Drill regulations for quick-firing field
artillery
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Fire control. For the
firing battery, the duties of the different commanders are as follows : – the
battery commander directs both the adjustment and the fire
for effect, taking care of technical features of the conduct of fire (range,
height of burst of the shrapnel, and, if the platoon commanders have not a
god view of the target, the direction) – he must occupy a place where he can
direct the fire and observe the results of firing in the best way; –
the platoon commander 1) controlls
that the orders of the battery commander are executed properly and the action of his guns is conducted accurately,
2) verifies the firing data for his guns and, if he can see the target,
calculates the correction in deflection, 3) verifies whether the shell goes
over the cover and calculates the lower elevation for firing from the
position occupied by the gun, 4) firing in peacetime, verifies that the
direction of the guns does not constitute a danger to the observers and the
guards; –
the gun
commander controls 1) that everything takes place properly (loading of the
guns, set of the fuzes, firing, supplying of
ammunitions…), verifying that the clinometer, the level and the bar sight are
set accurately, without slowing down the work of the gunners; 2) checks
whether the tube returns in the correct position after firing and eventually
orders the aimer and the breech-blocker to push it by hands; 3) with
progressive fire orders the successive elevations. Conduct
of fire.
The text lists the orders that the battery commander gives to prepare the
data for firing from open, masked and covered positions or from an
observation post, and to direct the adjustment and the fire for effect
according with the Direction
for firing in field and mountain quick-firing artillery,
adding many examples of firing against different targets. Disposition
of the artillery in park.
In park the guns are hung to the limber, with the
pole forward, the support of the limber lowered, the crossbeam put in the
pedestal. The ammunition wagon is placed 15 paces
behind the gun, with the pole pointed towards the muzzle of the gun. The
gunners, led by the aimer, take their usual places around the gun and the
ammunition wagon. In
bivouac the battery is ordinarily arranged in three rows : 1)
the
fighting unit with the gun before its ammunition wagon, the first supply
echelon and the battery reserve with the ammunition wagons paired back to
back, and the field forge and the car with the entrenching tools in the last
column – if the battery has a spare carriage, it was placed on the left
flank; 2)
the
gunners, the drivers and the horses of the reserve in two lines; 3)
the transport train with the field kitchen, the food supply cart, six
forage carts, and the officers’ baggage car in a single line. |
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Ammunition
supply.
Timely replenishment of ammunition is of the utmost importance and every
artillery commander is on duty bound constantly to regulate it : 1)
the
battery commander must know how many shells are available at the battery and
where are located the battery reserve, the park artillery company; 2)
the
platoon commanders takes care of the timely replenishment of the wagons
assigned to their guns; 3)
the
commander of the first supply echelon takes care of the timely replacement of
his empty ammunition wagons with the ammunition wagons of the battery
reserve; 4)
the
commander of the battery reserve arranges the means to promptly replace the
empty ammunition wagons of the first supply echelon and of the battery
reserve with shells from the park artillery company; 5)
the feldwebel, the
gunners and all the battery crews charged with the duty of supplying
ammunition must look after to prevent the lacking of shells. Every battery carries 332
rounds per gun and the park artillery company carries another 100 rounds.
Three wagons, one of supply echelon and two of the battery reserve, carry
H.E. shells, the remainders shrapnel. The ammunition of the ammunition wagon
that accompanied the gun sections is used first.
When only a quarter of the projectiles is available, the section commander
stops the fire and sends all the gunners, except the aimer, to the
shrapnel-carrying wagon of the first supply echelon. Every gunner takes one
or two rounds and transfers them to the wagon of his gun, aided by the
gunners of the supply echelon. The commanders watches that everything takes
place quickly. Then the empty wagon returns to the battery reserve, where it is refilled by the wagon limbers. The gun limbers are
regarded as the last resort and must never be emptied, unless in exceptional
cases.
At any rate, they must be refilled as soon as
possible. When two wagons of the battery reserve are empty, they are sent with a NCO to the park artillery company to be
filled. They returns as soon as possible to the battery reserve, and their
arrival is at once communicated to the head of the
supply echelon and by him to the battery commander. The replenishment of
ammunition must be carried only out of sight of the
enemy, to prevent him to discover the approaches to the artillery position.
