Long before computerized simulations, laser ranges, and virtual battlefields, military planners searched for inventive ways to prepare soldiers for combat.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, one of the most important challenges facing armies was training infantrymen to accurately fire upon fast-moving targets.
In 1904, the German Army unveiled a rather interesting solution.
Engineers devised a life-sized moving target that could race across a training field at full speed, pulled by a team of galloping horses.
Designed to mimic an advancing cavalry force, the apparatus allowed officers to measure the effectiveness of rifle fire under conditions far closer to actual combat than stationary targets could provide.
Moving Target Adopted By The German Army
GERMANY. — German army officers have adopted a new moving target.
In order to test the number of successful hits made by a force of riflemen upon a body of charging cavalry, a target has been invented which consists of a number of life-size figures painted on a moveable screen. This screen is connected with an immense beam securely fastened to the ground.
By means of ropes passed over pulleys inserted in the beam, the target is attached to a team of horses. The team is then set at full gallop, thereby drawing the target nearer to the beam, the infantry firing meanwhile.
The troops have developed great efficiency in marksmanship.
Source: Eagle River Review. Eagle River, Wis. September 2, 1904.
