COAST ARTILLERY, JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery

~~77Rounds Fired, Sir"
By CAPTAIN WILLIAM C. BRALY
63d Coast Artillery (AA)
FIRST PRIZE TARGET PRACTICE ESSAY CONTEST
"77 rounds fired, Sir." Thus ended a recent night target practice
by an antiaircraft gun battery in which four rounds were fired every
fiveseconds of firing time, at a sleeve target 2% feet by 10 feet long,
towed at 87 miles per hour, more than two miles from the battery.
Tangible results: more than 300 shrapnel holes in the target.
The following description of this practice is submitted in the hope
that at least some of its features may prove of interest and benefit to
the servic~ in general and to other antiaircraft organizations in
particular.
The guns used were the 3.inch 1918 trailer mounts, with standard
A. A. fire control instruments. A slight modification in the lateral
sighting mechanism had been installed, in that the pointer had been
fastened to the lateral deflection scale by means of two small screws.
Thus when the lateral deflection was set, the gun led the sight by that
amount and the gun pointer actually traversed the piece. To facilitate
this operation the traversing handwheel was brought nearer the gun
pointer by extending the shaft about eight inches. The old vertical
backlash had still to be contended with, however.
Communications consisted of the usual altimeter data line from
B' to B"; a parallel line that, although available to the altimeters in
an emergency, was normally used for transmitting the range spotter's
report after each course; and a separate line for each element of data
(three in all) from the R. A. Corrector to the four guns.
During the months preceding the target practice season the battery
experienced the usual difficulties incident to unit training at its permanent
station which were accentuated by a serious shortage of man
power. This situation was remedied by the assignment of thirty new
men to the organization just prior to departure for annual field maneuvers
and target practice. The battery was further augmented about
three weeks later by an additional thirty men. These, together with
the original nucleus of about thirty experienced men, enabled the battery
to enjoy a complete manning table for a time at least.
Many men had to he trained for key positions, such as gun pointers
and observers, but as the associate training of the officers of two