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Independent Battery

Halifax Tar

Army.ca Fixture
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So I hit the random article button on Wiki yesterday and it luckily took me to the article on Canadian Artillery.

Very interesting read.

I have a questions for the gunners on here. What is an Independent Battery ? Does that mean it doesn't belong to a higher command like a division or brigade ?

Thanks in advance for the education! :)
 
An independent Sqn/Bty etc has it's own internal admin, logistic and maint support elements that deal directly with second line support, and is therefore not reliant on a parent unit for those things.
 
An independent Sqn/Bty etc has it's own internal admin, logistic and maint support elements that deal directly with second line support, and is therefore not reliant on a parent unit for those things.

So meaning if 2 CMBG in Pet had an independent Bty/Sqn they wouldn't have to rely on 2 Svc Bn for sustainment ?
 
For the Reserves, an independent RCA battery exists because the higher ups don't want to be bothered with setting up or maintaining a regimental headquarters due to whatever reason. Example: 20 Field Battery RCA in Lethbridge used to be part of 18 Field Artillery Regiment RCA, but keeping the regiment active was seen as superfluous, so they reduced the regiment to nil strength while keeping the battery going.
 
Gorgo is somewhat right although its not because "the higher ups don't want to be bothered". That's a tad cynical.

The only place that you'll find an independent battery right now is with the reserves. There are three of them, 20th Independent Fd Bty (Lethbridge); 84th Independent Fd Bty (Yarmouth) and 116th Independent Fd Bty (Kenora).

Generally artillery batteries (roughly 120 people give or take) are grouped into regiments of three field batteries and a regimental headquarters and support battery (although that "rule" has been changing dramatically over the last decade or so) The point is that artillery in the UK and Canada was originally formed in batteries which were more or less independent and only started being grouped into at first artillery brigades and later regiments during WW1. Throughout history, batteries are frequently reassigned weapon systems from field guns to air defence to rocket to locating to anti-tank etc etc as needs arise and are frequently disbanded or revived or assigned or reassigned to one regiment or another (several units in fact trace their origins and various phases of their existence as infantry or other types of units)

Most recently, 20 Bty was in fact an air defence artillery regiment designated 18th AD Regt. When the regiment was disbanded early this century, it was determined that there were enough personnel in the Lethbridge area to keep it as a field battery but that it was unnecessary to group the battery into one or the other of the closest reserve artillery regiments (10th in Regina and 20th in Edmonton)

84th Bty has been independent since 1968. Again, the nearest regiment is 1 Fd Regt in Halifax-Dartmouth. In the 1960s 1 Fd Regt had been amalgamed with another regiment and already had four batteries. It was decided at the time to leave the 84th as an independent battery and it has remained that way notwithstanding that 1 Fd is now just two batteries.

116 Bty also has a long history and while brigaded with other batteries during the war has generally been independent for most of its existence primarily because of its distance from other artillery regiments (26th Fd in Brandon MB and 49th Fd in Sault Ste Marie)

You should note, however, that since each of these batteries is independent the batteries frequently operate together in the field as a unit with other artillery units. In fact, 116 Fd Bty Kenora, 26th Fd Regt Brandon and 10th Fd Regt in Regina frequently train together in Shilo MB as the 38th Brigade Group Artillery Tactical Group http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/38-cbg-atg/index.page and the three units have one common commanding officer and regimental sergeant major.

🍻
 
An artillery regiment is a unit. Its creation as a unit is clearly defined its organization order. The officer in command of a unit is designated a Commanding Officer and has the powers of such (i.e. discipline and financial allocation). Commanders of sub-units are Officers Commanding.

A unit is given a unit identification code. A sub-unit is not.

An independent battery is also a unit and its commander is designated a Commanding Officer with the same powers as the CO of an artillery regiment.

For an independent battery to permanently become a sub-unit of a regiment a new organization order would need to be promulgated taking away the independent battery's status as a unit and the commander as a Commanding Officer. The battery would lose the designation 'independent' and the commander would become an Officer Commanding.
 
Most recently, 20 Bty was in fact an air defence artillery regiment designated 18th AD Regt. When the regiment was disbanded early this century, it was determined that there were enough personnel in the Lethbridge area to keep it as a field battery but that it was unnecessary to group the battery into one or the other of the closest reserve artillery regiments (10th in Regina and 20th in Edmonton)
Don't forget those weird heretics in Red Deer... 😈;) (No but for real...)
 
Don't forget those weird heretics in Red Deer... 😈;) (No but for real...)
20 Ind Fd Bty in Lethbridge is located closer to C/1-163rd Cavalry of the Montana National Guard in Great Falls then they are to Red Deer's 78th Fd Bty which is part of 20th Fd Regt in Edmonton. Sometimes geography can be a real pain although for Lethbridge, its proximity to the ranges at Suffield is a definite plus and probably has a lot to do with why they are still an artillery unit.

πŸ™‚
 
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