=7. Fire and Movement.=--It is clear from the above considerations that fire is closely related to movement. The direct object of fire in the case of attack and counterattack is to facilitate movement, and also to check or hinder the movements of the enemy. The direct object of fire in defence is to check the movements of the enemy, and in the case of active defence to create an opportunity for the assumption of the offensive or for local counter-attacks. _Fire, therefore, is related to movement, and its proper application with respect to movement is one of the principal objects of training in fire control._
[Illustration: Fig. 48 Diagram illustrating the Tactical Application of Fire.]
=8. Concentrated Fire= (Fig. 48).--Collective fire may be concentrated or distributed. Concentrated fire produces a cone of fire favourable to observation of results, and is more effective than distributed fire at the point of application. Against narrow-fronted targets, such as the head of a column or a machine-gun, or against very vulnerable targets, or to produce an increased effect at a particular point, fire may be concentrated with advantage.
=9. Distributed Fire.=--(i) It is usually necessary to distribute fire so as to keep the enemy’s firing-line under fire throughout its length, in order to disturb his aim and prevent his movements. Fire employed to cover movements or directed on entrenchments should be distributed carefully and systematically [see also Sec. 54, para. 3 (v)].
(ii) =Sweeping Fire= (Fig. 48).--Fire distributed _laterally_ is called sweeping fire. Such fire is to be preferred for neutralizing an enemy’s fire along any portion of his front.
(iii) =Searching Fire=[22] (Fig. 7).--Fire distributed in depth is called searching fire. Such fire gives greater assurance that some portion of the fire will be effective when the target has not been located definitely, or when serious errors in sighting are to be expected.
=10. Oblique and Enfilade Fire= (Fig. 48).--Both oblique and enfilade fire have greater moral and material effect than frontal fire, for they usually come from an unexpected direction, and the targets presented to them are generally more vulnerable than those presented to frontal fire. In defence, opportunities for the employment of enfilade fire may be created by careful pre-arrangement between the commanders of adjoining units.