_Second Experiment_ Range 1,000 yards -------+----------------------------------+--------------------------- | No. of Hits. | No. of +------+-----+-----+---------------+ shots. | Figs.| 5’s.| 3’s.|Total per cent.| Remarks. | | | | of figs. hit. | -------+------|-----|-----|---------------+--------------------------- | | | | | 30 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 60 | Line of sight was 3 ft. 30 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 80 | below top of obstruction. | | | | | All shots over. -------+------+-----+-----+---------------+--------------------------- _Third Experiment_ Range 1,200 yards -------+----------------------------------+--------------------------- | No. of Hits. | No. of +------+-----+-----+---------------+ shots. | Figs.| 5’s.| 3’s.|Total per cent.| Remarks. | | | | of figs. hit. | -------+------|-----|-----|---------------+--------------------------- 30 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 | Line of sight was 3 ft. 30 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 27 | below top of obstruction. 0 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 53 | All shots over. -------+------+-----+-----+---------------+--------------------------- “It will be noticed no 1’s were made. Assuming the height above the ground of the average mounted soldier as 8 ft., had a troop of cavalry mounted been 200 yards in front of the machine guns in the third experiment, the line of sight would have struck about the backs of their horses, and all bullets would have gone over the riders with at least 4 feet to spare, as proved by the experiment.... The troop mounted could have moved forward to within 100 yards of the target and would not have been struck by the bullets.” The methods of carrying out indirect covering fire will vary according to the nature of the position selected and the way the guns are to be laid. This is one of the few occasions when a battery or two may have all their guns in line close together. If the slope is a steep one, they may be pushed up close to the crest, but on a gentle slope they must be placed sufficiently far back to avoid the forward effect of shrapnel bursting on the crest line. The battery commander will select the position for the guns and will then give each gun or section a section of front to fire on. The method of marking off this section is as follows: two iron rods about 3 ft. long for each gun are painted white, and are then “laid off” from the gun to the target, in an exact line, the first being on the reverse slope a few yards short of the crest; the next on or just behind the crest line. By aligning the gun on the rods, fire is brought on the centre of the target; should traversing fire be required, the limits may be marked by similar sticks on either side.