The boys had been too busily engaged to notice that all along that low range, of which they occupied but a small part, the artillery had taken up positions during the night, and that more than two hundred guns were now commencing and with frightful execution carrying out that most terrible of all forms of modern artillery warfare, the barrage fire.
"We heard about that before we left Verdun," said Ralph. "Is that what is going on now?" he asked.
The captain nodded. "You will notice that the guns are now pointed at an angle which will carry the shell the farthest," he said.
"Is that the forty-five degree angle?" asked Alfred.
Peculiarities of Trajectories
"Yes; if we elevate the guns the trajectory will be higher, but the shot will fall short of the maximum; if the gun is depressed the shell will fall nearer to the gun. After we have demolished everything at long range, the forward end of the gun is lowered and a certain number of shots fired, each gun swinging around a little to the right and to the left, so as to reach all the spaces between the guns. Then the gun is depressed still more, and at regular intervals this is repeated until every foot of space from the longest range to the shortest in front of us is searched out."
"But while the shots are coming closer and closer to our front lines won't the Germans come up and occupy the spaces, just as before?" asked Ralph.
"That is just what we want them to do," replied the lieutenant.