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[Crown Copyright Reserved.]

FIELD ARTILLERY TRAINING. 1914.

GENERAL STAFF, WAR OFFICE.

LONDON:

PRINTED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF HIS MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE By HARRISON and SONS, 45-47, St. Martin’s Lane, W.C., Printers in Ordinary to His Majesty.

To be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from WYMAN and SONS, Limited, 29, Breams Buildings, Fetter Lane, E.C., and 54, St. Mary Street, Cardiff; or H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE (Scottish Branch), 23, Forth Street, Edinburgh: or E. PONSONBY, Limited, 116, Grafton Street, Dublin; or from the Agencies in the British Colonies and Dependencies, the United States of America and other Foreign Countries of T. FISHER UNWIN, Limited, London, W.C.

Price Ninepence.

This Manual is issued by command of the Army Council. It deals with the general principles which are to govern the training in peace and leading in war of Horse, Field, Mountain, and Heavy Artillery, and forms the basis of the Training of R.G.A. Companies armed with movable armament. The attention of commanders is drawn to “Training and Manœuvre Regulations,” Section 2.

Any enunciation by officers responsible for training, of principles other than those contained in this Manual, or any practice of methods not based on those principles, is forbidden as tending to cause confusion of thought and to prejudice successful co-operation in war.

War Office, S.W. 9th April, 1914.

CONTENTS.

Sec. Page.

Definitions 1

CHAPTER I. PRINCIPLES OF TRAINING.

1. Object and method of training 7

2. Responsibility for training 8

Training of Recruits.

3. Preliminary training of recruits 10

4. Recruit training in the battery 14

The Annual Training of the Soldier.

5. System of training 14

Individual Training.

6. General instructions 15

Collective Training.

7. Section training 17

8. Battery training 17

9. Brigade training 19

10. Annual practice 20

11. Divisional artillery training 21

12. Training of Special Reserve and Territorial

artillery and of the artillery of the

Overseas Dominions 22

CHAPTER II. DISMOUNTED DRILL WITH AND WITHOUT ARMS.

Squad Drill With Intervals.

13. General instructions 23

14. Position and movements at the halt 24

15. Saluting 27

16. Movements 29

Squad Drill in Single Rank.

17. General instructions 35

18. Movements 36

Squad Drill in Two Ranks.

19. General instructions 38

20. Movements 39

Rifle Drill.

21. General instructions 44

22. Rifle exercises 44

23. Inspection of arms 51

24. Guards and compliments 53

CHAPTER III. EQUITATION AND DRIVING.

25. Standard required of men and horses 54

26. Horsemastership 55

27. Paces of the horse 58

28. Terms used in equitation 58

Fitting Saddlery.

29. How to fit a saddle 59

30. Saddling 61

31. Bridling 63

32. Miscellaneous details 65

Riding.

33. General instructions 66

34. Hints to instructors 68

35. Preliminary training 71

36. First lessons to the recruit 71

37. Mounting and dismounting 73

38. The seat 75

39. How to hold the reins 76

40. Position in the saddle at attention 79

41. First movements on horseback 80

42. Teaching the recruit how to ride his horse

over a fence 81

43. The aids 83

44. Bending 86

45. Spurs 89

46. Various exercises 89

47. Paying compliments mounted without arms 92

48. Leading horses 92

49. Securing horses 92

50. Riding with the sword 95

51. Riding with the rifle 98

52. Revolver shooting 101

Driving.

53. General principles 102

54. Fitting harness 102

55. Position of a driver standing to his horses

and mounted 104

56. Use of the whip 105

57. Driving without vehicles 106

58. Hooking in and unhooking 106

59. Traces 107

60. Moving off 108

61. Halting 108

62. Wheeling to the right 108

63. Wheeling to the left 109

64. Wheeling about 109

65. Unlimbering 110

66. Limbering up 110

67. Driving up steep hills 111

68. Jibbing 112

69. Driving down hill 113

70. Applying the brake 113

71. Reversing in narrow roads 113

72. Driving a pair of horses from the box 113

Training the Young Horse.

