Artillery Officer Research Articles

Career and Performance of the Artillery Officers in the Batteries of the Siege of Cartagena (1873–1874)

Abstract The pacification of cantonal Cartagena occurred at a very difficult time for Spain. The republican government had to face several conflicts at the same time, as well as internal disorder and indiscipline in the Army. In these pages, an investigation is proposed, from the field of prosopography, on the artillery officers who were in charge of the cannon batteries and who ended up surrendered in Cartagena. The objective is to know their previous and future trajectories, in addition to the training they received to successfully fulfill their mission.

Field Artillery in the defensive war of Ukraine 2022-2023. Part II. Methods of task implementation

This article is a continuation of the considerations regarding the use of field artillery in Ukraine’s defensive war in the period from 24th February 2022 to the 2023 summer offensive of the Ukrainian army. Artillery in this armed conflict is used by both sides with great intensity and is an essential means of fire support, often decisive for the success of the implemented operations. The aim of the second part of the article is to present ways of using field artillery units in selected operations of the Ukrainian war. As before, the subject of the research is the missile forces and artillery of the warring parties, but in this case, above all, the way they carry out their tasks. In his research, the author wants to answer the following problematic questions: How did the field artillery units of both parties involved in the conflict carry out combat tasks in selected phases of the war? What conclusions can be drawn from this for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, which are currently increasing their capabilities, especially their artillery capabilities, as well as for other NATO armies? The Author, an artillery officer by education and currently a military academic teacher academically involved in the issue of state military security, based his academic analysis largely on his personal academic achievements and conclusions gained from participating in military exercises, conversations, and workshops conducted with Ukrainian officers before the outbreak of the war, as well as on the latest academic studies and reports on the course of warfare.

Подпись как элемент самопрезентации читателя «Нового времени»

The study examines the signatures of the “Novoye vremya” newspaper’s readers in their letters to A.S. Suvorin in 1904–1905 as an element of self-presentation. In peacetime they introduced themselves as regular readers and subscribers, thus claiming extra attention to their opinions from the addressee. The Russo-Japanese war had an impact on the self-presentation of readers, who introduced themselves as part of a social stratum related to events on the front line: sailor’s wife, artillery officer’s mother, etc. Readers who opposed the strikes of 1905 ascribed themselves to social groups that found the students’ demands unreasonable (peasant) or to the same social group, but objecting to the protests (student’s mother, law student, professor). Considering the handwriting together with the subject of the letter and the signature indicates the senders were using a mask. This was inspired by Suvorin’s distinctive practice described as a model of the game, which allowed the senders to elevate their status and significance. Readers spoke out on behalf of the part of society that the editor wished to see in them. The newspaper’s agenda determined the subjects of their letters, with a persistent connection established between the subject and the signature, the signature and the subject supporting it. The sender imitated the genre of newspaper articles and a possible reaction of the member of a particular social group that they spoke on behalf of without being one. The “public opinion” generated in this manner could be used by the newspaper in its dialogue with the authorities, which would have struggled to ignore it.

Atomic Doctors: Conscience and Complicity at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age by James L. Nolan Jr

