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o o mE FIELD .ARTILLERY 5<200L t'URT .SILL, OKL.AH01:A THESIS . . ,., . --~_. \'" hb . THE 75-11:. PACK HO',7ITZER, l! I AS A L.A1IDI!TG GUN 'JITH n.!ALL EXPEDI TIONARY WRCES By J .H. Sti11r.an • 1st Lieut., U.S.l:.C. Battery Officers' Co-Jrse, 1932-1933 ~-

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Page 1: 75pack Landing

o o

mE FIELD .ARTILLERY 5<200Lt'URT .SILL, OKL.AH01:A

THESIS

. . ,., . --~_. \'"

hb .

THE 75-11:. PACK HO',7ITZER, l! I AS A L.A1IDI!TG

GUN 'JITH n.!ALL EXPEDI TIONARY WRCES

By

J .H. Sti11r.an •1st Lieut., U.S.l:.C.Battery Officers' Co-Jrse,1932-1933

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I

THE 15-1!M. PACK HOIVITZER, M I .AS A LANDING GUN

WITH SMALL EXPEDITIONARY FORCE3

The above subject is limited in this thesis to cover the

transportation ot the 15-mn. Pack Howitzer, 1l I trom ship to shore and

its in1tial fire missions thereafter without discussing its transporta-

tlon inland. as a beachhead is strer,gthened. 'rhe sUbjeot weapon is a.u

improved model developed .from the '15-mn. Pack Howitzer, T I and M 1932

E 2 carr1age. The changes are in minor details of oonstruction am.

equipnent that have proved desirable after being tested.

A brief discussion or the Paok Howitzer should clar1f~ the

following pages. The weapon 1s &n essentiall~ compa,ot and sturdy one.

I.t 1s roughly ti ve feet long by three feet wide by three teet high w.hen

in the travelling position. Its weight in ~is position 1s 1389 pounds,

and 120 pounds less in the firing position. It is designed to be dis-

mantled into ten component parts the maviest ot whioh 11 235.5 po-.mds,

ani the 11g&4test (the panoramio telescoIe) 10.5 pounds. The original

1dea or this construotion was to allON the pieoe to be transported in

paCk lends. This is an excellent arrangenJ'nt for stow1ng in a small

boat and for carrying ashore from a boat, as I shall bring out later.

The ~ition for this pieoe is of two types, shell (13.5 pounds) and

shrapnel (15.96 pounds) .*

The ships available to transport expeditionar~ foroes or the

Armyani Mar1ne Corps are Naval or Military 'l'ransparts, battleships or

oruisers. Other ships ot the Navy kre not SUited ror the carryillg of

troops beyond the sh1ps comp1ement. The above types of ships m~ybe,

and. have been in the plst, supplemented by oommercial ships. An enmple

of thl. was the transport of ]tortion of the Th1rd ljr1gade at Llarir:es

to China on the President Grant in A~il 1927. These comnercial 8h1~

are natura113 not equl:p~d tor troop aarr31ng or landing. but CWl be

Notes on the 75-mm. Pack Hawitzer Materiel M~. :page 7.

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put in the class ot tramports for tm purpose of this thesis. The

snnll boats a.vailable for effecting landi.ngs from milItary transports

or ~aval vessels are wooden motor launches from 24 feet in length to 50

feet in length. The majority of small boats at present sr8 the 50 foot

type, ani are the only oms ot sufficient size to pro;Ferly land &n ex-

ped1tionary force. They are sturdy open boats of avera.ge speed With

a capaoi ty or 120 men fully equipped for landIng expeditions •• Viemay

assume t.hat similar boats would be plaoed aboard oommercial vessels prIor

to their being used to transport expedi tionary forces.

Captain Robert Renders on, U. 3. Navy. has dis cus sed the worth or

rather worthlessm ss of the present type of Navy small boats referred to

above.--. This paper is based upon the fact that haVing nothing better to

deal with we must cOllsider these boats. It is only fair nonetheless to

consider hONthe :Pack Howitzer would function for landing pu.rposes if a

new tHe of boat now under consideration by the Navy and Marine Corps

were adopted. This new type is s till in the experimentals tages in our

services. A similar boa.t first aPl'8ued at Gallipoli during the World

War and was sponsored by the Brl ti sh Forces there. This boa t was known

as a "Beetle Boat" because of its spoon bOW.squire stern and two booms

used for raising a r~p or lower~ng the same; all of these features giVing

the boat the general appearauce ota beetle. This boat was of a somewhat

larger size than could be carried on the type ..of troop transports I have

meI)tioned, but is noteworth~ because it was the forerunner of a new tYI;e

of laming boat.

our Navy developed a specie of "Beetle Boat" to be used for .

laDding expeditionary forces in 1923. Built along the gemral lines of

our standard 50 toot Navy motor launch preViously referred to it carried

120 men fully eqUipped tor a landixg expedi t1on and. had deck sp;1.cefor

•• Landing Force Manual, U. S. Navy.

