Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

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Jeff Leach
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Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#1

Post by Jeff Leach » 10 Aug 2017, 16:18

I found a divisional artillery fire plan in the records of the 170. Infanterie-Division [T315 R1517 Fr0586-0587]. If is the first example of this kind of document I have seen. Roughly it say:


20th Artillery Staff > Romanian 6th and German 240th Artillery Regiments (12:00)
[T315 R1517 Fr587 – 588]

Fire Plan for the Artillery for the attack of the 170th Infantry Division on 7 July 1941.

In order to support the infantry attack, the following fire-missions are to be carried out

a.) From X – X+5 minutes (X = time of attack) taken under fire: Romanian I./4th and I./6th Artillery Regiment – Target Area A, Romanian II./6th and German 240th (without I./) Artillery Regiments – Target Areas B and C. Ammunition Usage – 80 rounds per light battery and 50 rounds per heavy battery. [5 minute artillery barrage, mixed German / Romanian artillery group, ammunition usage]

b.) After X+5 minutes the artillery is to keep up low-level suppression fire (ruhiges Niederhaltungsfeuer) on the Target Areas A, B and C until the infantry approaches close enough [some kind of suppression fire until the attacking infantry gets close enough]

c.) At the moment the artillery stops firing at Target Areas A, B and C, it is to switch low-level suppression fire to:
Romanian I./4th Artillery Regiment to Target Area G
Romanian I./6th Artillery Regiment to Target Area D
The Romanian II./6th and German 240th (without I./) Artillery Regiments are to switch to Target Areas e and f. The Romanian II./6th Artillery Regiment is to fire on Target Area F and the IV./240th Artillery Regiment is to fire on Target Area E. [Switch to next set of targets]

d.) When the infantry approaches Target Areas D, E, F, and G then the artillery fire on them is to stop. Defensive artillery support for the captured high ground is to be supplied by the German 240th Artillery Regiment (without the I./). [Note: defensive fire only by the German artillery. There are example of Romanian artillery providing effective defensive fire support for German units.]

Artillery observers and artillery liaison sections are to advance with the attack to ensure that our own infantry isn’t endangered by the artillery fire and that the artillery fire is conducted in accordance with the fire plan. [protect the attacking infantry from its own artillery]


I have two questions about the original document

1.) ruhiges Niederhaltungsfeuer (please don't translate it 'calm/quiet suppresion fire') - can anyone tell me anything about it. It is the first time I have seen the expression.

2.) Can anyone tell me the scale of the targeting map? My guess is that it is 1:100,000 scale. The area depicted is somewhere between Bel'tsy and Kubolta (about 10 kilometers northeast of Bel'tsy) both are in Moldavia (Map U48 on the German 1:300,000 maps).
0586 - Copy (886x1280).jpg
T315 R1517 Fr0586
0587.jpg
T314 R1517 Fr0587

Art
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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#2

Post by Art » 10 Aug 2017, 21:02

Weren't coordinates based on grid from a standard German military map? That's what I would expect.


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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#3

Post by GregSingh » 11 Aug 2017, 00:24

This grid was used on Romanian 1:20000 and 1:100000 maps based on Lambert-Cholesky system.

765,820 - 780,815 can be found on Blatt Nr.5181 Bălți, 1:25000 German Sonderausgabe Feb.1941 copy of Romanian 1:20000 map from 1939.
Area "g" is on Blatt Nr.5182 Hăsnășenii

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#4

Post by Sheldrake » 11 Aug 2017, 02:19

Jeff Leach wrote:I found a divisional artillery fire plan in the records of the 170. Infanterie-Division [T315 R1517 Fr0586-0587]. If is the first example of this kind of document I have seen. Roughly it say:


20th Artillery Staff > Romanian 6th and German 240th Artillery Regiments (12:00)
[T315 R1517 Fr587 – 588]

Fire Plan for the Artillery for the attack of the 170th Infantry Division on 7 July 1941.

