From this it follows that when fire direction is in competent hands the appearance of the enemy on the terrain as at B D will be fully taken advantage of, while firing on slope like B D¹ should be avoided. Troops will, however, rarely be in a position from which they can see a target on the slope B D. The efficacy of the fire will in such a case be more or less a matter of accident. A body of troops in broad formation will in this case receive a greater number of hits than a column, since each meter of front of the crest line receives a certain number of projectiles. It is otherwise, however, where the slope rises in respect to the line of sight. A line is more easily missed than a column of considerable depth on the march. The following data in regard to the increase (diminution) of the depth of the beaten zones is taken from the work of Lieutenant-General ROHNE on _Das gefechtsmäszige Abteilungsschieszen der Infanterie_, p. 44: ======+===============+================ Range.| Rising Slope. | Falling Slope. m. | 1° | 2° | 1° | 2° ------+-------+-------+-------+-------- 800 | ¹⁄₂ | ¹⁄₃ | ∞ | ∞ 1000 | ²⁄₃ | ³⁄₄ | 2 | ∞ 1200 | ³⁄₄ | ³⁄₅ | ³⁄₂ | 3 1400 | ⁴⁄₅ | ⁴⁄₆ | ⁴⁄₃ | 2 ------+-------+-------+-------+-------- [Illustration] The above figure, taken from Lieutenant-General ROHNE’S work, _Schieszlehre für die Infanterie_, p. 128, shows the influence of the ground on the efficacy of fire when “poor” shots are firing at a target, 100, 200 m. etc., in rear of which are other targets of the same dimensions but situated either on level ground, on a 2-degree rising slope, or a 1-degree falling slope. On a rising slope of 2 degrees the depth of the beaten zone is decreased by half, and on a downward slope of 1 degree increased by half. “The knowledge of this influence of the ground is of great importance to the tactician. For this reason I have selected ‘poor’ shots for the above example because the efficacy of infantry fire in battle will approximate theirs more nearly than any other. From this we may deduce that where the ground slopes upward in rear of a firing line, less distance will suffice to withdraw supports from the fire directed at the firing line than on level ground; and that, if the ground in rear of the firing line slopes downward, the distances must be increased unless the slope is so great or the hostile trajectories so flat that bullets pass over the crest, forming a ‘defiladed space,’ into which no projectiles strike.” On ground rising in respect to the line of sight (_i.e._, on the slope of heights facing the enemy, or opposite to commanding ground, the slope facing the plain) columns suffer the greatest losses; on ground falling in respect to the line of sight (on the reverse slope of hills and on plateaus) line targets suffer the greatest losses.