Field Artillery Vehicles & Equipment

ANCILLARY HORSE-DRAWN FIELD ARTILLERY

VEHICLES and EQUIPMENT

From Field Artillery Matériel (Elementary), Field Artillery School, 1932

75mm Gun - Caisson Limber, Model of 1918: The 75mm Gun - Caisson Limber, Model of 1918 carried 18 round of 75mm ammunition and three oil cans shaped like rounds to fit the spaces. The six-horse team was attached to the limber and towed either the 75mm Field Gun, Model of 1897 (French), or the Caisson, Model of 1918. In Field Artillery three cannoneers rode each limber. Three collapsible canvas watering buckets were carried beneath the seats. Note the lantern in its holder in front of the limber box.



75mm Caisson, Model of 1918: The 75mm Caisson, Model of 1918 was towed by a Gun - Caisson Limber, Model of 1918, and six horses. The caisson carried 70 rounds of ammunition and the fuze setter. In light artillery three or four cannoneers rode the caisson. In firing position the caisson was parked next to the gun and the crew prepared ammunition, set fuzes and passed the ammunition to the gun crew. The door on the ammunition bay and the apron beneath the axle serve to protect the crew from small arms fire and small fragments when in firing position. Note that this example has hard rubber tires. I do not know when or why they were issued with hard rubber tires.

Breast Reel: The Breast Reel was used to lay or retrieve 600 feet of communications wire, and was used by the Battery Detail, today’s Forward Observer Party, to connect the Battery Commander to the Battery Detail Signal Operators to relay target data to the Battery Signal Operator with the Battery Executive Officer in charge of the guns.



Battery Reel, Model of 1917: This single equipment, pulled by four horses, carried 1.7 miles of twisted pair field communications wire. The equipment reel is ground powered and is used to pay out or retrieve field communications wire. The chest holds communications equipment. This equipment carried the signal wire from the Battery Detail Signal Operator to the Signal Operator with the Battery Executive Officer in charge of the guns.




Artillery Reel, Model of 1909 (M1): The Artillery Reel, Model of 1909 (M1) and the Artillery Cart, Model of 1918 formed one vehicle and were pulled by four horses. The reel was capable of laying or retrieving 1.7 miles of twisted pair field communications wire on each drum. This could be laid as one 3.2 mile wire or two 1.7 mile wires.

Artillery Cart, Model of 1918: The Artillery Cart, Model of 1918, was pulled by the Artillery Reel, Model of 1909 (M1) and carried various artillery instruments and had attachments on the exterior for the attachment of an observation tower.

Forge Limber, Model of 1902: The Forge Limber was pulled by six horses and towed the Battery and Store Wagon, Model of 1917. It was same general exterior configuration as the Gun-Caisson Limber, but the lid was hinged on the top and was divided into compartments for the field forge, anvil, and other horseshoeing and mechanics’ tools.

Battery and Store Wagon, Model of 1917: The Battery and Store Wagon, Model of 1917, was pulled by six horses and Forge Limber, Model of 1902. The Battery and Store Wagon carried the wheelwright’s tools, carpenter tools, saddler’s tools and various spare harness and bulk leather, and wheel spokes and felloes. In the rear were compartments for carrying recoil oil, lubricating oil and kerosene. Mounts were provided on the sides for carrying spare wheels and a spare limber pole was carried beneath the frame.

155mm Howitzer, Model of 1917/1918 (Schneider)

155mm Howitzer, Model of 1917 (Schneider): The 155mm Howitzer, Model of 1917 (Schneider) was produced by the French Schneider Company and used by the US Army in WWI and, after conversion to pneumatic tires, in WWII. The lower half of the shield is rounded on the French model.

The tube in these images is retracted into the traveling position, or “out of battery” to balance the load. When the weapon was to be emplaced, a catch was tripped and the recoil system returned the tube to the “in-battery” position. The large square block on top of the breech is a counterbalance weight. The limber is in the motorized configuration. The short tongue and lunette were exchanged for a long tongue when horse traction was used.

155mm Howitzer, Model of 1918 (Schneider): The 155mm Howitzer, Model of 1918 (Schneider) was the American manufactured version of the French piece. Its shield is straight in profile and mounted at a slant.

155mm Howitzer Caisson, Model of 1918: The 155mm Howitzer Caisson, Model of 1918 carried 14 projectiles and 16 propellant charges for the 155mm Howitzer, M1916 or 1917 (Schneider). For horse traction one caisson had attached a long tongue to hitch the horses, or for mechanical traction two short-tongued caissons were hitched together. Note in the upper right background of the lower photograph the limbers used to pull the 155mm Howitzer, M1917 (French) or 1918(American made) (Schneider).

