Field artillery materiel

by Unknown

Cannoneers should be taught that the greatest crime that can be committed in laying the piece is to make an error—the only crime for which there is no punishment. An error or mistake in the correct service of the piece should not be punished, but it should be carefully explained how the efficiency of the battery depends on each member, and to insure that crime is not committed again, additional hours of instruction beyond that required for the rest of the crew will be necessary.

Every man must be on his toes from the time he comes in sight of his gun, every movement at the piece must be at a run. Slow and sleepy motions of one man will kill all the snap and energy of every other member of the crew. Do not, however, confuse speed of performing any given motion with hurry in execution of detail. For example, the gunner must move with snap and energy in getting his eye back to the sight and his hand on the traversing handwheel after the piece is fired, but he must never be hurried in getting the vertical wire exactly on the aiming point, or in making the ordered changes in the deflection setting. Stop watches should not be used. They are a fruitful cause of errors. Speed comes from continual practice and it cannot be artificially attained by stop-watch timing. Do not understand that speed is not desirable, it is highly desirable, but practice alone will give it and it will nearly always be found that the best-trained crew is the fastest crew. Competitions between crews must be for accuracy, not speed. If every motion is made with a snap and at a run the results as regards speed will be satisfactory.

The accuracy of fire is affected by brakes not being adjusted for equal tension, by direction of recoil not being in line with the trail, by No. 2 sitting on the handspike and shifting his weight after the gunner has called “Ready;” by No. 1 jerking the firing handle; by the gunner not keeping his shoulder against the guard; by elevating cranks not being properly assembled; by sights and quadrants not being properly adjusted or locked with means provided (this subject deserves several pages); by variations in the amount of oil in the cylinder; by improper adjustment of the gland; by the gunner coming on to the aiming point sometimes from the right, sometimes from the left; by the No. 1 centering the bubble sometimes from front to rear, sometimes from rear to front.

You may have stood behind a battery firing and noticed how one or two guns jump violently in recoil, while others would hardly disturb the proverbial glass of water on top of the wheel, although all guns of equal service. This was due almost entirely to the lack of proper adjustment of some of the parts mentioned above.

Every member of the crew must know his duties so well as to make his motion automatic; the direction to turn the various handwheels, milled heads, and gears to obtain the desired result, and he must always do these things in the same way. The effect of small differences in laying may be graphically shown the gun crew by firing sub-caliber ammunition at a small arms steel target which rings a bell when a bull’s-eye is made. Erratic shots means poor adjustments of equipment or poor training of the gun crew. Pleas that worn material or lost motion, or defective ammunition are the causes of erratic shooting are largely excuses for ignorance, laziness, and lack of proper instruction. Worn materiel requires more makeshifts, takes longer to lay and more careful watching, so that fire cannot be so rapid, but except for wear in the bore of the gun it is possible to do almost as accurate shooting with worn materiel, especially if the new materiel has not been thoroughly worked in.

Among the more important duties of the men may be mentioned in the following:

Chief of Section.—Must teach his men to have pride in the gun they serve, and the reputation of the section. He shows each member how the accuracy of firing is dependent on him, and that one man may ruin the best efforts of all the others. He must keep his materiel as clean as when it left the makers hand, every part functioning properly, every screw and nut tightened, no burred nuts or bolts, or missing split pins. He helps each member to take a pride in keeping the part for which he is responsible as clean as a new pin and in perfect condition. He sees that the various canvas covers and sponge and rammer never touch the ground where they will gather dirt. He knows the proper use of his tools, and the correct adjustment of the firing mechanism. He must be able to assemble and disassemble blindfolded the firing lock and breech mechanism. In firing he knows the settings of all scales without reference to a data book.

The Gunner.—Knows that turning the levelling screw clockwise moves cross bubble to the right; that turning scroll gear clockwise increases the range; that turning the peep sight screw clockwise increases deflection, and so on with all handwheels, etc., that he operates and must know these things so well that he operates them in the proper direction automatically. Must always bring vertical wire on aiming point from the left to take up any play in traversing mechanism. He verifies that he is on the aiming point after the breech is closed and if there is any delay, again immediately before firing. He gets his eye back to the sight and relays immediately the gun returns to battery. He knows his scale readings at all times. He keeps his sight scrupulously clean, never permits his finger to touch the objective prism when turning the rotating head, nor wipes off eye piece with hand. He keeps his shoulder against the guard at all times.

The Number 1.—He knows his site and range scale readings without having to look at them. In centering the bubble he brings it always from front to rear to take up play in the elevating mechanism. He centers the bubble so accurately that it is not the thickness of a sheet of tissue paper nearer one graduation than the other, and what is most important he sees that it stays there until he fires the pieces, when he promptly recentres it. (The latitude allowed in centring the bubble by our gunners’ examination is responsible for 20 per cent. of our field probable error.) He must not fire the piece with a jerk but with a constant even pressure, else he may destroy all his accuracy of levelling. The same principle applies if he uses the lanyard. He keeps his quadrant free from any sign of dirt and assures himself that it is in perfect condition. If the gunner fails to keep his shoulder against the guard when the piece is fired he reminds him of it. In centring the bubble or setting the scales he gets his eye squarely opposite the scale or bubble.

The Number 2.—He knows the width of the spade, float, etc., in mils, and is able to make any shift under two hundred mils, within 5 mils. He shifts the trail so as to bring the direction of recoil in line with it (except for moving targets). In receiving empty cases he should not permit them to strike the trail or throw them against each other, as they must then be resized before they can be again used. If he sits on the handspike he must not shift his weight after the piece is laid.