Where can I find primary sources on mortars/artillery in world war one?

Question

I need primary sources for artillery from ww1. I have looked everywhere such as the database of the World War I Document Archive, Proquest and archive.org but with no luck. So I am asking here as a last resort to get some help with my research.

Only thing I found was this: http://sill-www.army.mil/firesbulletin/archives/1918/OCT_DEC_1918/OCT_DEC_1918_FULL_EDITION.pdf

Its a an American Journal from 1918.

However, I cannot find anything from the British or the German which is what I need. The source materials I need are where artillery/mortars are the main topic, because during my search i also found out many diaries touch upon the topic of artillery but most mention it as a casual thing and doesn't speak about it to the extent I need.

Any type of textual documents on the topic is highly appreciated.

Thanks beforehand.

Answer 1

While this remains a very broad question, there are a large number of documents covering the use of artillery during the First World War available to read / download on archive.org. A search using your keywords, and restricting the date range to about 1912 to 1920 will give you hundreds of potential sources, including many official manuals and guides.

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While many of the documents you'll find on sites like archive.org were produced for the US military, a number of those were actually reprints of British documents, for example, Artillery in Offensive Operations (1917).

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Additionally, documents like the multi-volume Manual for Non-commissioned Officers and Privates of Field Artillery of the Army of the United States were written based on the latest available information (in 1917) about the use of artillery on the Western Front and elsewhere.

• Manual for Non-commissioned Officers and Privates of Field Artillery of the Army of the United States - Volume 1
• Manual for Non-commissioned Officers and Privates of Field Artillery of the Army of the United States - Volume 2

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Alongside those sources, you may find helpful information in related documents that do not explicitly mention artillery or mortars in the title. An example would be the 1915 Treatise on Ammunition, published by the War Office in London, which includes a great deal of information about artillery and mortar ammunition.