Organization: How Armies are Formed for WarFoster, Hubert
History
Organization: How Armies are Formed for War
Foster, Hubert
Armies -- Organization
The main duty of the Ordnance Services is forwarding ammunition to the
front, where it is taken over by the Fighting Units, at places called
the _Refilling Points_, which are generally about a day’s march in rear
of the fighting line. One Auxiliary Transport Company of 100 wagons
is allotted per Division for carrying ammunition to these points. To
ensure an adequate supply at the front demands careful organization and
good administration of the Ordnance Services, as ammunition is expended
at uncertain dates, and in amounts which cannot be forecast.
The amount provided for the Field Force is as follows:
GUN AMMUNITION
1,000 rounds per Field or Horse Artillery gun; 500 per Howitzer and
Heavy gun. About half of this is carried by the Fighting Troops; the
rest is in Ordnance charge on the L. of C.
SMALL-ARM AMMUNITION
For each Rifle:
Carried by the soldier:
Infantry 150 rounds.
Cavalry and Mounted Infantry 100 ”
Artillery and Engineers 50 ”
In Regimental Reserve 100 rounds.
In the Field Artillery Brigade
Ammunition Column 100 ”
In Divisional Ammunition Col. 100 ”
Total, per rifle:
Infantry 450 ”
Cavalry and Mounted Infantry 400 ”
For Machine Guns:
With each gun 3,500 rounds.
In Regimental Reserve, per gun:
Cavalry and Mounted Infantry 16,000 ”
Infantry 8,000 ”
With the Brigade Ammunition
Column, per gun 10,000 ”
With Divisional Ammunition
Column, per gun 10,000 ”
For each Pistol:
On the man 12 rounds.
In Regimental Reserve 12 ”
In Brigade Ammunition Column 12 ”
With regard to the amount of ammunition required in the field, it
should be noted that the quantity of Gun Ammunition that may be
expended with quick-firing guns is very great. In Manchuria, both
Russian and Japanese Batteries have been known to fire 500 rounds per
gun in one day. The amount of Gun Ammunition carried in the French
Army is 2,000 rounds per gun--_i.e._ 500 rounds with Batteries and
Ammunition Columns, and 500 in the Army Ammunition Park, the Army Park,
and in depôts on the L. of C., respectively.
As to Rifle Ammunition, the Japanese found that the 270 rounds carried
by each man ran out, and they consider that each man should have 350
rounds available with his Regiment, and 150 more in Ammunition Columns.
This makes a total of 500 with the Fighting Troops, which the British
allowance of 450 nearly approximates.
7. THE RAILWAY SERVICES
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