On using artillery

[tss]

Today I visited the library of the Finnish Military Academy. I spent there some four hours reading old tactical manuals and regulations.

The most interesting books were two manuals on using artillery. The first was not dated but it was apparently written in early 20's. The second was written in 1936.

The first interesting point came when there was a discussion on destroying barbed wire with artillery. This subject has been debated quite many times on this forum so it was nice to get some figures.

According to the older manual, clearing wire is the job of 75 mm guns firing with quick fuses and it takes 25-50 rounds per _meter_ of width of the breach. A two gun section would need 3-4 hours to get one breach and a four gun battery would make 4 breaches in 8 hours. Also, it was stressed that the FO should be able to see the whole obstacle or the job would fail.

The newer manual states that to clear a 10x30 block of wire, 250-350 75mm rounds are necessary if the guns are within 4 km, otherwise the requirements are 350-450 rounds.

Another interesting point was the job allocation for different types of artillery on attack:

- 200-300 mm guns should be used against the heaviest concrete fortifications

- 100-150 mm cannons should fire at distant targets (counter-battery fire, distruption at important intersections, communication centers, headquarters, and like)

- 150 mm howitzers should be used to destroy pillboxes and trenches

- 100-120 mm howitzers should destroy trenches and weak pillboxes. Also, they could be used to block entrances of strong pillboxes

- light cannons (< 100mm) should be used only against soft targets, wire obstacles, counter-battery fire, and for destroying mg nests with direct fire.

Too bad that the most interesting tactical manual ("Lyhyt PST-opas", "A Short Guide on Destroying Tanks", written in early '44)

was on loan so I couldn't read it. Where was a long shelf of translated Soviet army manuals, including "Military Games for Children" and the biography of Klim Voroshilov that praised his military genius.

When I was searching for the AT manual I stumbled on a flamethrower manual written in 1942. According to it flamethrowers in AT role should always be used in pairs. The first FT blinds the tank by firing at the vision blocks while the other destroys the tank by firing on the engine and exhaust vents.

- Tommi

[Rattus]

You lucky, lucky, b@%$&! Since you're in Finland you can visit the Panssarimuseo in Parola any time! My brother went there a few years ago & took volumes of pictures so I would love to get there.

One day when I'm in Europe (sigh!)

Michael

[tss]

Rattus wrote:

Since you're in Finland you can visit the Panssarimuseo in Parola any time!

To tell the truth, I've wisited the place only two times (or three if you count the time when I was 5 years old). I went there a couple of months ago and I also noticed that they had moved the artillery museum nearby, also. There's certainly an impressive collection of Soviet tanks, though mainly early war models. (Including two of the surviving 3 T-28s, though only one is on display). I haven't developed the photos yet, though.

I also met an old sapper there and exchanged a few words. He told that he had been in the team that fished up a T-34 that had fallen into the Saimaa Channel. It took them 3 nights to get the tank to land again while the Soviet armored spearhead was about 5 km away. It was impossible to work during the day because there were lots of Soviet "Agricultural planes" (a Finnish nickname for Sturmoviks) around.

My brother went there a few years ago & took volumes of pictures so I would love to get there.

Well, if you manage to visit the place some day don't forget to see the artillery museum also. When I visited it, I was surprised to see a monster mortar, model 300KRH42. Yes, that's a 300 mm mortar. Its barrel is 5.12 m long and the shell weights 175 kg. When fired it made a 2 m deep hole with 7 m diameter.

The weapon was of Finnish manufacture but only one prototype was completed before the end of the war. Apparently the design was sold to Bofors. I don't know what they did with it.

- Tommi