._- Army War College Lectures 1925-1926. Pages 7-21 "Embarkation,Disembarkation and Laniing Operations"_

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a 15-mn. gun o~ speoial design. This t~pe was used on tn, :N~v~

Culebra Maneuvers ot 1924 with moderate success. In 1929 the Nav~

started developing, "and has since kept improving a "Beetle Boat"

known as the "Model A". It is a 50 foot boat With 1m Qrmored deck

covering the entire pasaeLger and pay load part ot the deck, which in

the standard Navy 50 foot motor launch is onl~ protecte~ by tl:e lOR

wooden sides of the boat. It has steel doors in tis bow Which may be

thrown open to ei ther side, and through mioh the troops of a landing

force would eftect a landing once the bowwas on the beach. None of

the present stanlard ty;pes of' field gun in our service excepting the

75-mn. Pack Howitzer l! I could be passed in o~ out through this open-

ing in the bOR~ ,Because ot its narrow wJ.dth (38 inches) Pack

HOW1tzer could be passed in or out' either assembled or a piece at a

time.

The "Beetle Boat"t 'Model At is very exr-ensive in production

as the slSc1al anncr used costs a dollar a pound, and 5,000 pounds are

required'~ boat. The Navy has, made no announcement as to the ado:ptionI

of such boats in the near future, 'but the tact that they have been used

,in every major l:andlng operation on e1 ther a large or small scale, since

their appearance at Gallipoll would remer the type ot sp'cial interest

to landing farces. There is no d~ubt ;that an armored boat of the

general ".Beetle" type Will restrict the size ot a laniing gun that ttlS3

be carried on it. or rather in it. On the other hand it does not seem

};a"obable tlJa t one Will bo c onatruo ted or would. be practioable with an

opening ot lesa than tbree feet bJ tbree teet \\hIch woa.ld ofter free

passage to the Pack Howitzer.

This discussion or boats has seemed mcessar1 to the writer

to Indicate the adoption of the Pack Havltzer to the present standllord

type, am also to tbe most probable tn>e we may expeot in the near

tu.ture. It a fla t decled bargelike boat Wi th a landirg rsmp were

to be expected to appear for geLeral use in our services almos t any

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li!jlt field [;Un could be easily transported ashore. Such a boat has

not been disoussed by the TIavyexcept for th.e hea.vier oalibres, which

are beyond the scope of this thesis. From this fact the Pack Howitzer

has the a.dvantage or adaptabill ty to bOats over other types of light

field guns nOwvstandard in our service.

Several types of light ca.is~on or arJ:unition oart have been

experirr.ented wi th by the U.S. rarine Corps for the an:unition supply

of the Pa?k HO.i~itzer wi th landin3' parties. none has been adopted as

a standard as yet. The tYI:es have been lir:;ht box bodies of the sim-

plest construction placed upon a two wheeled chassis with a ,.,., ,... shaped

tONing bar for ren to pull on. The type used by Batter~7 "An, 1st

Battalion, Tenth l,"arines. on the joint HlrNs.iian r.:cneuvers in 1932 was

of the above desi:;n with a wooden body. Thro..rvnover the side of a

s~all bOat (e~ty) it oould be easily dragged ashore end loaded there.

It Vias loaded with 24 1.0ur.ds in 6 boxes and weic1led rou.;hly 700 rounds,

thE' a.r:.r:.unition0O!!J'rlsin~ 6::0 pounds of the load. /

There are fo ur imp Or tan t phase s to the t ranspor tn tion 0 f ,Jlandin~ ~uns fron a ship to their initial firing positions ashore.

