Evening star., 1940-08-25
u. ). Field Artillery
Takes Cues From
European War
School at Fort Sill
Tests New Methods
Employed Abroad
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
FORT SILL, okla. Aug. "a
Here, where the United States Army
shows 'em how to keep the caissons
rollin' along, the artillerymen are
putting to good use lessons learned
in Europe'S new war.
At the Field Artillery School,
where all new developments must
be approved before official adoption,
these innovations are apparent:
|. Use of a new German-developed
wide-angle camera for rapid produc-
ton of maps for fire control.
2. Training officers in gunnery OF
all calibers.
3. An increase in the ratio OF
horSe-draWn artillery.
4. Use of higher caliber guns for
anti-tank fire.
Regular Army units highly spe-
cialized in their field are stationed
here to serve as guinea pigs in every
experiment.
One of the primary functions OF
the school is to train competent
leaders for all field artillery units.
The guinea pig" troops provide
them with practical experience in
adopting new techniques.
Gunnery Simplified.
Brig. Gen. Donald C. Cubbison,
present commandant of the school,
says the tendency in field artillery
gunnery is toward simplification.
Its an art and we've been trying
to simplify it and make shortcuts,
he explained Were willing to sac
rifice some initial accuracy in order
to gain time"
1t. Col. H. L. c. Jones, director
of the gunnery department, believes
I'VE now are going through a period
of marked revision of our Methods
Just as we did in 1917"
Col. Jones points out that the
European war has indicated "the
necessity for revamping some OF our
thoughts on air observation"
In unmapped areas the most difn-
cult problem of the artillery is the
survey which leads to the construc-
ton of the firing chart upon which
the guns and targets must be located
with reasonable accuracy.
Air photos must be available to
be used as the basis of the survey.
New Camera Aids Mapping.
The new Wide-angle camera is be-
Ing tested at the school and appears
to have greatly simplified this prob
lem.
At an altitude of 10000 feet the
camera produces a photo showing
more than 10000 square miles of
terrain. From 10000 feet it pictures
more than 10000 square miles.
In problems affecting the artll-
lery of a division these photograph
ers cover enough ground to show
the positions of both the guns and
their targets.
Another major change in the
courses of study at the school is
concerned with the types of weapons
studied.
In the past instruction was linn
tied largely to the light 75mm
gun, with some work with the 1885,
nm. hoWitzer. Now the school eX-
poets to teach the gunnery of the
heavier types and calibers. These
include the methods of artillery
with armored divisions, 155-mm
howitzers of the divisions and
corps, 155-mm. gun and the other
heavy weapons.
Horses Still Pull Weapons.
There are two main types of fire
In the use of the long-range artil-
lery weapons: Observed, in which
friendly observers stationed either
In the air or on high ground can
report the results of fire, and unob-
served. in which the only guides at
the gunners' disposal are their
charts.
Although the movement of field
artillery weapons also has under
gone radical changes, horses still
are called upon to keep 'em rolling
Despite the increase of mechanical
ton the trend in the field artillery
Is toward a higher ratio of horse
drawn equipment.
The United States Arms present
ratio is about one horse-drawn unit
to each four motor-d drawn, while
Germany has five horse-drawn units
to each that is motor drawn.
The German Army consists of 240
divisions, of which 20 are fast
"Panzer" units and 20 are heavy
tanks. The remaining 200 divisions
are slow-moving infantry units
which have horse-drawn artillery.
This Nation now has 230 firing
batteries of field artillery. of which
but 50 are motor-draw Thirty-siX
are horse drawn and 16 are pack,
in which guns are disassembled and
strapped on the backs of pack ami
mails.