Quote:
Originally Posted by nuNce
I'd like to join the thread, by hijacking it a little bit. Talking about arty, what's the historical proportion? I'm sure I always get too much arty, especially against the japs, but in a real war contest, how much OB and OFB arty would an infantry company get?
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meeting engagements, delays, defence:
1 battery [4 - 6 guns for most, 8 for UK] of artillery per rifle batallion.
1 section of medium mortars per rifle company.
(USA - section of 60mm integral to rifle coy too)
Attacks and assaults:
Arty: As much as was deemed necessary
Mortars : extra 4.2 inch/120mm a available from brigade etc.
Armoured formations had less arty assigned than infantry - tanks were mobile arty support for the riflemen of course.
Germany and Japan had less arty than the Allies - and especially, lower ammo stocks.
Russians had huge amounts of arty in prepared assaults, less indirect arty in mobile warfare due to poor comms. Hence the use of SU-122/152 or field guns firing over open sights etc.
Later war USA and UK could fire
all arty in range
whenever needed. UK did this
routinely - with standardised techniques (Uncle, Victor etc targets), and UK FOOS issued fire orders, not requests as in the USA system.
http://nigelef.tripod.com/maindoc.htm
Andy