They are, in ordE'r of occurrence; fro~ the ship to srall boats in the

v:ater; fro i., there to th!' beach; frcn the benched boats to the shore;

and fror.1 the shore to their initial firing positions. T"nedifficulty

of perfor:r.:ing any of these Operati ons varie s wi th Vies.ther condi tions,

type of beach, etc. ~llis paper oonsiders the type of ship and sn.all

boat preViously referred to as they are the only type available to

our servioes at present, and will consider the ~ore unfavorable type

of sea, shore and beachhead. The above fbur phases are, because of

their nature, each sO in:portant that :failure to accorr:plish a.ny one

results in failure to achieve the set task, i.e. the establishing of

the landing gun in its initial firing position ashore. I shall deal

with the phases in the order g1ven above.

Page 6: 75pack Landing

The first phase ma,1 be accomplished in two general ways.

One Is by placing the weapon in tbe -boat in the chocks or falls

aboard sh1p, and then lowering the boat overslde. The second Is the

lower1ng or the boat overside Ilnd then loading it e1ther from a land-

ing stage or by ~s or a crane or system or bloclG and tackle to

the waterborne boat. As the la tter case is 81ther impossible or at

le&st impractlcable wlthout d~ to the boat in rough weather, only

the far~r method will be considered here.

The Pack Har1tzer may be lifted in the travelling pos1tion

by the beat crane vb.ich 1s to lorer th9 boat, and lashed down before

the baa.t Is loosened !rom i ~s chocks or falls. Tm app-cxlmate dimen-

slons of tl:e piece in th1s pOS1tlon ~e 56 Inches by 38 wches by 32

1nches. It 1s contemplated here tmt two gtUls am their crews wlll be

placed In one small boo.t for Imdlng purposes. The two dlsadvantages

to thls ~thod are tha. t a solid obJect or this weight is easill tossed

about 1n a rough seaway Wi th da~er of d&J:lageto boat and pasS8lgers,

ani the tact that the weapon must be dlsmantled before be1ng' carried

ashore. The simpler and more efflcient lIe thod is to dlsmantle the

piece prior to placing It in the boat, a.nd then lower1Dg tl:e boat over-

side 8lld br1nging it alongside the landing stage to receive the gun

crews.

This method is described here as It may be accomplished With

a faarteen man gun crew.

To disassemble for plaoing parts or piece In small boat.

1.- The commandsares (1)- Prepare to d1smantle.

(2) Dismm t1e.

2.- The gunner WlStrapa the cinch. No's. 9 &: 10 11ft ott

the rear trail am accesscries laying on top; the gunner lifting the

Slsnt.ani tool chests clear of the top slelgb at the same time and

plactng them in the boat. No's. 11 &: 12.lay the rear trail to the

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left of the 1Jiece; tm'"lrap the Ii f'tingo bars and handspike from the

r::anta; revlrap the xr.antaaround all other n.cces~oriest and carry these

On the rear trail to the boat •• \11 return tram the boat after dropping

their loads •

. 3.- ~To.1 unlocks the top slei;h wi th the handspike. lTo's.

7 & 8 carry the top sleigh to the boat and return.

4.- no's 11 & 12 slip the small lifting bar into the breech

ring eyebol t. At the salte tiffie lTo. 2 slips a liftin3' bar throus'h the

.fOhVa,rdtube ring and turns the Howitzer till the eye is vertioal.

no. :3 then grasps the other end of the lif'tin3 ba.r and they slide the.tube forwa.rd, braoin~ their feet a~ainst the .uheels to hold the cradle

during the operation. lTo's. 11 & 12 then lift OJ~tthe breech ring,

place it in the boat and return to the piece.

5.- No's. 4 & 5 insert a liftin~ bar in the rear tUbe ring

and together with lIo' s. 2 & 3 they carry the tube to the boat and all

return. to the piece.

5.- No's. 7,8,9 & 10 insert their lifting bars and carry the

botton sleigh and oradle assembled to the boat.

7.- 7Ihile No's. 2.& 3 support the front trail, no's. 1 &: 6

remove the Wheels and axle. I~o'5. 1& 6 carry the wheels and axle to

the bOat. no' s. & 5 jo in 2 & :3 and they carry the front trail and to\'1-

ing bar to the boat.

8.- Iro' s. 13 & 14 tow and place the cai sson car t in boat

aided by lio's. 11 & 12, and then load the designated amount of am:nunition

(boxed) in the' 'lx:>at.

9.- The Chief' of Section reports his section aboard as soon

as the caisson cart and arrcmunition are in the boat. He carries, the

handspike VI i th hio.

10.- All Cnnnoneers assist in loadin3 ~unition in the boat

When th"elr parts of the piece are 10aded.

