AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OFSOUTH AFRICAN ARTILLERY

5gt A C Lillie*

It has been said that 'Necessity is the mother ofinvention' and there can be few countries, if any,where this is more true than in South Africa.

In the late 1930's, prior to World War II, the SouthAfrican Artillery was severely restricted due to itslack of mobility. The inventiveness shown in tack-ling this probelm is surely not a thing of the pastand the possiblity of adapting South African artil-lery to current South african needs in warfareshould not be overlooked. The South AfricanDefence Force is not able to purchase armamentin a free and open market place and the costs ofdeveloping new artillery are prohibitive in acountry of South Africa's size. it will be arguedthat it is necessary and possible, in the shortterm, to take what is currently available andadapt this to South Africa's needs.

In 1938 a major advance was made in artillerytransport. The guns built for horse-draught hadwooden wheels, steel tyres and no springs. itwas found that if they were towed faster than 10miles per hour, the wheels collapsed and theequipment was shaken out of adjustment. TheOfficer Commanding Artillery School, Major M.de Villiers, saw the need for an alternative meansof transporting field guns.

An eight cylinder Ford Five-ton six-wheeler, fittedwith an additional gearbox, a 71/2 ton powerwinch and a body designed at the ArtillerySchool, manufactured at the Aircraft and ArtilleryDepot was introduced. A a.F. 18-pounder MarkIV gun and a limber were carried on the truck,with a complete detachment, kits, and otherequipment, as required for Active Service. Thirty-four rounds of ammunition were carried in con-tainers on the side and below the floor of thebody as well as the twenty rounds which were inthe limber.

This equipment was used in April 1939 on atactical march from Roberts heights to Potchef-stroom, a distance of 113 miles. A difficult roadwas selected, in places traversing the worst typeof farm roads. The distance was covered com-fortably in six hours. This included several stopsas the road, where it traversed fairly deepdongas, had to be reconnoitred by the drivers,

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before the lorries could be taken through. Asteady speed of 30 miles per hour was main-tained, and, for testing purposes, the speed wasincreased to 40 miles per hour. Top gear wasused for the entire journey, except for one par-ticularly bad stretch of track, where second gearwas used, and the speed reduced to 15 milesper hour.

The detatchment on the truck wore goggles, butreported that they were not seriously affected bythe dust. Furthermore, they reported that it wasquite comfortable travelling, and not tiring, ex-cept that it would have been better if a back-resthad been fitted to the seats. The gun itself travel-led without shifting or bumping and arrived inPotchefstroom undamaged no adjustments re-quired to the sights.

Major de Villiers considered this form of artillerytraction ideal, and this solved the problem of theequipment being jarred. He could advance nocriticisms.

At the Artillery practice camp, the Porte wastested in wet conditions over 14 miles. Theequipment was proved capable of surmountingall the difficult portions of the route, despite theslippery conditions in some places and theheavy mud in others.

In the opinion of Major W. Kinkead-Weekes,Commanding Second Field Battery, the trip con-stituted, a very severe test of the travelling cap-abilities of the equipment and he felt confidentthat, except in the most exceptional circum-stances, it would be able to cope with difficultterrain, without dismounting the gun and limber,especially if the officer or non-commissioned offi-cer in charge took the precaution of doing the'leading' which was necessary in the worstplaces.

Prior to the introduction of the Porte, the 'Dragon'Artillery tractor had been used for traction of 18-pounders. At the 1938 Potchefstroom Camp forthe 2nd Field Battery one section was employed'Porte' and the other Dragon-drawn. The differ-ence in the manoeuvrability of the Porte sectionwas very marked, and this section was always

Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 13, Nr 1, 1983. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za

used when speed of movement was required.During advances, when continuous support wasrequired, this section was used for leap froggingforward, and the guns got to the rendezvous atthe same time, if not before, the staff.

