Great War Artillery - Germany
| caliber | type | range | HE shell, kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field Guns: | |||
| 77-mm | cavalry, model 1896 | 8400 | 7 |
| 77-mm | field gun, model 1896 | 8400 | 7 |
| 105-mm | field howitzer | 6800 | 15 |
| 90-mm | model 1873-1888 | 6500 | 7.5 |
| Heavy Artillery: Guns | |||
| 105-mm | model 1904 | 10,800 | 18 |
| 180-mm | 14,400 | 40 | |
| 150-mm | (149-mm.) | 15,600 | 50 |
| Heavy Artillery: Guns: Old models | |||
| 120-mm | 7300 | 20 | |
| 150-mm | 10,000 | 40 | |
| Howitzers Old: | |||
| 150-mm | (149mm) | 6000 | 40.5 |
| Howitzers New: | |||
| 150-mm | (149mm), model 1902 | 7400 | 40.5 |
| 150-mm | (149), model 1913 | 8500 | 40.5 |
| Mortars Old: | |||
| 210-mm | 7200 | 119 | |
| Mortars New: | |||
| 210-mm | model 1910 | 8200 | 83 |
| 280-mm | 11,000 | 340 | |
| 420-mm | 14,000 | 730 | |
For twenty years before the war the French artillery had been leader technically. The reason for this is to be found in the course of development of the German field artillery since 1877. The sharp separation from the foot artillery, the selection of a cavalryman as inspector of the new special arm, and the introduction of a cavalry type of drill regulations, whose influence remained even until 1907, brought it about that while the foot artillery became too much of a fortress arm, the field artillery neglected gunnery for mounted work. The reaction came in the foot artillery about 1893, when the Schlieffen-Planitz reforms introduced driver detachments and the heavy field artillery. For us it came about the end of the century, with the disappearance of the Podbielski system and the renewal of closer relations between troop units and technical study, which had been treated as a separate matter coming within the province of special schools only.
The German Army, at the outset, was grouped into corps of two divisions, each division with its artillery brigade of two regiments of six six-gun batteries. As stated above in the general discussion, the Germans had decided to have three howitzer batteries in each division, but, presumably from lack of matériel, they started the war with only three howitzer batteries in each corps, these being organized as one of the battalions in the second division in the corps. It should be stated that a number of reports on German organization made in 1914 and 1915 vary somewhat on the details of the artillery organization, but it is believed that this can be explained as probably due to constant changes in equipment of different units, made as matériel became available.
