PRECIS 
AND 
ONG Se ee Os NC 
“RUSSIAN ARTILLERY JOURNAT.” 
AMMUNITION SUPPLY IN THE FIELD. Y 
Ps 
AN EXTRACT FROM A FRENCH WORK 2 
ON 
“ARTILLERY IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER ARMS.” 
WEP Wrd IO) IR ng UN, i A ET Mh WR, UN 
Tr we take the times from opening to ceasing fire of German batteries in the Probable ex- 
affairs of 1870, exclusive of intervals and changes of position, we get the following Peutiture in 
data :—- ~ battles, 
Worth, 6th August.—Fourteen batteries of the V. Corps were engaged, on the 
average, six hours and expended 5926 projectiles, an average of 423 per battery 
or more than 70 rounds an hour. 
Fionville, 16th August.—F¥ifteen batteries of III. Corps were in action, on the 
average, eight hours and expended 11,547 rounds, 769 per battery and over 95 
per hour. Hight batteries of X. Corps expended an average of 600 rounds or 
more than 92 per hour. 
Gravelotte, August 18th.—Ninety-three battalions fired 31,684 rounds in five 
hours or 340 per battery and 75 an hour. 
August 31st.—Ten batteries of I. Corps fired 4235 rounds in 34 hours or over 
132 rounds per battery every hour. 
Ought we, in reckoning the probable expenditure in future wars, to base our 
calculations on the expenditure of 1870? We think not—the expenditure will 
be yet larger, at least as long as ammunition is available. We base our opinion 
on the following considerations :— } 
Except at Worth, the Germans were never called on to sustain a <crious 
artillery duel, and they suffered constantly from want of ammunition. Ai Worth 
the batteries began to run short as they crossed the Sawerbach. At Vionville 
they suffered from this all day—one battery remained for a long time under fire 
without replying, having only five rounds a gun left, which were kept as a last 
reserve. 
On August 18th the Guard Artillery was obliged to slacken its fire for fear of 
running out of action altogether. But such untimely economy of ammunition 
means a greater expenditure of infantry, and if the losses of the latter exceed a 
certain limit, which varies very much according to the morale of the troops, 
defeat is sure to follow. 
It is sometimes maintained that. in future wars the greater power of the new 
projectiles will lessen the expenditure of artillery ammunition. This would be 
' 12, you, xx. 80a 
