(_a_) A section of machine guns worked forward to a concealed position 900 yards away from a German field battery in action. The section brought oblique fire to bear on the battery and completely silenced it. (_b_) A section took a German field battery in enfilade at 2,400 yards. The battery was firing at the time, the gunners fled from their guns, and the battery was silenced. NOTE.—Frontal fire by machine guns against shielded artillery can only be expected to produce moral effect. This moral effect may, however, be considerable; and, in addition, the machine gun fire may greatly hamper the supply of ammunition to the guns, etc. The Occupation of Various Positions by Machine Guns. =Barricades.=—When barricading roads, bridges, streets, etc., machine guns should not be placed on the barricade itself if equally good effect can be obtained by placing the guns in positions commanding the approaches to the barricade. =Banks.=—The banks of rivers, canals, streams, etc., can be made use of for gun positions, or covered lines of advance or retreat. =Crops.=—Standing crops often form useful cover for guns and concealed lines of advance, etc. =Ditches.=—These can often be used to enable machine guns to be pushed forward, so as to bring oblique or enfilade fire to bear on the enemy. Great care must be taken not to show above the banks of the ditch. A few men should be pushed along the ditch on the exposed flank as a protection against snipers, counterattacks, etc. =Houses.=—Houses may be used as follows:— Place the gun in the back of a room, firing through an open window, or a window from which a few panes of glass have been removed. Remove a few tiles from the roof, and fire through the opening thus made. Should a house have two doors or two windows, directly behind one another, the gun may be placed in rear of the house, and fire through these doors or windows. Place the gun in rear of the house, so that oblique or enfilade fire can be brought to bear on the enemy. If the house possesses a cellar, the gun may be placed in the cellar, a few bricks being removed, so as to enable the gun to be fired from the ground-level. In whatever position the gun is placed some protection should, if possible, be provided for the numbers, such as an emplacement of sandbags, stones, bricks, etc. It should be remembered that if the gun is located in a building by the enemy’s artillery, it may be necessary to evacuate the building quickly; arrangements must therefore be made to meet this contingency. =Folds in the Ground.=—Great use can be made of folds in the ground for the concealment of machine guns. The gun should be placed so as to enable the bullets to clear the crest, while the gun and detachment are concealed as much as possible.