British Field Artillery Crew (1 Viewer)

[amcfby]

I found a set which dates at 1916, which interests me as my father tells me my grandfather was on an artillery crew around that time.

I know he joined up in Dec 1914 and stayed on through the duration in 1918, based on records my sister found.

My father tells a story though of my grandfather fleeing from endless numbers of Germans with his gun on tow, occasionally stopping, unhooking from their horses, firing, and then off again.

I'm no WWI buff, but I thought that kind of action and retreat was only really a fixture in the first month or so of the war, when the BEF were in full retreat mode until Paris (and had to be coaxed back into the counter attack while forced the stalemate).

So to the buff's, where and when might that kind of fighting have taken place post August 1914? I just assumed it was all trenches and artillery would have been placed well beyond the front lines?

 

[lancer]

I found a set which dates at 1916, which interests me as my father tells me my grandfather was on an artillery crew around that time.

I know he joined up in Dec 1914 and stayed on through the duration in 1918, based on records my sister found.

My father tells a story though of my grandfather fleeing from endless numbers of Germans with his gun on tow, occasionally stopping, unhooking from their horses, firing, and then off again.

I'm no WWI buff, but I thought that kind of action and retreat was only really a fixture in the first month or so of the war, when the BEF were in full retreat mode until Paris (and had to be coaxed back into the counter attack while forced the stalemate).

So to the buff's, where and when might that kind of fighting have taken place post August 1914? I just assumed it was all trenches and artillery would have been placed well beyond the front lines?

Probably referring to the multiple German offensives in spring 1918 that cracked the British 5th Army wide open. Operation Michael (Kaiserschlacht) opened on March 21, 1918 and it opened the front to fluid warfare, as in 1914. It was one of 5 German offensives that struck the Allies from March to July. -- Al

 

[Terp152]

Probably referring to the multiple German offensives in spring 1918 that cracked the British 5th Army wide open. Operation Michael (Kaiserschlacht) opened on March 21, 1918 and it opened the front to fluid warfare, as in 1914. It was one of 5 German offensives that struck the Allies from March to July. -- Al

Was watching WWI on the Military Channel. They mentioned these offensives cost the Germans 1,000,000 casualties, which they could not afford. Hastened the end.