Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/News/January 2021/Book reviews




 * By Hawkeye7

Usually books that have been edited together with each chapter being a contribution from a different author are disjointed and uneven, with some interesting chapters, and others not so, and I wind up buying for a small part of the whole. This book is one of the exceptions. The chapters, arranged in neat chronological order, form a distinct and coherent narrative, each building on the others.

While the focus is on the Australian experience, the forces of other nations are not neglected, and the Australian focus merely allows us to go into the topic in much greater detail than a discussion of a much larger force would permit. Thus, I am recommending this book to anyone with an interest in the Great War, and not just in the Australian part in the conflict. That the Australian experience of Great War was mainly concerned with but not to limited to the Western Front is not overlooked, and there are fine chapters on the artillery at Gallipoli (where the terrain was an important factor) and Palestine (where mobile warfare was paramount).

Most people know that the battlefields of the Great War, particularly on the Western Front, were dominated by artillery, but knowledge of the development of artillery and how it adapted to the circumstances is less well known. Solving the problem of how to best employ the firepower of the available artillery involved a series of technical innovations that included flash spotting, sound ranging, and observation by aircraft. An important development was the creation of the Counter Battery Staff Officer (CBSO), who brought the intelligence together to enable a counter battery plan to be developed. Since artillery caused 60 per cent of the casualties, neutralising it was critical to allowing the infantry to advance.

There are excellent chapters on the weapons themselves, particularly the QF 18-pounder gun and the less celebrated QF 4.5-inch howitzer. Ammunition is discussed, in a degree of detail appropriate to a work of this size. So too is the logistics of supporting the artillery, in a short but well-rounded chapter.

If you have an interest in the subject, this book will provide a fascinating read.

Publishing details: