The employment of the field artillery in
combat
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Approaching
the battlefield. Moving near the enemy, the artillery commander of
each section of the marching column (vanguard, main force) moves together with
the head of the troops. During the march, the safety of the artillery units
is entrusted to the column to which they are assigned, but in case of need
they sends scouts on horseback to explore the sides of the line of march. To
facilitate the march, every artillery division or independent battery sends
scouts to report the presence of any problems and, to avoid delays, the head of the vanguard provides assistance in
repairing roads and removing obstacles. When moving to unknown or difficult
to access places, if it is not possible to carry out an advance
reconnaissance of the road, it is useful, especially at night, to take guides
from local residents. To cross narrow passages the artillery moves in column
by gun, but, whenever possible, the length of the column must
be shortened. Choice
of the positions. The choice of the area within which field artillery
had to take position is determined by the tactical situation assigned to
battery; therefore,
every position must : 1)
satisfy the conditions for a successful defeat of the enemy, 2)
allow the best possible exploitation of the terrain to hide the artillery
from the enemy, 3)
not hinder the action of other troops with its fire. A
good fighting position has the
following characters : it
has a large vertical and horizontal field of fire, in order to fire at
various targets without changing position; nearby
there is a good observation point with a wide view of the battlefield; the
front has a sufficient size even in depth; the
front is as perpendicular as possible to the line of fire; it
can be occupied quickly, secretly and without encountering obstacles; the
guns can be moved further forward for close bombardment of the area in front; the
terrain under the guns facilitates the action of the guns; the
guns can be placed in a hidden position; there are no
visible objects in the vicinity of the position (mills, bell towers, separate
tall trees, mound
); if
it is not covered, it can be masked from the eyes of the enemy by various
ground features like embankments, houses, trees, hedges or bushes with the
guns placed 300-500 m behind the mask; behind
there is no clear background on which the guns in fighting position stand out
clearly; it
has a safe and closed communication route with the rear, with a slope of the
terrain to hide the limbers and the ammunition wagons for an easy and hidden
supply of the shells; it
has appropriate approaches to advance from the front and flanks; the ground in front of the guns
is soft, because stony ground increases the number of victims due to the
pieces that spring upon impact of the enemys shells. The
position must have a good observation
point, which allows the observation of the hits on the targets assigned
to the artillery and the direction of the fire for this purpose it must : have
the broadest perspective; have
the most convenient and safe connection with nearby guns, leaders and troops; be
close to the guns, to
be convenient for moving the observers and the necessary tools and devices; be hidden from the enemys eyes. Observation
points are usually placed on ridges, peaks and mounds or, in the absence of
such heights, on the roofs of houses or trees. It is desirable to see the
entire battle area from observation points, especially for commanders of
artillery divisions. If the observation post is located on or near the
battery line, the division commander can more easily give orders, direct
fire, give indications of targets, but in this case, the observation of the
battlefield, and of our infantry sometimes become difficult. Isolated
observation posts placed far from the batteries require the use of
telephones, which slows down the transmission of communications. Firing
from a covered position is the
best way to preserve the combat capability of the artillery, keeping it
available for use elsewhere. It allows batteries to unexpectedly open fire on
the enemy, simplifies the choice of positions, ensures the occupation and
change of position covertly and easily, facilitates the replenishment of
ammunition and the replacement of the losses. Furthermore, it makes it
difficult for the enemy to find our batteries, deceives him as to their
quantity and location, and reduces the effectiveness of his fire. However,
firing from a covered position necessarily requires good observation posts,
good organization of the communications and special measures for shelling the
dead space in front of it, detaching some batteries, platoons or single guns. A
masked positions can be occupied
and, under certain conditions, abandoned covertly, facilitates the
replenishment of ammunition and replacement of losses, but covers the
artillery only until it opens fire. However, it allows the commander to be
closer to their units, making it easier to establish communications and
direct fire. An
open position allows the commander
to be close to his units, to entirely shell the
surrounding area, and to facilitate rapid opening and transfer of fire to
clearly visible targets. However, it can cause the artillery to lose freedom
not only of action, but also of movement. Deploying
the batteries in a single line
facilitates the transfer of fire, the direction and action of batteries, the
communication between different groups of artillery, but to some extent
increases the effectiveness of enemy fire. Deploying
batteries by level (разполагането
на стъпала)
provides a more complete shelling of the surrounding area and allows better
use of the cover present on the ground. The approaches to the flank of the
front batteries can be shelled by fire from the
rear. To avoid restrictions in the transmission of fire, the interval between
the levels must not be less than the distance between the levels. On
suitable terrain, artillery can be placed in multiple lines, especially when
space is limited and there is a large amount of artillery. The rear batteries
must be placed at a sufficient distance behind the
front ones (on flat ground not less than 500 m) and must not fire closer than
a certain distance (for example, up to 2 kilometers). In the second line, it
is better to place howitzers batteries and heavy field artillery. The
size of the intervals between
batteries and guns depends on the size of the front of the position and the
frontal dimensions of covers and masks. Increasing the intervals reduces the
vulnerability of the artillery, but this make its direction more difficult.
The most suitable intervals between the batteries are 100 paces, between the
guns 30 paces, but if there is little space, they can be less. Uniformity in
the size of the intervals is not required. When
the artillery must immediately open fire, in the choice of position,
technical constraints are left in the background and
it is placed in any position from which it can fire at its target. At these
decisive moments, the batteries and especially the accompanying ones can
occupy positions closer to the enemy and on narrow fronts,
although in this way they soon lose their manoeuvrability. Reconnaissance of the position.
The reconnaissance of the positions by the commanders precedes the entry into
position of the artillery units and is aimed at
issuing orders that ensure the entry into battle of the artillery according
to the purpose, the intention of the superiors, the characteristics of the
place and the situation. The
artillery commander, after carrying out the general reconnaissance with the
troop commander, personally reconnoitres the area assigned to him, together
with his subordinates, including the battery commanders. If there is no time
to wander around the area, the distribution of large artillery units is carried out on the map. The
reconnaissance of the position must be accurate, but must not excessively
delay the opening of fire. In general, the time required for reconnaissance
by senior artillery commanders must be reduced to a
minimum, since the time required for the reconnaissance by battery
commanders, due to its technical nature, cannot be shortened. The
carrying out of the reconnaissance of the position and the indication of the
tasks assigned to the various heads of the artillery and to the
orienteer-officer are substantially those indicated in the Direction issued in
1905. Regarding
the approach to the positions, their occupation and preparation, the
directive reports the 1905 text. There only one addition. If a new battery
comes into action during the battle, it is necessary to narrow the front of
the position occupied by the artillery. In this case, the new battery moving
into position must not stop behind or near the artillery units already
deployed, especially if these are under enemy fire. It is
absolutely forbidden to insert the guns of the new battery between the
intervals of the guns of the batteries already in combat position. The
battery, which is to take up position between the batteries of another
artillery division, is placed under the command of
the commander of that division. The commanders of artillery units in the
battle line shall be notified of the time of entry
of new batteries into their sector. Change
of position. Although any change in position involves
interruption of fire and sometimes further casualties due to enemy fire, in
general the artillery must not hesitate to change position when the tactical
situation or the immediate needs of the other branches of the Army make it
necessary. In such cases, the change of position, is
carried out without considering that the artillery will be more exposed to
enemy fire in the new position. Small
movements of the batteries in the assigned sector of the division (movement
of less than 500 meters) are not considered changes
of position and can be carried out upon order of the division commander. The
change of position forward occurs
by order of the head of the troops. However, in offensive combat, if an
immediate decision is needed, the commander of the
artillery, the commander of the division or of a battery operating
separately, can on his own initiative order to change position, informing the
respective head. The
change of position backwards occurs
only on the orders of the head of the troop or of the sector. The
new position must be at a significant distance from the old one not less
than 800-1000 m. The artillery and the division commanders anticipate and
prepare the movement, sending scouts to reconnoitre the route and the
approaches to the new position. The battery commanders replenish the guns
with ammunition. Moving forward the division commander reaches the
new sector to reconnoitre the place and select the positions. Moving
backwards, he remains at the observation post until the entire division, led
by the battery commanders, has moved. The
change of position is carried out usually by echelon
by division or by battery with the units remaining in the old position
supporting the movement of the previous echelon with their fire. When there
are no targets to fire at from the old position, the change of position can be carried out simultaneously by the entire unit. If
possible, changes of position are made under cover. Therefore the guns are limbered out of the enemy sight to
leave the position unnoticed. The advance is made at
a quick allure (trot), the retreat usually begins at a walk. The difficulty
of changing position under enemy fire, especially in open terrain, often
requires moving at night. Batteries that subsequently go into action must
avoid taking positions in line with, and alongside, targets on which the
enemy has already fired. At the same time, they must consider that the
insignificant difference in the distance in the direction of enemy fire does
not protect against the bullets of the shrapnel. The
commanders of the reserve batteries must take into account the change of
position and carry out following an order or on their own initiative the
corresponding movements of the reserve. During
the combat, if it is necessary to replace some guns or batteries, this must be done without interrupting the action and without the
enemy noticing. To this end, the commander of the replacing artillery unit,
promptly studies the situation and the targets assigned to him, then he leads
the batteries covertly with the appropriate preparatory stops. The
replacement artillery units must not be removed from
their positions until their commander has made all preparations. When an
enemy attack is possible, the change must be carried out
in sequence, so that there are always batteries ready for action. In this
case, if the area where the new batteries must be placed
is uncovered, the replacement takes place under cover of darkness, and the
batteries to be replaced remain in their firing position until the end of the
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