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"The Plattsburg Manual A Handbook for Military Training"

Next, take a distance more than 100 yards
and compare it mentally with your unit of measure (100 yards) and make
your estimate. Verify this estimate by pacing the distance. Do this once
a day for several months, and you may become highly skilled in the art
of estimating distances.

2. Preliminary Instruction
If you know how a soldier, or group of soldiers, looks at the different
ranges, it will often assist you in quickly making an accurate estimate
of the distance. In order to acquire skill in estimating distances by
this method one must have special exercises designated to demonstrate
the clearness with which details of clothing, movement of the limbs,
etc., can be observed at the different ranges. Have a squad march away
from you to a distance of 1,200 yards. Then have it approach you and
halt every 100 yards. Each time the squad halts make a mental note of
the distance, and then observe carefully its appearance, the clearness
with which you can see the clothing, movements of the limbs, etc.

APPEARANCE OF OBJECTS

Become familiar with the effect which the varying conditions of light,
background, etc.


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