Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-11
TO GAIN EFFICIENCY
REORGANIZATION OF FIELD
ARTILLERY RECOMMENDED.
Report Of Gen. Story-Lessons Of tho
Russo-Japanese War-Subject Of
Distant Fire Control.

Gen. ]. P. Story, chief of artillery, has
declared in official report to the mill
tary secretary. that the United States field
artillery SIS not efficient as measured by
the modern standard in civilized armies
lie adds. howver. that fortunately the
reasons for its deficiencies can be readily
discovered and provision made to remedy
Them In his letter Gen. Story says that
these deficiencies are primarily due to
three causes. as follows:
L A want of proper organiZation--The
/ largest tactical unit of field artillery now
organized by law is the battery. Today
battalions, regiments and brigades of field
artillery can be organized Professionally by
order. but we are without legislation to
furnish sufficient officers of appropriate
rank for their command.
Better Facilities for Practice.
49, A want of proper means and facfli-
ties for practice under conditions akin to
these of war-No field artillery. except the
batteries at Fort Riley. Kans., are today
stationed at posts sufficiently large for
practice in the exercises akin to the duties
required of war. Hence only the field bat
teries at Fort Riley-five out of thirty
have the means and facilities for becoming
in peace efficient for active service. The
least tactical fighting unit of field artillery
for the infantry division should be the
regiment. and all field artillery instruction
should be carried on with the object in
view of making this regiment efficient for
war service. The field artillery battery is
an important administrative unit but in
civilized war will be seldom employed
as an Independent tactical unit that its in
struction in this respect should occupy a
minimum of time.
while the present war between Japan
and Russia illustrates In a degree anticl-
pated by few the Importance of field artil-
lery in deciding a battle campaign. yet
the chief lesson for US to learn is the fact
that the Japanese artillery. inferior in gun
power to the Russian, has with rare eN-
ceptions gained the advantage by reason of
its superior gunnery, organization ana
methods of fire. Our field artillery has
never practiced gunnery as it is understood
in the Japanese army, and, as before
stated our artillery is not stationed at
posts. with the single exception of Fort
Riley, where it can have such practice.
Distant Fire Control.
SO. A want of equipment for distant fire
control This equipment will probably con-
sist of a portable range finder, plotting
board and field telephone communica tons.
The most essential features of modern
field artillery gunnery is the fire control di-
rectly exercised by superior authority
over artillery brgades and regiments. Di-
rection of fire has passed from the battery
CulliidHutI " llISlel L itlu al
tllery fire will in the future be conducted as
a rule, by guns screened from hostile view
and against concealed enemy. The man
behind the gum will seldom see the troops
against whom he Is firing, or even see
where his projectiles burst.
Modern artillery will. generally speak
ing, be controlled and directed from some
point of observation usually not in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the guns, which will
give a view of the ground to be swept by
fire, or at least give view of the burst of
the projectiles and the location of the
burst. Fire so conducted is called indirect
fire., and has never been practiced by our
field artillery. yet it will be the fire gem
orally employed in the future. We cannot
too soon give field artillery opportunity
to receive this instruction to fiji it for active