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j

The passage of the small boat from shipside to shore is one

that comerns the transport of the landing gun in a single ratter, but

that is a very important one. '!VIa faotors concern the safety and speed

of a small boat in the water; one is the condition of the sea, the

other the weight and nature or the load. Assuming-the weigh t to be

proper So 10ad Irsy well be dangero us because of its tendency to be thrown

'abo~t in a rou:;h sea. Its individual weit:;ht zr.ayfit the lOad require-

Ir.ents, but its movin5 weif;ht would result in injury to passengers, and

possibly the staving in Of the si aes of the boat. The hapIJiest ending

to be hoped for in this event would be that the boa.t could make the

shore at any pOint in any tirne at all in order to save the passengers

and what part of the load as r.:i5ht be saved. The probable outcome in

a bad sea ,,'~ouldbe the sinking of the ooat. A lal'ger field gun than the

Pack Hovl1tzar would, through its greater weight, tend to Cause lLOre

daILage, and be harder of control if bems thrown around than the small,

COlr:pacthowi tzer. Even though lashed down it would req Uire a complicated

systa: Of lashing, and have a greater chance of breakin3 loose. The

Pack Howitzer itself, exoept under good weather conli tions would be a

for~idable bulk to be loosened in a tossing boat. It is neither desir-

able nor expedient that the above conti~~encies arise. ~o be a success,

a landing expedition ~ust adhere as strictly as possible to ti~s and

places of landing and the bOat should be returned to the ship in sea-

worthy cOluition in order to ~aintain liaison and ferry supplies to

troops ashore.

The r.-ethod previoasly referred to of breaking the PaCk Honit-

zer into its co~onent parts prior to leavi~~ the ship obviates the

danger outlined above, and further eliminates the necessity of dis-

n:a.ntling the piece enroute to t.~e shore or on the beach prior to Ull-

loadin-~. T'lleheaviest part Of the disasserr.bled Pack HOWitzer being

235 pounds it r::.a.ybe held in the bottom of the boat by the rre~bers of

the gun oreYIVii thout lashin:;s or danger to them or the bOat. 1"nis

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Page 9: 75pack Landing

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J?oint is iItJ?ortant inasmuch as their are no speoial attachn:ents for

seouring heavy weights on the sltall boats whioh would be available to.

landing e~ed1tions. Referring to the opening .sentence of this J?ara-

graph I pOint out that the. single way in which this phase COncerns the

transport of the landing gun is that thro ueh its Ownweis:ht and un-

weildlness it l:!J.yso darr.a:;ethe boa t in \'v'hiab it is be ing oarried tha t

nei ther the gun r-or its ore\7 will reach the beach.

The best feature of the Pack HO\vltzer as a landing gun is

that is ~ay be landed from a beaChed poat any place that ~en ~ay be land-

ed wi th no speoial gear except a few lengths of 1/2 inch standard n:anila

line. l!ormally this rr,anila line is not reqUired. t:en in the boat pass

the parts of the HeMitzer overside to r:en in the water, (who are part

of the gun's ore.v, and have oors ashore in the sarre boat) the latter

carryi~ them ashore to the designated asse~bly J?lace. This operation

is desoribed hEre as eooor:plished by the preViously rr.entioned 14 ra.n

gun crew...

Duties of the gun section in r.:aking a landing party:

1- The Chief of Seotion is the firs t l'!a.n ashore. He carries

the handspike With him; seleo~s the position for:assemblin~ the piece,

unless it has been designated by the Executiv~ Officer; and reports his

seotion ready by raising his hand.

The gunner follows the Chief of Seotion oarryin~ the si~ t

and tool chests. He aids in assembling the piece.

3- The next ashore are Uo's. 1 to 10 inclusive •. They jurrlP

over the side and carry parts ashore in the following order:I:

I

(a) 1 & 6 take the wheels and axle asse~bled.

(b) 2,3,4 &; 5 take the front trail, rockers, and toWing bar.

(0) 7,8,9 &; 10 take the botto~ sleighand oradle.

(d) 1 & 6 return and take the breech assembled. These

parts are passed to them by l~'s. 11 to 14 inclusive •

.No's. 2 to 10 return to the boat as soon as they

have assembled their part of the piece.

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4- The next loads ar.d carriers are lia ted in ~!eir order ot .

going ashore:

(a) No's. 2,3,4, & 6 ta~ the tube.

(b) no's. 1 & 8 take the top sle1gn.

(d) Eo's. 11 & 12 take tbe caisson cart.

