DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 104, 25 January 1908, Page 15

DEFENCE NOTES.

tßy Echelon.)

Secretaries of Volunteer Corps and : Rifle Clubs .no invited to contribute items pt interest for insertion iu this column. . . _ The following aro tho ranges and targets for.to-day's snooting: at Yrtiiitliam: —Ranges. -rSommerrille, 500 and 600 yds; 'Collins, aOO and SOOyds; iseddon, long ranges. \ ■o l'argnts- .oil 5 boinmervillo -Range—City Billes, 2 and 3; Guards,; 4; Highlanders',.s and 6. .'Collins Rarigor-ivelburnci Ri)les, ,21 and.2S>;'Zcalan<liii'iiitlos;-22 and 23. Seddon Kango-rKarvri Rifle Club, 1 and 6 : Guards, (j, ,

D BATTERY AT. TRENTHAIL , Tho officers and mei)i of the Di-Battery of N.H.F.A.V. aro ,to. bo, congratulated on the thorough and 'bfTibiiiiitSinaituer iii which tho annual course of instruction - nt tho flutt l'arU was carried out: Tho big "shoot"-at Trentham, although a little disappointing to tho corps, iras nevertheless ail excellent display of artillery practice, when tho oxceodliigly difficult conuitions which obttliiicd wero taken into .consideration. There was, first of all, tho. prcsenco of tile smoke from tho bush fires, which( inado the light .very difficult. Then tho targets were quito iiivisiblo to tho gun-layers, who were guided ontircly by tlio Uattary Commander's observations and directions as regards" elevation, deflection arid. time. ' ■

It is contendod by somo that, the standard set is too high for volunteer artillery. That may. be,- but it is,to bo remembered that tho standard of ollicioncy depends in a Vei-y largo ■ moasure upon thq, v standard of 'attainment get. It is ho -uso rpretonding that, practice un'der any other ;coriditiohs than those which obtained o'n Sundiiy\.lsist would coristitiito service: firing." : • If. i .'for those scrim khakicoloured targets, ihlmo'st invisible,' thero had been substituted khakis-clad men, of g'rimpurposej the,!. conditions woAild have been even' nioio diflictilt. . •• , ;

• The- fuhdamontil principle of\ all volunteer training is prepkration for war; Everything in the nature :of miiitarjr • training, therefore,';must partako,. as far as possible, of the conditions of active service, and while on this subject'^the f write! - would like to refer to one point,'which' suggested itself to him while watching the Battery on Sunday last.

The, varipus scries fired .represented attacks on several, positions held by,; ,n supposed ttiemy. This attack, was made in daylight,- following upon au adrAucb under cover of darkness to./a coiiceajedj position .near tho 'point; of , attack.lt; is a ..capital • thing, in 'war,-. to 'do full jUstieo to the vigilance of your enemy, and t6 assume that his intelligence officers, outposts, otc., nre tuned to tho very highest degree, of ofiicioncy. Not. a.few of tho mistakes which have,been niade. in . military! operations havo arisen froin a tendency to uridor-rato rather Itlian over-rate the efficiency of tho enemy's forces.' _ Very well, let us assume—and tliis is a fair assumption—that moment the Bat; tery loft its concealed position, it was detected'by "the onomy. One of .tho principal considerations during,tlio next few minutes should have been the gun-teams. A -..battory without horses is liko a steamer'with a. broken crank-shaft. : It can neither advance nor retire. Ergo, .there should ,be two guiding principles for the drivers. Get your guns iiito action at once, and dopart—at a gallop. The writer does not wish' to' suggest that the drivers ignored these two principles during- the action on Sunday. Several circumstances" may have been present to render-, the fulfilment of actual service' conditions' impossible. Tho firing was'conducted in.a paddock, entrance to which was by a gate. In [actual service, the fence would have been ,cut, allowing far more, freedom in manoeuvring.. The tciims| did : not hurry from it-he firing point';. They trotted- leisurely Olr. ' On a 'future occasion it might, bo ,a pood thing to, arrange matters so that this important dei tail of'field artillery tactics may receive due attention.