natures of ordnance, liis education in mountain artillery was extremely deficient; 
indeed, there were many old artillerymen who had never so much as seen a 
mountain gun. It thus came about that from 1838, (in which year considerable 
results were achieved by rocket batteries in the war with Montenegro and 
later against the Bosnian bandits), the rocket was for many years considered a 
thoroughly suitable weapon for all purposes of mountain warfare. 
Not till 1848 was greater importance attached to the mountain artillery proper 
and a small proportion of mountain pieces attached to the rocket batteries. 
But this was only a temporary and more or less tentative measure, which was 
discontinued in 1859, and the further manufacture of mountain howitzers was 
suspended in the anticipation of the introduction of a more effective and longer 
ranging mountain gun. This appeared in the shape of the “ Schiesswoll- 
Gebirgsgeschutz,” which had very successfully passed its experimental trials. 
But its career was short and in 1863 it was superseded by a three-pounder, 
which was quite as light and easy to work as its predecessor and possessed, in 
addition, a greater range. A still more important improvement was made in the 
establishment of a real mountain artillery service — i.e ., a permanent force of gun¬ 
ners trained exclusively for this branch of artillery work. 
The rocket batteries survived only a year the introduction of their latest rivals. 
The batteries themselves were abolished and their materiel was distributed between 
the line regiments and the fortress magazines, while the mountain batteries (con¬ 
sisting now of four guns each) were provisionally attached to the field artillery. 
Two years later they were transferred to the garrison artillery and rendered good 
service in the 1869 rising in Croatia. The organisation of the mountain artillery 
remained, however, unchanged, although it shared with the field service the 
advantages of the introduction of breech-loading ordnance and the attending 
improvements of materiel. In addition, a few heavy mountain batteries of 7 and 
9 cm guns were formed. 
In 1878 and 1882 the mountain batteries again gave a good account of them¬ 
selves in Bosnia and Herzegovihia, but the reorganisation and strengthening of 
the service was delayed until 1883—the year in which the 15th Army Corps was 
formed and the territorial system introduced. 
The whole of the field artillery was then divided into regiments, each consist¬ 
ing of 14 brigades. To these regiments, as also to the garrison battalion in the 
Tyrol mountains, batteries were attached ; in case of war the numbers of the 
batteries could be doubled, so that 120 mountain guns could be placed in the field, 
not ncluding the 9 cm pieces above mentioned. 
The extensive changes introduced in the Austrian artillery two-and-a-half years 
ago did not leave the mountain service untouched. One additional mountain battery 
was added to each regiment of artillery on its peace-footing and on its war-footing 
this number could be raised to two. 
But it was soon recognised that many evils attached to this new organisa¬ 
tion of the mountain artillery. It was found that if the mountain batteries 
remained with their respective regiments the commanding officers of the 
latter—already over-burdened with the duties and cares connected with the 
management of their own command—were unable to give the required attention 
to the welfare of the one mountain battery thereto attached. On the other hand, 
to detach the batteries—excepting for administrative and tactical purposes—from 
their regiments could hardly fail, in spite of the best intentions on the part of 
the commanding officers, to work unsatisfactorily. Again, in working in unison 
batteries quartered in different parts of the country, difficulties arose from 
the various languages or dialects spoken by the gunners of the different 
batteries. 
