MARKSMANSHIP IN BATTLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13454, 3 June 1907, Page 7

MARKSMANSHIP IN BATTLE.

AN EXPERT'S OPINION.

. NOT OF MUCH ACCOUNT. Of late years the value of good rifle-shoot-ing has been extolled by everyone interested in defence matters. It is therefore interesting' to note that Colonel Foster, military science lecturer at the University "of Sydney, in an article which he contributes to the journal of the Australian National Defence League, practically says that the value of marksmanship in a; battle is nil. Here are some extracts from the article:—- " Now there is very good reason for doubting the usefulness of marksmanship in battle. Shooting in battle Us very different from firing at a target, where the hit of the bullet can be traced and the aim corrected, where ranges are known, and where the target is not shooting aft the shooter. At long ranges, while the firer is, as yet fairly calm, he can see little to aim at, nor can.lie,mark the error of his shots. As the opposing forces get nearer and nearer their tire increases in amount, casualties are frequent, and the nerves in consequence become highly strung, and their action unreliable. The attackers, at any rate, will be out of breath from, running. What chance do these conditions offer, amid the noise and confusion, for deliberate aim and successful shots? All that we can expect or hope is that the rifle will be kept horizontal. As the battle becomes hotter only the rare cool heads will think of aiming, or of lowering their sights already raised for the longer ranges. The great mass of men will be firing rapidly without aim, often from the hip without raising the rifle |to the shoulder, as was seen in the FrancoGerman and Japanese-Russian Avars. It is no exaggeration to say that losses in battle are little due to aimed fire, but rather to the ground occupied by troops being swept by bullets. If a man has fire discipline, and can hold his rifle in the general direction of the enemy, without firing too high, he will be as. useful in the ranks in battle as if he were a fine shot."'

A MARKSMAN'S REPLY.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE BOER ■ ..WAR. ■ . -

I Replying to Colonel Foster, the secretary of ■ the National Rifle : Association of New South Wales, says:— , „ " Colonel Foster's conclusions must, of ! course, be treated with the very greatest j respect, for it must be admitted that he links the welfare of the Empire at heart equally with most of us. His great experience also entitles his opinion to respect. jit must be admitted, however, that his statement " that good rifle shooting is practically useless in battle" comes not only as |a surprise, but as a severe shock to practically the whole of the Commonwealth. "We have apparently misled ourselves into the belief that expert rifle shooting was the cause of some of our most humiliating defeats in South Africa, where, the British army, that, " intricate and complicated machine, in which every man knows his place, and slips into it, doing his share of the work without delay or hesitation," was more than once humiliated by a handful of farmers. It now appears; however, that expert rifle shooting played little >_ or no part in the terrible experiences which the British army were subjected to during that war. That is, provided the conclusions which Colonel Foster has arrived at are correct. But the question arises, is he correct? „ Were it not, that perfection in rifle shooting has been so ■■ strongly advocated by many prominent soldiers of the widest experience, including Lord Roberts, who has for a considerable, time past devoted himself to the development of the rifle club system in Great Britain,' one' would hesitate long before challenging the conclusions -arrived at by such an authority as Colonel Foster. "We are told .the article under review ' that the word army, means an , organisation of -officered regiments grouped in brigades, and these in divisions, each of which has a competent commander and,staff, and is furnished with - transport, * without which jit caWot move.' - This is probably the case when European nations are in conflict, and fighting practically: in accordance with a sealed pattern, but after such sweeping assertions against the science of rifle shooting; and after such a bitter experience as the nation had in South Africa, are we not justly entitled to ask whether the system, he so strongly advocates iis the right system, and," even if it be so in .Europe, does it follow that it should be so in this country?' " ' ■"' ''■ ■'•■ :■■:■ ' -.-• . .

'••■"■." It has been asserted on many occasions that the .very knowledge which a British officer possessed regarding ; the science of war, according to European ideas, was his downfall in South Africa, and it was not until he had forgotten most of his brilliant learning arid acquired some of the knowledge of the Boers that he ever attained success. -" ■'■'■ . ■■'-'"":'■'."•'•"•

" It would be interesting to have Colonel ' Foster's explanation why such ft large number of British officers were killed in South Africa. ,• If I mistake not, the proportion was larger than in any previous war. It will, I think, be admitted, that rifle sliooti ing played a very prominent part therein, and a highly efficient army in other respects, but with a short supply of officers, would closely resemble the- ' number of men with rifles incapable of concerted movement or united action in battle,' to which Colonel Foster likens the Australian army. I say, then, that if expert marksmanship on the part of the Boers could bring about that state of affairs in the 'highly efficient' British army, it is "quite safe;'for this country to .continue as at present, and produce marksmen in large quantities in every part of the Commonwealth. By so doing we; not only have I the cheapest form of defence that is possible, but if our experience in the South I African war is to be taken- as a guide, where we were able to prepare large num.-bers-of men in a very short space- of time who acquitted themselves, according to all 'account*, second to none, we then have the ]material for an efficient army that will be 'able to give a good account of itself on any j battlefield at short . notice, and all this j without the gigantic expense . which is necessary for the organisation and upkeep [of well-officered regiment?, brigades, and divisions. "The British army of modern days, nor I any other army for that matter, has never Iliad even what might be called a sprinkling of marksmen in its ranks, and it is not likely to have when such opinions exist amongst prominent officers regarding the value of rifle shooting ast is put forward lin Colonel Foster's article. There was a time, in the old archery days, however, I when some attention was paid to the question of marksmanship, and. it would appear that the trouble taken to attain perfection was iustified by the results. ! " Those who closely follow rifle shooting as a means of national defence are perfectly well aware that to attain perfection in rifle shooting a man must school himself to severe habits of discipline; not, perhaps, in the way which- would be recognised by militarv officers, but, nevertheless, in a way which serves to make the man a much better unit in any body of men with whom he might be placed in time of trouble. We are told by Colonel Foster that the Germans avowedlv expect, no results from the fire of picked' shots at ranges over the point-blank distance, owing to the unavoidable error in judging distances. If such is the case, we might very reasonably ask why they go to the trouble of picking men out for their special aptitude with the rifle. "We are also told that as the battle becomes hotter 'only the rare'cool head will think of aiming or of lowering the sights already raised, for the longer range; the great mass of men will be firing rapidly without aim.' There is probably a very great deal of truth in this statement; in fact, more truth than we like to admit; but is it just to expect better results when the men in the ranks are given such scant instruction in rifle shooting? What is claimed by the governing bodies of rifle shooting, men who have devoted many years of their lives to the matt ter, is that given proper training with the rifle, which, after all, is the least we ought in fairness to do, as it is a matter of life and death -to the man concerned, we shall then produce a considerably larger number of the rare cool heads' which are referred to, and the result would more than justify the trouble and expense. ~