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Field Artillery Tactics and Techniques - Quartermaster Library 'Jt ' School,Cso U S

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Field Artillery Tactics and Techniques - Quartermaster Library 'Jt ' School,Cso U S Copy 3i DEPAITMENT OF. THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL i t! C_-2 ' "- FIELD ARTILLERY TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES - QUARTERMASTER LIBRARY 'JT ' SCHOOL,CSO U S. HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY DECEMBER 1 958 AGO 2696B-Nov *FM 6-20 FIELD MANUAL I HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY No. 6-20 J WASHINGTON 25, D. C., 10 December 1958 FIELD ARTILLERY TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES Paragraphs Page CHAPTER 1. GENERAL_______________________________ 1-5 3 2. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FIELD 6, 7 6 ARTILLERY. 3. FIELD ARTILLERY ORGANIZATION____ 8-14 7 4. COMMAND, CONTROL, AND COORDINA- TION Section I. Command responsibilities and relationships___ 15-20 9 II. Field artillery staffs …_______-_____________21-34 12 III. Control and coordination ____-- ____________. 35-40 21 IV. Estimate of field artillery requirements -_____ 41-44 25 CHAPTER 5. TACTICAL EMPLOYMENT OF FIELD ARTILLERY Section I. Principles of employment__________________-45-50 28 II. Organization for combat __________________. 51-62 30 III. Observation _____________________________ 63-66 40 IV. Survey__________________________________ 67-69 44 V. Maneuver of field artillery units_____________ 70-79 46 VI. Auxiliary weapons________________________-80-84 56 VII. Factors affecting the employment of certain 85-90 58 types of field artillery units. VIII. Army aviation _______________________.…....91-94 64 CHAPTER 6. OFFENSIVE COMBAT_--__-- ____________ 95-104 66 7. DEFENSIVE COMBAT AND RETROGRADE MOVEMENTS Section I. Defensive combat _________________________ 105-107 70 II. Retrograde movements_____________________ 108-111 75 CHAPTER 8. FIELD ARTILLERY IN SPECIAL OPERA- TIONS Section I. General _________________________________. 112-117 78 II. Amphibious operations_____________________ 118-123 80 III. Airborne operations ______________________. 124-129 90 IV. Operations in deep snow and extreme cold ____ 130-137 93 * This manual supersedes FM 6-20, 22 October 1953, including C 1, 5 May i955, and C 2, 9 February 1956. AGO 2696B 1 Paragraphs Page Section V. Mountain operations_______________________ 138-144 96 VI. Jungle operations_ __-______-____-_________. 145-154 99 VII. Desert operations -_____-___-____.__________ 155-157 102 VIII. Combat in towns _________________________ 158-160 103. IX. Field artillery in river crossings ___________-- 161-163 104 X. Coastal frontier defense -__________________ 164, 165 107 CHAPTER 9. TARGET INTELLIGENCE AND ANALYSIS Section I. General _________________________________ 166, 167 108 II. Target intelligence ._______________________. 168-175 108 III. Target analysis __-____________________.-__. 176-184 115 CHAPTER 10. PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES FOR HANDLING TERRESTRIAL TARGET INFORMATION Section I. General __-.__-____._--_--_---------------- 185, 186 125 II. Processing target information -_____________ 187-191 125 III. Counterbattery activities _________________- 192-196 133 IV. Countermortar activities __--__--_--- ____-- 197-201 138 V. Shelling reports.___._______<- ______________ 202-210 144 VI. Location of hostile guns and howitzers by 211-2.15 151 crater analysis. VII. Location of hostile mortars by crater analysis_ 216-218 155 CHAPTER 11. COORDINATION OF FIRE SUPPORT Section I. General ______________--__--------- - _---- 219-222 159 II. The fire support coordination center _________ 223-229 161 III. Procedure _______________________________. 230-232 168 CHAPTER 12. FIRE PLANNING._-__._____-___________- 233-244 172 13. FIELD ARTILLERY FIRE DIRECTION Section I. Organization and operation ____________-__.. 245-247 188 II. Massing the fires of more than one battalion___ 248-253 195 CHAPTER 14. COMMUNICATION ____- __----- __-------- 254-264 198 15. AMMUNITION SUPPLY __________--___-- 265-269 207 APPENDIX I. REFERENCES -______________--__-------- ------ 211 II. FORMS AND EXAMPLES-_______________ _______ 215 III. ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE, PLANNING _______ 248 FIELD ARTILLE'RY OPERATIONS AND FIRE SUPPORT. IV. A PROCEDURE FOR PREPARING -______ 271 SCHEDULES OF CORPS ARTILLERY FIRES. INDEX __________________________--___--_------------- - _______ 277 2 AGO 2696B CHAPTER 1 GENERAL 1. Purpose and Scope This manual is a guide for field artillery officers and commanders and staffs of all combat arms. It is concerned with the tactical em- ployment of field artillery. It covers organization, command, and tactical control of field artillery. It includes a discussion of the techniques involved in target intelligence and analysis, field artillery fire planning, and the direction of field artillery fires. It includes a general discussion of the principles, organization and techniques of coordination of fire support with particular emphasis given to field artillery aspects. The employment of field artillery in airborne, amphibious, and other special operations is covered. Where the term artillery is used in this manual, it refers to field artillery. For employment of air defense artillery, see FM 44-1 and other manuals of the 44-series. For additional references, see appendix I. The material presented herein is applicable without modification to both nuclear and nonnuclear warfare. 