Why Monty's Artillery didn't fire on hostile batteries - Winning the Counter Battery Battle.

In the Artillery Counter-Battery Battle, it is far, far better to give than to receive. How was the counter-battery battle fought and won by the 8th Army under Montgomery and his Commander Royal Artillery, Sidney Kirkman? This episode discusses: How does a Corps Counter Battery Office (CCBO) develop and maintain a hostile battery list? What survey and technical capabilities are required for effective counter-battery operations? Why is gun calibration critical during sustained operations, and how often must it be conducted? How do meteorological conditions affect artillery accuracy, and how is this managed? How should artillery fire plans be developed to support infantry operations? What is the relationship between counter-battery fires and fire support plans in a major offensive? How does air-land integration enhance artillery effectiveness? What makes artillery a flexible combat multiplier for commanders? How can defensive fire tasks (SOS missions) be pre-planned effectively? What factors enabled rapid delivery of defensive fires at Alamein? How can a "silent counter-battery policy" support operational deception? How did German forces exploit captured equipment to undermine Allied trust between arms? How can tactical actions achieve operational effects even without tactical success? What is the relationship between artillery superiority and moral/psychological effects? How does the counter-battery battle transition from static to mobile operations? What staff competencies are essential for effective artillery headquarters? How does relief in place maintain combat power in extended operations? What principles from WWI artillery employment were "rediscovered" at Second El Alamein? What is the key lesson regarding infantry-artillery integration at Alamein? "It was Kirkman who turned Montgomery, an infantryman, into a gunner." - Shelford Bidwell At that instant the British guns opened a barrage of unimaginable intensity, eclipsing their first performance. And to the urgent drumming of the guns, the infantrymen stepped out from their start lines in slow measured paces." Australian Official History 0:00 Introduction: The Counter Battery Battle at Second El Alamein 2:01 Survey Troops, Flash Spotting & Sound Ranging Explained 3:25 Corps Counter Battery Office & the Hostile Battery List 5:26 Building the Artillery Intelligence Picture (July 1942) 7:11 Gun Calibration, Muzzle Velocity & Meteorological Data 10:03 Kirkman's Silent Counter Battery Policy & Deception Plan 11:27 How 8th Army Achieved Artillery Moral Superiority 12:30 Desert Air Force Integration & Long Range Counter Battery 13:57 H-Hour: The Opening Barrage — 882 Guns Open Fire 16:31 Operation Lightfoot Begins: Infantry Crosses the Start Line 18:41 Counter Battery in Mobile Operations — The Challenge 20:01 Developing 9th Division's Fire Plan for Operation Lightfoot 21:07 Breaking Through Rommel's Devil's Garden Minefield 25:30 9th Division Swings North: The Flanking Attack 26:43 Rommel Commits His Reserves — 90th Light Division Repulsed 27:05 28 October Night Attack: 360 Guns Support 20th Brigade 29:32 Relief in Place Under Fire — Morshead's Moral Courage 31:12 9th Division's Operational Success Without Tactical Victory 32:08 The Stonk: Centralised Defensive Fire Tactics at Alamein 33:48 Infantry-Artillery Trust, Drop Shorts & Calibration Under Fire 35:15 The German 25-Pounder Ruse — A Clever Enemy Deception 36:25 Conclusion & Key Lessons from the Artillery Battle Great Professional Military Education - this episode discusses the Counter Battery Office and the development of the Hostile Battery List, Artillery Intelligence Fusion and Survey with Flash Spotting and Sound Ranging. To help support our PME production, please join our Patreon: / principlesofwar To find more episodes and other articles: https://theprinciplesofwar.com/ X: https://x.com/surprisepodcast