Divisional Units
Field Artillery Regiment
Every
Finnish infantry division had a mainly horse-drawn Field
Artillery Regiment (Kenttätykistörykmentti, KTR).
Artillery regiment offered survey and weather services
for all artillery units within a division. Artillery
battalions were otherwise nearly independent units.
During the Continuation War field artillery regiment was
organized as follows:
Strength:
1.813 men
636x horse, 40x motor vehicle, 615x bicycle,
36x light howitzer or cannon (later also heavy
howitzer)
Rykmentinkomentaja / Regiment
Commander
Rykmentin
esikunta (E/KTR) (Regiment HQ) (22 men)
-----
Säähavaintoasema
(SääAs./KTR) (Weather Detecting Station)
Valomittausosasto
(VMitt.Os./KTR) (Light-Ranging Detachment) (51 men)
-----
Tasoryhmä
(Tasor.) (Plane Squad)
-----
1.
- 4. Valomittausryhmä (1.-4.VMitt.R) (1st - 4th
Light-Ranging Squad)
-----
Puhelinryhmä
(Puh.R) (Telephone Squad)
-----
1.
- 2. Radioryhmä (1.-2.Rad.R) (1st - 2nd
Radio Squad)
I
- III Patteristo (I - III/KTR) (I - III
Artillery Battalion) (580 men each)
.
Between
autumn 1941 and summer 1942 all field artillery regiments
and artillery battalions disbanded part of their oldest
men. Personnel strengths were decreased and units had
only minimum manning because they didn't need so many men
during the static warfare period. In June 1944 when the
moving military operations started again field artillery
units had difficulties in doing their job well because
they simply didn't have enough men. They received more
men during the summer.
.
Artillery Battalion
A typical
horse-drawn Artillery Battalion (Patteristo,
Psto) of the field artillery regiment was organized as
follows:
Horse-Drawn
Strength: 576 men (equipped with cannons only) / 580
men
Patteristonkomentaja /
Battalion Commander
Esikunta
(E/I Psto) (HQ / I Artillery Battalion) (114 men)
-----
Komentojaos
(Kom.Js) (Command Section)
-----
Asemaojaos
(As.Js) (Position Section)
-----
Viestiojaos
(VJs) (Signals Section)
-----
Huoltojaos
(HuoltoJs) (Supply Section)
1.
- 2. Patteri (1.-2.Ptri) (1st - 2nd
Battery) (Light Cannon Battery, 149 men
each)
-----
Tulenjohtue
(Tjue) (Fire Control)
-----
----- I - II Tulenjohtoryhmä (Tjr.) (I - II
Forward Observing Squad)
-----
Tulipatteri
(TPtri) (Gun Battery)
-----
Toimitusjaos
(Toim.Js) (Delivery Section)
3.
Patteri (3.Ptri) (3rd Battery) (Light
Howitzer Battery, 153 men)
-----
(Organized
in a similar way to other batteries, could be also Light
Cannon Battery.)
Kolonna
(Kol./Psto) (Column) (14 men)
.
II Artillery Battalion (II Psto) had 4th - 6th
Batteries and III Artillery Battalion (III
Psto) 7th - 9th Batteries. Some of the batteries
could be motorized.
In the
summer 1941 there were two basic types of artillery
battalions:
- with two light cannon batteries (75 - 84 mm) and one
light howitzer battery (76 - 122 mm)
- with three light cannon batteries (75 - 84 mm)
During
late 1941 one artillery battalion within field artillery
regiment was equipped with heavy howitzers.
Starting
since 1943 field artillery battalions were gradually
"standardized" to have similar kinds of field
guns or at least guns which had same ammunition. The
purpose of this change was to simplify ammunition supply
and make training easier. Changes were although slow and
in the summer 1944 many artillery battalions were still
mixed ones.
After the
intended conversion field artillery regiment was as
follows:
- one artillery battalion equipped with light cannons (75
- 84 mm)
- one with light howitzers (76 - 122 mm)
- one with heavy howitzers (152 - 155 mm)
This was
neither very satisfactory because artillery regiment
would still have three different gun models with
different ammunition. The long-term plan was to replace
all smaller calibre guns with 105 and 122 mm howitzers.
