About the Book
I’m writing what will hopefully be a series of books that deserve a place in the historiography of World War II. Yes, there are innumerable books covering WWII infantry operations, entire libraries on armor and air power, and stacks of command biographies. But here’s what I found out researching family history a few years ago? Histories of field artillery? Nearly nonexistent. Books focused solely on Field Artillery in WWII? Rare. Field artillery appears frequently in battle histories, but always as backdrop, never as subject. "Artillery softened defenses." "Fire support was provided." Way more information to be found in artillery histories!
Why isn’t it more interesting? I believe that Field Artillery did their job so well and so consistently as to become the background. Historians didn’t see the story in infantry histories, and it has been left behind in the historiography that has only grown since the war’s end. I believe that in their very effectiveness lies the true story of US Field Artillery in WWII.
My thesis: American field artillery used interwar lessons and Fire Direction Center innovations to become so reliably effective it faded into the background of combat operations, thus explaining why it's been overlooked in the historical literature.
North Africa is the perfect proving ground for this argument. The 1st Infantry Division provides the narrative anchor, but I'm tracking the entire corps artillery system. In North Africa, at Kasserine Pass for example, the FDC system existed but doctrine was ignored. Coordination broke down. But then pushing forward, they continually demonstrated the deadly effectiveness of this system.
Research in Progress
I'm currently in the foundation-building phase:
Understanding the system: Before I can analyze FDC effectiveness, I need to understand how it actually worked. Thankfully, I do not need to learn differential calculus!!!!!!!!!!!(Seriously, algebra was my nemesis in High School)
Building the research list: This is a fun challenge, and honestly, my favorite part.
Writing a proposal: Self-explanatory? Gotta get published!
Why am I doing this? (Especially as a NON-FA veteran? LOL!)
Because I’m passionate about telling this story. This isn’t just any story for me. This is also my great-grandfather’s story. His brothers, my Great-Uncles story. I feel that leaving out the field artillery is a mistake. Infantry operations that "succeeded" didn't succeed alone; they succeeded because artillery support was so effective it seemed unremarkable. That effectiveness didn't happen automatically. It was built through interwar innovation, refined through doctrinal development, tested brutally in North Africa, and perfected through experience.