In order to support the infantry attack, the following fire-missions are to be carried out

a.) From X – X+5 minutes (X = time of attack) taken under fire: Romanian I./4th and I./6th Artillery Regiment – Target Area A, Romanian II./6th and German 240th (without I./) Artillery Regiments – Target Areas B and C. Ammunition Usage – 80 rounds per light battery and 50 rounds per heavy battery. [5 minute artillery barrage, mixed German / Romanian artillery group, ammunition usage]

b.) After X+5 minutes the artillery is to keep up low-level suppression fire (ruhiges Niederhaltungsfeuer) on the Target Areas A, B and C until the infantry approaches close enough [some kind of suppression fire until the attacking infantry gets close enough]

c.) At the moment the artillery stops firing at Target Areas A, B and C, it is to switch low-level suppression fire to:
Romanian I./4th Artillery Regiment to Target Area G
Romanian I./6th Artillery Regiment to Target Area D
The Romanian II./6th and German 240th (without I./) Artillery Regiments are to switch to Target Areas e and f. The Romanian II./6th Artillery Regiment is to fire on Target Area F and the IV./240th Artillery Regiment is to fire on Target Area E. [Switch to next set of targets]

d.) When the infantry approaches Target Areas D, E, F, and G then the artillery fire on them is to stop. Defensive artillery support for the captured high ground is to be supplied by the German 240th Artillery Regiment (without the I./). [Note: defensive fire only by the German artillery. There are example of Romanian artillery providing effective defensive fire support for German units.]

Artillery observers and artillery liaison sections are to advance with the attack to ensure that our own infantry isn’t endangered by the artillery fire and that the artillery fire is conducted in accordance with the fire plan. [protect the attacking infantry from its own artillery]


I have two questions about the original document

1.) ruhiges Niederhaltungsfeuer (please don't translate it 'calm/quiet suppresion fire') - can anyone tell me anything about it. It is the first time I have seen the expression.

2.) Can anyone tell me the scale of the targeting map? My guess is that it is 1:100,000 scale. The area depicted is somewhere between Bel'tsy and Kubolta (about 10 kilometers northeast of Bel'tsy) both are in Moldavia (Map U48 on the German 1:300,000 maps).

0586 - Copy (886x1280).jpg

0587.jpg
A Fireplan usually includes an instruction about how fast the guns should load and fire. You either want a short burst as fast as possible - or a prolonged rate with the minimum ammunition expended to keep the enemy suppressed for the duration a timed serial. A 105mm gun could fire six rounds in about 60 seconds - and could fire 30 rounds per gun in five minutes.

The fireplan states that from X-X+5 states 40 rounds per battery - which implied 20 rounds per gun, four per minute.

The following serials didn't specify a rate so I assume that "ruhiges Niederhaltungsfeuer" is a standard rate quoted as a maxium of 2 .5 rounds per gun per minute.

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#5

Post by Art » 11 Aug 2017, 12:22

GregSingh wrote:This grid was used on Romanian 1:20000 and 1:100000 maps based on Lambert-Cholesky system.
I suppose a grid unit was equal to 1 km, right?

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#6

Post by GregSingh » 11 Aug 2017, 13:40

On 1:20000 maps they plotted 1 km grid. On 1:100000 - every 5 km.
But yes - grid numbers are every 1km.
Here is a fragment of 1:100000 map.
Romanian map.jpg

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#7

Post by Art » 11 Aug 2017, 20:50

Then we know the scale.
What I don't understand in the document is the meaning of the target area. Was artillery fire supposed to be spread over the entire area? Or was it to be directed at some specific points/subareas within the area? If so, who made decisions in regard to assignment of those points/subareas and how large they were supposed to be? Can anybody more familiar with this type of documents clarify it?

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#8

Post by CNE503 » 11 Aug 2017, 21:40

A very interesting topic, guys! Thanks for sharing it!

