The employment of quick-firing field
artillery in combat
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Relationship and
duties of the different heads. Giving
orders and instructions all the heads were directed
only by the tasks that had been assigned them. The responsibility for a
correct employment of the artillery bore on the head of the main unit –
Division or Detachment – to whom the artillery was attached.
The senior head of artillery assigned to the Detachment or to the Corps was
the head of their artillery. He executed the orders and directions of the
head of the Detachment. If the Detachment was reinforced
with additional batteries, they too were subordinated to the head of the
artillery. When some artillery units entered in the composition of a
contingent fighting independently, they were tactically
subordinated to the head of that sector of the front and the senior
officer of the artillery present there took on their direction. Single
batteries occupying positions in marginal sectors of the front were subordinated to the head of the sector or to the head
of the artillery unit, if he was the only one, who could direct its fire. In
combat, the batteries were directed by commands, orders and
conventional signs, the Detachment mainly by orders. Signal should not be used. Communications. Since the quick and sure
transmission of order and reports was basic in a modern war, the different
heads should be permanently connected by the most
modern means of communications, like telephone, telegraph, and heliograph.
However since personal communications might be cut off, they could be
connected also by orderlies. Having good communications with his
subordinates, the head of the artillery was able to influence the action of the
artillery with appropriate orders and instructions, and at the same time was constantly informed about the progress of the combat
thanks to timely reports. At that purpose, he should ever inform his
subordinate about his position, avoiding as much as possible to change it. Communications were assured
by orderlies as follows: 1)
every
battery and the first echelon of the park company sent a warrant officers (feuerwerker) to the head
of artillery division as soon as the march began; 2)
every
head of artillery division sent a reserve officer or a good warrant officer
(feuerwerker) to the head of the artillery of the Division or the Detachment
as the march began; 3)
every head of the artillery of a
Division, Corps or Detachment sent a reserve officer to his superior head of
the artillery and to the head of the Division, Corps or Detachment when he
left his superior. As a rule, every orderly was charged to keep communications only with one head; if
a head temporary carried out more duties an adequate number of orderlies
should be sent to him. Usually orderlies brought orders from the higher
heads; coming back, they could be charged to deliver
him some verbal or written reports. As a rule, reports to
the higher heads were carried out by adjutants, comingback
they could be charged to bring some orders. Choice, reconnaissance, occupation and changes of
the positions. The Instructions
presented the same indications of the Field service
regulations for quick-firing field artillery, detailing the duties of
the different heads during the reconnaissance of the position: – the
head of the artillery : 1) gave
directives about the enemy and the targets chosen by the head of the
Detachment to be shelled, 2) the front and the characteristic of the area
assigned to him, 3) choose the positions, distributing them among the units
under his command, 4) assigned the target to the batteries that should open
fire at first and the areas where the remaining batteries should operate, 5)
designated the artillery division, and eventually the batteries, that should
occupy observation or awaiting positions, 6) gave to the head of the
artillery divisions detailed information about the tactical situation; – the
head of the artillery division 1)
reconnoitred the area assigned to his batteries, his primary targets, the
front and the area assigned to his unit, 2) assigned the position of every
battery, indicating, if necessary, the way to occupy them, 3) designated the
batteries that should open fire at first, distributing the targets among
them, 4) designated the batteries that
should occupy observation or awaiting positions, 5) stated where the
ammunition wagons and the reserve should deploy; – the battery
commander : 1) reconnoitred his sector, setting the position of the
battery, and the place where he would stay, taking care that from there he
could observe the fire and easily control and command the battery, 2) set how
the guns should be deployed inside the area assigned to the battery, 3)
reconnoitred his target and determined the initial firing data, 4) gave order
for the battery entered in action without delay. |