DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 639, 16 October 1909, Page 13

DEFENCE NOTES.

(Br. Echelon.) .. . The Amiy Council has docidod that the training of infantry battalions by. double companies, may bo.permitted when, in tho opinion of the general officer commandihg-in-chief, such a course is desirable owing to numerical Weakness of tho companies;' ' For some months past I'rofessor Fesslcr, of Munich, has been studying from the physiological point of view tho effects produced by the now bullet—the S bullet—in uso in tho Germany army.' The experiments have been carried out with •■ dead bodies from the clinics and hospitals, and with live horse?. From the 28,000 shots fired, Professor Fossler has been able to investigate 4(10 distinct cases Of wounds. The bullot; according to the professor, causes terrible wounds by its failure to strike the living target normally. It tears or crushes the organic' tissues, and the bones are shattered ;as by an explosivo, complete recovery, being rendered almost impossible, or at least extremely slow. Professor ' Fessler, concludes that tho German S bullet should bo modified, with a"view'to rendering the shot inoro effective and less barbarous.

"I am a privato in one of tho london class battalions, and tho London manager of a big firm," wrote a Loudon Territorial recently on the subject of --his to date, as a member of the British Army of Home Defence. "In civil life I have to use ray brains and dirbefc the energies of my, staff. I joined the Torritorials during the boom this year from a sense of duty. I attended every recruit drill in order to mnko myself a master of tho detail work, and on my way to and from business I read up 'Infantry Training,' 'Combined Training,' and ' Musketry Regulations.' I_ (latter myself I;could pass.a stiffish examination of those text-books. 1 did not find squad drill exhilarating; to my mental capacity, but I went through with it as, ft necessary preparation for more stimulating exorcises to come. True, company,■; battalion, and - skirmishing drill gave me sompthing to think of for a whilo, but when I had thoroughly got the hang of these, I looked.forward to somo really interesting work nt camp. I was disappointed. During annual training I marched something like 160 miles, I drilled for about twonty hours', once for ton minutes I..found myself in a densely packed firing lino, and lot off twenty rounds of blank, but I .never once had occasion to uso my brain for a second. I hope to transfer,to tho Ycomahry before tho end of the year!" ... , • .

In a very short time (according to the military correspondent of tho "Sydney Morning Herald") the-- long-familiar '"bull's-eye" target shall, have disappeared, except, .perhaps,: for the winning of "pots" in'the badold-fashioned way. A, number of tho "Hill-Siffken" targots have,just been issued to 'Some battalions in depots,to assist :in. tho primary, instruction of recruits' and'young'soldiers in the nil-impor-tant matter; of acourato shooting under varying circumstances,' They sire , first to.be used to improve,the recruit's military/vocabulary, so that-he may understand the meaning of various terms used in describing natural features of the ground,' common objects in a lnndscftpo, colours,; shapes, sizes,; eto. : ■ Further instruction-.is ..to. take' the. form of aiming the rifle, at different target*, such, as folds of the grounds, points in a hei\jo or wood, or the middle of n field, which can only bo described .with .reference to certain outstanding features of the landscape that have'been previously fixed upon'as description points. The Army Council cpnsders it desirable'that some definite ,'syslom of '. such '] targets should;be followed, in each depot,' which may or may not; be the- same as that i.n use at schools of musketry. Young 6(>ldicrs are ■ themselvesto be' called upon,, to describe 1 tho position of figures or objects' ih the landscape, >as ft form or training In making reconnaissance reports, and a means of developing their powers .of;-.general observation... ,'f he.: usa; of field glasses is, to. be; practised, .and. the, targets used for explaining methods\of attack': and defence, the , use of, hedgerbws as covered •■ ap-. proachos, or methods of crossing open ground.' Fire" positions,-sites', for. entrenchments,' dead ground,': positions for; machine ,gUns, areas likely .to, restrict fire owing to obstruction in tho'line of sight, ground to be crossed; at top speed, etc., are, to be indicated as a preliminary, to'outdoor work.. The targets nre'also'ihtended:,,for .illustration,of musketry, teaching, methods of concentrating'- or < distributing fire laterally,!! CholoWno'fl tfdvge's' ; foP vl ffohtal, ' oblique, '•or 'enfilade', fire? searching 'by •■ means .of combined sights, and justification for opening fire..'-;;. ■">;: ■■ ■-■' ■ ■;>'.? '■:''

The'adva.noa made in of riflo shoot-. tng in -the"49. years' existence' of -thei Austra-' Han: Nationalßifle'/ Association,' which' this. month -entered' upon its. jubilee' year, riiay be judged: by" conlparing:' the' high scoring which is a feature of th«' present' Ka meeting ■ with • those made in the first prizo meeting of the ' association, "held- atßandwiek v on September:2B; 2i,'and;'2B,'lß6l.: 'At'.'this'meelr.' ing' the total amount of prizb money' arid trophies was'-.JGSOO,- and/the principal event ,was called < "The, First! Match," for (which twelve match .rifles, . the '■ tojtal /valuo 6f.'-'which' amounted to J3247,-were 'offered. 'This .was' won', by Trooper • Sharp,; of,tho Mounted Rifles; who soored ' 1G,.; out, of .'a .possible. 35.. ' In scanning ■the history! of. tho meetings hold,sincb,lß6l,,one. ■notes-that. the-name. of. Sergeant (now' Lieut.-. Colonel Strong) appears as competing, in. every match. 1 It .is probable that this rifle enthusjiiSt lis/the .'only volunteer left, who competed in the first prie meeting of the'association, and he-,still : spends, a few days each year .carnped on tho range,; when tho annual prize; meeting is ; being.held., Lieut.-ColoneLStrong. is .making no ohonge: iri' his habit on this 'occasion;' for he is-.oamped'on'the range, .although'in his eighty-first year.. The. only member of the original governing board of the association be-, lieved to be now alive is Mr. H. C. Dangar, H.L.C.i who still holds.office as one of the trustees.,-...'/, '..•' z': r ■ : .'; '/■-,//; :'■;■■:■".■.-'■