73. General principles 116

74. First stage 118

75. Second stage 120

76. Teaching a horse to stand still without being held 123

77. Teaching the young horse to jump 123

78. Third stage 124

Riding and Retraining Awkward Horses.

79. General remarks 126

80. Pullers 127

81. Refusers 128

82. Horses that rush at their fences 130

83. Horses that decline to leave the ranks and

“fretting” horses 130

84. Horses that decline to stand still when

being mounted 131

85. General vice and bad temper 132

86. Refractory draught horses 132

Care and Disposal of Saddlery and Harness.

87. Care of saddlery and harness 133

88. Disposal of saddlery and harness in harness

rooms or stables 134

89. Disposal of saddlery and harness in bivouac 135

Care of Wagons.

90. General instructions 136

Loading a Wagon or Cart.

91. General instructions 136

Special Instructions for Mountain Artillery.

92. Position of driver 137

93. Fitting saddlery of ordnance mules 138

94. Training young mules 139

95. Leading mules 140

CHAPTER IV. GUNNERY.

96. General instructions 142

97. Gunnery terms 142

98. Natures of artillery fire 144

99. Gunnery 145

100. Rifling 147

101. Centring 147

102. Forces acting on a shell in the bore 148

Forces Acting on a Shell During Flight.

103. The resistance of the air 148

104. The force of gravity 149

105. Trajectory 151

106. Elevation 151

107. Causes affecting the accuracy of shooting 154

Ammunition.

108. Cordite 155

109. Lyddite shell 157

110. Shrapnel shell 157

111. Star shell 161

112. Time and percussion fuzes 161

113. Fuze indicator 162

114. Range tables 166

CHAPTER V. LAYING.

115. General instructions 172

116. Direct laying 173

117. Indirect laying 175

118. Angle of sight 176

119. Deflection 178

120. Aiming points 181

121. Clearing the crest 181

122. Parallelism of lines of fire 182

123. Displacement 186

124. Gun layers and fuze setters 190

CHAPTER VI. MOUNTED DRILL.

125. General instructions 191

126. Falling in for parade 194

127. Intervals and distances 195

128. Frontages and depths 196

129. Posts of officers, N.C.Os., etc. 197

130. Commands and signals 201

131. Leading and dressing 206

132. Wheeling 207

133. Markers 208

134. The battery of horse artillery 209

135. The field battery 213

136. The mountain battery 214

137. The heavy battery 214

138. Battery drill 215

139. Brigade drill 222

CHAPTER VII. EMPLOYMENT OF ARTILLERY IN WAR.

140. General instructions 227

Characteristics of Field Artillery.

141. Field guns 227

142. Field howitzers 228

143. Heavy artillery 229

144. Mountain artillery 229

Principles of Employment.

145. Objects of fire 230

146. Concealment 231

147. Economy of force 232

148. Protection 234

149. Intercommunication 235

Co-operation of Aircraft with Artillery.

150. Employment of aircraft 238

151. Signalling from aircraft 239

152. Signalling from the ground to aircraft 239

Duties of Divisional Artillery Commander.

153. General instructions 240

Artillery in Attack.

154. Action of the advanced guard artillery 245

155. Opening phase of the attack 246

156. Second phase of the attack 247

157. Third phase of the attack 250

Artillery in Defence.

158. General instructions and preliminary measures 252

159. Opening phase of the defence 255

160. Second phase of the defence 256

161. Third phase of the defence 257

Counter-Attacks.

162. Artillery support to local counter-attacks 258

163. Artillery support to the decisive counter-attack 258

Artillery in Wood and Village Fighting.

163A. The employment of artillery in wood fighting 259

163B. Artillery in the attack and defence of villages 261

Artillery in Night Operations.

164. General instructions 261

Artillery in Retirements and Retreats.

165. Retirements 263

166. Rearguards 264

Employment of Horse Artillery with Cavalry.

