Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 2.djvu/729

Rh footing is kept under charge of the field artillery, store horses being apportioned for it in the barracks of each regiment. By this system mobilisation is more quickly effected, and the matériel is better looked after than when stored in arsenals. Including the depot batteries the Austrian artillery numbers 209 batteries, or 1672 horsed guns.

The garrison artillery consists of 12 battalions of 5 com panies each (increased to 6 in war time), and one coast artillery regiment of three battalions. The garrison bat talions further furnish 5 mountain batteries, increased to 6 in war time. The mountain batteries are armed with four 3-pounder rifled bronze guns, and carry 112 rounds per gun, viz., 72 common shell, 24 shrapnel, 16 case. For siege and garrison purposes the guns in use are B.L.R. 15 and 21-centimetre and 8-inch bronze guns ; 8-inch and 6 i-inch rifled mortars, breech-loading, have also been adopted.

The technical artillery comprises a portion of the workmen charged with the construction and repair of guns in all arms, ammunition, artillery matériel, &c. The personnel, numbering 28 superior officers, 162 captains and lieutenants, and about 1600 men, is distributed in sixteen arsenals, established in the chief towns of the empire ; in war time companies of artificers are detached from these to the parks of each army corps. Artillery officers have to serve by roster in the technical artillery. The instruction of officers is conducted at the cadet school and at the Academy of Technical Artillery. On leaving this academy officers ordinarily pass into the garri son artillery, and after a year in this enter one of the regiments of artillery. After a second year they may be admitted, on application, to the advanced course of artillery, and after passing successful examinations are nominated as first lieutenants. Schools also exist in each regiment for the instruction of non-commissioned officers, one-year volunteers, and artillery cadets ; and an autumn course of equitation, the most proficient at which are sent to the central school of equitation at Vienna, to be from thence appointed as riding-masters to the artillery regiments. For further details of Austrian artillery organisation see article, p. 606.

The Russian matériel is divided into mountain, field, siege and garrison, and coast artillery. The mountain gun is a 3-pounder bronze rifled gun of 224 Ib weight, firing a 9-lb projectile. For field artillery they use both cast steel and bronze B.L.R. guns, 4-pounder and 9-pounder, of 3 3-inch and 4-inch calibres, firing 12-lb and 24-lb shells (loaded). Mitrailleurs have also been introduced for field artillery, and with them the range-finder, invented by Captain Nolan, R.A. The siege and garrison guns are 12 and 24-pounders, throwing 30 and 63-K&amp;gt; shells, 8-inch bronze and steel guns, and 6 and 8-inch rifled mortars. For coast purposes guns from 6-inch to 1 1-inch calibre are used. The Russians have also introduced a 50-ton gun, or 1200-pounder, but the future will prove its efficiency. Krupp of Essen has been largely employed by the Russian Government for the supply of steel guns, but these are now furnished by Russian factories. The field carriages are of wood and iron, that for the mountain gun of iron ; but the former are now to be made of greater stability, and the carriages for siege and garrison artillery have also been improved. The projectiles used are the charokh and shrapnel for the mountain and field guns, chilled shot being used with the heavier ordnance. The artillery of the active army consists of 48 brigades of field and 8 brigades of horse artillery, besides siege trains, parks, and mobile arsenals. The horse artillery brigades (bodyguard excepted) consist of 4 batteries of 6 guns each. A brigade of field artillery consists of 5 field batteries (3 heavy and 2 light) and 1 mitrailleuse battery. There are four descriptions of batteries, (a.) 9-pounder field batteries, (b.) 4-pounder field and horse batteries, (c.) 3-pounder mountain batteries, (c/.) mitrailleuse batteries. Each battery has eight guns, drawn by six horses in time of war. The two-wheel ammunition carts formerly in use are being gradually replaced by four-wheeled waggons. The mitrailleuse batteries carry 6290 rounds. In the 9-pounder battery there are 24, and in the 4-pounder 16 ammunition waggons. The great increase and development of the Russian army, which began in 1873, was accompanied by a corresponding increase in the artillery, each brigade being raised from 4 batteries, its former strength, to 6, and a further increase of 2 batteries is probable. When the changes in progress are completed, the Russian field artillery will number 300 batteries, or 2400 guns.

Tactics. The tactics of artillery, combined with the other arms, will be dealt with in another place (see ). The present article treats only of drills, and the simpler or uncom- bined tactics of artillery. Drill, though commonly in cluded under the head of tactics, is rather the elementary training and education required for the higher development, and varies according to the nature of the artillery. The drills and instruction for horse artillery are as follows:—(1.) Equitation or riding drill. (2.) Foot drills, as for cavalry,. (3.) Sword drill. (4.) Field gun drills. This includes the actual service of the gun, the loading, laying, and firing, &c. positions of gunners and detachments under various conditions, limbering up, unlimbering, exercise with drag ropes, &c.; also, such exercises as dismounting gun and carriage, mounting gun and carriage, replacing a damaged wheel, exchanging gun and limber wheels, shifting shafts from double to single draught, and vice versa, moving dis abled ordnance, &amp;lt;fec. For details the reader is referred to the Manual of Artillery Exercises. (5.) Battery exercise (sometimes called by the horse artillery &quot; gun drill &quot;). In the horse artillery each subdivision consists of gun and waggon, with two non-commissioned officers, and six or eight gunners, besides drivers. Two gunners are carried on the limbers. The rest are mounted, and are called the detachment, which is placed in front, rear, or on a flank of the gun, according to circumstances. Ammunition waggons of horse artillery do not manoeuvre usually, but merely conform to the movements of the guns at a safe distance. A battery of six guns in line occupies 95 yards, each gun being 19 yards from the next. When a battery comes into action, each detachment dismounts, the limber gunners get off the gun-limber to the rear, the trail is unkeyed, the limbers drive on, and the gun is placed in position, and the Nos. 1 lay them during the loading. They are then fired independently, unless the commanding officer gives orders to the contrary. &quot; Limbering up &quot; is the converse operation. The details of drill will be found in the Manual of Field Artillery Exercises.

Field Artillery.—The drill of a field battery is almost the same as that of a battery of horse artillery. The space occupied by a battery and the intervals are the same. There are, however, no mounted detachments, and the waggons usually accompany the guns in manoeuvring, though on the battle-field they arc supposed to be kept at a safe distance, and if possible under cover. The gunnel s are carried on the limbers and waggons when the battery moves faster than a walk. The provision of gun axletree seats now enables a sufficient number of men for the service of the gun to be kept with it under all circumstances. The drill for mountain batteries is not laid down anywhere 