It was found that the trucks could move over anyground on the Potchefstroom range, and no diffi-culty was experienced. Two minutes wereneeded to get the gun on and off the truck. Thiswas done on the position of assembly whengoing out of action (about 200 yards clear of thegun position) and on a preliminary position(about 200 yards from the actual gun position)when coming into action.

At the rendezvous, ammunition was removedfrom the boxes on the truck, and any expendedfrom the limber replaced, the idea being to keepthe limber full of ammunition for as long as pos-sible. At the limber line, again, the ammunitionboxes on the ammunition carrying trucks, andwhen necessary, the full limbers carried on theammuntion trucks, could replace the empty lim-bers carried on the gun trucks.

As each sub-section was now a complete fight-ing unit, carrying its own ammunition, the ammu-

nition carrying trucks when empty, could be sentback to the ammunition refilling points, and,owing to their speed, rejoin the Battery limberline when ammunition had been replaced.

By April 1939 all field batteries were issued withsix Porte lorries which saw service throughoutthe East African and Abyssinian campaigns.

In 1938 New Zealand introduced a Porte whichcarried both the gun and a tractor, while towingthe limber. No seats were provided for the mem-bers of the detachment, nor were arrangementsmade for their kit. Major de Villiers consideredtheir arrangement .unsuitable as no ammunitionwas carried on the truck but was carried in thelimber towed by the truck. This rather defeatedthe idea, as it was not aimed at towing anything,as towing reduces the speed of a truck. It wasalso quite unnecessary to carry a tractor, as thetruck could take the gun practically anywhere.

Captain R. Harrison of the 11th Field Battery,SAA was one of the many artillery officers who in1940 pointed out that the type of commerciallorry used for this purpose could not be ex-pected to perform tasks for which it was neverintended. He felt it should form the basis for the

A. 5 ton Power Winch, driven by engine oftruck.

B. U Iron channelling, bent at front to takewheel.

C. Box for 5 rounds ammunition. (On eitherside)

D. Box for 12 rounds ammunition. (On eitherside)

E. Bottle-screws, hooked to drag washers ofwheels, holding them down and forward.

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F. Hook on front end of trail for attachingcable of winch.

G. Ramps housed when not in use.H. Removable seats.K. Limber-hook.

The Ammunition-carrying trucks (one per sec-tion) were identical, two ammunition wagonsbeing carried on each.

Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 13, Nr 1, 1983. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za

design of a lorry built for military use which couldgive some protection to the engine and radiator,a greater clearance, more robust springing, bet-ter electrical equipment, and standard fittings forthe equipment, spare water, petrol and oil.

By September 1940 calls had been made for theabolition of the Porte method of conveying guns.The Director Field Army Artillery however pointedout that no case had been made out for theabandonment of Porte for field guns, although acase had been made out that the vehicle usedwas not suitable for the purpose. The Staff Offi-cer'T' at Artillery Training Centre suggested thatthe Marmon Herrington which had been adaptedas an armoured car was an ideal type of vehicle,but this suggestion never appears to have beenfollowed upand the Porte system for field artillerywas scrapped mainly because of the absence ofa suitable vehicle.

Modern Artillery:

During the years following World War II a numberof tactical experts predicted the gradual disap-pearance of the classic artillery as a supportweapon. The number of those who saw the futurein surface-to-surface missiles and self propelled(SP) systems grew steadily. However, the towedartillery is still with us today and looks set tostay.1

The attention of armament producers in the Westis today focussed on 105-mm and 155-mmclasses with these two able to supply most artil-lery needs.

The 105-mm gun is considered an extention ofthe infantry. The need exists that this gun shouldpossess high mobility and for this reason it mustbe helicopter-transportable. The ROF 105-mmLight Gun used by the British is capable of firinga 16kg shell to a maximum range of 17,2 km. Thegun has a maximum rate of fire of 6rpm and asustained rate of 3 rpm. It is produced from aspecial steel which gives it considerablestrength whilst keeping the total weight down to1 861 kg. It is possible to transport the gun in twopositions, firstly with the barrel in the firing posi-tion and secondly with the gun muzzle swung tothe rear and clipped onto the trail. The de-tachment of six can bring the gun into action inone minute in the former case and two minutes inthe latter. In fulfillment of one of the main needsof the class, it is possible to carry the 105-mmgun underslung by a Puma. The normal method

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of towing is to use a one tonne long wheelbaseland rover. While a modern light gun is capable ofachieving a maximum range of between 11 and17 km, depending on the ordnance, it must beremembered that range is not always the primaryrequirement for infantry fire support and that theemphasis is on versatility and high mobility.

Although the 105-mm gun supplies the high mo-bility needs of the artillery, the objectives of the155-mm are somewhat different. This generalsupport type of weapon is the 'heavy fist' at thedisposal of the commander. With fewer gunsavailable to cover a potential front, the 155-mmclass with its heavier shell and range varyingbetween 20 and 30 km presents a most attrac-tive weapon.

The first major innovation in the field of auxilliary-propelled 155-mm howitzers came from theSwedes with the Bofor FH77 which used its en-gine to drive hydraulic pumps and motors whichproduced propulsion, elevated and traversedthe gun, lifted the auxilliary wheels, extracted thespades, rammed the shell and performed vari-ous other tasks. The cheaper FH77B which hassince been produced which consists of certaineconomies with the sights and the substitution ofa conventional breech with screw block in placeof the sliding block breech.

The FH77 was followed by the Anglo-German-Italian FH70 which is now in regimental service.The maximum range of this weapon is in theregion of 24 km with a conventional shell but arocket-assisted projectile being developed willincrease this to more than 30 km,

The French have developed the 155-mm CTtowed gun which uses the same barrel andbreech mechanism as the GCT 155-mm SP gunwhich is now in service, the first complete regi-ment having been equiped at the beginning of1981.

All of these weapons are capable of high rates offire with the 155-mm GCT being abel to get offfive rounds in 45 seconds; the 155-mm CT threein 12 seconds, the FH70 three in 13 seconds,and the FH77 three in eight seconds. It seemshighly unlikely however that rates of fire any-where in this region can be maintained or usedto often since the heat build-up in the recoilsystem must be considerable and no recoil sys-tem can stand up to this kind of sustained treat-ment.

Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 13, Nr 1, 1983. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za

These guns have however reached what is al-most their limit in advances as they already havea mass of approximately 10 tons, which is con-sidered a practical limit. Greater ranges are how-ever definite possibilities with further develop-ments in the ammunition field. An increase interminal effect can be achieved by using bettergrades of steel for the projectile body and morebrisant explosives for the payload, allied, per-haps, with more elegant fuzing systems, all ofwhich tends to be expensive but cost-effective.

An increase in range can on the other hand beachieved by rocket assistance, base bleed, orfin-stabilised sub-calibre projectiles; however, allof these solutions have their adherent problemsRocket assistance often leads to a reduction inaccuracy while sub-calibre solutions reduce thepayload, are inevitably expensive because ofintricate engineering, but are generally accurate.Base bleed appears to offer the best solution interms of cost, range and terminal effect. Thepayload is hardly decreased and it presents amuch easier engineering proposition than eitherof the others. The increase in range is howevernot so great. Developing the most effective de-sign is not a simple matter and can take a lot oftime and testing before an acceptable design isdeveloped.

The most effective short-term solution to theproblem of achieving longer range has been toperfect the 'Hemispherical base' shell in whichthe exterior contour is more or less that of aconventional streamlined shell, in which thestreamlined portion of the base is shaped inter-nally to form a hemispherical recess.

Careful design of the recess and the streamlinetaper can make a significant reduction in basedrag with a resultant increase in maximum rangeof some seven to ten per cent.

A longer than usual shell with a fine ogival taperand with aerofoil wing stubs on the body, whichhelp to stabilise the extra length and also givesome degree of aero-dynamic lift during flightwhich helps to extend the range, is a solutiondisplayed by PRB of Belgium. This is called the'Extended Range Full Bore' (ERFB) projectile. Anincrease in range from 21.7 km to 25 km for theFH77 and 22.1 km to 26 km for the FH70 isclaimed.

SP versions of the FH77 and 155-mm CT arealready in use and a SP version of the FH70 isunder development. All of these make a real

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contribution to the mobility of the Artillery at thedisposal of their armies.

South African Artillery:

The South African Artillery (Field) is equiped withtwo World War II guns, namely the 25-pounderand the 5.5" guns. Its other armament includesthe G-5 and the 127-mm multiple rocket launcher(MRL). This means that although the two recentadditions take care of most shortcomings in theirrespective spheres, certain problems still remainin giving the South African Army adequate Artil-lery support.

As was pointed out in a recent edition of 'ArmedForcese, South Africa is in need of SP artillery.The obvious solution to this problem is a SPversion of the G-5, but this is not as simple inreality. The GCT 155-mm and the SP version ofthe FH77 are both mounted on tracked chasis, inthe former instance that of the AMX-30 tank andif this example was to be followed, the resultwould suffer from the same limitations as a mainbattle tank. As suggested3 it might be an idea tomake use of a wheeled chasis such as that of theRatel. The development of a weapon such as thiswould however inevitably take a certain amountof time and in the meanwhile an interim substi-tute must be found. (For remarks iro the SP G6,see under footnote 3.)

The 127-mm MRL appears to be as effective asother weapons in its class but will at the sametime suffer from the same inadequacies namelyrelative inaccuracy, lack of penetration, lengthyre-Ioading interval and bulky ammunition. Thelack of penetration will become of even greaterimportance as SWAPO improve even further ontheir dug-in defences. The answer to this prob-lem4 lies in using MRL's for the bulk of the prep-aration, firing only a few salvoes before the con-ventional artillery concentrates heavy fire onhardened and point targets. They could thenagain be used to deliver a massive final blowimmediately prior to the break-in. This wouldkeep the enemy from taking any effective actionuntil the attackers were upon them. The bestresult of these tactics would be to limit the warn-ing reaction time of the enemy, with the addedbonus of the artillery being able to concentrateon a small number of targets which would ensuretheir destruction or neutralization.

It has been mentioned in the media that the 140-mm (5.5") gun has been used in recent SouthAfrican incursions into Angola. This being so, the

Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 13, Nr 1, 1983. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za

140.mmgun

best method of utilizing this gun ought to beconsidered.

The 140-mm is too heavy to be considered idealfor the role of infantry support in the modernsense and even during World War II was usedmainly in support of armoured regiments. Noalternative is however available as the 25-pounder is even further from the ideal. Using aconventional H.E. shell, the 140-mm has a rangeof 16,5 km which, although considerably lessthan that of the 155-mm's already mentioned,could be increased somewhat in the waysalready suggested.

One of the problems facing South African mech-anized columns venturing into Angola to attackSWAPO bases is that of speed and the echelonmost likely to present problems is the artillery. ASP 155-mm would solve the problem but as thisis not available the 140-mm has to be taken andadapted.

Until recently the best means of transporting the140-mm was to tow it with a Margirus Deutz but

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since the introducIion of the Samil 100 gun trac-tor, this presents c far more attractive alternativeand has in fact been used for this purpose.

A possible solution to the problem might be tocarry the 140-mm 'Porte' on the Samil 100. Thiswould relieve the problem of towing the gunwhich it has already been mentioned is not anideal means of transporting a gun and even atthe best of times, the cross-country mobility ofany towed gun is usually in doubt. Southern An-gola is undoubtedly difficult terrain over which totow a gun.

