assing of
a dull-sounding shell was invariably preceded by a flash from one of
our own cannon in the rear on the hill, which conclusively proved it
to be an Austrian shell. It must be understood that as we were
advancing between the positions of the Austrian and Russian
artillery, both kinds of shells were passing over our heads. As we
advanced the difference between shrill and dull shell grew less and
less perceptible, until I could hardly tell them apart. Upon nearing
the hill the difference increased again more and more until on the hill
itself it was very marked. After our trench was finished I crawled to
the top of the hill until I could make out the flash of the Russian guns
on the opposite heights and by timing flash and actual passing of
the shell, found to my astonishment that now the Russian missiles
had become dull, while on the other hand, the shrill shell was
invariably heralded by a flash from one of our guns, now far in the
rear. What had happened was this: Every shell describes in its
course a parabolic line, with the first half of the curve ascending and
the second one descending. Apparently in the first half of its curve,
that is, its course while ascending, the shell produced a dull whine
accompanied by a falling cadence, which changes to a rising shrill
as soon as the acme has been reached and the curve points
downward again. The acme for both kinds of shells naturally was
exactly the half distance between the Russian and Austrian artillery
and this was the point where I had noticed that the difference was
the least marked. A few days later, in talking over my observation
with an artillery officer, I was told the fact was known that the shells
sounded different going up than when coming down, but this
knowledge was not used for practical purposes. When I told him
that I could actually determine by the sound the exact place where a
shell coming from the opposing batteries was reaching its acme, he
thought that this would be of great value in a case where the
position of the opposing battery was hidden and thus could be
located. He apparently spoke to his commander about me, for a
few days later I was sent on a reconnoitering tour, with the object of
marking on the map the exact spot where I thought the hostile shells
were reaching their acme, and it was later on reported to me that I
had succeeded in giving to our batteries the almost exact range of
the Russian guns. I have gone into this m