75mm Field Gun Battery, circa 1933

From Elementary Mounted Instruction, Field Artillery School, 1933

75mm Gun Model of 1897 (French), Gun

Lead Team Driver - Swing Team Driver - Wheel Team Driver - Gunner (Corporal) & 2 Cannoneers - Gun
Chief of Section (Sergeant - rides next to the Lead Team Driver)

75mm Gun Model of 1897 (French), Caisson

Lead Team Driver - Swing Team Driver - Wheel Team Driver - Gunner (Corporal) 3/4 Cannoneers - Caisson
Caisson Corporal (rides next to the Lead Team Driver)

Disposition of harness in field for one half of the section on the limber tongue.

Disposition of harness in garrison for one team.

ANCILLARY HORSE-DRAWN FIELD ARTILLERY VEHICLES

From Field Artillery Matériel (Elementary), Field Artillery School, 1932

75mm Gun - Caisson Limber, Model of 1918: The 75mm Gun - Caisson Limber, Model of 1918 carried 18 round of 75mm ammunition, three oil cans shaped like rounds to fit the spaces. The six-horse team was attached to the limber and towed either the 75mm Field Gun, Model of 1897 (French), or the Caisson, Model of 1918. In Field Artillery three cannoneers rode each limber.

75mm Caisson, Model of 1918: The 75mm Caisson, Model of 1918 was towed by a Gun - Caisson Limber, Model of 1918, and six horses. The caisson carried 70 rounds of ammunition and the fuze setter. In light artillery three or four cannoneers rode the caisson. In firing position the caisson was parked next to the gun and the crew prepared ammunition, set fuzes and passed the ammunition to the gun crew. The door on the ammunition bay and the apron beneath the axle serve to protect the crew from small arms fire and small fragments when in firing position. Note that this example has hard rubber tires. I do not know when or why they were issued with hard rubber tires.

BAR/Phillips Pack Saddle

Phillips Pack Saddle, probably Model 1934, carrying the .30 cal. Rifle, Auto (Browning), M1919A1.

Near SideOff Side

Ammuntion Load

Totally Unrelated: I found this photograph of a McClellan saddle converted by the addition of saw bucks to form a pack saddle to carry the machine rifle. I do not know if this was for carrying the Browning Automatic Rifle or the Benet-Mercie Machine Rifle.

I do not know if this is a test fixture or something extemporized by a unit for use in the field in lieu of the Aparejo or the Phillips Pack Saddle.

Field Bakeries

US Army field bakery at Fort Sam Houston TX, circa 1911-1912

WWI German field bakery in transit.

WWI German field bakery in operation.

WWI Germans cooking in the field at Ypers. Note harnessed horses.

Darling Companion's Bunny Buddy

After mowing one day, I proceeded to sweep the sidewalk of the grass and other accumulated detritus when I heard this very rapid scraping sound. Then it stopped. So I continued sweeping, and it started again. Now, there ain’t much of anything out in this part of the country, and even less that makes a noise like that, so I investigated a bit further fearing that it was something serpentine and vocal that could potentially cause my demise.

Well, I finally found it. It was a baby jack rabbit hiding in the downspout of our gutters. Every time I made a noise, he would scramble madly up his new high-tech rabbit hole only to discover that he had made no progress on the slippery, and somewhat radically inclined, surface.

Darling Companion took the enclosed photograph of his little rabbit butt sticking out of the drain. She also worried incessantly about his safety. I made him a little shelter out of a toad house, originally purchased for our two-timing toads, and he took refuge in it after getting washed out of the downspout during that evening’s downpour. You just never know what you are going to see in the country.

Chinks

Since my aspiration to do leatherwork now has an outlet, and I now have the time and energy to do it, I decided to make myself a set of chinks.

Now, before any of you blue-nosed, left-wing, bleeding-heart Liberals call the Politically Correct Police to kick down my door and whip me with a chain for using an improper racial epithet, these have nothing to do with Asians, and it is probable that no Asian has ever worn a pair. For the uninitiated, chaps are for use when mounted, and chinks are for use in ground work, such as working livestock and making fence.

And, you had better have to wear them, because they are hot!

Knife Sheath

As some of you know, I am an amateur leather-worker, and one day, at church of all places, a friend asked me to make a knife sheath. He is a bear hunter and wanted to carry this knife on his leg as a “back-up.” Now, I don’t know much about hunting, and even less about bear hunting, but I figure if I am going to defend myself against a bear that I have just pissed off with a couple of shots from a high-powered bear rifle, I would want something a bit more substantial than a knife, and a .50 Smith and Wesson Magnum jumps to mind immediately.

But, what do I know, so I told him to bring me the knife and I would make a scabbard for it. Well, he did, and my jaw dropped when I saw it. The blade was 13½ inches long and had a bone and brass handle. As near as I could figure, it weighed about 2 pounds. I can’t imagine dragging myself, a large-bore rifle and ammunition and that heavy knife strapped to my lower leg. I did build the scabbard for him and it turned out rather nicely.


The strap is to secure it to the lower leg, but I made it so it could be carried on a belt in case that need arose, and I suspect that after the first time he walks several miles through the dense forest with that thing strapped to his leg, it will make the return trip attached to his belt.

Incidentally, I didn’t make the money. The Government does that. I just included it to indicate scale.