of the IVth Army Corps reported a shortage of ammunition.[1] Shortage of ammunition caused Marshal Bazaine to fall back to Metz on August 17th. Notwithstanding the proximity of the fortress of Metz, the French VIth Corps was unable to replenish its supply of ammunition before it was attacked by the Prussian Guard. Detailed information available in regard to the ammunition expended by the 25th Infantry (French)[2] shows that each man had only 30 instead of 90 cartridges. (This was the regiment attacked by the Franz and 3rd Guard Regiments, who lost 2,160 men—9% hits). The statement made in the history of the 2nd Guard Regiment (p. 233), that every French soldier had 300 rounds of ammunition available on August 18th, cannot be substantiated by French records.
The expenditure of ammunition in the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78, amounted to 33 rounds per rifle and carbine on the Russian side. The following detailed statements in regard to the expenditure of ammunition are available. In the engagement at Aiaslar, on August 23rd, 1877, the Sofia Regiment expended 94 rounds, and at Karahassankioi, the 140th Infantry expended 155 rounds per man. On December 28th, 1877, the 13th Rifle Battalion expended 122 rounds per man. In this connection, it may be remarked that the Russian infantryman of that day carried 60 rounds of ammunition in his cartridge boxes. The ammunition carts carried 55 additional rounds per man, and the ammunition parks 62. If, as prescribed by the regulations at that time, only one ammunition wagon followed an organization into action, each infantryman had 78 rounds available, and each man of a rifle battalion 106 rounds.
In front of Plevna, on July 20th, 1877, the Russians expended in six hours all the ammunition carried by the men and by the ammunition carts. On July 30th, during the second assault on Plevna, they expended in four hours all the ammunition carried by the men.[3] In the engagement at Lovtcha, the 3rd Rifle Brigade only fired during the pursuit. The brigade commander explained afterwards that his ammunition had run short nevertheless. During the advance, the ammunition wagons did not follow in rear of the organizations to which they belonged, and no provision had been made for bringing up the necessary ammunition.[4]
On September 1st, 1877, the regiments which made the fruitless attack on the Omar Bey Tabia, expended the following ammunition:
63rd Infantry[5] 55,296 rounds, or 21 per rifle
119th " [E] 99,744 " " 43 " "
64th " 24,650 " " 10 " "
115th " 45,360 " " 24 " "
- ↑ Hönig, Taktik der Zukunft, p. 159.
- ↑ Paqié, Le tir en terrain varié, p. 39.
- ↑ Details given in the German translation of the Russian Gen. St. W. (Vienna), III, pp. 330-331.
- ↑ Kuropatkin-Krahmer, Kritische Rückblicke auf den Russisch-Türkischen Krieg, I, p. 88.
- ↑ These two regiments were only engaged from 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
