Section 19.—Aiming at Service Targets, Aiming at Ground, and Marking Down the Enemy.
1. Aiming at Service Targets.—From an early stage in his instruction the soldier’s eye must be trained to discern and aim at service targets. Elementary instruction may be carried out in barracks, on the range, on ground in the vicinity of barracks, or on miniature ranges. Figures should be used representing men in the various firing positions at different distances in the open, or partly behind cover.
2. Aiming at Ground.—(i) Service targets will frequently consist of ground or cover occupied by the enemy. Fire-unit commanders will verbally indicate such targets to men, who must be trained to recognize and fire at them. This training should be carried out concurrently with instruction in aiming at figures and marking down the enemy—the latter practices to some extent will also train men to aim at ground.
(ii) Practice in aiming at ground may be carried out on miniature ranges, as described in Sec. 72, para. 2 (i), as well as in open country. It must always be carried out under practical conditions, and will include aiming at various ill-defined targets, such as a spot on a bare hillside or a stretch of grass-land. Targets will be indicated verbally by the instructor, and recruits will aim at them with rifles on aiming-rests. The instructor will then criticize each man’s aim and correct faults. Practice in aiming at ground will prove a useful preparation for training in recognition of targets (Sec. 45) and fire discipline (Sec. 47).
3. Marking down the Enemy.—(i) It is of the utmost importance that soldiers should be trained to mark down the exact position of an enemy seen to occupy ground or cover. This duty refers equally to individual enemies at close range and to hostile troops at longer ranges. Individual soldiers will mark down the enemy within close range, and fire-unit commanders and observers at longer ranges. If the position marked down affords concealment from view without protection from fire, fire may be opened after the range has been ascertained or estimated. If it affords protection from fire, the range should be ascertained or estimated, and fire-units or individual men should remain ready to open fire the instant the enemy exposes himself or resumes movement. Delay in opening fire in the latter case will lead to the loss of a favourable opportunity (see Practices, Nos. 3 and 4, [pp. 217], [218]).
(ii) Method of Instruction.—Instruction will best be carried out on the ground or on the miniature range as described in Chapter X. When carried out on the ground a fatigue-man will be sent out to the front, and directed to move from cover to cover to the front of the class which will be provided with rifles on aiming-rests. At each halt, when the fatigue-man has taken cover, recruits will note the point on the ground or cover which conceals him, and take aim at it. After an arranged interval the fatigue-man will expose himself to view, and remain stationary while the instructor criticizes each man’s aim and corrects faults.
Section 20.—Aiming-Off for Wind.
1. The Wind-Gauge.—The use of the wind-gauge is not the normal means of making allowance for wind under service conditions.
2. Judging Strength and Direction of Wind.—The soldier should be taught to discriminate between mild, fresh, and strong winds, or winds blowing ten, twenty, or thirty miles an hour. The strength of the wind may be judged partly by sensation and partly by its effect on natural objects, such as clouds, water, trees, crops, hedges, bushes, undergrowth, dust, and smoke. The soldier may judge the direction of the wind, as front, rear, side, or oblique, by turning his face fully towards the wind.
3. Wind Deflection Table for Side Winds (Right-Angle Winds).—The following figures give the approximate deflection of the bullet due to winds of varying direction and velocity at different ranges, and provide a rough guide for aiming-off for wind which is sufficiently accurate for practical purposes: