John Breed, Diary and Training diary, item 124

• March 29, 2017 23:05:28 Cheryl Ellsworth

  shrapnel will burst on graze if we fix the mean distance

  from the target at only 50 yards and will be practically

  ineffective. For this reason in the 18 PR. the angle A

  called the Angle of Height of bursts, has been fixed

  at 15 minutes, corresponding to a distance of about 90

  yards measured along the trajectory. This height is

  found to give 10 per cent, of bursts on graze, if the

  shrapnel are burst higher the bullets will be to much

  scattered and the pattern will be too open, if burst

  lower, then too many shrapnel will be wasted by bursting

  on graze

  
  

  When firing at "Shielded Guns", the bullets of gun shrapnel

  are ineffective at men behind the shield, and bursts in

  the air are only useful for troops in the open and

  sweeping the intervals between guns and the ground

  behind the battery so as to make the men keep close

  behind their shields

  Shrapnel effects on a "Shielded Gun" can only be

  produced by making a direct hit on it. If the shell

  strikes the gun or any solid part of the carriage

  it will disable it and the bullets will scatter among

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