New Vanguard 105: British Artillery 1914-19, Heavy Artillery

by Dale Clarke, illustrated by Brian Delf

Published by Osprey Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-84176-788-3, 48 pages.

This is a great guide to the organisation and growth of British heavy artillery units in WWI, from the small corps of 1914 to its much-expanded state at the end of the war. Heavy artillery was originally expected only to be used in sieges, but the establishment of trench lines from Switzerland to the sea meant that siege warfare resulted on the grand scale. Naturally the guns and carriages meant to be taken to fortified towns were hardly mobile over the shell-pocked terrain of the Western Front, so new carriages, new guns, and motor draft vehicles rapidly came into service.

All the guns used, from the 6-inchers up to superheavy railway guns, are described, with plenty of photographs, and there’s even a section on their colour schemes with a recommended Humbrol match for WWI khaki paint. The plates are excellent, too.

Recommended!

John Prigent

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