New-York tribune., 1902-07-25
SHOOTING TO KILL.
HOW FOREIGN ARMIES SECURE SKILL IN
MARKSMANSHIP.

Washington. July PA volume Of great interest
to the military service made public to-day.
titled Target Practice and Remount Systems
Abroad" by Lieutenant Colonel w. A. Simpson.
chief OF the Bureau OF Military Information, and
arranged by Captain z. A. Edwards. 26th Infantry,
and Captain J. s. Heron. I'd Cavalry. 1t shows the
methods adopted in foreign countries 10 give their
troops the desired skill in shooting to kill" The
reports were compiled by the military attaches OF
the United States at foreign capitals.
In Germany the course Of instruction for an In
fantry soldier comprises preparatory instruction.
then range firing. and lastly field or combat firing.
The firing exercises conducted with great e2-
actness, and in year Of work the soldier is ex-
pected to have fitted himself to use rife well in
actual warfare. A feature OF target practice in
Germany is the ingenuity displayed in fashioning
the targets. In permanent ranges figures are ar
ranged as disappearing or moving targets, and are
manipulated from covers not noticeable from the
front. target representing line of infantry one
hundred metres long may be erected In ten minutes
by eight and may be worked by one man. BY
ingenious methods the advance of reinforcements,
the thinning OF line of infantry or the advance
of q column OF soldiers is simulated. Balloon tar
gets used to represent lines of sharpshooters
lying in trench. Imitation keeps them erect, and
when punctured by a bullet they collapse,
showing the German firing line that another enemy
has been killed The agility of sharpshooters is
represented by variety Of targets, which can be
made to pop up and down out Of trenches and from
behind embankmsnts at will Other movable tar
face of the ground by steam power or by horses.
Cash gratuities, badges and other prizes given
TO enlisted men for proficiency in target practice,
and in the Of the officers sword, a sabre or
a fine watch is presented.
The in South Africa has caused the British
service revise its musketry regulations, and the
reported changes show in nutshell what the
struggle with the Beers has taught The
regulations abolish yoey firing TO great extent,
provide a system Of firing behind cover, and
Courage Individuality rather than consolidated ma
chine work. system of field firing has been
adopted at Aldershot. Targets are placed at the
crest of a long hill, and a battalion advances 10
take the supposed position of an enemy A pecul-
lar part of the arrangement is that the advance is
the whole time subjected 10 shrapnel FIRE, which is
simulated by the explosion of small and harmless
bombs suspended the heads of the dummy
in the fort placed at their feet. Dummy
guns in the ''enemy's" position fired in the
same way. All the ground are covered pits for
the uss Of umpires, who can watch the advance in
all its movements by means of mirrors.
A picturesque feature OF the work in the Russian
army S that a certain number OF selected Of
good constitution and keen sight trained in
ciay trained men for difficult and dangerous duties
IN
The great centre of target practice work In
France is at Chalons, where every year groups OF
horse batteries regiments OF field artillery
sent to constitute almost a war footing, the
whole artillery and ammunition train OF army
corps
In little Switzerland skill In the OF the rife
is much sought after, and even before they enter
the army Swiss youths have attained considerable
degrees of proficiency.