CNE503
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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#9

Post by GregSingh » 12 Aug 2017, 11:00

Well, if this is a complete order, that is all what was sent to artillery battalions commanders.
It seems artillery regiments commanders (one German and two Romanian) were taking part in preparing this order (because it mentions only battalions, not regiments) and usually it was quite possible regimental commanders did not issue separate orders. This case is a bit different as we have Romanians and because of language they might just translated this order or issue additional regimental ones in Romanian language.

It was up to artillery battalion commanders how to proceed further and they passed it down to battery commanders for execusion. Then it was up to battery commanders to issue orders to gun commanders.
But we don't have these.

I have a copy of a German manual for a battery commander. It deals with all the issues at this particular level.
It has drawings of all tools used to mark targets on maps, etc.

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#10

Post by CNE503 » 12 Aug 2017, 13:55

As far as I can compare with our own modern processes of fire, when you ask for an area shelling, you let the artillery commander (here the Abteilungen commanders) in charge of the shelling determine where he has to strike. The only thing a combined-arm leader has to be preoccupied of is the number of shells alloted to his artillery for a specific timeframe, because he is responsible of the fight in the long term.

Otherwise, you could ask the artillery commander to shell specific and spotted targets when the enemy resistance is stiffening or too strong to be overwhelmed, but the best way of having an effective fire support is to let the artillery commander, as a specialist, determine where and how to strike. You ask him a result (to deter any enemy advance from an avenue of approach, to provide flank protection with fumigene shells, to help suppress any organized resistance in such or such area bombing any field fortification spotted to allow an infantry assault for instance), not give him a way of reach it designating ab initio the targets or the alloted shells to neutralize or destroy them.

Hope my English is clear enough to be understood!

Cheers,

CNE503
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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#11

Post by Art » 12 Aug 2017, 19:12

GregSingh wrote: I have a copy of a German manual for a battery commander. It deals with all the issues at this particular level.
Any indications of the size of actual area which would be suppressed by a battery/battalion?

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#12

Post by Art » 12 Aug 2017, 19:25

CNE503 wrote:As far as I can compare with our own modern processes of fire, when you ask for an area shelling, you let the artillery commander (here the Abteilungen commanders) in charge of the shelling determine where he has to strike. The only thing a combined-arm leader has to be preoccupied of is the number of shells alloted to his artillery for a specific timeframe, because he is responsible of the fight in the long term.
In this case we have an order issued by an artillery staff which controlled artillery of a given division. I suppose, the plan would be worked out in more details down the chain of command. For example, by artillery groups or artillery battalions which would determine the exact areas of concentrations and prepare firing data. I wonder if such decentralized planning would be a standing procedure in the German artillery.

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#13

Post by Sheldrake » 12 Aug 2017, 20:12

WW2 artillery either fired concentrations - with all guns aimed at the same point, or barrages with artillery distributed along a line.

There is quite a big area to be neutralised and a total of 72 guns organised into six fire units.

This sketch shows how a series of linear barrages might approximate to the goose-eggs drawn on the trace. Artillery is an area weapon and the bell curve distribution of rounds around the mean point of impact should spread the rounds out a bit,
ID 170 fireplan.jpg

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#14

Post by Sheldrake » 12 Aug 2017, 20:23

The barrage is quite thin for the assault frontage. Here is a British fireplan for the assault on Caen on 8th July 1944 by three divisions on a smaller area than shown in the 170 division trace.
Op Charnwood Fireplan phases 1 & 3.jpg
Note how the goose eggs have been turned into linear standard concentrations @525 yards. But also note a much heavier weight of fire. The British covered 525 yard with the 24 x 25 pounders iof a field regiment. The gridded barrages in squares 0071 - 0172 codeword "Lurcher" are for a creeping barrage, fired by three field regiments (72 guns) starting on line AA and three medium regiments (48 guns) starting on line CC.

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Re: Divisional Artillery Fire Plan

#15

Post by Paul Lakowski » 12 Aug 2017, 23:08

good maps , thanks for this.

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