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| Home > Reviews > Other > New Vanguard 105: British Artillery 1914-19, Heavy Artillery |
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For the life of me, I’ll never understand why modelers (and therefore manufacturers … or do I have it reversed …) have never embraced the subject of World War One AFVs and ordnance. There was an astonishing amount of variety to be found, especially in the field of ordnance, as this latest book will ably prove.
Before taking the reader on a chronological journey from type-to-type, the author introduces the reader to the terminology used to describe the various branches of what came to be known as the “Heavy Artillery”, namely the Royal Garrison Artillery, Heavy and Siege Artillery and the Siege Brigade. Training and the contributions of the Reserve and Territorial Army (akin to the US National Guard) are also described before the “War to End all Wars” came along and prompted a vast expansion in the arm. The aspect I found most interesting was the section dealing with force modernization (especially mechanization). This is where the limits posed by horse-drawn “equipments” were especially prevalent.
The author then describes 19 different guns and their variations. These include such standardized types as 6- and 8-inch howitzers, and the 9.2-inch siege howitzer. Mention is made of pre-war purchases of the Skoda M1898 24cm howitzers, as well as the use of railroad guns, a few of which survived to be used in World War Two. Not to be ignored is coverage related to mechanization of the means of hauling these increasingly large and heavy “equipments”. Early experimentation (and actual field use in the Boer War) with steam traction engines led to the realization that these heavy pieces could only be moved by mechanical means. Purchase of US-built Holt Caterpillar tractors and FWD (four-wheel-drive) trucks alleviated the situation, as did the mounting of a few guns on redundant Mk.I tank chassis. Certainly, by the end of the war, mechanization was here to stay. Another often neglected area is the means of supplying vast quantities of ammunition to the guns; the author concisely (and ably) discusses this as well. Likewise, the means of fire control (and some of their devices), as well as camouflage of these static pieces of ordnance are detailed. Camouflage colors and the use of captured guns are briefly described at the end of the book.
The crisp and excellently rendered color plates illustrate the following types:
• BL 6-inch 30cwt Howitzer.
• BL 6-inch Gun Mk.VII.
• BL 8-inch Howitzer Mk.VII.
• BL 6-inch 26cwt Howitzer Mk.I.
• BL 9.2-inch Siege Howitzer Mk.I (the spread section).
• BL 9.2-inch Howitzer Mk.II (in firing mode and dismantled for
transport).
• BL 9.2-inch Railway Gun Mk.XIII.
• BL 12-inch Railway Howitzer Mk.V.
• BL 14-inch Gun (on railway mount).
• Holt Caterpillar Tractor towing BL 8-inch Howitzer.
• FWD lorry towing BL 6-inch Howitzer.
• Fowler Traction Engine towing 6-inch Gun.
There is tremendous variety just in this section alone. Those equipments painted in the “typical” (for the era) camouflage of ochre, green and brown, outlined in black, are especially striking. The drawings showing equipments under tow, or broken down for transport, could lead to some very striking display models … if only there were kits!
The text is (as the reader may surmise by now) extremely informative, especially for the format, which demands that it be concise. The author has done well! The 38 B&W photos are mostly clearly reproduced (considering their relative age) and well-captioned. The art is excellent. A total of 25 charts (one for each of the 19 equipments described) give specs, describe the duties of a typical gun crew, and contain organization notes for the 25th Heavy Artillery Group, RGA at Ypres in 1918. A brief bibliography as well as an index will help those interested in detailed research.
Now, if only a bold manufacturer would step up to the plate and …
Highly recommended.
Frank De Sisto
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