Field Artillery Units of Quick Divisions
Quick Divisions of the 1930s
The division légère mechanique and the German light divisions were better supplied with artillery than traditional cavalry divisions. While a typical horse cavalry divi- sion of the 1920s might have had to make do with three or four batteries of horse artillery, each of the fully-motorized light divisions enjoyed the services of a full artillery regiment. In the case of the division légère mechanique, this consisted of six batteries of 75mm guns and three batteries of 105mm howitzers. In the case of the German light divisions, it was made up of six batteries of 105mm gun-howitzers. (All batteries mentioned in this paragraph were of the four-piece persuasion.)
In keeping with its status as an intermediary step between a horse cavalry division and a fully motorized division, the Austrian Schnelle Division was not so well supplied with artillery pieces. The understrength artillery regiment consisted of two "mixed" battalions, each of one battery of four 80mm light field guns and another of four 105mm light field howitzers.
Despite this small number of tubes, the artillery regiment of the Schnelle Division possessed an "observation battalion" [Beobachtungsabteilung]. Consisting of a regimental headquarters [Stab] battery and a survey [Vermessungs] battery, this unit gave the artillery commander the ability to put both friendly and enemy batteries on a common grid. It also made possible the quick integration of additional batteries into the division fire plan and communications network.
Sources:
For the division légère mechanique as perceived by the Germans of the late 1930s: Germany. Heer. Generalstab. Merkblatt über französische Truppenführung und Taktik, (Berlin: Reichsdruckerei, 1936.)
For the Schnelle Division: Austria, Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung, Österreichs Wehrmacht, 1937 (Vienna: Wiener Stadt-Stimmen, 1937), and Austria, Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, 1918-1968, Die Streitkräfte der Republik Österreich, Katalog zur Sonderaufstellung im Heeresgeschichtichen Museum Wien, 1968, (Vienna, 1968.)
For the 4th Light Division: US National Archives and Record Service, Microfilm Series T-315, Roll 230.
All articles in this series:
.