How does the danger space in plunging fire relate to the beaten zone?

The danger space in plunging fire is defined as the area where a projectile can potentially hit a target before it reaches the ground, which is particularly important when considering the effective range of machine gun fire. When a weapon is fired at a high angle, like in plunging fire, the round travels in an arc and impacts the target at a steep angle.

The beaten zone refers to the area on the ground where the majority of rounds fired from a machine gun will impact. Since plunging fire involves shooting down onto a target from a higher elevation, the danger space is indeed contained within the beaten zone. This means that the danger space represents the period during which rounds are falling towards the target and are likely to be effective, hence it resides within the limits defined by the beaten zone.

Understanding this relationship is crucial for planning fire support and ensuring that troops can effectively utilize machine guns without endangering friendly forces while maximizing their firepower against the intended target.