History as prologue--beginning of a new era.

This March-April 2007 edition of Field Artillery marks an end of an era. During the past century, this professional magazine has performed a critical role in preparing the Field Artillery (FA) for war. It also has furnished a forum for vigorous debate over doctrine, modernization, equipment design and other important and timely issues. Since 1911, a professional magazine for Field Artillerymen has been published almost continuously, moving backward in time from today's magazine--Field Artillery (reprinted in the FA Association's FA Journal), The Field Artilleryman, Artillery Trends, Tactical and Technical Trends in Artillery for Instruction and the original The Field Artillery Journal.

Although this edition of Field Artillery concludes an illustrious era, the upcoming integrated FA-Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Fires Bulletin, the next edition, offers the FA and ADA branches and Fires Center of Excellence, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, exciting new opportunities to exchange ideas about tactics, doctrine, equipment design and other issues critical to the branches. The proud tradition of these two combat arms branches will continue into the future.

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When I became the Chief of Field Artillery, a longtime friend and noted historian told me that I always should view things in a historical perspective. Only then would I be able to maintain the right balance, resisting the temptation to overcorrect the challenge of the day. After serving as Chief for 20 months, I fully concur. History is prologue, and the circumstances today are remarkably similar to those of the past.

This magazine has chronicled the use of Field Artillerymen as infantrymen (and other nonstandard missions) not only during recent conflicts, such as Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), but also since the magazine's inception in 1911. Understanding where we have been as a branch never has been more important for understanding where we need to go in the future.

Brief History of the FA. The American Artillery always has played a decisive role in combat. During the American Revolution, colonial cannon crews contributed to victories at Boston, Trenton, Monmouth, Yorktown and other places. With effectively served artillery, the Continental Army finally defeated the British and won American independence.

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Field Artillerymen spent most of their time during the 80 years after the American Revolution guarding the frontier as infantrymen. Although their gunnery skills tended to "rust," they returned to the gun line frequently. During the War of 1812, Lieutenant Colonel Winfield Scott's trained gun crews maneuvered their field pieces around the battlefield like seasoned veterans to stop determined British offensives along the Niagara River in the Battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane in July 1814. Later, Captain James Duncan's and Major Samuel Ringgold's batteries performed superbly at Palo Alto in May 1846 in the Mexican-American War. At the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, Captain Braxton Bragg's battery galloped into action to stem an aggressive attack by Santa Anna's Mexican army and opened the way for a vital American victory.

In the 1850s, after frontier duty serving as infantrymen, once again losing hard-won skills, gunners had their first opportunity to display their talents in the Civil War. Colonel Henry J. Hunt's massed Field Artillery fire repelled Confederate infantry assaults at Malvern Hill in July 1862, allowing the Army of the Potomac to escape to safety. One year later, Hunt replicated this feat at the Battle of Gettysburg when he stopped Pickett's charge. Union and Confederate Field Artillerymen repeatedly destroyed infantry attacks in these and other Civil War battles to preserve their respective armies and demonstrated their ability to turn the tide of battle.

For 30 years after the Civil War, Field Artillerymen served as infantrymen on the frontier where their skills languished. The result was the Field Artillery's poor performance in the Spanish-American War of 1898.

In 1911, the War Department opened the School of Fire for Field Artillery men at Fort Sill. The school was to train Field Artillerymen on emerging technology and indirect fire techniques. That same year, The Field Artillery Journal was established as the branch's professional magazine. Its first editor was Captain William M. Snow, later Major General Snow, after whom the Field Artillery School's Snow Hall was named. The US Army Field Artillery Association, also established by Captain Snow, printed the first edition of the magazine, January-March 1911. The new school, journal and association were designed to create a professional Field Artillery branch.

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Then in 1919, the School of Fire was renamed the Field Artillery School; its avowed purpose was never to allow the debacle of the Spanish-American War to occur again.

World War I provided the school the first opportunity to show off its trained Field Artillerymen. In July 1918, the 3rd Division's Field Artillery stood firm on the Marne River despite the ferocity of Germany's last desperate gamble for victory, helping to earn the division the nickname "Rock of the Marne." The Field Artillery established itself as the "Greatest Killer on the Battlefield" during World War I by inflicting more than 75 percent of the enemy's casualties.

War gave way to peace in 1918, and the guns fell silent until World War II. Although the Field Artillery's tactics of massing fires had not changed as the US Army entered World War II, the fire direction center (FDC) and graphical firing tables (GFTs) developed at the Field Artillery School in the 1930s along with organic Field Artillery aerial observation produced devastating concentrations of fire. The coupling of the aerial and ground forward observers (FOs) and the guns proved to be an effective system.

For example, as German mechanized and armored forces poured out of Kassarine Pass in February 1943, American Field Artillerymen, employing the FDC effectively for the first time, stopped the German attack and paved the way for the Allies to clear the Germans from North Africa. At Elsenborn and Monshau during the Battle of the Bulge and other World War II battles, American Field Artillery saved the day and contributed significantly to victory.

Fire support from American Field Artillery continued into the Cold War and afterward. At Kung Ri Pass in Korea and Landing Zone X-Ray in Vietnam, American Field Artillery saved friendly lives. In more recent times, American field guns in Operation Desert Storm (ODS) and OIF allowed ground force commanders to attack unimpeded by enemy indirect fires, contributing to stunning victories.

Past as Prologue. The past is prologue to the future--peacetime preparation and training lead to success in war. For example, the resolute peacetime training by Duncan's and Ringgold's gun crews in the 1840s led to the impressive victory at Palo Alto in the Mexican War. The Field Artillery School's work over the years paved the way for effective indirect fires in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, ODS, OEF and OIF.

In contrast, the failure to train before the War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War prevented gun crews from exploiting their field pieces and forced Field Artillerymen to hone their skills under hostile fire.

Even though the Field Artillery has served effectively and contributed to many American victories throughout US history, some skeptics see a minimal role for the Field Artillery in the contemporary operating environment (COE). This skepticism parallels that of critics in the past. Some predecessors of the 1700s and 1800s also failed to see a future for Field Artillery during peacetime or on the frontier in operations against Native Americans; these predecessors employed Cannoneers as infantrymen in their "COEs."

The Army paid in blood for this, especially at the beginning of the War of 1812, Civil War and Spanish-American War. In these cases. Field Artillerymen had to learn their trade in the crucible of war. Failure to prepare in peacetime led to failure at the outset of war. We must learn from this lesson and commit our resources and energy to keeping Field Artillerymen skilled to conduct full-spectrum operations.

As we become adaptive and forward-looking, a failure to consider where we have been is a critical mistake. The key is to maintain the right balance between what history tells us and how emerging technologies and new organizations and employment techniques change the parameters of the force's operations.

With this edition of Field Artillery, we close out an era of almost 90 years, starting with the first edition of The Field Artillery Journal in 1911, and begin another. And as history is prologue, the Fires Bulletin, the child of two branch magazines with proud histories of supporting the force, will remain committed to developing combat ready US Artillerymen. This nation will need the full firepower of her Artillery once again--count on it.

Major General David C. Ralston

Chief of Field Artillery