An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 25 FIElDCRAFT – PART 5 Aids To Judging Distance Accurate judgment of distance is a skill which the soldier must develop if he/she is to engage the enemy effectively without wasting ammunition. The two methods of judging distance previously taught are fundamental skills which, when used with certain aids, can produce accurate ranges. It is important, therefore, that every soldier is skilled in the use of the methods of judging distance and familiar with the aids that can improve a soldier's accuracy. Recce and select an area with prominent features, both natural and artificial, the true ranges of which are known to the instructor and recorded on a range card. Select the objects to be used and the sequence of use during practice. After initial practice, encourage soldiers to use either of the methods and all of the aids as appropriate, to assist in the accurate judging of the distances to targets. Indicate targets using aiming rests if available. bracketing: The bracketing technique is a useful aid under most conditions. It requires the soldier to use the appearance or unit of-measure method to estimate the maximum distance to the object and then the minimum possible distance. The estimate of the actual distance should be set midway between the two extremes, e.g. maximum distance 800m; minimum distance 500m; therefore, estimated distance – 650m. Halving: Up to distances of about 1000 metres it should be possible to select an area or object about midway between the position and the target and in direct line with it. Since it is generally easier to judge distance to closer objects, use the appearance or unit-of-measure method to judge the distance to the midway area or object. Double this estimation to produce a reasonably accurate judgment of the range to the intended target. Take care when judging the distance to the half-way point as any error at this stage will be doubled in the final solution. Key Ranges: If you already know the range to any area or object in your arc, it is possible to use that known range to judge the distance to nearby areas or objects. Key ranges may have been obtained using either of the methods of judging distance, by laser range finder, by maps or from targets that have already been successfully engaged with specific sight settings. unit Average: When a group of soldiers are together, it is possible to get each soldier, as an individual, to judge the distance to an object using either the appearance or unit-of-measure method. They may also use any of the aids to judging distance that they are familiar with, but the judged distance must be an individual effort. Because some men will overestimate and other underestimate, they will tend to cancel out each others' errors and, by taking an average of the estimates, an accurate range can often be produced. Other Devices: Certain other devices can be used to assist in judging distance but they are not generally available to all soldiers. binoculars: Most officers and NCOs carry binoculars inside of which is a graticule pattern. In much the same way that the appearance of an object can be compared with the size of a weapon foresight, so it can be compared with the lines on the graticule pattern. Practice will be needed to understand and relate the size of the lines in relation to objects at different distances. Ranging fire: When the tactical situation allows it, take advantage of the opportunity to fire at specific objects within the arc. Adjust the strike until fire is correctly applied and then note the sight setting used.

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