Royal Artillery in the Second World War

Royal Artillery in the Second World War PDF

Author: Richard Doherty

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2016-07-22

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 0750979313

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During the Second World War, the Germans considered the Royal Artillery to be the most professional arm of the British Army: British gunners were accurate, effective and efficient, and provided fire support for their armoured and infantry colleagues that was better than that in any other army. However, the Royal Artillery delivered much more than field and medium artillery battlefield support. Gunner regiments manned antitank guns on the front line and light anti-aircraft guns in divisional regiments to defend against air attack at home and abroad. The Royal Artillery also helped to protect convoys that brought essential supplies to Britain, and AA gunners had their finest hour when they destroyed the majority of the V-1 flying bombs launched against Britain from June 1944. Richard Doherty delves into the wide-ranging role of the Royal Artillery, examining its state of preparedness in 1939, the many developments that were introduced during the war – including aerial observation and self-propelled artillery – the growth of the regiment and its effectiveness in its many roles. Royal Artillery in the Second World War is a comprehensive account of a British Army regiment that played a vital role in the ensuing Allied victory.

Gunfire!

Gunfire! PDF

Author: Stig H. Moberg

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2017-03-30

Total Pages: 631

ISBN-13: 1473895626

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This book provides an insight into how artillery resources were established, developed and employed during the Second World War, using the British Royal Artillery as an example. Beginning with an overview of the nature and state of readiness of the Royal Artillery on the outbreak of war, the book analyses in great detail the weapons available to the Royal Artillery, their technical functionality and their performance capabilities. With this knowledge the author then examines the organization, methods, procedures and tactics employed by the Royal Artillery. To complete this fascinating study, Stig Moberg looks at a number of key battles from the war to see how the artillery was used, and the effectiveness of its support to the British and Allied infantry, in campaigns in North Africa, Burma and Europe. British Artillery of the Second World War is profusely illustrated throughout with photographs, maps, plans, graphs, charts and diagrams to demonstrate precisely how the British Artillery was used on the battlefields around the world. Although I am an infantryman, and proud of it, I have many times said that the Royal Regiment of Artillery, in my opinion, did more to win the last war, more than any other Arm of the Service.Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery

Larkhill's Wartime Locators

Larkhill's Wartime Locators PDF

Author: Massimo Mangilli-Climpson

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2007-07-19

Total Pages: 1963

ISBN-13: 1781594449

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"Artillery survey suffered during the pacifist inter-war period but the war in North Africa highlighted its importance. By the end of 1942 ten major survey units had been formed. Nine were conventional serving in all the main theatres, including the Far East. They played a key part in victories such as El Alamein, Anzio, Caen and Imphal, with their flash-spotting, sound-ranging and surveying of gun lines. A tenth regiment was secretly involved tracing the flight of Hitlers V1 and V2 rockets in order to locate their launch bases. These ‘soldier-scientists were all trained at the School of Survey, Larkhill, on Salisbury Plain. Their work took them to the front line and a considerable number were casualties or became POWs. This is the story of the contribution of these 4,000 men who made up the Survey Regiments. It tells of the heroes, such as Robert (Tug) Wilson of the SBS and the skilful men whose actions under the most difficult and dangerous conditions have received little acknowledgement until now."

History of the Royal Artillery from the Indian Mutiny to the Great War: Volume II 1899-1914

History of the Royal Artillery from the Indian Mutiny to the Great War: Volume II 1899-1914 PDF

Author: John Sir Headlam

Publisher:

Published: 2005-03

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 9781845740436

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This volume continues the theme of the development of the Royal Artillery during the run-up to the Great War, fifteen years compared with the forty of VoL I, fifteen years devoted to definite preparation in which the developments in Organization, Armament and Training discussed in Vol I were co-ordinated to a common aim. On the other hand the breach between branches was widened by the separation between mounted and dismounted, and the general trend towards spacialization. So, in this volume a different method has been adopted in which the developments of each branch are recorded separately in three parts - The Field Army Artillery, The Siege Artillery and the Coast Artillery. Part V has a couple of chapters on the Auxiliary Artillery which included the Militia, Volunteers, the Special Reserve and the Territorial Force. The final Part VI deals with Regimental Institutions such as the Remount Department, the Riding Establishment, the RA Institution, the Artillery College, Gunnery courses, the RMA, the RA Mess and the Bands. One of the appendices provides a chart showing the distribution of units as on 1 Aug 1914. There is a very comprehensive index

British Artillery on the Western Front in the First World War

British Artillery on the Western Front in the First World War PDF

Author: Sanders Marble

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-12-05

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 1351954709

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In the popular imagination, the battle fields of the Western Front were dominated by the machine gun. Yet soldiers at the time were clear that artillery - not machine guns - dictated the nature, tactics and strategy of the conflict. Only in the last months of the war when the Allies had amassed sufficient numbers of artillery and learned how to use it in an integrated and coherent manner was the stalemate broken and war ended. In this lucid and prize-winning study, the steady development of artillery, and the growing realisation of its primacy within the British Expeditionary Force is charted and analysed. Through an examination of British and Dominion forces operating on the Western Front, the book looks at how tactical and operational changes affected the overall strategy. Chapters cover the role of artillery in supporting infantry attacks, counter-battery work, artillery in defence, training and command and staff arrangements. In line with the 'learning curve' thesis, the work concludes that despite many setbacks and missed opportunities, by 1918 the Royal Artillery had developed effective and coordinated tactics to overcome the defensive advantages of trench warfare that had mired the Western Front in bloody stalemate for the previous three years.

Fire Power

Fire Power PDF

Author: Dominick Bidwell

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2004-10-01

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 1844152162

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This is, without doubt, the finest book about the crucial role that artillery played in the two World Wars of the Twentieth century. The authors, both former artillery officers who saw action in Word War Two, describe the development of their neglected, inadequate and class-ridden arm through the battles of the First World War and the eventual war-winning role that artillery played, to the culmination of professional military deployment in the Second World War.

Field Artillery And Fire Power

Field Artillery And Fire Power PDF

Author: J.B.A Bailey

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-09-02

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 1135478112

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This definitive overview of the development and use of artillery makes the complex artillery systems of today understandable, while at the same time showing how they have evolved and how they are likely to change in the future. The author, until recently chief of artillery for the British Army, is considered one of the world's foremost experts on the subject. Unlike other books that either describe the technical aspects of present-day firepower or outline its history during specific wars, this work provides both a detailed explanation of the modern artillery system and a history of its development over the past six hundred fifty years, identifying its enduring principles and changing practices against an ever-changing background of technology, tactics, and strategy. When an earlier version of this book was published in 1989, it became known as the best single source on field artillery in the English language. This new edition has been fully updated and substantially expanded to cover a wide range of contemporary military debates and the role of firepower, and is certain to be regarded as the ultimate work on the subject for years to come. J. B. A. Bailey assesses major developments over the past decade, analyzing artillery operations in airborne, urban, littoral, desert, jungle, mountain, artic, and nocturnal environments. He examines direct fire, counterfire, the suppression of enemy air defenses, and force protection methods. He explains field artillery from its primitive beginnings to its dominance as an art in World War II and its potent utility in operations since 1945 and into the future. The book will be of particular interest to military historians and those engaged in debating firepower's future. Published in cooperation with the Association of the United States Army. 15 photographs. 8 line drawings. Appendixes. Notes. Bibliography. Index. 7 x 10 inches.