(iii) Practice will be afforded in acting promptly against targets appearing suddenly and disappearing after a short period of exposure. The value of every shot will be ascertained by markers, and notified to the firer. The men will as a rule fire alternately, working in pairs for mutual assistance. When a successful shot is observed, the correct sighting as found will be immediately notified by the firer to the remainder of the squad.
(iv) Any preliminary information as to the ground and results of range-finding at long range which might be available on service should be given in the later practices in order to combine all methods of ranging.
3. Collective Field Practices.—(a) Collective field practices, if ground is available, should be fired almost entirely at longer ranges. When ground is not available for firing at ranges beyond 600 yards, practice in collective firing is necessarily conducted at shorter ranges, but such practice must be supplemented by fire-direction practices without ammunition at longer ranges.
(b) Arranging Targets.—The practice of requiring units to arrange targets or positions for others to fire at, or during a skirmish to place head-and-shoulder targets on the ground to represent themselves in position at any temporary halt, has been found to stimulate interest.
Casualty Competitions.—Falling or collapsible targets are of great value in all field practices, and may be used with advantage in casualty competitions designed to test the relative abilities of two firing lines, which simultaneously fire at separate sets of targets representing their opponents. Each man is represented by a target placed in front of the opposing firing-line, and becomes a casualty if that target falls. In this way superiority of fire is soon established by one line or the other, and fire ceases.
Section 66.—Field Practices on Classification Ranges.
1. General Rules.—The following are examples of individual and collective field practices for use on classification ranges, as used at the School of Musketry, Hythe. They are intended as a guide to officers who have to frame practices for their units. These practices and similar ones may be fired on classification ranges on which rapid practices are allowed if the following points are observed:
(i) Damage to Gallery.—It is most important, for the safety of the range, that any damage done to the gallery-bank should be made good each day, as soon as the practices are completed.
(ii) Oblique Fire.—In practices involving oblique fire, such as those in which the crossing figure No. 6 is used, the run of the figure or figures should be confined to a lateral space of 25 yards. The firers should occupy a corresponding space at the firing-point. These oblique practices must not be fired at ranges less than 400 yards.
(iii) Falling Plates.—Earthenware tiles should be used, as steel plates give back-splashes which may endanger the markers. Tiles should be placed about 4 feet below the top of the stop-butt. If there is no stop-butt, they may be placed at the foot of the gallery-slope.
2. Targets.—Targets will be supplied by R.E. (vide Musketry Regulations, Part II., 1910, para. 141).
(i) Wood.—Veneer figures can be supplied, or they can be cut out of match-boarding. Dimensions will be found in Musketry Regulations, Part II., 1910, Plate 37 et seq. For use in a gallery, the figures must be mounted on poles.
(ii) Tiles.—Earthenware tiles can be obtained. Ordinary roofing tiles are cheaper, and answer the purpose. A useful and cheap substitute is 3 bricks placed on end on a flat piece of wood, and tied together with a piece of string or wire.