Page:Tactics (Balck 1915).djvu/168

 to regulate the volume of fire by prescribing the number of rifles to be employed instead of designating the kind of fire to be used.

In Switzerland and England, it is recommended that supports use "Fire of position" where the terrain is suitable (hilly country). The German Infantry Drill Regulations (par. 340) contain a similar provision. When the supports cannot see the firing line on account of the conformation of the ground, this fire is not likely to endanger the latter.

5. ASCERTAINING RANGES.

(Pars. 78-98, 190 and 191 German I. F. R.).

Efficacy of fire depends upon a knowledge of the range. An imperfect knowledge of the range may be compensated for by the flatness of the trajectory of the individual rifle and by the favorable conformation of the ground in respect to the cone of dispersion. In collective fire, at mid and long ranges, each rear sight graduation commands a beaten zone approximately 100 m. deep—good aim, proper elevation, and careful firing being presupposed. The nearer the target is to the densest portion of the cone of dispersion, the greater the efficacy of the fire.

The following results were obtained in Italian firing tests in which 100 skirmishers fired at a plate 1 m. high and 30 m. wide with the 6.5 mm. rifle:

=
========+==========================+==========================                    |     MEASURED RANGE. |   ESTIMATED RANGE. ++-++-                    |Slow fire |Rapid fire[B]|Slow fire[B]|Rapid fire[B] | Percentage | Percentage | Percentage | Percentage | of hits. | of hits. | of hits. | of hits. -++-++- At 500 m.           |    21.5    |    15.8     |    14.8    |    11.3 At 1000 m.          |    11.1    |     8.1     |     6 5   |     5.3 At 1500 m.           |     5. |    3.4     |     2.6    |     2.2 Average results at— |            |             |            | Ranges under 1000 m. |   18.2    |    13.6     |    12.1    |     9.3 Ranges over 1000 m. |     7.1    |     5.1     |     3.2    |     3.2 -++-++