No's. 1 to 10 tnen stay with the piece until assembled

when they eIther tam tl~lr posts for servic1Dg the piece or mkJ1tile

drags if' it is to be moved prior to fir1ng.

5- NO'a. 11, 12 & 13 ma~ trips between the piece ashore and

the boat ca.u-ry1Dganmun1t1on pr.ssed to them by" No. 14 in the boat. The

load 1s one box Per mn slung in the sling p"ov1ded for that purpose.

6- Om box of amnunit10n 1s strapped to the piece prior to

moving.

1- No' 8. 11 to 14 continue un.l~d1ng ~i t10n till they have

a caisson cart load when they 1mned1ately Jo1n their section. (uo's. 1

to 10 or part of them may return to the beach to aid in br1nging up the

caisson oart after the piece hli&Sbeen placed 1n action.

A variation to this procedure would be when a boat oould not

be grounded on a beach wtere the bottom drOpped sharply away towards sew.,

ani the ooat could. be held into the shore at the bow, but lmn could not

walk on the Dottom aroUDl tlle boat due to the depth or the water. In

this c,,"se one end of 1/2 1nCh manil"- lIne would be p1.ssed to men ashore

am the other secured to ~t or the PaCk Howitzer, the piU't thrcmn

overslde, and dragged ashore by melIbers of the crew laLded from the bow

where contact was established. The tUbe and breeoh ~e saved from serious

damage dur1ng this immersion in sea water by the tube and breech covers •••

Parts s~h as the sight and ammunition would have to be !BSSed ashore in

•• Figure 96, Page 90, Par. 31 1., page 98, Notes an the 15-mn. PackHOWitzer Materiel.

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order to prevent damage frat:. seawater, but that would not noticeably

slow the establishr:.ent of the Hcx'/itzer ashore. This r.-ethodwas suc-

cessfully ernployed by Batter~1 ttAft l75-rm. Pack HONitzer), 1st Battalion,

Tenth rarines, durin0 the summerof 1931 at H.B., Quantico, Va., in

prel)aration for the jOint rraneU7ers off Hawaii in the sprin:; of 1932.

Ti~e of landing was slowed downconsiderably. but the pieces were asserr:bled

and ready for action in a reasonable time, and were not effected by their

rou~ handling in being dragged over the bottom in sea water.

Z~e Ho~itzer havi~~ been placed on the beach it still ~ust be ,~

reItoved to its ini tinl firinG' posi tion. It is reasonable to eX-fEct under

unfavorable conii tions tha.t a steep slope or even cliff INill be the firs t

obstacle to overco~e to get the piece $vay from the beach. The liGht

weight of the PacleHoytitzer r:ak:es it poss ible for its 'ovmgUL crew to

manhandle it up a very 'ste€'p slope. If the obstacle be too great it r:.ay

be carried up'a pieoe at a tire and asserebled at the top. The narrow

track, lighuless, lmv height and compactness adapt the H~vitzer to

passage between trees, through n:ud and sand or heavy undergrowth. It

is assumed tha t 'with a s::a11 expedi tionary force nO great distance need

be covered by a supporting weapon to its initial position; and this uis-

ta.nce can, with such a weapon, be rf.ore rea.dily covered by man pChverthan

by 3ny system of draft or pack; keeping in Mind that the weapon would

have to wait near the pOint of landing for the motive pmver to be landed

prior to r:aking any progress inland.

This paper has cons 1dered the -Pack How!tzer eoSiIJgle weapon

for the purpose of plaoing it on the beach in its initial firing. position.

T\vopieoes. their ca1ss~ns or carts and gun cr~/s rr.aybe easily carried

in the stand.ard 50 foot motor la.unch with a. fair ar.-ount of srace for

atn1T.unitionleft over. Once ashore the pieces rr.aybe eI:-.ployedsingly,

in platoons or in batteries as desired. That is a tactical decision

and beyond the scope of thi s paper. ,

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The specifioations for the lYanufaatw'e of the 75-nrn. Pack

RONitzer 1.1 I are now in the possession of the Rock Island Arsenn,l,

and ~ignt ~asily be issued to others. ~ne weapon has been tested at

the Aberdeen Prov ing Ground, l:arylancl, and has provecl satisfactory ••

It is a sturdy piece of lijht artillery, built to tnke hard knocks,

and for that reason ideal for land"ing r~un PUX!Joses. I t is no t the in-

tention of the writer to attempt to create the 1n;pressiol1 that the Pack

HO\'litzer \'laS designed as a landing gun. The l..:rL....y developed this THeapon

for use as a. pack weapon, as the name implies. I t is merely a fOr-

tuitous circumstance that tr~ requireffients for a pack weapon cOincide

closely with those for n landing gun. It is rertinent here to recall

that i,n earliEr chapters the paint has been brou';ht out tha.t the HON-

itzer has actually been tested as a landing weapon, and that its

adaptabili ty and worth have been tried. This fact lifts the discussion

froI!~ the realIr. of the theoretical to the plane Of actua.l facts.

