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COMMONWEALTH ARTILLERY INFORMATION


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Nice page; but the links at the bottom don't work. It's a great summary and extension of what has gone before.

I'm curious about the different roles of the Battery Commander and the Battery Captain. Am I right to say that the Battery Commander works with the manoeuvre units and the Battery Captain is involved with the administration of the battery at the firing point?

Or does the Battery Captain take the place of the modern day Battery Reconnaissance Officer, in scouting and selecting good deployment positions? Or does the Gun Positioning Officer handle the firing calculations as well as the siting of the guns?

I ask because, thanks to the conscript nature of the particular army I served, some changes have had to be made to the basic Commonwealth pattern.

I do have one minor nit to raise about the experience levels; I think that the gunners in the battery HQ should be notched down in experience to green. The HQ units should stay regular/veteran, though. Do these gunners reflect the RSM's linesmen and reaction squad?

Was there a practice in WWII of detaching men from each gun along with the BSM to form a ready reaction squad? Or did the gunners serve their guns exclusively, without using small arms?

In Oriente Primus!

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Triumvir:

I'm curious about the different roles of the Battery Commander and the Battery Captain. Am I right to say that the Battery Commander works with the manoeuvre units and the Battery Captain is involved with the administration of the battery at the firing point?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, this is correct. The BK was responsible for "technical gunnery", ie making sure that SOPs, Drills, etc were carried out correctly.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Or does the Gun Positioning Officer handle the firing calculations as well as the siting of the guns?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is correct. GPOs would alternate going forward to recce the next position.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I do have one minor nit to raise about the experience levels; I think that the gunners in the battery HQ should be notched down in experience to green.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Valid, and it has been suggested, though in conjunction with increasing the fanaticism to reflect the passion to defend the guns.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Do these gunners reflect the RSM's linesmen and reaction squad?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

More or less, although the RSM is over with the trucks at echelon. The squad represents the stray bods at Bty HQ who could be formed into an ad-hoc fighting force. Depending on the degree of notice, this could realistically be another full section by stripping men from the guns and other sources.

Thanks for the kind words.

Jon

Quo Fas Et Vino Du Femme!

or

Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt!

[edited because its a habit now. And for The Anglophile. He expects it ]

[ 10-19-2001: Message edited by: JonS ]

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Yes, this is correct. The BK was responsible for "technical gunnery", ie making sure that SOPs, Drills, etc were carried out correctly.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Interesting. I know the BK as combining the functions of calculation as well as leadership at the gun post.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>GPOs would alternate going forward to recce the next position<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ahh... now I can reconcile that. Would troops deploy separately or as a united battery? In my service, the troops were integrated into a single battery, and the laying versus recce functions were separated between the two GPOs.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Valid, and it has been suggested, though in conjunction with increasing the fanaticism to reflect the passion to defend the guns.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I thought about that, but I wasn't sure if it was necessarily accurate. Since you can't designate fanaticism, I suppose that you'd have to make them fanatic too to reflect the willingness of the actual gunners (as opposed to the gunnery assistants) to defend the guns.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>More or less, although the RSM is over with the trucks at echelon. The squad represents the stray bods at Bty HQ who could be formed into an ad-hoc fighting force. Depending on the degree of notice, this could realistically be another full section by stripping men from the guns and other sources.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, my bad; I saw the multiple troops and was confused into thinking that the org chart was for the battalion, not the battery. The squad then would be under command of the BSM, no?

I don't know anything about the numbers, unfortunately, so I can't assign numbers; but giving a CoyHQ to the battery seems a little overdoing it. The men in the CoyHQ seem to me to be more likely to be included in the rifle section (which would be made up of linesmen, clerks, gunnery assistants etc.)

Was there really only one Vickers in a battery estab?

And should the guns receive more HE ammo at the start of the scenario? I've always assumed that the amount held by FOs represent the base engagement rate (alas, my terminology is 5 years out of mind), the equivalent of an infantryman's contact rate. Shouldn't the guns get more ammo to work with at the position?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Quo Fas Et Vino Du Femme!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Shouldn't that be Quo Vino Et Femme Du C^H^Hcunt? (Or will I be done in by BTS for being naughty?)

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Oh, hell, yes the links! I thought you meant the downloads. You are right - I copied the article from Word; thanks for reminding me, I will straighten this out. They are not links at all, just underlined text - forgot to change that.

What are the five things wrong with the Royal Artillery cap badge? Email me for the answer.

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