The Samil 100 gun tractor was developed to towthe G-5 and has a crew compartment for eightpersons behind the driver's cab. An observationhatch is fitted centrally in the roof of the crewcompartment as well as a machine-gun mount-ing platform. The section immediately behind thecrew compartment consists of a cargo dropsidebody with built-in storage compartments for guncharges and winching equipment. On the top ofthese compartments storage is provided for 15projectile pallets, each weighing 189 kg.

Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 13, Nr 1, 1983. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za

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A canvas cover is supplied to cover all equip-ment on the cargo body. An elephant trunk-typehydraulic crane is mounted behind the rearcargo body, capable of swinging through 360degrees and lifting 800 kg at a jub length of 3,5m. The overall dimensions of the vehicle are 2,5m wide x 9,35 m long x 3,35 m high.

The adaptation of the Samil for use as a Portewould not be difficult and would be quite similarto the World War II version. The crane wouldhave to be placed between the cab and the crewcompartment, a position from which it would bealmost as efficient in operation as its presentone. As this gun is quite capable of operatingwith a crew of four, the cab would be cut to halfits present size with a full length bench on theremaining side. The winch for getting the gunonto the tractor could fit under the seat of thecrew compartment which would require a slightgroove built-in to accommodate the barrel.Ramps for running the gun onto the tractor couldbe placed under the wheel grooves which wouldhave to be built onto the body and then run outwhen necessary. To prevent the trail of the gundigging in while being off-loaded, a bar would

have to be passed through it with wheels settlingin the grooves while travelling and running in theramps while off-loading. The main problem cre-ated by transporting the 140-mm porte wouldhowever be that of the positioning of the projec-tile pallets.

Despite the problems facing the South AfricanArtillery, the situation is far from hopeless and theequipment is far from being as out-moded as it isoften depicted.

The lack of a viable light gun is undoubtedly aproblem as the 25-pounder is unable to fulfill thisrole, but the production of an efficient SP 155-mm and a reliable light gun will put South Africaon an equal footing in terms of conventional artil-lery, with the leading nations of the world. In theinterim however, a suggestion such as the oneadvanced above could provide a viable answer.

South Africa has always been highly respectedin military circles for the quality of its manpowerand, in the long-run, (when all is said and done)is this not the crux of South Africa's answer toany weapon deficiencies?

A 140-mm gun in action

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Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 13, Nr 1, 1983. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za

'Sgt AC Lillie is attached to the Military Information Bereau and is studyingfor the B Journ degree at Rhodes University. With this article he won the thirdprize in the Mililary Essay Competition of 1981.

Footnotes1. Heck, R. "Artillery - An old Weapon with New Technology Inputs" Armada

International August 1981 p.48.2. Heitman, H-R. "Artillery Applications" Armed Forces Oct 1981.3. ibid.

When this article was entered for the Military Essay Competition in 1981,details of the prototype SP G6 version were still classified The new systemconsists of a G5 cannon housed in an armoured-plated turret which ismounted on a SP six-wheeled undercarriage. The wheel concept gives the G6an improved strategic mobility in respect of speed (max 90 km per hour),firing range (effective up to 40 km), and general mobility.4. Heitman, H-R. "Rocket Systems" Armed Forces May 1977.

BibliographyArmed Forces September 1980 "Ubique".Armed Forces August 1981 "The New Generation of South African MilitaryVehicles".De Villiers, M. "Those Were The Days" Kommando June 1953.Heck, R. "Artillery - An Old Weapon with New Technology Inputs" ArmadaInternational Volume 5 NO.4 August 1981.Heitman, H.R. "Rocket Systems" Armed Forces May 1977.Heitman, H.R. "Artillery Applications" Armed Forces October 1981.Hogg, I. "Current Trends in Artillery" Defence Vol 12 NO.7 July 1981.Hogg, I. "French Artillery in The 1980's" Defence Vol 12 NO.7 July 1981.

Projecttle pallets being loaded

Befow: Sami/100 Gun Tractor

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Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 13, Nr 1, 1983. http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za