Questions and answers

Who used howitzers in ww1?

Who used howitzers in ww1?

Big Bertha, German Dicke Bertha, a type of 420-mm (16.5-inch) howitzer that was first used by the German army to bombard Belgian and French forts during World War I.

What did a gunner do in ww1?

Artillery soldiers, known as ‘gunners’, fired explosive shells. The biggest guns weighed several tons and were hard to move. Artillery guns would fire thousands of shells to flatten enemy defences before the infantry ran forward.

What were soldiers roles in ww1?

Following morning stand-to, inspection, and breakfast, soldiers undertook any number of chores, ranging from cleaning latrines to filling sandbags or repairing duckboards. During daylight hours, they conducted all work below ground and away from the snipers’ searching rifles.

What jobs were there in the trenches?

Even when they weren’t fighting, soldiers had work to do – including repairing the trenches, moving supplies, cleaning weapons, undergoing inspections, or guard duty. The land between the two enemy trench lines was called “No Man’s Land.” No Man’s Land was sometimes covered with land mines and barbed wire.

What artillery was used in WW2?

The largest artillery pieces employed by the Army against Axis forces was the M1 240mm howitzer, which could fire 360-pound shell out to a range of 23,000 meters (14.3 miles). If necessary, these heavier guns could be moved by truck, but they were usually pulled by the M4 high-speed tractor.

What fired shells in ww1?

World War I was a war of artillery – The Big Guns. Rolling barrages destroyed the earth of France and Belgium and the lives of many. Millions of shells were fired in single battles, with one million shells alone fired by the Germans at the French Army in the first day at the 1916 battle of Verdun, France.

Did they have mortars in ww1?

The progenitor of most present-day mortars is the Stokes mortar, designed in January 1915 by British weapons designer F.W.C. (later Sir Wilfred) Stokes and used in World War I. The Stokes mortar was portable, weighing 49 kg (108 pounds). It could fire up to 22 rounds per minute at a range of 1,100 metres (3,600 feet).

What did a private do in WW1?

Private: the ordinary soldier. He may be appointed to Lance-Corporal. The title of the rank of Corporal and Sergeant is sometimes seen modified by the specialist trade of the soldier, such as Corporal-Wheeler or Sergeant-Cook.

What was no man’s land in WW1?

the narrow, muddy, treeless stretch of land, characterized by numerous shell holes, that separated German and Allied trenches during the First World War. Being in No Man’s Land was considered very dangerous since it offered little or no protection for soldiers.

What was a howitzer used for in World War 1?

World War I portal The term ” Howitzer ” is used to describe a cannon which fires a shell in a high curving trajectory, as compared to a Gun which fires a shell in a relatively flat trajectory.

How did artillery units train in World War 1?

Newly formed artillery units, like the 115th, had to find creative ways to train without guns. They would use make-believe artillery and pretend horses, eventually building fake howitzers out of logs and branches for training. They didn’t put their hands on actual howitzers until arriving at training camps in France.

How many 155mm howitzers were in the US Army?

When the U.S. Army organized its divisions for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), each would have one artillery brigade with three artillery regiments – two light regiments with 48 75mm guns, and one heavy regiment of six batteries equipped with 24 French 155mm howitzers.

When to use covered positions in World War 1?

Adjusting fire would take more time than in an open position. Covered positions would be used at the beginning of an engagement, in artillery duels, and against stationary targets and dug-in positions. There was also a half-covered position, in which the guns were defilade, but could be aimed by the gunners standing on the gun.