If this is impossible, the ammunition must be carried
by hands or by horses. Communications. Sure and definite
means of communications must be established between
the artillery commander, the observation stations, the artillery batteries
and the friend troops deployed nearby. The communications
can be maintained by orderlies, signals or telephone. For this
purpose, every battery has three orderlies and nine signallers, who can work
even as telephonists. By
orderlies communications are
maintained
by sending a courier every time the situation requires it or arranging a
chain of couriers. The chain is composed by some
stations, with one or two men each, who must stay out of the enemy sight. Orders and information are transmitted from one station to
another by flags or signals. By signals, orders and information are transmitted by flags in daylight and by lanterns at
night, using the Morse code. Flag signalling is introduced
in field artillery by these Regulations
for the first time; previously they are employed only by fortress artillery.
Usually two signalling station are placed, the transmitting one near the post
of the commander, the receiving one near the battery. They must be
reciprocally visible to the naked eye or, exceptionally, with the aid of
binoculars, and must stay always out of the enemy sights. If necessary, an
intermediate station may be placed, when the
distance is great. Every station has at least two men, one to read the message,
the other to transmit it. The flag is Telephone is
regarded as the most satisfactory means for transmitting orders and
information, but it is not sure enough to replace signals and orderlies,
since telephone wires can be easily cut by enemy fire. Therefore,
visual signals must be always maintained in addition, to be
employed when the telephone service is interrupted. Every battery is
equipped with 4 field telephones with batteries and As a rule, the battery
commander is connected by telephone and by signals
with 1) his battery, 2) the observation station, 3) the head of the artillery
division; 4) the rear of the battery, 5) the friend infantry unit deployed in
front of his sector, 6) the flanking troops. Foot
instruction.
The text lists the different orders that the gun commander gives to the troops to stay in line in place, to
turn left and right, to move and to make evolutions. At walk, the length of
the pace is 75cm, measured from heel to heel; the speed is 120-124 paces per
minute. Platoon. The text illustrates
the different formations, indicating the orders that the platoon commander
gives to deploy the troops, move them and make them
pass from one formation to another. The platoon formation is close, with the
men usually placed in two rows. The platoon gathers in open formation (in two
rows), and moves in a column of four (walking column), which is
made up of groups in two rows, each group of four rows. Battery. The battery gathers
in open formation, with the platoons in open formation in two lines, lining
up side by side in a single line, and moves in route column, with the
platoons in a column of four, standing one behind the other, four paces apart.
The battery commander usually stands 6 paces in front of the centre of the
battery and moves away during battery training; the feldwebel stands 6 paces
apart, in the column behind the tail of the battery, in open formation behind
the middle of the battery; platoon commanders and platoons NCOs stands stand
in the places indicated in the platoon training. The trumpeters in open
formation stand on the right flank of the battery 3 paces to the right of the
platoon NCO, in a row, at the height of the corresponding ranks of the battery, in column they walk two paces ahead of the
leading platoon commander.
The orders given by the battery commander are like those of the platoon
commander. Division
and regiment.
In open formation the batteries are lined up next to
each other, 5 paces apart, and 10 paces between the divisions; in column they
move one behind the other at a distance of 10 paces, and 20 paces between the
divisions. The division commander stands 10 paces in front of centre of the
division, the trumpeters on right flank, the adjutant 2 paces in front of
trumpeters, and the reconnaissance officer to the left of the adjutant. The
battery commanders stands to the right of the platoon NCOs of the first
platoons, the platoon commanders and the feldwebels
as above. The regiment commander stands 30 paces in front of centre of the
regiment, the trumpeters on right flank, the adjutant 2 paces ahead the
trumpeters, the regiment staff officers in a row 3 paces to the right of the
trumpeters. The orders are like
those of the battery commander. Finally, the text
gives detailed indications regarding military reviews, parades, welcome to
the heads, awarding of honour and ceremonial march. |
