It is regretted that the cause pleaded for has not been in better 
hands, but it can be honestly said that the views, so imperfectly 
expressed, have been arrived at after considerable thought, and will, it 
is hoped, meet with some consideration from the readers of these 
“ Proceedings.” 
