the field artillery journal - Fort Sill - U.S. Army

THE FIELD ARTILLERY JOURNAL
The men had recovered their gaiety, and their full confidence in the
final success; they were getting ready, in a spirited manner, to step again
"into the furnace" and bent on knocking down as many Germans as
possible.
Taking advantage of the terrain, the two batteries had worked
laboriously to organize a very strong position. Pits were dug for the guns;
and the latter protected with parapets six metres thick. Shelters were also
made for the cannoneers, near the guns. . . .
The battalion, under Major Van Bever, opened fire on the
18th, through the 20th; although they fired repeatedly at the
hostile artillery, the batteries did not bring upon themselves
any reply from the German guns. They were so well hidden,
that their position was not marked by the enemy before the
21st. Then suddenly,
A German battery of 210 mms., with its terrible shrapnel, searched
the whole area occupied by us, while the battalion was constantly
subjected to the fire of light and field howitzer batteries. 2 Our losses
were severe. Major Peteau was killed; one piece was destroyed by a
direct shot. But the personnel did not evince any sign of excitement. It
only took shelter temporarily in the dugouts, when the hostile fire
became too violent; then it resumed its own firing, and so on, with
intermissions, between the German rafales. There was not the slightest
hesitation; on the contrary, the batteries vied with one another in
showing courage and endurance.
On the next day, in order to assert its vitality, the battalion replied
vigorously to a new German battery which, during the night, had taken
position near the road to Westende. . . .
The battalion, on the 22d and on the next day, fired almost
continually at different farmhouses and small hamlets, and
succeeded in compelling the hostile infantry to abandon these
strongholds. But, although the position of the German guns of
210 mms. had been discovered, the Belgium artillery, being
outranged by this heavy battery, was unable to answer its fire.
2
In French, the term field howitzer (obusier de campagne) is often used when
speaking of easily movable field guns of the heavier type, in opposition to the very large
guns like the Austrian 305, the German 420 or even 210.
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