~ne Pack Houltzer having be~n placeci on the beach the

question arises as to what type of weapon would be suitable in the

sort of country a sr:a.ll expedi t10nary force vlould choose to attack.

They would not assault a fortification of any strength, a city or well

organized" beachhead as their lack Of strenzoth would doOl::.such an ef-u

fort to disaster before it 'were begun. The non:al landing that_ r.ight

be expected would be in ru~ed, hilly country without roads or easy

passage for wheeled vehicles. ~ough this thesis is lireited to the

initial firing position of the Pack Howitzer I do not think it an:lss

to bring forth here the fact that a pack weapon or rmuntain gun is

ezactly the type of weapon that is SUitable to operate in such terrain.

I have fu"lelt on the r:obility of the weapon before. now I r:erely re-

iterate to ~ore firmly establish its possibilities in ~roffiising

territory.

* Page II, Ordnance Pat~hlet No. 492.

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The mission of a laDding force is to get the greatest

llUlIi)er of nen ani quantit~ of mteriel a.shore; th9 men in goOd morale;

the mteriel read~ for imnec1Iate ection ••• This is directl~ appliCable

to the subject weapon of tilis thesis. The snall sp&ce talt;en up b~ the

howitzer allows grea.ter numbers of men to be transported from the ss.me

ship In the a~ number of boats in the sane time" The ..,bove defini t1on

Of the mission of a landing force is ver~ conQisel~ and abl, put by a

competent authority on the subje ct. It 1s so simply s ta ted ttlat its

truth 1s obVious to ~one familiar With military operations, IiLd is

in realit~ a restatement of one of the leading doctrines of peesant da~

Army, Navy and Marine Corps Schools for officers, that the force arr1 v-/

/1ng firs t With the mest nen and guns has the advantage at an.v pa.rticul-.r /I

spot. Admiral LI.~. T~lor, u. ~. li.* •• has sa1cl that the essentials \)

to a successful landing are: (1) surprise, (2) rapldit~, (3) farce.

T:ba first is accomplished by the assigmoont of tine ani place whioh ue

tac tical deci sions not to be consldered here. The third is a na tter of

numbers of men available to land, and also beyond the scope of this

:Paper. The second essential, rapidi ty, is ver~ much aided by the use

of the Pack RONitzer as I have endeavored to point out heretofore.

The four phases referred to earlier dovetail one into another.

Each phase mst function smoothly in order that the next phase can go

forward. The Pack Howitzer is rugged snd compact in design, light in

weight, and. c&pilble of being brOken into its several pa.rts by means of

snap locking devises...... These features tend to lend the weapon speed

of movement in transi t and. abi1i ty to stand hard knocks. The~ otfer it

passage from ship to beach, and trom beach to a firing position wherever

•• Capt. Robt. Henderson,. U.S.N., Embarkation, Disembarkation, andLa.ndi~ Operations. Page 1, Ann~ War College Lectures 1925-1926 •

••• Landi~ of Troops fram Ships ArmyWar College Lectures 1925-1926.

* ••• Uotes on the 15-mm. Pack Howitzer Materiel 12: I.

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Page 14: 75pack Landing

:men can make their way. T"ne howitzer re'luires no elaborate e.CJ.uip-

r.:ent for this IJassage, nor special' n:otive p",ver, be;,'Ond1:.811 power

for short dist~ces, even over rugged country. The success of' an

expedi tionary forae is largely dependent on the time V/ithin which

its coq>onen t parts oan be put ashore ready for action. Landing

guns ure an in:portant pox t Of any landing expeci1tion. The 75-ran.

Paak HOWitzer 1: I can be go tten ashore rapidly onder untoward con-

di tions of sea and beach. If we consider the ships t ooats, tmd

land.inG' guns we have to deal with in ow. services today, the Pack

Howitzer stands 0 ut as the weapon to achieve the mission wi th

spe€d and surety.

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