Art preparation

until the 19th century

The artillery preparation arose simultaneously with the advent of sufficiently mobile artillery pieces in the troops . The latter not only replaced throwing equipment , but also expanded the tactical capabilities of the troops ^[2] .

In Europe, elements of artillery preparation appeared in the XIV - XVI centuries. Before the start of the offensive , enemy positions were processed by artillery fire with cores and shrapnel . The enemy’s manpower was destroyed; defensive structures were destroyed: fortresses , walls , towers ^[1] .

XX century

The development of defensive tactics and technology along with the development of means of destroying the enemy , as well as the transition to a positional form of defense, significantly increased the importance of artillery preparation. At the same time, the term “artillery preparation” has already appeared and strengthened in military affairs ^[1] .

World War I

In the First World War , starting in 1915 , artillery fire was widely used to break through the position front . ^{[3] The} time of artillery preparation varied from several hours to several days ^[1] . However, with the existing tactics of battle (the so-called "waves"), even multi-day artillery fire did not provide suppression of firing points throughout the depth of defense ^[3] .

In 1916, a transition was made to group tactics of breaking through the layered defense of the enemy. Artillery preparation was carried out on a per-ship basis, and was already conducted with the participation of escort artillery. ^[3] .

With combined-arms tactics of combat, artillery preparation was carried out by all combat arms , using also mortars , muzzle grenade launchers , and tank guns ^[3] .

World War II

In World War II, artillery preparation was carried out more intensively, but with a shorter duration: from several tens of minutes to several hours ^[1] .

Since 1942, artillery preparation in the Red Army has become one of the stages of an artillery attack ^[1] .

To the weapons used, rocket artillery in the form of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) was added. A massive volley of MLRS battery if it did not kill the enemy in the affected area, it significantly suppressed the ability of manpower to resist. Aerial artillery bombardment ^[4] also played an important role.

The term “artillery preparation” also migrated to the political sphere. In art, “artillery preparation” refers to a series of information and propaganda actions aimed at isolating the enemy’s side and weakening their fighting spirit .

Political "artillery preparation" precedes real hostilities with the enemy ^[5] .

• Artillery attack