What exactly was a machine gun battery?

[Kevin the Salmon]

 Researching 116 MGCoy - I have a map reference for where "G battery" guns were on Oct 16 1917. The company then moves out of the line for 2 weeks and back again.  There are then further references to G battery, but I'm not clear if that would have likely been in the same place or not.  Does "battery" in this context mean a physical location (an emplacement or dugout, maybe shared with artillery) or did it just mean a group of guns firing together in a barrage that may have been located anywhere?

 

 

[JOHN BALL]

Could this be a reference to a Motor Machine Gun Battery, these batteries are included in the Machine Gun Corps section on the Long Long Trail site.

  John

[Kevin the Salmon]

Interesting idea (and thanks for pointing out the source), but it sounds like motor batteries were only in limited use by 1917 and the guns described in the battalion diary were the regular kind.

[kenf48]

13 hours ago, Kevin the Salmon said:

 There are then further references to G battery, but I'm not clear if that would have likely been in the same place or not.  Does "battery" in this context mean a physical location (an emplacement or dugout, maybe shared with artillery) or did it just mean a group of guns firing together in a barrage that may have been located anywhere?

 

 

 

 

I think it's the latter, i.e. in this context the battery is a group of machine guns, as shown in the diary for the 16th  e.g. 'G' Battery 6 Guns; H Battery 4 Guns; I and J Batteries 5 guns etc.  The Brigade machine gun Companies were by this time deployed on barrage fire as well as in support of assaulting infantry, or in a defensive role.

 

The basic unit in a MGC Company was the gun team, with usually 4 teams forming a 'section'. As the Corps and numbers of machine guns increased the heavy machine gun was used in a more offensive and co-ordinated role and artillery principles were applied to creating the machine gun barrage.  In 116 Company these principles seem to have been embraced and the sections organised into batteries, which as shown in the diary could be adjusted as required, so for example there's an entry that states 'Orders received to increase A battery from six to eight guns.'

There is also in the diary an excellent chart showing the rounds fired, range etc for each gun in a 'battery'.

Other MG Companies do not seem to have adopted the term at this time keeping the organisation as 'sections'  or 'teams', or simply listing '5 guns at.' .etc. 

 

It would be interesting to see if the term was used throughout the MGC as tactics evolved and the Companies formed into Battalions.

 

Ken 

[laughton]

If it helps, over here across the pond we had 3 major "Machine Gun Batteries". They were quite distinct from the "Machine Gun Coys":

 

Canadian Machine Gun Batteries - War Diaries

[Ron Clifton]

An authorised establishment for Motor Machine Gun Batteries was issued in August 1916 (alongside similar establishments for MG Companies and Squadrons) as follows:

Motor Machine Gun Battery
(3 sections each of 2 Vickers machine guns)
Major or Captain, 3 Subalterns, BSM, 3 Serjeants, 3 Corporals, 
30 Privates, 4 Scouts, 4 Batmen, 6 Drivers ASC MT, 3 Fitters.

 

There were only about twenty MMG Batteries, normally allocated as Corps Troops, whereas each infantry brigade had one MG Company. All these units were equipped with the Vickers machine gun, and MMG Batteries deployed them in the sidecars of motor cycles.

 

There was also a small number of Armoured Motor Batteries, also part of the Motor MG Service, which were deployed with cavalry divisions. I think these used rudimentary armoured cars.

 

Ron

[kenf48]

The original post was seeking clarification as to the context and deployment of Machine Gun Batteries as outlined in the war diary of 116th Machine Gun COMPANY.

116 MGC Coy. was NOT a Motor Machine Gun Battery but a MGC (Infantry) Company attached to 116 Brigade, 39th Division.

 

The diary entry under discussion shows "Guns divided into 3 Groups each under an officer"  These 'groups' are designated, " 'G' Battery 6 guns; 'H' Battery 4 Guns; 'I ' & 'J' Battery 5 guns. " Then map references for each gun.  The Company was in the line until the 20th October.

 

The earliest reference to 'Batteries' in the diary appears to be in a hand written 'Barrage Scheme' attached to an entry for 13 July, 1917.

This shows:- 

"E Battery 116 Coy 8 guns

F Battery 145 Coy 8 guns

G Battery 145 Coy 8 guns

H battery 117 Coy 8 guns

8 guns at disposal of DMGO for "barrage work". " (The diarists quotes which suggests novelty as it does not occur again when barrage deployments are detailed in subsequent entries.

 

It seems, in 39th Division at least, they were 'early adopters' of the machine gun barrage.  This innovation is credited to Brigadier Brutinel  of the Canadian MGC.  Brutinel had first used the tactic in the Canadian Corps in September 1915, and with success at Courcelette in 1916.  He complained the British only began to take notice after Vimy Ridge in April 1917.  As the barrage followed artillery principles and was in 39th Division controlled by the DMGO then the group of guns had to be called something and 'battery' would seem as good as any.  The deployment of the machine guns in this way was one of the factors for brigading them as battalions in the reorganisation of March 1918.

 

Therefore I believe that battery in this context refers to the deployment of machine guns especially those firing a barrage.

 

Ken

 

 

 

[jhill]

I think that in most cases the term "Battery" when applied to machine guns refers to a tactical grouping rather than an administrative one. To support this I point to a snip from the War Diary of the "Machine Gun Officers - Canadian Corps" from October 1917 (about the same time as the original poster's people!).  This points out that ten batteries of eight guns each were formed for barrage work from all the available units in the area.  The barrage batteries formed part of the creeping barrage during the advance, and also answered S.O.S. calls on the defensive line.  In addition to these there were also "sniping" batteries presumably used against particular targets, and "mobile" batteries which went forward with the advance.

[Kevin the Salmon]

Thanks for all the very helpful replies, so it does sound like the term "battery" was a fairly new term at the time referring to a group of guns firing together, though not necessarily in a barrage.  So there is no reason to think that the battery was in the same position after a move out of the lines and back in again, although as Coy HQ was in the same place as before and the diary didn't mention any locations on the second occasion that might suggest they remained in the same place.  

[Travelgirl154]

A late reply I know, but I'm researching 117 MG Coy and came across your associated post when I was looking for the HEDGE St Tunnels loc (so thanks for your helpful original post).  If you're still interested 117 took over 116 gun positions and states that they had 6 guns in G group at BODMIN Copse, with gp HQ at J19d6.7.  In addition there were 3 guns in J group, 2 in I group and 4 in H group (from the coy war diary).