GDG- Incidents of Long range Rifle Fire Effectiveness

[James Cameron]

<< There are several incidents from WW I which demonstrates the potential of 
accurate long range rifle fire in open terrain. Both actually took place as 
meeting engagements during the war's movement period (August 1914).  The 
Germans met the British in the first battle of Ypres on14 August 1914 where 
the young German recruits took so many casualties from accurate long range 
rifle fire of the British regulars tha the engagement was titled by the 
Germans the 'Kindermorde' (slaughter of innnocents). Shortly thereafter the 
two opponents met again at Mons.
  The Germans came to believe that the British were equipped with many more 
machine guns than they actually had as a the result of devastating rifle 
fire. . After the war, the British veterans  formed the "Old Contemptibles 
Association" and always celebrated "Mons Day", 23 August.
  It must be remembered that the Brits were using magazine fed, metal 
cartridge firing rifles, using smokeless powder. These actions are being 
cited as examples of the potential effectiveness of long range rifle fire in 
open terrain.  It is highly questionable that even remotely similar results 
could have been achieved during the ACW even given improved marksmanship 
training given technical deficiencies in rifle deveelopment, the use of 
black powder, and the fact that relatively few engagements took place in 
open terrain.
  Dick  >>

One reason for what you describe is that the British themselves had spent 
much of the Boer War on the wrong end of accurate long range rifle fire from 
the South Africans.  They took the lessons so painfully learned to heart, 
developed one of the finest infantry rifles in the world in the SMLE, and 
trained their regulars into some of the best combat riflemen in the world. 
The regulation rapid fire course called for 15 aimed shots per minute on a 
camoflaged target.  The higher rated men would qualify at 25 shots per 
minute.  Many people would be hard pressed to match that with a 
semi-automatic rifle.

Jim Cameron