John Breed, Diary and Training diary, item 128

• March 30, 2017 01:05:21 Cheryl Ellsworth

  Percussion Shrapnel Fire

       Percussion shrapnel is used

  for ranging and has been known to penetrate a 24" brick

  wall also 5' of parapet

  When a shrapnel strikes the ground it either buries itself

  or it ricochets, in the latter case it turns upwards before

  
  

   Drawing of shrapnel showing how it would hit the ground and ricochet 

  
  

  A = Come of Dispersion)
  

  
  

  it has time to burst, and the bullets go up in the air by

  the time they come down again they are travelling so slowly

  as to be harmless. Therefore unless burst under the feet

  of cavalry horses percussion shrapnel are not likely to

  do much harm to troops in the open

  Even at short ranges it must burst very close to the foot

  of the target to be effective other the (cone of dispersion)

  passes over it and descends in a shower some 250

  yards beyond graze consequently a small error in range

  is a matter of great consequence

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