Evening star., 1933-07-30
unsbered soldier
IS Loadng SHE'LL
BY JOHN FRAZIER.

- KIS Is being written to the history of
the colorful Artillery horse. No more
- shall we see him. gayly caparisoned,
sleek In all the majesty Of perfect
grooming prance nobly down the nag
decked streets Of war and peace.
Recent tests by the Army with motorized
Light Artillery units, responsible for this
end. Two years ago the Cavalry was mechAn-
lied. But the horse-drawn Artillery still re-
manned. Now 1t passes from the picture. The
iron horse reigns supreme.
The new motorized Artillery is expected TO
fill the bill of division Light Artillery, and to
have in addition, strategic mobility which divi-
sion Artillery (horse-drawn or tractor -drawn)
does not possess. This means that it must
be able to march in column with other
troops: that it must be able to move across
country difficult terrain; that it must be
able to occupy positions day night from
which its fire can be brought to bear upon
hostile elements Immediately confronting our
own Infantry; that it must be able to change
positions withdraw from the line, march
considerable distance and again take up a posi-
tion
The test problems for the battery were
drawn up by the Field Artillery Board at Fort
Bragg N. c., where the tests took place." says
Capt A. L. Campbell, in charge of the battery,
which recently paid the War Department in
Washington a service visit. They were divi-
sion problems, such as throwing out an ad-
vance guard, advance cross -crountry following
Infantry in attack, and occupation of position
at night. All these tests were across varied
terrain such as sand swamps, brush-land, hill
land and under different temperature and
weather conditions.
The trucks went through sand IL to Is
inches deep. To cover it we had to put tracks
the trucks and the gun trucks. On the
gun trucks we found it necessary further to
the cannoneers to get through. The six
wheel trucks with tracks got through without
trouble.
In the swamp maneuver we had the problem
of reinforcing an Infantry unit for a morning
attack. Our route was laid out the night before
across q swamp. We had IS minutes in which
to accomplish a given mission. The swamp
was some three feet or more in depth. man
could easily push a long handled spade this
far down into the muck. It might have been
deeper for all we knew.
ITO cross this swamp we laid logs and put
on our tracks The first truck came through
all right. We now double headed" the others
using those across to pull the rest Of the hne
through Incidentally we took up our position
within the time limit allotted
Brush we found not at all difdcult to ne
gotiate With our brush guards ON front, to
protect our lights and radiators we plowed
right through timber growth up to two inches
in diameter without trouble. OF course, We
had tracks on the trucks
he truck USED IOf Tie Oattefy ufalt - s<e
standard commercial truck Of one and one
half TONS with slight mechanical notifications
On the station wagons, no notifications were
necessary save the extension of curtains COW
ering the instruments. This was simply &C
complished with canvas shears and sewing ma
terial ...-
I'm the trucks pulling the guns, it was nee
essary only to install a second Transmission
and to add tracks. This second transmission
permits Of IL speeds 1t has three divisions
overdrive direct drive and low drive. In
actual driving the operator of the truck judges
by the terrain which of these subtransmission