Reviewed by: Atomic Doctors: Conscience and Complicity at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age by James L. Nolan Jr Abena Dove Osseo-Asare (bio) Atomic Doctors: Conscience and Complicity at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age By James L. Nolan Jr. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2020. Pp. 294. In this gripping book, James L. Nolan Jr. narrates the involvement of his grandfather James F. Nolan (hereafter Nolan) in the creation of the first nuclear bombs, while working as a physician at Los Alamos in the 1940s. The author, who is a highly regarded sociologist of technology, creates academic and personal distance from his subject in order to develop a critical analysis of Nolan's participation in early radiation research designed to cover up the risks of nuclear bombs (pp. 139, 184). The result is a compelling commentary on not only the ethics of atomic warfare but also the technological experiments of our own age, including artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. The author, who inherited his grandfather's mementos, letters, and photographs after his father's passing, peppers descriptions of the establishment of the Los Alamos laboratories community with childhood memories gleaned from his family. His father played with building sets with the sons of nuclear physicists. His grandmother remembered how phone calls and trips to the grocery store might be intercepted by secret service officers concerned that anyone could leak nuclear secrets. Above all, the author details the pleasures of the frequent parties of the nuclear settlers and his grandfather's [End Page 620] extraordinary ability to deliver hundreds of babies as people coupled and procreated. After honing his skills as an obstetrician delivering babies, Grandpa Nolan was to deliver "Little Boy," the uranium required to complete the bomb to be dropped over Hiroshima. Nolan rode the USS Indianapolis from San Francisco to Tinian Island, escorting the stash of uranium. Nolan was not able to disclose the contents of his cargo and had trouble passing as an artillery officer, wearing his mock military insignia upside down and at a loss for basic terminology surrounding armaments. Nolan retreated to Catholic masses on board the ship, officiated by his new friend Thomas Conay, who was among the 870 men who perished after a Japanese submarine torpedoed the ship shortly after Nolan and the uranium came off-board. The book does not detail exactly what happened on the days of the bombings in Japan from the perspective of either those in the planes or those on the ground. The author's grandfather was witness to neither. Rather, the book describes Nolan's days whiling away time on Tinian Island, waiting for news of the "success" of the Trinity Test and subsequent Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks. An entire chapter covers the Trinity Test and the radiation poisoning and deaths that followed a group of girl scouts who were camping nearby and unknowingly played in the ashy "snow" that fell from the sky and wafted their way. Nolan's journey did lead him to conduct medical examinations in the wake of the attacks on Japan. U.S. medical teams faced pressure from military officials to suppress early reports by an Australian journalist of the "atomic plague" that followed the bombings. They measured radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Their observations of patients led to official reports stating that radiation dissipated to tolerable levels and any injuries were from burns in the actual bombing. Nolan then further papered over the effects of radiation on people as a researcher in the Marshall Islands after subsequent bomb tests there. Nolan did make small remarks about the real risks, but the military covered them up, even in congressional hearings. In his later years, Nolan arguably retooled his expertise on radiation and bombs for good, serving as a gynecological oncologist in Los Angeles and developing new techniques to target cancer cells. He also grappled with possible effects of radiation exposure himself, including presumably infertility. A major tension in the book is the extent to which Nolan was a whistleblower on atomic radiation and his perspective on the necessity of nuclear warfare. The author highlights his grandfather's liminal place as an observer of the Los Alamos scene...

Fires of Joy and Anticipation Wedding Firework Displays of the Central European Habsburgs in the Second Half of the 17th Century

Early modern firework illuminations and displays formed part of festivities in both secular and sacred contexts from the end of the 14th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries their designers, often high-ranking artillery officers, became an increasingly important part not only of army but also of court life. The development of fireworks, and especially rockets, gave prominence to intricately conceived displays, which were gradually developed according to the changing tastes of musical theatre productions and the skills of masters of pyrotechnics. In Central Europe, several performances were staged at the Habsburg court from the middle of the 17th century onwards which were clearly among the most costly, complex and, above all, the highest-quality pyrotechnical displays of their kind in the history of human culture. They were instruments of the complex patterns of contemporary propaganda and courtly representation, and their stories reflected the reality, desires, visions and concerns of the ruling dynasty. We can deduce their forms, stories and messages from surviving synopses and printed illustrated sheets.

