Interview with a former British artilleryman and veteran of the Gulf War

A former artilleryman who served in the British Army has accepted an interview for the blog. I, joined the Armed Forces at 17, serving in Germany and taking part in the Gulf War.

1. Hello I., thank you for accepting the interview. Could you give us a bit of an introduction?

At the age of 17 I joined the Royal Regt of Artillery 1988 to 1992. I first trained on the L118 105 mm light gun, after basic training I was then posted to 49 Field Regt Field Artillery in Germany Lippstadt. Here I was retrained on the M109, 155 mm SP gun Before serving in the First Gulf War I had done a united nation tour in Cyprus. In 1992 I left Royal Artillery and joined an infantry unit till 2014.

2. What would you consider are the strong and weak points of the L118 Light Gun you used?

My view from being on the M109 its strong points are its fire power and the gun is only as good as it well trained disciplined gun crew and commander. Weaknesses I’d say its aluminium armour and if the engine breaks down you are stuck in location which makes you a static target

3. What is the typical distance to target and rate of fire when you train?

As for typical distance of target it could be any as long as the target is with in our firing  range, from head on target to 21km or 30 km. We trained for all eventualities. As for rate of fire again id say 4 rounds per min again depends on your crew or if you use the automatic rammer, on my crew our loader would ram the shell with his fist along with pure aggression and adrenalin as he was a big lad. I am sure today with health and safety might not happen.

4. When it came to target designation, what was the most common approach to get the data (reconnaissance aircraft, specialised vehicles, forward artillery observers)?

Our most common target indicator was given by the FOO, forward observation officer. They could be on foot or by reconnaissance vehicle, again depends on enemy threat and their location. They would send their info by radio to our (CP) command post which the CP would relay to us by giving a fire order.

5. Did you train/prepare in any specific way before being deployed to Saudi Arabia?

We trained in Canada Alberta, before being deployed to Saudi Arabia, all British units are continuously training as not be caught off guard, hence we can  deploy at a moment notice anywhere in the world.

6. Can you comment on the Iraqi Army? Did you examine any equipment? What was your impression on it and its training?

As for the Iraqi army we were going up against the Republican guard force, we were briefed up that they were  professional soldiers, well trained better equipped and moral was high. What i saw and came across were soldiers surrendering left right and centre, some had not eaten or had water in days. So my first impressions were shit these guys were  broken soldiers and not all that cracked up to be. Their equipment was out dated and outclassed. I never saw their training so cannot comment.

7. When it came to the L118 Light Gun, what do you think were the main conclusions following war against Iraq?

Conclusions on the M109 in gulf war simple, superior fire power and fire planning, along with the support of FH70,MLRS.

8. In recent times artillery has introduced UAVs for target selection/reconnaissance. Did you ever try this concept?

As for the  UAVs I have not worked with them i have friends who still serve they tell me its a good asset as to recognise targets identify  and destroy with more accuracy.

M109 during second day of operation Desert Storm (known as Granby in the UK).

Getting ready to fire.

4th Armoured Division coat of arms.

9. What about more recent conflicts like Donbass, Syria or Nagorno-Karabakh? What was you impressions on the use of artillery in them?

The recent conflicts in Syria, Donbass etc and the use of Arty in built up areas is an over kill especially when they know there are civilians. As history has shown in the past whether  Stalingrad or Monte Casino  all you create is more places for the enemy to hide and attack  or defend once the  fire is over.

10. Do you think towed artillery is still valid (vs self propelled systems)?

I personally think towed Arty is still valid for the simple reason towed guns can be pulled by men or a horse or some sort of vehicle so the mission can have more chance of success.

11. Countries like Ukraine and Russia have reactivated 2S7 Pion 203 mm guns. A few years ago this calibre seemed obsolete when compared to advanced 152/155 mm ammunition. Now it seems that they do have a function. What is your opinion?

My opinion is simple on these guns as they have proved themselves in Afghan War from 79 to 89, then Chechen War all you have to do is upgrade them

12. Have you trained with personnel from other countries? Did you use any of their equipment (artillery)? What were your impressions (training and equipment)?

I trained by other nations but not with them, as being boots on the ground. Even though we were bigger part of the picture, we never saw the artists.

Other interviews:

- Former M60 tanker in the Army of Austria
- Former Chieftain crew member
- Former Chieftain gunner
- AMX30 commander of the Army of France
- NCO of the Army of Serbia 
- Former crew member of Challenger 2
- Former Leclerc commander
- T-72 driver in Czech Army  
- US Army M60 tank crewmman
- Interview with D., former US Army tanker with experience in the M60 and M1 Abrams
- Interview with Stefan Kotsch, former NVA/Bundeswehr tanker  

More interviews can be found in the Spanish version of the blog (link), including veterans of Leo 2, AMX30, M48/60 and REME.

I am always looking for more veterans, active members or people related with the defence industry to accept interviews. If you enjoyed reading the material and would be happy to accept an anonimous interview you can get in contact with me. My e-mail can be found in this link at the heading. Otherwise leave a message in the comment sections.