History of the 151st field artillery, Rainbow Division, by Louis L. Collins, lieutenant governor of Minnesota. Edited by Wayne E. Stevens, PH. D. Pub. by the Minnesota War records commission.

DOCUMENTS

231

13TH D. ARTILLERIE July 6th, 1918.
P.C., 151ST FIELD ARTILLERY
EXTRACT OF THE ARTILLERY EMPLOYMENT PLAN2
ORGANIZATION OF THE COMMAND
1. The Field Artillery is composed of two groupments.
(a) Groupment in direct support under command of Lt. Col. Huin including 3 groups of the 62th F.A.R.
(b) 1 Groupment in 2nd Position under command of Colonel Leach
2 Groups of American Artillery
1 Group of the 60th Field Corps Artillery
2. The Heavy Field Artillery is constituted of 1 Groupment under command of Major Vaziaga.
1 Group V/121 155 C.S. 1915
1 Group of American Artillery 155 C.S. 1917
1 Group 111/316 155 C.S. 1917
3. In case of attack, the whole artillery is under the direct command of
the General Commanding the Divisional Artillery until the moment when the
enemy's Infantry is going out of the trenches.
From this time and during the duration of the battle between the first
and the intermediate positions, the groups in direct support will be under the
command of the sub-sector commanders, who are able to follow very close the
different variations of the battle.
When the inside zone is concerned, this action can be reinforced by the
Support Groupment. It is for this purpose that the Colonel in command of this
groupment has his post of command close to the Lt.Colonel in command of the
62th F.A.Rgt. and that each Battery Commander of a group of support is in
direct connection with the officer commanding the group of direct support in
the zone of which he is working.
Every gun belonging to the Divisional Artillery, according to its position and its field of fire, has a special mission which it must not abandon
for any reason. Special orders have been established following an agreement
between the C.R.Commanders according to what may be eventually done for
the defense of the C.R. to which they are connected and also in case that the
gun and the C.R. should be surrounded by the enemy.
MISSION OF THE ARTILLERY IN CASE OF AN ATTACK
1. It is to be foreseen that the attack will be a sudden attack. The plan
of defense of the D.I. is fixing the Infantry action and the kind of defense on
the 1st Position, in the inside zone and in the intermediate positions.
2. The missions of the Field Artillery in direct support are,
(a) If the attack is known in advance, this artillery has to deliver harassing, interdiction and counter-preparation fires, so as to worry the traffic, throw
away the assemblies parties and trouble the immediate preparation of the attack.
(b) At the time of the attack, it has, in co-operation with the Infantry
advanced elements, to break and to delay the enemy's advance, by interdicting
him the access of the most favorable parts of the ground.
(c) If the 1st Line has been reached over by the enemy, the direct support Field Artillery, reinforced by the 2nd Position F.A. has to fight in the
inside lines in intimate connection with the Infantry and as much as possible in
view of stopping the progress of the enemy, of breaking the assaulting formations and of favorizing the local counter-attack.
(d) The Artillery's mission is also, if necessary, to defend at any cost,
the intermediate position through the way of concentrations of barrages, sweep2Translated from a French document, dated July 4, 1918. This document really
antedates and logically precedes the Employment Plan of Artillery, Chapter XI, dated
July 5, 1918.