Evening star., 1942-07-26
By MAJ. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.

ELIOT.
The dispatches from the Russian
front indicate very extensive Of
fensive employment of field artu-
lery by the Germans. Again and
again occurs the phrase German
artillery and aircraft attacked"
This is significant, If we stop to
think about it, for the speed of the
German advance in the bend of the
Don has been such that the artil-
lery is certainly not attacking from
fixed positions. nor is it being dis
placed forward by succession Of
bounds from position in the tradi-
tionsl manner of artillery support
Ing an advance.
1t is being used offensively-that
Is to say guns on self-propelled
mounts are being pushed forward
with the leading elements of mo-
torized and mechanical troops, add
ing their volume of fire to that Of
tank guns and of aircraft, particu-
larly dive bombers.
This heavy volume OF close sup
porting fires probably accounts for
the failure Of the Russian rear
guards appreciably to delay the Ger
man advance in some sectors. There
Is, however, nothing to support the
further supposition that artillery
has been used extensively against
Russian tanks; it may or may not
have been.
Tactics Used by RommeI.
Some observers ere inclined to be-
Ieve this German use of artillery
70 be a development of the tactics
successfully used by Marshal Rom
mel in Africa. where he sent artil-
lery on self-propelled mounts for
ward with his tanks in close sup
port, and indeed in his latest opera
tions made no large tank attack
without strong accompanying artil-
lery support. This use of his artil-
lery, particularly the 88-mm. all
purpose gun, was an important fea-
ture Of his recent successes. It was
particularly. effective when closely
co-ordinated with squadrons of dive
bombers.
This offensive use Of field artil-
lery Is. however, not a German in
Vention. We have become so accus-
toned to think of the Germans as
originating tactical ideas, and of
other people as merely countering
each new German method, rather
belstedly with a defense against it
that we have almost forgotten that
the history of the German people
shows the Germans to be much more
adept at initiating and improving or
the ideas Of others than at being
really original themselves.
In point of fact our own country
has made far greater original con.
tributions both to armament and tc
tactics than has Germany. and We
are still doing so. We have not lost
our native inventiveness and it il
safe to say that the American Army
will continue to display this Ameri.
can chara cteristic. The matter OF
the offensive use of field artillery /.
a case in point.
Begun in Louisiana Games.
II was begun in the Louisiana
maneuvers last year. and brough
TO even greater perfection by 1t
Gen. Fuch A. Drum. in the FRS
Army msneuvers Of the fall OF tha
year in the Carolinas. The under
living conception Of Gen Drum
use of what he called tank at
tecker" units was really that of tn
highly mobile, powerfully arme'
advanced guard. moving forwar'
to clear tie path of the main body
its mission being by offensive actor
to break I'D local resistance by tn
enemy and permit the main bod
to press forward without interup
ton.
This, at any rate is the theory, tn
ideal. Actually, the advance guar
usually has to fight when the enem
resistance IS at all determined. L
the past this has meant that it
infantry he's had to deploy, its artil
lery taking up firing positions. Thi
takes tiln2. With modern mechan
tied and motorized equipment. How
ever, affairs move more rapidly an
the self propelled mount permit
heavy concentrations of artiller
fire to be brought to bear on enem
positions, in conjunction with all
craft, at Il very early stage of tn
combat
Moreover, it is the self-propelle
gun wlich is the best and quicke.
answer 10 the tank. which in CON
bat meals that attacks by enem
armored columns against the fanl
Of an advancing force can
countered, or even ambushed q