Plunging.
This is coolbert:
The use of plunging rifle fire employed by infantrymen [primarily on the defensive] to an engage an enemy is an anachronism probably now gone more or less forever.
"(2) Plunging fire. This occurs when the danger space is confined to the beaten zone. Plunging fire occurs when firing at long ranges, from high ground to low ground, into abruptly rising ground, or across uneven terrain, resulting in a loss of grazing fire at any point along the trajectory."
"Plunging fire is gunfire directed upon an enemy from an elevated position or gunfire aimed so as to fall on an enemy from above."
Weapons fire [rifle in this case] descending from a high arc of trajectory. NOT flat. Usually employed to engage enemy forces with RIFLE fire at long range.
But was taught to trained, skilled riflemen in the period following the American Civil War.
Rifles of the period, the breech loading single shot black powder rifle of big bore, such as the British Peabody-Martini, etc., were able to engage targets at much longer ranges than were previously feasible [longer range coupled with greater accuracy and stopping power]. Using plunging fire, trained units of riflemen could successfully engage massed concentrations of enemy troops at very long ranges.
Massed concentrations tightly bunched, in the Napoleonic style. As was even done during the American Civil War. Bunchings that when subjected to plunging rifle fire from long distances, quite often resulted in horrific casualties on the part of the attacker.
Plunging fire that could be done over very long distances, even out to 1200 meters or more. [nearly a mile!!]
[single shot black powder rifles of the era were accurate even out to long ranges. The famous Creedmoor matches of the late 1800's involved marksmen firing at three foot diameter bulls-eye targets at ranges of 1000 yards with a regular and high degree of accuracy!! Read about the Creedmoor matches by clicking here.]
These massed troop concentrations would have to advance over open ground against defenders, quite often entrenched in breastworks, who had correctly ranged [determined distance] to the targets in advance. Advancing units would be subjected to an intense barrage of plunging fire by defending troops trained in such a fire technique.
Plunging rifle fire was employed very successfully by the Turkish defenders [commanded by Osman Pasha] at Plevna [Romania], when besieged [1877] by a numerically far superior Russian force.
Russian infantry REPEATEDLY attempted to assault dug-in Turkish positions, advancing over OPEN ground.
"(2) Plunging fire. This occurs when the danger space is confined to the beaten zone. Plunging fire occurs when firing at long ranges, from high ground to low ground, into abruptly rising ground, or across uneven terrain, resulting in a loss of grazing fire at any point along the trajectory."
"Plunging fire is gunfire directed upon an enemy from an elevated position or gunfire aimed so as to fall on an enemy from above."
Weapons fire [rifle in this case] descending from a high arc of trajectory. NOT flat. Usually employed to engage enemy forces with RIFLE fire at long range.
But was taught to trained, skilled riflemen in the period following the American Civil War.
Rifles of the period, the breech loading single shot black powder rifle of big bore, such as the British Peabody-Martini, etc., were able to engage targets at much longer ranges than were previously feasible [longer range coupled with greater accuracy and stopping power]. Using plunging fire, trained units of riflemen could successfully engage massed concentrations of enemy troops at very long ranges.
Massed concentrations tightly bunched, in the Napoleonic style. As was even done during the American Civil War. Bunchings that when subjected to plunging rifle fire from long distances, quite often resulted in horrific casualties on the part of the attacker.
Plunging fire that could be done over very long distances, even out to 1200 meters or more. [nearly a mile!!]
[single shot black powder rifles of the era were accurate even out to long ranges. The famous Creedmoor matches of the late 1800's involved marksmen firing at three foot diameter bulls-eye targets at ranges of 1000 yards with a regular and high degree of accuracy!! Read about the Creedmoor matches by clicking here.]
These massed troop concentrations would have to advance over open ground against defenders, quite often entrenched in breastworks, who had correctly ranged [determined distance] to the targets in advance. Advancing units would be subjected to an intense barrage of plunging fire by defending troops trained in such a fire technique.
Plunging rifle fire was employed very successfully by the Turkish defenders [commanded by Osman Pasha] at Plevna [Romania], when besieged [1877] by a numerically far superior Russian force.
Russian infantry REPEATEDLY attempted to assault dug-in Turkish positions, advancing over OPEN ground.
Turkish troops, wielding Peabody-Martini rifles, responded with plunging rifle fire commencing at a range of 1200 meters. If the Russians WERE able to advance to within 200 meters of the Turkish breastworks, the Turks then switched to repeating rifles of the Winchester variety and decimated OVER and OVER the attacking Russian troops.
A Russian Prince would report back to his superiors, "My companies (originally 200 strong) are coming back 5 and 10 men strong!"
"Russian reporters and military analysts later said that these troops began taking hits from the Peabody-Martinis at 3,000 yards, but this must be considered an exaggeration. What was really happening was a plunging high trajectory fire that was being accurately adjusted to keep pace with the oncoming infantry (see note below for a discussion of "plunging fire"). Men were falling in fair numbers at 2,000 yards, and the losses increased as they marched ever closer to their goal atop the hills of Plevna."
Read further about Plevna by clicking here.
[this takes trained, disciplined troops to implement!!]
To my knowledge, the last large scale use of plunging rifle fire by trained infantry men was at the Battle of Mons, 1914. The first encounter in the First World War between British and German troops. German units, commanded by General Von Kluck [pronounced Klook], advancing again in those tightly bunched formations, came under fire by British troops employing plunging rifle fire at a range of 800 meters. So great and accurate was the volume of fire [and such was the extent of the casualties!!] from the bolt action Lee-Enfield rifles of the highly trained Britishers, that Von Kluck reported he had been engaged by machinegun fire!!!
This sort of thing does seem to be a thing of the past, not to be seen again. Troops of the modern era are just too smart to advance across open ground in tightly bunched formations. And defenders are just not trained to react and using plunging rifle fire, if they did encounter such an attacking formation!!
coolbert.
"Russian reporters and military analysts later said that these troops began taking hits from the Peabody-Martinis at 3,000 yards, but this must be considered an exaggeration. What was really happening was a plunging high trajectory fire that was being accurately adjusted to keep pace with the oncoming infantry (see note below for a discussion of "plunging fire"). Men were falling in fair numbers at 2,000 yards, and the losses increased as they marched ever closer to their goal atop the hills of Plevna."
Read further about Plevna by clicking here.
[this takes trained, disciplined troops to implement!!]
To my knowledge, the last large scale use of plunging rifle fire by trained infantry men was at the Battle of Mons, 1914. The first encounter in the First World War between British and German troops. German units, commanded by General Von Kluck [pronounced Klook], advancing again in those tightly bunched formations, came under fire by British troops employing plunging rifle fire at a range of 800 meters. So great and accurate was the volume of fire [and such was the extent of the casualties!!] from the bolt action Lee-Enfield rifles of the highly trained Britishers, that Von Kluck reported he had been engaged by machinegun fire!!!
This sort of thing does seem to be a thing of the past, not to be seen again. Troops of the modern era are just too smart to advance across open ground in tightly bunched formations. And defenders are just not trained to react and using plunging rifle fire, if they did encounter such an attacking formation!!
coolbert.
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