Field service regulations for
quick-firing mountain artillery
|
|
|
Disposition
of the artillery in park.
In the park, the guns are placed in order of their
numbers from right to left at close intervals. The ammunition boxes of the fighting unit are
placed near the gun carriage, on both sides, with the gun and carriage
bags placed on them. The shaft is placed on the
carriage, the shield on the left side in front of the axis. The gun is covered with a canvas. The
battery reserve
ammunition boxes are distributed six loads per gun, and placed behind
the guns at 10 paces in two rows, with 2 paces between the rows. On the left
flank of the ammunition boxes are placed the forge,
entrenching tools, platoon bags and apothecary. Platoon bags are placed on the bags of the forge. The spare carriage
(if any) is on the left flank of the guns. The
battery train is
placed 20 paces behind the reserve in two rows, 5 paces apart. The
interval between the packs is 2 paces. The
battery commander occupies the place indicated in the text only when he meets
his heads; in other cases, he is located where it is most convenient for him
to command and observe the actions of all the ranks of the battery. Platoon
commanders, the battery reserve commander and the head of the battery train may be separated from their regulatory posts only
exceptionally. |
|
|
Marches.
The mountain artillery battery can move in column or in open formation. In
column, the guns are
placed one behind the other at a distance of 3 paces apart, but if the
road allows it and the situation requires it, the battery can also move with
guns coupled, still with a distance of 3 paces. During marches, the battery
reserve goes behind the fighting unit at a distance of 10 paces and the
train, if it is not separated from the rest of the
battery, moves 20 paces behind the battery reserve. In
open formation, the guns are deployed in one line at an interval of 40, 20 or 10
paces, and the battery reserve, if not separated, follows in a column of one
at a distance of 10 paces. The open formation, if turned to the right or to the
left, assumes a flanking position, if half inverted an oblique position. |
|
|
The firing position. As
regards the choice, marking, occupation and change of fighting position, the
text is very concise, but does not present great differences from what was established for field artillery. The occupation of the
position must always be preceded by a reconnaissance by the battery
commander, who carries it out accompanied by a trumpeter, the orderly scout,
equipped with binoculars and rangefinder, and, if necessary, even by a feuerwerker with the battery telescope. During the
reconnaissance, in addition to the orders received, the battery commander
must adhere to the following general rules: 1) show himself as little as
possible; 2) prepare the data for shooting as completely as possible before
opening fire; 3) act without wasting time. In
his absence the battery is under the command of the senior officer, who leads
it to the chosen preparatory position that must be in a place hidden from the
eyes of the enemy and as close as possible to the firing position. After
having marked the firing position, the battery commander calls the battery
with a conventional sign or with an order transmitted by the battery senior
officer. Then head of the aligning gun moves towards the
marks indicated by the battery commander and stops the gun at the marked place. The remaining guns stops so that
they fire at the appropriate interval and in the front line. Control of fire. The text lists the duties of
the battery and platoon commander and of the gun head, indicates how to carry
out the preparation of fire and obtain the initial data for shooting, the
fire for adjustment and the fire for effect, to change the target, to repel a
sudden attack, and to fire with data coming from an observation point.
Moreover, it offers some examples on how to concentrate the fire plans of the
four guns of the battery on the same point of the target. In general, the
procedures are the same as those contained in the Direction for firing in field and
mountain quick-firing artillery. Ammunition supply. Every battery carries only 128 rounds per gun
(104 shrapnel) and the park unit carries another 405 rounds (325 shrapnel).
The guns of the firing position are supplied by the shells of the gun horse boxes, the battery is supplied by the battery
reserve and the latter by the park unit. 1)
The battery
commander timely indicates the position of the battery reserve, informs
the troops of the position of the park unit, takes measures to connect them
to the fighting unit, and, when the position changes, timely notifies the
commander of the battery reserve. When the battery enters the position, the
first ammunition boxes are unloaded at the gun, the second loaded ammunition
boxes, together with the unloaded horses, are brought
to the gun horses and remain with them. When the battery leaves the position,
the ammunition horses near the guns are loaded. When the position changes or
during further movements of the battery, the second loaded ammunition horses
take the place of the first ammunition horses. 2)
The battery
reserve commander places the reserve boxes 150 to 500 paces or 5 to 10
minutes away, behind the battery, in a place hidden from the enemy’s view,
mostly outside and near the trails, but where they can be
easily found by the battery. To maintain communications with the
fighting unit he sends a feuerwerker from the
battery reserve to the guns horses, with the task of supplying the battery
with shells, reserve men, horses, etc. Then the battery reserve commander,
accompanied by a horse driver, goes to the battery commander, to find out his
intentions and coordinate with him. He must verify that the boxes filled with
shells are brought to the guns and unloaded in exchange for the spent ones,
that the empty boxes are sent to the battery reserve, that the horses with
the full boxes are sent to the position, and that the battery reserve is
promptly replenished from the park unit. When the battery is about to change
position or move, he leads the battery reserve according to the battery
commander’s orders. Sometimes the ammunition boxes may be carried by hand to
the guns by the servants of the ammunitions horses; 3)
The head of a
park unit sends a horseman to report to the
battery reserve, or to the battery, where the park unit is located. When the
battery opens fire and the battery reserve commander recognizes how many
shells are needed to continue the fire, he orders
that four loads of such shells be brought from the battery reserve to the
guns horses. When the shells at the guns run out, he orders that the required
number of loads be unloaded at the guns and determines which horse should go
after which guns. The feuerwerker of the battery
reserve drives the full loads to the position and returns the empty boxes to
the gun horses. The empty boxes at the guns are loaded onto the unloaded
horses. When the four loads of empty boxes reach the gun horses, the
feldwebel sends them to the battery reserve under the command of the feuerwerker, ordering, if necessary, to bring four more
full loads there. The battery must not be short of shells, but neither there
must be more ammunition than necessary: for
the guns, no more than two full boxes each and for the guns horses the second
ammunition horse and no more than four more full boxes from the battery
reserve. The
commander of the battery reserve sends the empty boxes under the command of a
feuerwerker of the battery reserve to the park unit to replenish them at the
latest in the evening or at night. When the battery changes position, the
battery commander notifies the battery reserve commander in time to guide him
according to the subsequent actions of the battery. If a platoon is detached
from the battery, in addition to the gun’s ammunition boxes, it is also assigned a part of the battery reserve under the
command of a feuerwerker. Replacement of the missing men and horses.
Replacement of missing men and horses is carried out by the
reserve men and horses of the fighting battery or the battery reserve, or by
the personnel and horses of the battery reserve itself, at the request of the
platoon commanders. In case of too great losses, the platoon
commanders calls some soldiers from cover or from nearby infantry units.
Damaged parts of the gun are replaced with spare
parts carried in the platoon bags at the order of the gun head. |
|
