CLASSIFICATION.
The most important and widely used means of communication used by artillery with their advantages and disadvantages follow:
(a) Telephone. The telephone is the quickest and most satisfactory means of communication, and is the most generally used of all means. Near the front, in areas subjected to fire it is often difficult to maintain lines and unless a line be a very carefully insulated and transposed metallic circuit, conversations held over it are picked up by the enemy listening service. To guard against such information being of value to him, telephone codes have been devised, for use in important messages.
(b) Radio. Radio provides a reasonably certain means of communication, but such messages are always intercepted by the enemy. Its use requires enciphered messages.
(c) Projectors. Projectors afford a very reliable means of communication, but their use depends, to a great extent, on atmospheric conditions, and frequently they may not be used from rear to front and are slow in operation.
(d) Flags. Semaphore and wig-wag prove fairly satisfactory only on exceptionally favorable conditions and in open warfare.
(e) Runners. Used as a last resort. Slow and wasteful but usually reliable.
In each battalion (F. A.) there are a radio officer, telephone officer, and enlisted personnel for the maintenance of the communication system.