Casualties due to Arty

[Glenn Saunders]

A couple other interesting points to this discussion is:

- the high rate of friendly fire casualities caused by artillery - there is an appendix in a book I read not long ago which discussed the amount of friendly sharpnel taken from Cdn wounded.

- another point specific to the Series discussed on this forum, when two Infantry units are side by side exchanging DIRECT fire, you have to figure some of those casualties are caused by mortars which are in fact indirect fire weapons too.

If you talk to (or read) guys like Blackburn (a Cdn Artilleryman and FOO) and take everything at face value, than you would come away in AWE of the speed that Arty could respond, the number of guns that a 2Lt could call up with a "Victor target" firing all the Guns from CORPS on short notice.

Read the other side and see how many of these shells fell short (or long) because of atmospheric estimates that were wrong, worn gun barrel or any number of other effects and you may come away wondering which side if correct or where the truth actually falls.

Glenn