Artillery Terminollogy-1918.

[beaverpass]

The War Diary of 5th Battery, Canadian Garrison Artillery then located LIEVEN on 9 February 1918 contains the following entry;

"A destructive shoot was successsfuly carried out by Aeroplane observation on M.B. NZ 16. Fire was opened at 3:40 p.m. and 21 rounds expended ranging during which we obtained 5 Y's, 2 Z's and 7 A's".

Can any of the gunners on this forum provide a translation of the terms 5Y 2Z and 7A?

[ororkep]

Ken,

this shortcut from a previous thread on the subject should help explain all.

Therfore 5 Y's = 5 x a shell falling in sector Y as per the diagram.

Rgds Paul

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...&pid=994727

[Brian Curragh]

Paul

That's an interesting diagram that I had missed on its previous outing - it reminded me of a "puzzle" that MagicRat had raised in this thread Officer's Field Kit - Lt Col J G Fairlie.

In the first post, there is a table recording some activity - this was never conclusively identified as to what it was recording. The X axis of the table is effectively 1 to 12 (with some A & B sub-divisions thrown in to confuse).

Your artillery shoot diagram used the clockface to record accuracy with respect to a target - 1 to 12 again.

Any chance Lt Col Fairlie's table is using a similar methodology?

[Fairlie was an infantry officer but the 2nd picture in the original thread seems to deal with artillery ammunition]

Brian

[beaverpass]

Many thanks Paul,

The diagram is just what I was looking for.

[pjjobson]

bpc59

If he was a trench mortar officer, then he may well have used the clock system to record targets, after all the principles of mortar fire and artillery fire aren't that far apart.

I do, as usual, stand to be corrected by more learned members.

Phil