On Artillery [Hardcover]

Bruce I. Gudmundsson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275940470 | ISBN-13: 978-0275940478 | Publication Date: September 30, 1993

Gudmundsson tells the story of field artillery in the 20th century and its impact on the major conflicts of our time. Its purpose is to provide the reader--whether artilleryman or not--with hitherto unavailable insights on the role that artillery plays in the larger battle and how that has helped shape the world that we live in today. Unique aspects of the book include the treatment of technical issues in non-technical language, the extensive use of German and French sources generally unavailable to the English-speaking reader, the shattering of some long-cherished myths, and the discussion of issues that are often papered over in the literature of field artillery--losses from "friendly fire," the frequent impotence of counter-battery fire, and the French origins of current American doctrine. The bulk of the literature on field artillery can be fairly described as "gunner propaganda." Gudmundsson, with his emphasis on the way artillery interacts with other arms and the dynamics of the battle as a whole, takes a more balanced and a more critical view, dealing with the failures as well as the achievements of field artillery. This study provides a thorough overview of field artillery in non-technical language that will be of interest to military professionals, military historians, and wargamers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“. . . On Artillery is an invaluable piece of literature, which should be found in the personal libraries of all 'redlegs' and maneuver commanders. If anything, it should provide the reader with factual insight, as well as an historical perspective, on how the field artillery developed over the course of the 20th century.”–Marine Corps

“An excellent history which U.S. Army and Marine Corps officers should read, either at staff college or at leisure. Well written with excellent references, this book is a step above the usual weapons systems text. Non-technical, it will allow all to grasp its messages about ``friendly fire'' and barrage plans.”–The Friday Review of Defense Literature

“. . . An invaluable piece of literature, which should be found in the personal libraries of all ;1oredlegs;1c and maneuver commanders. If anything, it should provide the reader with factual insight, as well as an historical perspective, on how the field artillery developed over the course of the 20th century.”–Marine Corps Gazette

“...more than a nuts-and-bolts, technical assessment of modern field artillery. It provides thought-provoking insights into the dynamics of combined arms. On Artillery is an outstanding book. It should be required reading at the staff college level.”–Military Review

“...an excellent contribution to the history of military art. Military historians and staff college-level officers will find it of particular value.”–Joint Force Quarterly

About the Author

BRUCE I. GUDMUNDSSON, who is affiliated with the Institute for Tactical Education, is the author of Stormtroop Tactics: Innovation in the German Army, 1914-1918 (Praeger, 1989).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (September 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275940470
• ISBN-13: 978-0275940478
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,636,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading For Soldiers & Military Historians, July 27, 2001

By 

Leif A. Torkelsen (Columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Artillery (Hardcover)

I don't know if there is a military thinker who writes quite as lucidly and insightfully as Bruce Gudmundsson. In a perfectly blunt, colloquial and slightly ironic manner of speaking, he rocks the house with this one.

It was Napoleon himself who noted that, "It is with artillery that war is made." This fact is amply born out by the casualty statistics of the last 100 years of warfare. Artillery has been, and is likely to remin, the great killer on the battlefield.

With this in mind, Gudmundsson proceeds to brilliantly illustrate the evolution of artillery tactics and equipment in this century. From the howitzer versus infantry gun debate, to counter-battery fire, to the great storms of steel unleashed over the battlefields of the two world wars, a vast array of topics are adeptly covered and analyzed. The unusual artillery tactics of the Vietnam War are also covered in detail.

Only by understanding how artillery has arrived at this point can we begin to understand where it is going. Gudmundsson expertly guides his reader along that evolutionary path. For the military historian, this book gives one a much better apppreciation of artillery's role in the great battles of history. For the career soldier, Gudmundsson provides new insight into the likely place of artillery on the battlefields of the future.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars On German Artillery, August 2, 2006

By 

Kevin F. Kiley - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On Artillery (Paperback)

When I was going through a Marine Corps artillery refresher course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1990 en route to an artillery assignment in the 2d Marine Division, the author of this interesting volume gave a few classes on artillery 'tactics' to the officer students, a good portion of whom had already commanded artillery batteries.

