ore be man-
-field is illu-
, this can be
the positions
in, that it is
ablish them.
ereo pictures
] sometimes
and a dark
building of
carried out
to personnel
comparative
to be inter-
ho has first
:h the stereo
fresh points
are used as
h have been
positions. In
emy strong-
10ramas can
ING.
> be able te
an often be
oint, which
able for use
era stations,
| one to the
cted enemy
of the plan
subordinate
t being dis-
eans of the
ind time. If
; accommo-
ndard pro-
hen possible
(681)
Orientation.
Troop leaders generally have plenty of opportunities for studying the ter-
rain before an attack, but the troops themselves have no such possibilities. Many
different methods have been worked out with the intention of giving the troops
a clear idea of the appearance of the terrain of the attack. In such cases, ground
photos, in conjunction with terrain models and aerial photographs can meet
these requirements. Ground photos give the troops a clear picture of how the
terrain looks during the most hectic phase of the battle when the advance is
made on the front lines of the enemy positions.
When ground photos of the area of attack are intended to be used as orien-
tation for troops, the best results are achieved if the photos are distributed to at
least one of every ten men. Certain detachments with special tasks, can be in-
structed with the aid of slides.
For attacks after dark, or in fog. ground photos which have been taken at
an earlier date are of great value. If, before the advance, the troops have the
opportunity of studying ground photos of the targets of attack, they can get
their bearings for orientation more easily when they are near enough to the
positions for the details of the terrain to begin to stand out. For night attacks it
is preferable to use night photos which have been prepared beforehand, together
with day photographs. In this way the silhouette of the terrain is made clear in
the night photos, at the same time that the positions of specially important ter-
rain objects are clarified in the day photos.
Orientation pictures are taken with the photographic equipment available.
Often, photos reproduced to be used for issuing orders, may also be used for the
orientation of the troops.
Giving Information About Action Technique.
If the attack is of the type where all the troops or certain of their sections,
are to be trained in advance in terrain which is similar to the real thing, ground
photos of the actual terrain of attack are particularly useful in helping to make
the training realistic.
This training can be made still more instructive, if its various phases are
photographed and then shown to the troops as slides alternatively with pictures
of the actual terrain. Going through the attack in this way, allows the individ-
ual soldier to see the exercise in its realistic connection, greatly contributing to
making it true to life. It must however be pointed out, that on account of prac-
tical reasons, the procedure outlined above cannot always be applied.
III. GROUND PHOTOGRAPHY FOR ACTION.
Indication Of Targets.
Indication of targets can be facilitated with the aid of ground photos. If a
number of commanders and observers in one and the same sector of the front
have identical photos of that sector, the pictures can be used as a basis for tar-
get indication. It is simplest to do this with the help of a ground photo which
has been square-ruled, each square being numbered. Targets inside such a square
are indicated by right-angled coordinates. For this purpose, many different
systems may be used.