Artillery observation de-coding

[andallen]

Looking through my Grandads Squadron record book, there are a few abbreviations that I am stumped with. Can anyone help?


MOKs ?
NFs ? (" NFs not sent etc")
S.B. ? ( "With 126 S.B. on Hos.Batt." etc)
E.K.Bs ( enemy kite balloons??)
NG CI ("sent NG CI").?
MA, MB ("for effect 4MOKs,1MA,2MBs")
H.K.S.s ?
H.B ("fired into HB positions")
Accu ?

Also does anyone know if there are any maps at KEW with the grid references as used by the aircrew for the artillery spotting ?

Andrew

[Terry_Crisp]

andallen,
I can't be much help and cannot cite my sources but a few of the abbreviations ring bells. I can do some digging to hopefully find the others.

SB could be suspected Battery
EKB is almost assuredly enemy kite balloon
HB is hostile battery
ACCU is probably for accuracy

Small help, but an interesting inquiry.
Best regards,
Terry

[Lufbery]

I, too, don't have much to offer, but I can't wait to see some more replies.

Andrew, would you be willing to transcribe slightly longer passages to put the acronyms into context?

I'm going to attach a bit of info on artillery spotting.

[Lufbery]

Here's the first part of some text:

[Lufbery]

...and here's the second part. This is pretty good information, but I'm not sure where it came from anymore.

Still, I hope it helps.

[Graeme]

Andrew

Following on from Terry's input:

MOKs = Mostly OKs [shots within a few yards of the target]
NFs = ?
SB = Siege Battery
EKBs = Enemy Kite Balloons
NG CI = ?
MA, MB = ?, Mortar Battery (I have seen the abbreviation used for Mills Bomb but this seems wrong in this context)
HKSs = ? if this is actually "HESs" then High Explosive Shells
HB = Hostile Battery
Accu = Accurate

I seem to recall an article in one of the Cross & Cockade International Journals relating to the Clock Code used by the RFC etc; I'll see if I can find it.

Graeme

[Lufbery]

Graeme,

Is the article you're referring to the one that I posted above?

If so, what is the correct source? This is one of those things I found on the internet, but didn't really know where it came from.

Regards,

[totoroman]

my best guess is as follows:

First Air Campaign: August 1914 - November 1918
by Eric Lawson, Jane Lawson
Paperback
ISBN: 0306812134
Pub. Date: September 2002

the aforementioned book seemed like a pretty good "primer" text on WWI aviation... but it didn't contain much info I didn't already have from other sources. although the excerpt showing the difference between British and German artillery spotting was nice. it just wasn't nice enough to make me wanna buy the book!


however, there is similar information to be found in this book (on pages 56 and 57)

ISBN: 0295972165
"Legend, Memory, and the Great War in the Air" by Dominick Pisano (Smithsonian Press)

anybody know of more in-depth sources for this sort of thing. or aerial bombardment? I've only found a handful of books that delve into British and American efforts. if I knew more French or German I'd consider getting some of those books too.

[andallen]

Thanks to everyone for their inputs. They have all been very helpful.

Drew, here ,as asked for, is a little of the sort of reports written by the crew. These are extracts from 59 Squadron logs 1918.


SUCCESSFUL Pilot ranged l94 S.B. on E.B. VD22
lOO rounds fired. Observations Ranging 4Ys,7Zs,l2As,llBs,5Cs,lMB Fire for effect Nil.
No. 3 pit apparently hit several times. No.2 pit front edge hit. Called up at 2-25 pm K out at 2-27 pm
L out at 2-29 lst G at 2-3O CI at 4-25 at T 4-26
Misc.
3-2O W l5a 9 5 active. C accu. NF sent. No reply seen
3-3O D X 9 do A accu do
3-4O V B 22 do B accu do
3-42V C 23 do A accu do

SUCCESSFUL 244 Pilot ranged 244 S.B. on H.B. VC 34
Observations Ranging lOK,lY,lZ,5As,l3Bs,8Cs.
For effect 4 MOKs,lMA,2MBs. No. l pit slightly damaged
UNSUCCESSFUL With 244 S.B. on Hos.Batt. V C 359-4O NF on L 2l a 2 O Accu. C
NF on L 2l c 4 8 “ C
lO-OO NF on L 27 b 6 8 “ C
lO-l5 NF on L l9 c 5 5 “ A
NF on L l4 d 5 5 “ A
NF on A 35 d 9 O “ C l flash
NF on G 2 b 6 O “ C “
lO-4O NF on L l4 d “
9-O White flare from K 27 a 9 O
9-l5 25O rounds fired into straggling troops on
road at K 36
ll-O Heavy enemy shelling on HEBUTERNE
AA active around HEBUTERNE
ll-3O Our line appears to run West of HEMEL

Dropped six 25lb bombs at R7
5-O Fired lOO rounds at EA contact machine K 29 Fired 25O rounds at enemy troops K3O & K3l 5OO’
6-l5 Several flashes at R l9 approx. Unable to pin point.
6-25 Several flashes at A 25.
6-2O White lights from K l8 c towards our line
6-l5 White very light by our troops at K 26
7-3O Shelling enemy positions in Ll8,Lll & Ll8
Otherwise front generally quiet

regards Andrew

[Lufbery]

Totoroman,

Thanks for identifying the source of the stuff I posted.

Andrew,

That's some great stuff you posted! It's great to see the actual logs, and like you, I wish I could decode them a bit better.

Observations Ranging lOK,lY,lZ,5As,l3Bs,8Cs.

I think the 5 As, 13 Bs, and 8 Cs referred to above indicate hits in the clock circle as distances from the center.

Regards,