ARTILLERY FROM AN INFANTRY OFFICER’S POINT OF VIEW. N77 
battery where the officers and men are well dressed, the horses, harness and 
equipment smartly turned out, these are signs of energy and zeal in essentials as 
well and that stich a battery will also excel 1 in drill, manceuyring and shooting. 
REPLY. 
~ Caprain Pricupr.—Gentlemen the first question that Major May asked was 
about the premature burst of the high explosive shell. In every brigade division 
in Germany one battery has new patter n guns. I think the pattern is 1892. 
These guns are made of some peculiar new steel and the high explosive shell 
bursting in the barrel will not damage the gun. The other batteries of that 
brignde division do all their firing with high “explosive shell out of the guns of 
this battery. In war the other batteries will have to take their chance until they 
all get the new pattern gun. It is, however, considered that the chances of a shell 
bursting in the gun are so small that there really will not be a great deal of risk 
rin. In firing higl 1 explosive shell they range with ordinary shrapnel, containing 
the smoke- making: substance, which I have tried to describe and [ am practically 
certain that they use the same fuze. The battery that is going to fire the high 
explosive shell first fires for itself with ordinary shrapnel shell and gets the exact 
length of fuze requisite. These experiments that I have spoken of were carried 
owt with an ordinary field gun, not with a howitzer. It is only when they cannot 
get at troops with ordinary shrapnel that they fire high explosive shell. ‘They 
acknowledge that the effect with ordinary shrapnel against troops in the open will 
be very much greater than with high explosive shell. 
I have never seen ar tillery with an advanced-guard when the force has been less 
than a division. 
-, With regard to the question of ‘‘ How do infantry attack artillery?” I think 
there is only one answer, and that is that it must depend upon the ground, 
Certainly the very worst thing that could be done would be to advance in lines 
one behind the other, but surely against infantry fire the same rule holds good, 
for with an infantry ‘bullet there is even a eveater dangerous space than with the 
bullets in a shrapnel shell. The Germans carry 140 rounds, but I think I made 
a note of that just now. 
Caprain HEaApLAM.—147 rounds I think. That is including the nine waggons. 
Caprain Prncuur.—Yes, and the case too. I purposely did not include case. - 
“CAPTAIN Hrapiam.—Yes, I think so. 
“Caprany Prrcuer.—In speaking of our batteries, Captain Headlam should, I 
think, have said, when contemplated alterations, have been carry out our batteries 
widl carry 146 shell; there is great difference atanean the present tense and the- 
future, Captain Headlain in speaking of our equipment has spoken of what will 
be, I have only spoken of what is. I have never heard the Germans speak of the 
richt-bogen and richt-flache as being complicated, they certainly did not take long 
using-them. The richt-bogen is an Y instrument they invariably use. 
Caprarn Heapnam.—l did not say a word against that. 
Captain Pricuer.—The richt-fldche in not really used very often. I quoted 
an instance, but I said afterwards that the ordinary mode of procedure was with 
a couple of rods. It is all very well to talk about training your men to imagine 
that they are going to be shot to pieces and teaching them to expose themselves ; 
but if the men do expose themselves unnecessarily and are all shot, there will not 
be any left to fight. There are many occasions when we mus¢ all expose ourselves, 
but we should not do so unless it is impossible to obtain equally good results 
from under cover. It must also be borne in mind that troops firing from under 
cover will be firing under what are comparatively peace conditions and this will 
