[Illustration: =Fig. 37.=--FIRING ROUND CONTINUOUS COVER: LYING POSITION--FRONT VIEW.]
[Illustration: =Fig. 38.=--FIRING ROUND CONTINUOUS COVER: LYING POSITION--SIDE VIEW.]
[Illustration: =Fig. 39.=--KNEELING BEHIND COVER--POSITION WHEN LOADING.
1. No undue exposure. 2. Watching front. 3. Trigger guard downwards to facilitate loading and sight-setting. 4. Muzzle clear of cover.]
[Illustration: =Fig. 40.=--KNEELING BEHIND COVER--POSITION WHEN LOADED.
1. No undue exposure. 2. Watching front. 3. Trigger guard outwards.]
[Illustration: =Fig. 41.=--KNEELING BEHIND COVER--POSITION WHEN FIRING.]
[Illustration: =Fig. 42.=--KNEELING BEHIND COVER--POSITION WHEN FIRING.]
1. No undue exposure. 2. Body well balanced. 3. Left elbow well under rifle. 4. Good bed for the butt. 5. Firm grip with both hands. 6. Eye well back from the cocking-piece. 7. Sights perfectly upright. 8. Rifle, but not hand, resting on cover. 9. Position adapted to the cover.
(i) =Good Cover.=--Perfect cover--which, however, will very rarely be found--will combine the following advantages:
(_a_) Affords a clear view up to the enemy’s position.
(_d_) Provides protection for him against the enemy’s fire without hindering forward movement.
(ii) =Bad Cover= involves any of the following disadvantages:
(_a_) Offers a well-defined target for the enemy’s fire, and provides no protection from its effects.
(_b_) Gives a restricted view of the enemy’s position.
(_c_) Restricts the free use of the rifle.
(_d_) Obstructs the advance of troops occupying it in attack.
(iii) =Dangerous Cover.=--Features of ground which offer clearly defined targets for the enemy’s fire, and afford no protection from its effects, are dangerous cover if occupied in view of the enemy, especially if they run parallel to his position. Common examples of such features are an isolated hedge or the edge of a wood.
=6. Penetration of the Pointed Bullet.=--A table will be found in the Appendix to _Field Entrenchments_ of this series giving the approximate penetration of the pointed bullet when firing at various substances. In order to obtain bullet-proof cover, an extra thickness of substance must be added to these measurements of penetration. Earth should not be less than 3½ feet thick to afford bullet-proof cover. If the soil is free from stones, a thickness of 4 feet is desirable. _This thickness may roughly be measured with a service rifle, 3 feet 8½ inches long._