Volume of shells fired on Western Front?

[Guest Peter H.]

I'm looking for a rough estimate of the volume of shells fired on the Western Front, 1914-1918. If possible I'd like the estimate for both Germans and British (including Empire forces).

The figure 900,00 tons has been mentioned. I can't remember the source, or whether this includes German shells as well.

Thanks very much for any answers, or suggestions on where I might find this information.

[PhilB]

Hope this is of interest:-

AMMUNITION, MATERIAL, & COSTS

AMMUNITION

The number of shells fired by the British during the War was prodigious.

For example, on 17th November, 1918 the British Army had available on the Western Front:

7,578 guns

15,790,023 shells

694,575 mortar bombs

52,358 machine guns

7,191,763 grenades

343,037,061 rounds of rifle and pistol ammunition

==========

During the whole War some 170,385,295 shells were fired.

Thus, as the average cost of each round fired was £5, the total expenditure on shells was about £852,000,000 - an astronomically large amount even by today's values.

At the preliminary bombardments of the Arras, Messines, and Third Ypres Battles, the following shell costs were incurred:

BATTLE DATES SHELLS FIRED COST

Arras 25.3.1917 - 8.4.1917 2,687,653 £13,162,689

Messines 26.5.1917 - 6.6.1917 3,561,530 £17,505,453

Ypres 17.7.1917 - 30.7.1917 4,283,550 £22,211,389

[PhilB]

Or:-

At the War's end the following dead weight (imperial) tonnage of stores shipped to France was:

Oats & Hay 5,438,602

Ammunition 5,253,338

Royal Engineer Stores 3,962,497

Coal 3,922,391

Food 3,240,948

Ordnance Stores 1,761,777

Petrol 758,614

Miscellaneous 539,398

Canteen Stores 269,317

Mechanical Transport Stores 158,482

Royal Air Force Stores 123,570

Tanks and Stores 68,167

TOTAL 25,497,351

[Max Poilu]

There was a similar question a few weeks ago regarding Shrapnel shells, here is what I wrote then (cannot type it again, easier to cut and paste! ):

"I cannot give you a figure for shrapnel shells alone or ordanance fired by the other combatants but the 18 pdr was the standard British artillery field gun during the Great War.

If averaged out, for every day of the 1914-1918 war the British fired off nearly 65, 000 of these shells (100 000 000 in total or more than 40 for every minute of the War).

The total weight of ordanance fired by the British alone in the Great War was some 5 million tonnes."

[Guest Peter H.]

Thanks, guys. Very helpful.

[Paul Hederer]

Hmm, I guess French shells don't count as "Western Front?"

This topic and its replies made my morning with a smile

Paul

[Christina Holstein]

Hmm, yes, I agree with Paul.

Average number of shells fired by the French on an average day during the battle of Verdun 100,000, rising to 250,000 if an operation was in progress.

That makes an unimaginable number multipled by the French front as a whole, plus the other side. I don't think I've ever seen a figure.

Christina

[AOK4]

Hello,

According to a very interesting German book about facts and figures of WW1, the German Army fired about 222 million shells during the war on all fronts.

Regards,

Jan