In common with many who are not enthusiasts of the subject, I have always looked at artillery as being little more than a way of either killing a lot of people or digging large holes in the ground. It is, of course, those and more. There is a science to using it and this science underwent a major change during the 'War to End All Wars'.

Its initial use was against massed armies. Prior to WWI, opposing armies would line up against each other and it was against this background that artillery would be used to cut swaths through the ranks. Larger artillery was used to knock down defenses in much the same way that catapults were used prior to the introduction of the canon.

However, during the first year of WWI, movement of armies in the field ground to a halt as both sides dug into defensive positions. The early culmination of the war did not happen and both sides needed time to regroup (funny how that always seems to happen in wars, yet neither combatant seems to be truly prepared for it, even today).

This meant a change in how the war was waged. With the loss of maneuver combat, it turned into a slug-fest. Both sides felt that more guns meant that more destruction could be poured down on the enemy, destroying his defensive works, killing his troops and even destroying his artillery by counter-battery fire.

The British, who were woefully unprepared for a major war, took years to finally provide the numbers in terms of guns and ammunition that was needed as major campaigns used literally millions of shells. One thing they did develop was a 'walking bombardment', which used artillery to clear the path for troops. Unfortunately, they took a while to get it right and friendly fire deaths were considerable. The British also developed improving ways of detecting the position of German guns via triangulating gun flashes or even the sound of the guns and through aerial reconnaissance. They even worked on figuring precise figures on how far a shot would go taking into account winds, pressure, the sort of powder used in the shell and the newness of the gun barrel, something the Germans never really paid a lot of attention to.

On both sides, troops worked out methods of surviving these barrages by digging deep bunkers, or retreating back once the barrage, which frequently lasted many days, commenced. This was countered by using box barrages which cut off their retreat to the rear and also prevented side movements.

Meanwhile the Germans had come up with some of their own tactics that proved extremely successful on the Eastern Front and were directly responsible for their win over the Russians. Artillery enthusiasts will know the name of Georg Bruchmueller, who was responsible for many of the innovations used by the German army in the last two years of the war.

There is, of course, a lot more in the book as well as aspects not covered in this review. To the uninitiated, it is a real eye-opener and an excellent reference on the use of artillery and how it changed during the war. To the enthusiast, it will provide an excellent reference. The author uses a number of battles as examples throughout the book and his writing style is such that it is a pleasure to read. It is a book that I know you will enjoy reading as well.

March 2015

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