Field artillery facts for kids
Field artillery refers to powerful, mobile cannons and rocket launchers that help armies in battle. These special weapons can move around and hit targets from short to very long distances. They give important support to soldiers on the ground.
Long ago, until the early 1900s, field artillery was often called "foot artillery." This was because animals like horses pulled the heavy cannons, but the soldiers who operated them usually walked. Their main job was to help the infantry (foot soldiers). There was also "horse artillery," which used lighter cannons and had soldiers riding horses. This allowed them to move faster to support cavalry (soldiers on horseback).
Today, horse artillery is no longer used, replaced by modern self-propelled artillery (cannons that move on their own). However, field artillery still exists, but now motor vehicles tow the cannons. This is called "towed artillery" or "mobile artillery." Modern artillery uses fast-moving vehicles and can fire very accurately, hitting targets up to 30 kilometers away!
Contents
Different Kinds of Artillery Weapons
There are several types of field artillery, each designed for specific tasks:
- Field guns: These cannons are built to fire projectiles over very long distances.
- Howitzers: These can shoot shells high into the air, making them useful for hitting targets behind hills or other obstacles.
- Gun howitzers: These are a mix of field guns and howitzers. They have long barrels and can fire shells at both high and low angles.
- Mortars: These are lighter weapons that launch shells at a very high angle, usually over 45 degrees. Modern mortars are easy to move and use special fin-stabilized ammunition.
- Gun mortars: These are like mortars but are loaded from the back (breech-loaded) and can fire at different angles.
- Multiple rocket launchers: These are vehicles that can launch many rockets at once, covering a large area with fire.
A Look Back: History of Field Artillery
Early Cannons and Mobility
When cannons were first invented, they were huge and very hard to move. This meant they could only be used for things like breaking down castle walls during a siege. As gunpowder technology improved, people learned to make lighter cannons. These could be moved on battlefields. However, they were still slow. This made them easy targets for fast-moving enemy cavalry.
A big step forward happened with inventions like the limber. This allowed cannons to be easily hitched to horses and moved. This is when true field artillery, capable of moving with armies, really began to develop.
Interestingly, the Chinese Ming Dynasty invented mobile battlefield artillery very early, in the 1300s. A book from that time, Huolongjing, describes cannons on wheels. One was called a "thousand ball thunder cannon," made of bronze and designed to move.
Artillery in the 20th Century and Beyond
Before World War I, artillery usually fired directly at targets they could see, often just a few hundred meters away. But in the 20th century, everything changed! Cannons became much more powerful. They could fire shells many kilometers away. This was thanks to new inventions like rifled cannons (which made shells spin and fly straighter), better gunpowder, and improved ways for soldiers to communicate.
Today, field artillery often uses "indirect fire." This means the cannons don't even see their targets. They might be firing over hills, through bad weather, or at night. Instead, a trained forward observer sees the target and sends its location to a fire direction center. This center then quickly calculates exactly how the cannons need to aim to hit the target.
How a Field Artillery Team Works
Modern field artillery teams, especially since World War I, have three main parts:
- A Forward Observer (FO)
- A Fire Direction Center (FDC)
- The Cannoners (the soldiers who operate the guns)
The Forward Observer (FO)
The forward observer (FO) is like the eyes of the artillery team. They are usually positioned close to the front lines with the infantry. From there, they can see the target using tools like binoculars and laser rangefinders.
The FO's job is to "call for fire." They use a radio to send the target's location and a description to the Fire Direction Center. They might also give special instructions, like "danger close." This warns that friendly troops are very near the target, so the cannons need to be extra precise.
After the cannons fire, the FO watches where the shells land. They then send corrections back to the FDC, like "right 50 add 100" (meaning move the aim 50 meters to the right and 100 meters further). This process continues until the shells hit the target perfectly. This is called "walking the fire onto the target."
The Fire Direction Center (FDC)
The Fire Direction Center (FDC) is the brain of the artillery team. It receives the target information from the Forward Observer. The FDC then calculates all the necessary firing data for the cannons. This includes the exact direction and angle the cannons need to be aimed.
In the past, these calculations were done manually using special tools. Today, computers do most of the work. This makes the calculations much faster and more accurate. The FDC also keeps track of friendly and enemy positions and how much ammunition is available.
The Firing Unit: The Cannons Themselves
The firing unit is where the cannons are located, usually several kilometers behind the front lines. The FDC sends the firing orders to these cannons. These orders tell the cannoners what type of ammunition to use, how to set the fuse, and the exact direction and elevation for the barrel.
The cannoners then load the howitzers. They adjust the barrel to the specified direction and angle using hand cranks or hydraulic systems. Once everything is ready, they fire the shell. Sometimes, they wait for the Forward Observer's final command before firing.
Dealing with Enemy Artillery: Counter-Battery Fire
Counter-battery fire is when artillery units try to find and destroy enemy cannons. Removing the threat from enemy artillery is very important in a battle. Often, enemy cannons are too far away for regular soldiers to reach. So, it's up to friendly artillery to take them out.
Artillery teams use different methods to find enemy cannons. A Forward Observer might spot them directly. Or, they might use special counter-battery radar. This radar can track enemy shells as they fly. By doing this, it can calculate where the shells came from, revealing the enemy's artillery position.
Protecting Against Enemy Fire
To protect their own cannons from counter-battery fire, armies use two main strategies. They either try to stop the enemy from seeing their positions or make their observations useless.
To stop the enemy from seeing, they might try to find and deal with enemy Forward Observers. If radar is being used, they might try to locate the enemy radar by detecting its electronic signals.
Another way to stay safe is to keep moving the cannons. This is where self-propelled guns are very useful. They can drive to a spot, fire their shells, and then quickly move to a new location. This makes it very hard for the enemy to target them.
Towed cannons take longer to set up and move. They also don't have heavy armor. This makes them more vulnerable to enemy fire. Self-propelled guns, however, have some armor. This protects them from smaller attacks like machine gun fire and shrapnel. Modern self-propelled guns, like the German PzH 2000, are very advanced. They can fire many rounds quickly, move fast, and have computer-controlled aiming systems.
Coordinating Artillery Across Units
Higher-level Fire Direction Centers also exist. For example, a battalion FDC oversees several artillery batteries. Even higher, a brigade or regimental FDC coordinates multiple battalions. These higher FDCs watch over all the firing missions. They can coordinate many batteries or even many battalions to fire at the same target at the same time. This is called a "time on target" mission.
These higher units also make sure that artillery fire is coordinated across different areas of the battlefield. This prevents friendly units from accidentally firing into areas where other friendly forces are operating.
More to Explore
- Circular error probable - a way to measure how accurate a field artillery piece is.
- Field Artillery Branch (United States)
- Field artillery in the American Civil War
- List of artillery
