After Friday’s washout because the weather wasn’t fit, Greg had his first stint of observation of artillery fire – a shoot.
Log Book
Date: 1.7.18 Hour: - Machine type: RE8 No.: E27 Observer: Lt Watkins Time: 3 hrs Height: 6000 Course/Remarks: Shoot on KD90. Successful. 145 SB.
Diary
Monday 1 July 1918. Shoot with 145 SB. 8” hows. on KD.90. Direct hit on No 3 pit.
Shoot on KD90
Greg’s shoot was with 145 Siege Battery, a Royal Garrison Artillery Battery of (probably four) 8″ howitzers. Their target, which would probably have been located in an earlier Counter Battery Patrol (explained here), was in zone KD and was the the object of interest given the serial number 90.
KD90 was a German battery, also probably of four pieces, each in its own emplacement or ‘pit’. It was located just southeast of the railway station at Merville, off what is now the Rue Loridan.
The site of KD90 today is unexceptional. Just a few ramshackle farm buildings on a quiet country lane on the edge of a small town. But where this photo was taken would not have been a good place to stand at 3:00pm on Monday 1 July 1918:
Squadron Record Book
In his diary, Greg records the shoot as successful. This was also the verdict in the Squadron Record Book. It’s the first entry on the (hard to read) page. Transcript (and translation) below.
Type and Number: R.E.8.27
Pilot and Observer: P. Lt Gregory. O. Lt Watkins.
Duty: Art Obs 145 S.B. (8" How) on K.D.90.
Hour of Start: 2.10pm
Hour of Return: 5.15pm
Remarks:
SUCCESSFUL. Called up 2.20pm. K. 2.25pm. L. 2.37pm. G. 2.43pm. V. 4.0pm. G. to V. 1-17mins
OBSERVED:- 1 O.K. 1 Y. 2 Z. 8 A. 16 B. 6 C. 2 D. 7 W. 42 ranging rounds. "V" out and 3 M.O.K. sent.
Direct hit on No. 3 Pit. T. out 5.5pm.
Shoot by P. Height 6000'.
MISC INF. 2.50p O.K. on house at K.36.d.0.7.
4.25pm and 4.55pm called C.W.S. X. out. A.A. very active in back areas. No movement seen North of CANAL. No trains. Obs. fired 600 rounds into NEUF BERQUIN, MERVILLE STATION and EPINETTE. Pilot fired 100 rounds into MERVILLE STATION. Vis. good at first, poor later. Obs. by P. & O.
Translation of Remarks:
Remarks: SUCCESSFUL.
Called up [B: Are you receiving my signal?] 2.20pm.
K. [Yes] 2.25pm.
L. [Battery ready to fire] 2.37pm.
G. [First 'Fire' command] 2.43pm.
V. [Observe for fire for effect; ie Battery Commander is satisfied that guns are now ranged, and will now fire 'for real' - please observe] 4.0pm.
G. to V. [Time taken to range battery] 1-17mins
OBSERVED:- 1 O.K. [Direct hit]
1 Y. [Within 10 yards]
2 Z. [Within 25 yards]
8 A. [Within 50 yards]
16 B. [Within 100 yards]
6 C. [Within 200 yards]
2 D. [Within 300 yards]
7 W. [Washout - unobserved]
42 ranging rounds.
"V" out and 3 M.O.K. [3 Mean-points-of-impact (of salvos) are direct hits] sent.
Direct hit on No. 3 Pit.
T. out [Battery telling aircraft to go home] 5.5pm.
Shoot by P. [Pilot did the observing of the shoot; the Observer would have been fully occupied watching for enemy aircraft] Height 6000'.
MISC INF. 2.50p O.K. [direct hit] on house at K.36.d.0.7. [Map reference of house just next to hostile battery at KD90]
4.25pm and 4.55pm called C.W.S. [The Central Wireless Station of the squadron] X. out. [Change target] A.A. very active in back areas. No movement seen North of CANAL. No trains. Obs. fired 600 rounds into NEUF BERQUIN, MERVILLE STATION and EPINETTE. Pilot fired 100 rounds into MERVILLE STATION. Vis. good at first, poor later. Obs. by P. & O. [Pilot and Observer both contributed to miscellaneous info.]
More on Shoots
For more details on how a shoot worked in practice, including an example of the exchange of communications between the aircraft and the battery, see:
The House at K.36.d.0.7
The house at K.36.d.0.7 that was the subject of an “O.K.” (direct hit) is actually just next to the hostile battery designated as KD90. A touch of collateral damage.
L’Épinette
As noted in the following post, which is about Greg’s previous outing with Lt. Watkins, there was some kind of well defended German post or position at l’Épinette:
Merville Station
Merville Station was on the receiving end of .303 fire from both Greg’s Vickers gun and Lt. Watkins’ Lewis gun. Today, the trains are long gone, but the buildings and fragments of the track remain:
