A “Blitzkrieg” Beobachtunswagen
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Well ……
The Beobachtungswagen / observation car is a today much unknown device that in 1914 was part of nearly every modern field artillery battery in the world.
1897 the French rocked the world’s artillery community with the introduction of the canon de 75. The first one with a working recoil mechanism. The “jumping” older ones fired 2-3 aimed rounds per minute. The 75mm fired fifteen rounds per minute on target, for a short time even 30 had been possible. The crew was protected by a shield and the ammunition wagon was armored, giving additional protection.
But artillery tactics stayed like 1870/71, cannon batteries firing from an open position. In Boer war the RA had to learn the hard way that against bolt action magazine rifles, MG and shrapnel counter battery fire that was suicide. The British guns had no shield but that would have made no difference.
The Russo-Japanese 1905 war showed the same problem and both armies used covered and semi covered positions.Covered position was behind a hill, wood or village, giving good protection against counter battery fire by masking the battery. It was difficult to find it for counter fire with artillery. The problem was the fire control, the observer had to use a telephone or light signals. Laying a cable took time and optical signals had been prone to mistakes.
So many advocated the semi covered gun position. Directly behind a hill crest, in a sinking or behind walls. Communication with the observer, who was there near the guns, was good. But muzzle flash and dust from gun blast gave away the exact position.
All modern armies got new equipment for indirect fire. In German it was the gun’s Rundblickfernrohr / dial sight, the Richtkreis / aiming circle and the Scherenfernrohr / scissors telescope. And often a telephone. To carry the stuff for the observer wagons got introduced in the armies.
In classic semi covered battery the CO on horse was to be high enough to look over the crest. Not ideal. So these wagons got a ladder. At first clumsy devices that looked like those of fire services. The RA got a pole one with L shaped steps. But that could only be used in a one level setting fixed on the car.
In 1914 all modern armies knew how to use indirect cannon fire (Mortars and howitzers did it for centuries) but many generals claimed that cannon artillery had to accept high losses in open positions for better effect. Hardly necessary to tell that no general served in an open battery position. Well, some even claimed that gun shields are bad for moral.
In 1914 the German army had the most modern ladder. A steel tube one that could be assembled for some different level settings. At the top was a bullet proof shield for the observer and a scissors telescope that looked over the rim.
So the observer was save from shrapnel and MG fire.
The ladder could be mounted in some ways on top of the Beobachtungswagen and also on the ground.My model, from a small one man company in Germany, came as car only. Very boring. So I collected plans and pics of the Beobachtungsleiter. I scratch built the ladder and the observer was made from Warlord parts, all from Blitzkrieg infantry box.
That makes it a Blitzkrieg item. 😉 And so I dare to call it a Warlord one.
With the coming of trench war the Beobachtungswagen stayed behind the front but the ladders got still used in suitable positions. The Versailles treaty forbade everything flying, including artillery observer planes and balloons. So the horse drawn Beobachtungswagen was still the device used by observers.
And Wehrmacht 448/1 Vorschrift still included the Beobachtungsleiter.
In WW II the Wehrmacht got Panzerbeobachtungswagen, Tanks with observing equipment. Often with dummy guns to save space for wireless equipment.
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