FIELD SHOOT

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3440, 8 March 1932, Page 5

FIELD SHOOT

TE KUITI PLATOON. A very successful Vickers Gun shoot was held during the week-end by the Te Kuiti platoon on the rifle range. The platoon was commandered by Lieutenant E. M. Mackersey, with Sergeant-Major Temm second in command. There were four subsections in the platoon, each with its own Vickers Gun. The platoon paraded at 8.30 a.m. and marched to the range, both direct and indirect fire by the four sub-sections being carried out.

The morning was devoted to direct fire. The targets consisted of three iron plates per gun, each plate being approximately one foot square. These were placed on the side of the hill near the butts, the guns firing from as far back as it was possible to place them, the range being approximately 800 yards. A sub-section competition was carried out to test the shooting of the section numbers, this competition being won by No. 1 sub-section under the command of Sergeant H. Muller, the shooting of Corporal R. Beech, No. 1 of this sub-section, being particularly good. The object in the competition was to knock over the three plates in the quickest time. The sections fell in behind the guns and tripods, which were dismounted, and on the comma'nd of action, each sub-section had to mount its gun under its sub-section commander and open fire on the targets. Corporal Beech succeeded in levelling his three plates in under sixty seconds from the word "action."

The trophy for this competition was the case of an eighteen pounder shell, which will be engraved with the number of the winning subsection —Number I—and its commander. The trophy will be held by the subsection for 12 months and then competed for again. The afternoon was devoted principally to indirect fire. The guns were laid on the targets first of all on lines laid out by direct methods. Screens were then erected so that the target was not visible to the gunners, and the guns mounted and laid behind the screens, and fire was opened with remarkable accurate results, which were observed by the remainder of the platoon who were observing from a flank. The guns were then laid and fired by compass, and equally accurate results were obtained. A demonstration was also given of tracer bullets. Altogether approximately 12,000 rounds were expended. The shooting generally was excellent. The accuracy of the indirect fire was remarkable to an onlooker, the results being very little short of those obtained by direct fire. As the Vickers Guns have a range of 2900 yards, and are capable of firing from 500 to 600 rounds a minute, chances for direct shooting on active service are rare, and this fact has caused the indirect fire to be developed to a great degree of accuracy.