3 
will be of little use, on account of the moving character of the objects aimed ‘at. 
With regard to the employment of these heavy batteries, in the absence of official 
information we may refer to the Jahrbiicher, published at the beginning of the 
year by Major-General Speck of the Bavarian army. According to mtn thesé 
batteries would not usually be attached to army corps, but would be | kept under the 
orders of the Commander-in-Chief. 
German field batteries already possess the means of searching out ground behind 
parapets, and recourse would be had to the heavy batteries only when the odus- 
torpille had failed. 
Probably the whole of the German armies of operation would not require heavy 
batteries. General Speck estimates that the armies of the west would not require 
more than 64 batteries of this description, or 16-to each army corps. These would 
be divided into 12 regiments, 8 of which would be of shell-guns and 4 of mortars. 
The greater proportion of shell-guns to mortars is thus accounted for, ‘A: line 
of defence, even when prepared in peace-time, would only have its points @appui 
and intermediate works strongly fortified ; the rest of the line would consist of 
ordinary field fortifications. It will, therefore, suffice to have in the armies intended 
for the attack of these lines a small number of mortars of heavy calibre and a 
larger proportion of 15° shell-guns.” It is worthy of remark that the general 
does not allude to the 12° gun, which does not appear in the organisation, which 
he recommends. It seems a pity that he does not try to justify completely the 
demand for 16 batteries, which he wishes to be attached to each army corps of the 
first-line. In default of such justification it seems difficult to help thinking that 
the number is unnecessarily large. There would be 48 six-piece batteries of shell- 
guns, and 16 four-piece batteries of mortars, making a total of 288 shell-guns of 
15¢, and of 64 mortars of 21°. This seems too much for the attack of one or two 
forts, and it would be a triumph for the defenders to have obliged their enemy to 
deploy so great a force of heavy artillery. 
The composition of these batteries is not laid down, but in all probability the 
shell-gun batteries would have ‘six pieces, like field atromest In order, to carry 
60 rounds for each piece, 12 ammunition wagons would be necessary. In addition} 
there would be one wagon for each gun to carry wood for platforms, one general- 
service wagon, one forge, and no doubt two carriages for baggage and provisions: 
Thus the whole battery will be composed as follows : 
Guns.. wine F craatirs ie sionals Gab pees ett ag 
Avinaanoratition WA DONS ere wskt ome deooemiion crete «seawla, 
Platform wagons way atta. sah aerate LeaG. 
, Conmmibearnies WEROD ooooco00an oO HERG death doodieael 
PORES “eso co.000 aah SeR Ee AA Th bales oh Ghat ariapenall 
Wagons for Dageage and provisions,........ 2 
plOtalU Se Berens homcat tances o 8 
This estimate, however, may not be exact. 
General Speck gives us to understand that two ammunition columns will be 
attached to each battery of shell-guns. The composition of these columns is not 
given, but they would probably @arnesist of 20 ammunition wagons, carrying 30 
rounds each, “Each column will thus carry 600 rounds or 100 “rounds per piece, 
and the battery will thus have altogether a supply of 260 rounds per piece. 
The composition of the mortar batteries would probably be the same except that 
there would be only four pieces per battery, and that the weight of the projectile 
is such that each wagon could only carry 10 rounds, With - its 12 ammunition 
wagons the battery would have with it 20 rounds per piece. Hach mortar batter 
would have 8 ammunition columns attached to it. Supposing each of- these 