As I recall, the author is not an artilleryman, and while his 'lectures' were interesting, it was readily apparent to me that he was not 'fluent' in his subject matter. Unfortunately, the same goes for his treatment of the artillery arm in this volume.

The book is an overall disappointment. It has excellent material on the Germans, for both in War I and War II, and a definite effort has been made to understand what artillery is and how it should be employed. Additionally, the chapter on Bruchmuller is well worth the read. That being the case, the book should have been titled, On German Artillery.

However, what is most interesting about this volume is what isn't here. The few photographs used as illustrations are not helpful. What would have been very helpful to better undertstand the subject, as the types of World War I artillery are covered, would have been to research and find the technical drawings of the artillery pieces he is describing. This would have greatly increased the value of the book. What you merely have now is a primer, and one that covers the subject in bullet fashion, and not in depth.

The little material on American artillery during War II and it's employment is not explained well, and it is the opinion of this reviewer that it isn't completely understood. One of the things the Germans respected and feared about American arms in World War II was the artillery arm. The US Army's artillery was accurate, timely, well-organized, and the material was excellent, as was the technical and tactical fire direction.

What isn't covered about the German artillery of World War II was the general lack of it in many cases, caused by prewar planning. The Germans, as they did in War I, planned for a short war, and much of the artillery role was to be assumed by the Luftwaffe, which was a tactical vice a strategic, weapon. The war dragging on and being fought literally on three fronts by the Germans overstretched the German artillery arm which was both outnumbered by the almost overwhelming numbers of Russian guns and outmatched by that of the United States.

Further, the handicap of much of the German artillery, and its support system, being horse drawn put it at a distinct disadvantage against the American artillery which was at least all motorized and much of it being self-propelled.

The last chapter of the book is utter nonsense which really hurts the volume immeasurably.

The author is to be commended for a gallant effort. It is just too bad that more research wasn't done to make it an outstanding contribution to military history. What is present is merely inadequate, with a few outstanding highlights.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good overview of Artillery, June 27, 2006

By 

William A. Hensler (Holt, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Artillery (Paperback)

I gave this book four stars. Why? I'm an artillery officer and grade my profession much harder than general books on the subject. Bruce I Gudmundsson writes clearly, his book is easy to follow, and he gets the three points of artillery to people: the guns must be breach loading, must have a recoil mechanism, and has to have a modern aiming system. Just as important, the guns should have good shells with point detonating fuses.

Bruce breaks his book down into easy to follow chapters. The first part of the book covers the early development up to the Napoleonic/Civil War period. Lets look at the guns prior to 1800. The calibers were non-standard. The guns didn't have dedicated teams of animals for movements of the pieces. The gunnery was extremely primitive.

Bruce writes that Napoleon starts to standardize the guns. The guns are simplified and ornaments, such as the old dolphins (basically, fancy metal rope holders), are left off the guns. Napoleon uses the guns either in direct support or in defence. It was Napoleon who defined "It is with artillery that was is made".

The American Civil War guns are overrated. Bruce correctly states that American cannons during the Civil War were in a transitory stage. They were more advanced than the previous Napoleonic era guns. However, the higher velocities and accuracy do not make them better fighting weapons. Basically, primitive shells and the fact the higher velocities tend to shoot the shells deep into the ground before the explosive bursts the shell. Generally, if a soldier was not hit directly by a 3" Ordnance rifle or 2.9" Parrot rifle they stood little chance of becoming casualties by these weapons unless they were firing cannister shot. General Robert E. Lee said that he would rather have the old fashioned smooth bore 12 pound shell firing Napoleonic gun in his army than any other type of weapon. However, since most of his guns were captured Union artillery he had little to say about the affair. Indeed, the Union and Confederate armies ended the war with generally the same type of artillery they started with.

