6. Duty of Soldier when separated from Unit Commander.—If, when reinforcing the firing-line, or at any other time, a soldier loses touch with his section commander, it is his duty to place himself under the orders of the nearest officer or non-commissioned officer, irrespective of the company or battalion to which he may belong.
7. Training in Fire Discipline.—The foundation of training in fire discipline will be laid in the general training of the soldier, especially in the instruction which imbues him with the soldierly spirit, and develops his character in discipline and other soldierly qualities.[25] The recruit’s instruction in aiming and firing and fire discipline will be carried out concurrently with his training in drill in both close and extended order, as laid down in the directions for the annual individual training of the soldier in Infantry Training, 1914, and other official textbooks. Training in fire discipline may commence when the recruit is sufficiently instructed in aiming and firing, and will be combined with training in extended order drill. Fire discipline can only be taught by constant and systematic training.
8. Exercises in Fire Discipline.—These exercises should be carried out progressively. In the preliminary stages of instruction men should be trained in squads, as already described in para. 9, the fire orders being simple and the targets easy to recognize. More advanced stages of instruction in fire discipline will be combined with the soldier’s training in extended order drill and manœuvre (see Chapters III and VII of Drill and Field Training of this series), and also during advanced stages of musketry training. Thus training in fire discipline can be combined with field exercises consisting of tactical schemes in attack and defence, etc., when blank cartridge is used, and with fire direction and collective field practices fired with ball cartridge on field firing ranges.
9. Preliminary Exercises.—(i) In preliminary exercises the squad will be drawn up in line at one or two paces interval, and on the command from the instructor—Sitting, Standing, or Kneeling, at (range); at (object); Fire or Rapid fire—will perform the necessary motions, and continue firing until the order Cease fire or Unload is given. If no orders are given as to the firing position, the squad will assume the lying position. The standing, kneeling, and sitting positions will only be practised under conditions suitable to their employment.
(ii) If it is desired to change front or position, the instructor will give the necessary commands, but without as a rule causing fire to cease. All commands given during firing are to be passed down the line of firers, to practise them in passing orders, the orders being taken down at the of the line to check their accuracy.
10. When the squad has gained sufficient experience, the fire orders should be combined with those for movement, as in the following example, given to a section in fours: Section, line that ridge—To the left three paces extend—At 1,000—At the enemy just left of that house on the hill, half left—Fire—Cease Fire—Advance. In exercises carried out with blank ammunition, the safety-catch will be applied, or rifles will be unloaded or sloped, before a movement is undertaken. In all fire discipline exercises the rule mentioned in Sec. 46, para. 6, regarding not bringing the rifle to the shoulder if they do not recognize targets, should be strictly observed by men for the reasons given.
11. Development of Individual Judgment.—In more advanced exercises, to develop individuality, the complete detail of commands will occasionally be dispensed with. Thus, on a target appearing suddenly for a limited time, the executive command Fire or Rapid Fire only will be given, on which each individual will adopt the firing position he considers most suitable to the tactical conditions, adjust his sight, and open fire. The instructor will observe and criticize the positions and the sighting of the rifles.
12. Instruction on Miniature Ranges.—Instruction in fire discipline can be carried out on miniature ranges during the Fire Direction Practices and Collective Field Practices contained in Sec. 74.