Figure 3-64.--Fire in respect to the ground.
OVERHEAD fire is delivered over the heads of
friendly troops. It must usually be high trajectory,
plunging fire.
Fire with respect to the machine gun maybe fixed
fire, searching fire, traversing fire, or combined
traversing and searching fire, swinging traverse fire, and
free gunfire.
FIXED FIRE is delivered against targets that
only require a single aiming point. The depth of the
beaten zone must be large enough to include the target.
Fixed fire is continuous as long as any portion of the
target remains in the zone of fire.
SEARCHING FIRE is distributed in depth-by
successive changes in the elevation of the gun.
Searching fire is used against targets too deep to be
Figure 3-65.--Fire in respect to the gun.
included in the beaten zone of fixed fire. A burst of free
is delivered after each change in elevation.
TRAVERSING FIRE is distributed in width by
Fire with respect to the ground can be classified as
successive changes in the horizontal direction of the
grazing, plunging, or overhead.
gun. A burst of fire is delivered after each change or
during the swing.
GRAZING fire has a trajectory not higher than
68 inches above the ground. Grazing fire can exist for
COMBINED TRAVERSING AND SEARCH-
750 yards over level or uniformly sloping ground.
ING FIRE is distributed both in width and depth and by
changes in both elevation and horizontal direction.
PLUNGING fire strikes the ground from above
at a considerable angle. The danger space of plunging
SWINGING TRAVERSE FIRE is delivered
against targets too wide to cover with the traversing
fire is practically limited to the beaten zone.
3-30