The true war that signals the beginning of the change in artillery is the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. This is the war in which the Prussian Krupp 75 mm gun is introduced to the world. This gun is a light year ahead of any other artillery. The Krupp gun fires a shell from a breech. The shell itself has a super quick fuze. Last, the Germans use the artillery correctly as a direct support weapon, basically a battering ram against the French army. It is good German artillery that allows the Prussian Army to defeat the French Army that is armed with a superior infantry rifle.

Bruce correctly documents how the French learned the lessons of the German Krupp gun and invent the modern artillery piece, the "Fabulous Seventy Five". This gun is the father of all modern artillery. It combines a modern high explosive shell, a modern sight system, a fast working breech, and a full working recoil system that returns the gun into battery (firing position) after every shot. Indeed, the French 75 is still one of the best artillery pieces ever made. A crack American gun crew was able to shoot one round every second with the 75 mm gun. No modern non-auto cannon can match that rate of fire.

Bruce give a good detailed account of WWI, the great artillery war. He tells of the use of rail way guns that have battleship caliber guns of about 11 inches and higher. Most of the people killed in WWI were killed by artillery.

Bruce does a good job of going over the interwar years of 1919 to 1939 of Artillery development. The artillery does not rest on its laurels. It develops artillery into a science. Also, the science of communication is perfected. The Germans and Americans concentrate on getting radios to their forward observers. The allies make mechanized mobil artillery that can keep up with the armor and mechanized infantry to support the manoeuver forces.

Bruce's last chapters focus on both WWII and Vietnam. WWII is mostly a manoeuver war and the artillery goes from crude, in the cases of the Japanese, to very advanced, such as the extremely good communication systems the US Army enjoys. Also, Bruce touches on the future. He introduces the readers to both the German and Russian rocket artillery of WWII, such as the extremely effective "Stalin Organ". In Vietnam Bruce introduces the reader to the coming of the computerized fire control systems. Conversely, Bruce does not cover a problem of the US Army: monopoly of a division fire control elements. Generally the US Army Artillery did a fantastic job of giving fire to the manoeuver commanders. But even the great General Patton did not iron out the corps and army problems of massed fires. Yes, the US Army had good massed volleys, but any army could do that. What problem the US Army had was to be able to effectively shift artillery fires within an army among its various divisions. The US Army never got good at that in Europe. The Germans were the best at it. The Russian did not have the problem of shifting artillery fires from division to division because it was not in their doctrine.

Where Bruce's book falls short is there is no update to the book. Artillery is in the middle of another great change. First, the true guided shell is just starting to really enter artillery service. The technological change are the introduction of GPS, global positing system, advanced communications, and very advanced computerized gunnery. Also, another problem that will effect modern artillery is the ammunition supply restricted. The days of shooting a ration of 1000 rounds per gun per day are gone. Indeed, modern artillery might start following the lead of the American civil war where there might be a set amount of ammo per gun in the combat trains for a campaign. The brigade or division manoeuver commander will always have ammunition supply constraints in the back of his mind. Conversely, when the ammunition is expended then the commander is virtually guaranteed a hit with the new ammunition guided by GPS.

New artillery in the future will be extremely accurate, ultra mobile, and some what frugal in the amount of ammunition expended. Rocket and mortars will eventually comprise over 60% of the artillery mix. It's a fact that the 120 mm mortar will eventually replace most of the Army's 105 mm gun howitzers. The reasons are the modern mortars with GPS are more accurate than the 105s, longer ranged, and much more mobile. Last, the logistics of moving a mortar shell are about one third of the cost of moving an howitzer shell.

"On Artillery" is a four star book. It is actually a five star book on giving the history of the guns and the development up past Vietnam. However, the book is badly in need of an update. Also, another reason for it not getting five stars is because the book has very little diagrams of battery, battalion, or brigade organization. Since a brigade supports an Army (called a divarty) that is a very important piece of information to not include with a book.