2. Classification Field artillery weapons are classified as cannons or missiles. a. Cannons are those weapons that discharge projectiles out of tubes by means of an explosive which may be separate from the pro- jectile, a part of the projectile, or a combination of both. b. Missiles are those weapons that, when fired, are powered in flight by a propulsion means contained within the projectile. Mis- siles may be guided or free flight missiles. (1) Guided missiles are those missiles whose trajectory or flight path may be altered after firing. (2) Free flight missiles are those missiles whose flight path cannot be altered after firing. 3. Cannons a. Field artillery cannons are classified according to caliber and maximum range capability as light, medium, heavy, and very heavy. Self-propelled cannons are given the same classification as their towed counterparts. All cannon are considered as short range field artillery. AGO 2696B 3 (1) Light-under 115 mm, the maximum range capability does not exceed 16,500 meters. (2) Medium-115 mm or larger, the maximum range capabil- ity does not exceed 16,500 meters. (3) Heavy-less than 21]0 mm, the maximum range capability exceeds 16,500 meters. (4) Very heavy-210 mm or larger, the maximum range capa- bility exceeds 16,500 meters. b. Field artillery cannons are classified according to their method of organic transport as towed, self-propelled, and aeropack. (1) Towed-cannon designed for movement as trailed loads behind prime movers. This includes weapons transported in single and multiple loads, and weapons transported in a single load by multiple prime movers. (2) Self-propelled-cannon permanently installed on vehicles which provide motive power for the piece and from which the weapon is fired. Self-propelled weapons may be either armored or unarmored. (3) Aeropack-cannon designed for transport, assembled or in sections, by army aircraft. The weapon and carriage are partially disassembled for transport and reassembled for firing from ground positions. c. The methods of aerial transport and delivery of cannon are identified as follows: (1) Aeropack-cannon designed for transport, assembled or in sections, by Army aircraft. The weapon and carriage may be partially disassembled for transport and reassem- bled for firing from ground positions. (2) Air transportable-cannonwhose gross weight is within the lift capabilities of- (a) Medium and medium assault transport aircraft. (b) Heavy transport aircraft. (3) Heavy drop-cannon which can be delivered from medium assault, medium transport, or heavy transport aircraft by parachute. 4. Missiles a. Field artillery missiles are classified according to their range capability as short range, medium range, and long range. (1) Short range-maximum range does not exceed 40 kilo- meters. (2) Medium range-maximum range does not exceed 200 kilo- meters. 4 AGO 2696B (3) Long range-maximum range exceeds 200 kilometers. b. The methods of aerial transport and delivery of field artillery missiles are- (1) Air transportable-launchersand missiles whose assem- bled or disassembled gross weight are within the lift capa- bilities of- (a) Medium or medium assault transport aircraft. (b) Heavy transport aircraft. (2) Heavy drop-launchersand missiles which can be delivered from medium transport, or heavy transport aircraft by parachute. (3) Launchers and missiles which can be transported by heli- copter. 5. General Missions The two general missions of field artillery in combat are to- a. Support the other arms by fire, neutralizing or destroying those targets which are most dangerous to the supported arms. b. Give depth to combat and isolate the battlefield by counterfire, by fire on hostile reserves, by restricting movement in rear areas, and by disrupting hostile command facilities and other installations. AGO 2696B 5 CHAPTER 2 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FIELD ARTILLERY 6. Capabilities Field artillery is the principal agency of ground fire support. It is equipped with mobile cannon, missiles, and equipment required for fire control, movement, observation and surveillance, and com- munication. It provides a powerful means of influencing the course of combat. The efficient exploitation of field artillery capabilities depends on control, liaison, communication, observation, location and evaluation of targets, survey control, and logistical support. The capabilities of field artillery include the ability to- a. Maneuver nuclear fires and massed nonnuclear
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