167. General instructions 265

168. Position on the march 267

169. Escorts 267

170. The approach march 268

171. The advance into action 270

172. The fight 272

173. Pursuit or retreat 273

174. Horse artillery with cavalry acting dismounted 273

175. Horse artillery in a general engagement 275

176. Ammunition supply 275

Mobile Artillery in the Attack and Defence of a Fortress.

177. The attack 276

178. The defence 277

Artillery in Irregular Warfare.

179. General principles 278

CHAPTER VIII. BRIGADE TACTICS.

180. General instructions 280

181. Reconnaissance 280

182. Leading 283

183. Ground scouts 284

184. Occupation of a position 286

185. Intercommunication service 288

186. Allotting objectives and ranging 288

187. Observation and control 290

188. Change of position 291

189. Night firing 292

CHAPTER IX. BATTERY TACTICS.

190. General instructions 293

191. Preparation for action 294

192. Reconnaissance of a position 295

193. Methods of occupying a position 297

194. Orders 300

195. Advance for action 302

196. To come into action 303

197. Duties of officers, etc., in action 308

198. Laying out the line of fire 310

199. Observation of fire 316

200. Look-out men 319

201. Control of fire 320

202. Methods of fire 323

203. Location of targets from aircraft 324

204. Observation of fire from aircraft 325

205. Signals from and to aeroplanes 328

206. Observation of fire from kites 329

Ranging.

207. General Instructions 330

208. To find the elevation 331

209. To find the fuze 334

210. To find the line 335

Ranging for Howitzers and Heavy Guns.

211. General instructions 336

212. Howitzers 336

213. Heavy batteries 338

Distribution of Fire.

214. General principles 338

215. Searching 341

216. Sweeping 342

217. Change of target 343

Methods of Engaging Various Objectives.

218. General instructions 343

219. To register a zone 344

220. Localities 344

221. Staffs 345

222. Cavalry 345

223. Artillery 346

224. Infantry 348

225. Machine guns 350

226. Aircraft 350

227. Examples of ranging 351

Change of Position.

228. To advance 360

229. To retire 361

Replacement of Casualties.

230. Casualties on the move 362

231. Casualties in action 363

CHAPTER X. AMMUNITION SUPPLY.

232. General instructions 364

233. Ammunition supply within the battery 365

234. Replenishment of ammunition 366

235. Brigade ammunition columns 367

236. Divisional ammunition columns 370

237. Ammunition reserves on the line of commmunication 371

CHAPTER XI. FIELD ENGINEERING.

238. Entrenching and concealing guns 373

239. Passage of obstacles 377

CHAPTER XII. RECONNAISSANCE DUTIES, RANGE-FINDING, AND COMMUNICATION SERVICE.

240. General instructions 380

241. Visual training 381

242. Training in judging distance 382

243. Training in observation 383

244. Reports and sketches 385

Range-finding.

245. General instructions 388

Service of Communication.

246. General system and principles 390

247. Internal communications 391

248. External communications 392

CHAPTER XIII. MOVEMENTS AND QUARTERS.

249. Marches and march discipline 394

250. Billets 396

251. Bivouacs 398

Transport of Artillery.

252. Transport by rail 401

253. Slinging horses 403

254. Slinging guns and vehicles 407

APPENDIX I.

Syllabus of Training 409

APPENDIX II.

Precautions to be Taken when Firing

Blank Ammunition 411

LIST OF PLATES.

To face page.

Plate I.—Gunnery terms illustrated 144

Plate II.—Gunnery terms illustrated 144

Plate III.—Gunnery terms illustrated 144

Plate IV.—Protected observing station 376

Plate V.—Gun epaulment for shielded gun 376

Plate VI.—Gun pit for shielded gun 376

Plate VII.—Passage of obstacles 378

Plate VIII.—Passage of obstacles 379

Plate IX.—Panoramic sketch 387

Plate X.—Range-Taker’s card 387

Plate XI.—Temporary ramps 402

Index 412

NOTE.—Amendments, other than minor corrections, are indicated by a black line in the margin.

FIELD ARTILLERY TRAINING. 1914.