FIELD ARTILLERY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2780, 26 May 1916, Page 6

FIELD ARTILLERY

THIRTEENTH REINFORCEMENTS' SHOOTING A TWO-MILES RANGE (By Will Lawson.) v A battery of 18-pounders—the type of giui which is doing such good service for tho British on the Western front—was clattering out of Featherston Military Camp, it v;as manned by the Thirtcentn Artillery Reinforcements, and they were going out for the practice, with live shell, at tlie targets, wliich is carried out by each artillery draft before leaving for. the front. But in this case there was a difference from any previous shoot by similar Reinforcements. For, whereas tne grentc=t number of rounds those other jieinforcements had fired was eight, and tho range a little over a mile, the Thirteenth were marching out to firo 24 rounds over a two-mile range. So, officers and men. were iu good spirits as they cleared the camp bounds, and the guns and ammunition wagons clattered along the bigli road towards the distant hills, where the shooting w;as to take place. Accompanying them were the 14th, 15th and 16th Artillery drafts, and the officers and N.C.O.'s of the 17th, who were marching out, footslogging the seven and a half miles, for the purpose of witnessing the work of the guns and profiting thereby in their training. The Widespread Camp. But even when the camp was a mile behind them, the troops were not clear of the camp, nor were they traversing new country. By the side of the road ran a thin, black wire,, At cross-roads, it leaped upwards on to tall black and white poles, spanned the by-road, and then fell to earth again, snuggling close to the fence. It was a telephone wire laid by the Divisional Signalling Company of the Thirteenth Reinforcements, and it ran from the camp to the observation post near the targets, taking the Rnamahanga River in one leap and calling in at the 'gun position on the way. Helios, too, were winking on the eastern and western hills and in the camp. From Papawai. Rifie Range, several miles away, came the popping of ' rifie and machine-gun fire, while signallers, dashing past on bicycles or on duty at telephone or Hag station were symbols of. the camp, which, as a. matter of fact, so far as training is concerned, occupies the whole of the Lower Wairarapa Plain. And the battery of four guns, with its wagons, was in touch with tho camp all the way. The Commandantknew, if he desired to, exactly what they were doing all the time. The Guns and Targets. The place where the guns were to firo fioin is a sloping piece of ground, which backs on to the Martinborough Road where it joins with the road from Glenlnorven. From three knolls and a ridge, it slopes, at first steeply and then gradually till it reaches the level. It faces the rugged line of Jury's Hills to the eastward. In the intervening two miles are ploughed lands, paddocks, a river fiat, and the Ruamahanga River. Two white spots in an almost level shoulder, halfway up a RDUr, showed where the target was. But the hundred or so of civilians who had motored out to see the firing, expressed scepticism as to the guns being able to fire as far as that. The absence of any signs of guns or other military /ictivities tended to deepen tho impression that they were at the wrong place. But the Chief of the General Staff and the Camp Commandant, who passed in a car, assured them that if they gathered on the high knolls, behind where the gifns would be, they would see the whole business. Soon a scattering of manycoloured civilian figures began to stream across the green, while the staff officers motored across the ground and uo the steep slope of the middle, knoll to await tlw coming of the guns from their midday bivouac.

The Battery's Arrival. The marching men came first, then the guns and wagons. Thev turned in at a' gateway ploughing through somß . soft ground, and the green "was"'soon dolU'U with Khaki. Ihe signallers swarmed in, too, with telephone wires and flags. But the double line of guns and wagons were the centre of interest. They came in M u ?. t0 the ,'f ft ' a ,Va e° n to the ri.ht. At the word Action front," the gun wheeled to the front, with danclinA;„ i r ,a 3 ' 0 w .n? on turncd to °. just behind 'the gun. Then the guns were iißlimbered, the horses with the limber or tore-carnage.galloping to the rear! Ihe trail on which the gun is mounted <\as seized by the gunners and swung into position to the right of the ammunition wagon, the wagon teams • having been quickly unhooked and hurried to the rear. As each gun came into action, Uio sergeant, who rides always at its side, leaped to the ground, ani handed his horse to the rlieel driver, to be taken' to itho Tear with the others. On the slopes of tile highest knoll, the artillerymen, who were spectators, were disposed, and above tliem were the civilians, including a number of women and children They were fully sixty feet above' the guns. •, No. 1 Gun Speaks, The Battery leader himself was to fire the first twelve shots, the laying of the guns being by direct aim. While the crew of No. 1 gun aimed, according to orders, there was a great stillness on the slope. Ihe whipping, stunning bang of No. 1 gun broke it. A flare of flame like an aura, ringed the black muzzle, Hue smoke rose in a thin cloud, and tlia shrill cry of the shell was a diminishing note as it fled 'to.vards the white specks on the distant spur. Right above them on the hillside a spurt of smolae Tose. A murmur of approval came from the watchers.

the second shot struck tho bank'below tho nearest mark. Tho 'third was somewhat liko the first, but shorter, and the fourth was to tho right of tbo near target. These shots worn made with shrapnel intended to explode on percussion that is, on striking a solid target and they were range-finders, thfe first two being aimed for tho outer margins of a "bracket," or area of 300 yards radius. Ihe 'third and fourth were aimed towards the centre of the bracket—it is called "shortening the bracket." la this case, the fourth shot was right on the target. The white marks on the hil'l were only guides, each gun having its separate area to iiro for, as would be the ease if a lino of trenches or troops was being shelled.Tho results of these* shots were communicated by telephone and fiass. to the battery by oL.serve.rs situati'd 500 yards from tlio targets, and wero also observed and reported by observers to the right and left of the gun position, who were able to see from an angbv what could not be seen from right behind the guns. Tho targets were so far an-ay that the observers on th» hills near them could scarcely be seen without glasses. Beautiful Air-Bursts. Having found the range., fire was opened with shrapnel, timed -to burst in the air, a little distance in front of the target. Then the flying bullets thrown out by tho bursting sholl would pepper tho target well. The first of these shots grazed the target only; the fuse was a little too long. This was shortened, and the remainder of {Tie scrrics were beautiful and effective air-bursts. Littlo puffs of wliitc smoke showed -against the green hillside, dust rose from : the ground where the bullets struck, and! a faint sound made by the bursting shfcll was heard. "It fakes 8 f-5 second from the firing of the eun till the shell bursts," an interested onlooker said, lifting his eyes from his watch. And tihe rango was just ovor 2 miles.

Aiming at Invisible Target. The guns wero nioml presently to a postion lower down, i»'»ar a line-of scrub. From there the targets were invisible, and the guns had to be laid by indirect aim. To do this, an aiming point was selected, its relative position in regard to the targets being known approximately. The battery commander 7iow took charge, ranging with his first four shots. His fifth shot grazed over, and the pistil got the target. No*-, in mimic fashion, he and tho batvsry leader were pronounced to bo casualties., and suother commander carried on. All his shots were effective air shots, except the last, which burst too high—it appeared to have struck the top of fctie hill, but that was because, it had exploded prematurely as it fell from the zenith of its high flight.

towards the target. Hags wagged on the hillside, the teams were brought forward and hooked to guos and wagons. Tele, phono wires were wound up, and the mon who were to inarch back to camp, formed into line. The big shoot was over.

The guns and wagons began to march' off, and from the far hillside a "helio" wont "wink—wink—wink," telling th« folk in the camp, 7} miles away, all about it.