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BEING THE NARRATIVE OF BATTERY A OF THE 101st FIELD ARTILLERY

Page 59

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No Man's Land; the opposite hill was in German possession. To the left, within our lines, lay Fort Malmaison, Pargny, and Pargny Filain. Directly before us, at the foot of the opposite hill was Chevrigny. Farther up the hill, and slightly to the left, Monampteuil lay in ruins. From this O. P. the Battery was registered on the Moulin Rouge in its first firing.

The first step in registering a gun on any target, is figuring the range and direction from the map. The gun is fired and the shot observed from some O. P. Corrections are then made in elevation and de­ flection until the shots are falling on the target. The actual readings of the guns are then compared with the corresponding map-ranges to establish a constant ratio which may be applied to any target pro­ vided the same ammunition is used.

On clear days we could see small parties of Boche moving about back of their lines, and, away in the distance, the spires of Laon Cathedral. The 75 is ideal for sniping, and this was a new and enjoyable game to us. Consequently, many an unwary Boche was rudely disturbed by the shriek of a 75 coming all too straight toward him.

At first we had expected a sniper's bullet if we dared raise an eyebrow above the trench, but we soon learned better. In our turn, we came to smile at the staff officers who occasionally stole stealthily down the trench, whispering warily, their shiny boots mud-stained, tin hats new and uncomfortable looking.

On February 23, the Battery fired a barrage in the 26th Division's first raid. The mission of the artillery in a raid is to neutralize the enemy's batteries and

 

 

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