The first steps towards this direction were taken in 1944.
It is
interesting that this plan was actually realized as late
as in the 1980's when the last old gun models were
finally removed from inventory. So, it took about 40
years to make all changes which were started already
during the war!
.
.
Independent Field Artillery Units
The main difference between light artillery
battalions and heavy artillery battalions was that each
heavy battery had only one forward observing squad. All
light, heavy and super heavy artillery battalions were
basically independent units with a full supply and fire
observing capability.
.
Light Artillery Battalion
Horse-drawn
Light Artillery Battalion (Kevyt patteristo, Kev.Psto)
was similar to regimental artillery battalion, but was
usually entirely equipped with similar kind of light
cannons (75 - 76 mm) or howitzers (76 - 122 mm).
Motorized light artillery battalion was either truck-towed
or truck-carried but each battery had also two light
tracked tractors for moving guns. Motorized light
artillery battalion was organized as follows:
Motorized
Strength: 487 men
4x motorcycle, 10x personnel car, 59x truck, 6x
tracked tractor, 35x bicycle,
12x light cannon or howitzer
Patteristonkomentaja /
Battalion Commander
Esikunta
(E/Kev.Psto) (HQ) (109 men)
-----
Komentojaos
(Kom.Js) (Command Section)
-----
Asemaojaos
(As.Js) (Position Section)
-----
Viestiojaos
(VJs) (Signals Section)
-----
Huoltojaos
(HuoltoJs) (Supply Section)
1.
- 3. Kevyt patteri (1.-3.Kev.Ptri) (1st - 3rd
Light Battery) (? men each)
(Light
Cannon or Howitzer Battery)
-----
Tulenjohtue
(Tjue) (Fire Control)
-----
----- I - II Tulenjohtoryhmä (Tjr.) (I - II
Forward Observing Squad)
-----
Tulipatteri
(TPtri) (Gun Battery)
-----
Toimitusjaos
(Toim.Js) (Delivery Section)
Kolonna
(Kol./Kev.Psto) (Column) (? men)
.
Heavy Artillery Battalion
Heavy
Artillery Battalion (Raskas patteristo, Rask.Psto)
could be either motorized, horse-drawn or a mixed one.
Motorized units had heavy trucks for towing guns. Heavy
tracked tractors were for moving guns in bad terrain and
they were carried on a truck. Since summer 1941 heavy
artillery battalions were organized as follows:
Motorized
Strength: 512 men (equipped with cannons) / 521 men (equipped
with howitzers)
4x motorcycle, 10x personnel car, 53x truck, 12x
tracked tractor, 17x bicycle,
12x heavy cannon or howitzer
Horse-Drawn
Strength: 642 men
259x horse, motorcycle, 2x personnel car, 12x truck,
169x bicycle,
12x heavy cannon or howitzer
Patteristonkomentaja /
Battalion Commander
Esikunta
(E/Rask.Psto) (HQ) (Motorized: 109
men)
-----
Komentojaos
(Kom.Js) (Command Section)
-----
Asemaojaos
(As.Js) (Position Section)
-----
Viestiojaos
(VJs) (Signals Section)
-----
Huoltojaos
(HuoltoJs) (Supply Section)
1.
- 3. Raskas patteri (1.-3.Rask.Ptri) (1st - 3rd
Heavy Battery)
(Motorized:
128 men if equipped with cannons / 131 men if
equipped with howitzers)
-----
Tulenjohtue
(Tjue) (Fire Control)
-----
----- Tulenjohtoryhmä (Tjr.) (Forward
Observing Squad)
-----
Tulipatteri
(TPtri) (Gun Battery)
-----
Toimitusjaos
(Toim.Js) (Delivery Section)
Kolonna
(Kol./Rask.Psto) (Column) (Motorized: 19
men)
.
Super Heavy Artillery Battalion
Super
Heavy Artillery Battalion (Järeä patteristo, Jär.Psto)
was always motorized and towed only with heavy tractors.
Their organization was otherwise similar to motorized
heavy artillery battalion but they had only nine super
heavy howitzers i.e. three guns in a battery.
.
.
.
.
Sources:
PAUJY3, JATHI, SUOSO [10]
.
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