Put Latent Data to Work

Military forces possess a significant amount of data that is currently unexploited, but which could unlock potential, improve retention and transform recruitment. Until now, the use of big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning has been largely limited to battlefield applications. Patrick Hinton explores the data available, the potential of technology to harness this information and the opportunities, risks and challenges in pursuing such a course of action.◼

Дослідження рівня фізичної підготовленості курсантів-артилеристів

The purpose of the study was to experimentally check the effectiveness of the developed proposals for improving the physical training of artillery cadets with an emphasis on the development of strength and power endurance. Materials and methods. The main material was scientific articles, archival data, guiding documents on the organization, structure and content of physical training in the armed forces of Ukraine and NATO countries. To achieve the goal, a complex of general scientific research methods was used: theoretical analysis, generalization of practice experience, survey of cadets and specialists, pedagogical observation and experiment, medical and pedagogical testing, mathematical and statistical analysis of the obtained results. The time aspect of the appearance of information on a certain topic was also taken into account. Similarly, direct study of printed literary sources took place, in particular, information from journal articles about lists of used literature. In total, more than 80 sources of information were analyzed, after which a final review was conducted and 31 literature sources were singled out, the material of which was processed using general scientific methods. Results and discussion. A survey of 121 physical education specialists showed that the most important factors that determine the effectiveness of the physical training of artillery cadets are the use of physical exercises to develop strength and power endurance (29.1% of respondents) and the use of loads in the process of physical training that are adequate for the conditions of the officer's combat activity (15.9% of respondents). During the analysis of the conducted study, it was established that the main pedagogical conditions for improving the quality of physical training among artillery cadets are the rational distribution of training load in all forms of physical training, a gradual but constant increase in physical load with an emphasis on strength training and endurance. Conclusion. The analysis of the conducted survey of specialists determined the need to improve the methodology of conducting physical training with artillery cadets, paying attention to the main pedagogical conditions for its implementation. This is, first of all, the use in the process of physical training of cadets of a load adequate to the conditions of the combat activity of an artillery officer and modeling of physical training, in accordance with the features of the military and professional activity of artillerymen when performing combat tasks. A gradual increase in the intensity and volume of physical activity is important. In the course of the research, the developed program of physical training of artillery cadets of the experimental group showed high efficiency, which allowed to increase the level of their physical fitness by 21.2%, while in the control group such an increase was 8.8%. The implementation of the program had a positive effect on the functional state of the cadets’ bodies. The level of the studied indicators improved by an average of 18.2% in experimental group, and by 7.1% in control group

War Game as a Method of Training, as a Method of Analysis

The purpose of the article is to present the development of a new simulation tool Superior Degree Demonstrator, which is intended to introduce the issue of fire support to students of the military college in a game-like manner. The simulator is intended primarily for the purpose of preparing future artillery officers at the Department of Fire Support of the University of Defence, which is directly involved in its development. At the same time, it aims to awaken in the younger generation of students a proactive approach to study. However, it can also be used as an objective tool of combat effectiveness analysis within the framework of the army acquisition programs.

До проблеми підвищення рівня фізичної підготовленості курсантів-артилеристів

At the same time, the study of the educational process at the higher military educational institution and military practice showed that the physical fitness of young officer-graduate artillerymen has certain shortcomings. During the study of reviews of gunnery graduates, it was found that 22 % of reviews contain conclusions about the insufficient level of physical fitness of young officers. All this testifies to the urgency of finding new, more effective approaches to the development of physical qualities and military-applied combat skills in artillery cadets. The purpose of the work is to experimentally test the effectiveness of the developed proposals for improving the physical training of artillery cadets with an emphasis on the development of strength and power endurance. Methods – theoretical analysis and generalization of practical experience; survey of cadets and specialists; pedagogical observation and experiment; medical and pedagogical testing; mathematical and statistical analysis of the obtained results. All the tests used were consistent with the recommendations of domestic and foreign researchers. Cadets – future officers (21.6 ± 1.5 years old) who started their fourth year of training at the beginning of the experiment took part in the study military academy. A total of 121 cadets and officers of artillery specialties were involved, of which 40 cadets were divided into control and experimental groups. The results. The survey of 121 respondents revealed that the most important factors that determine the effectiveness of the physical training of gunner cadets are the use of physical exercises to develop strength and power endurance (24.1 % of respondents) and the use of loads in the process of physical training adequate to the conditions of the combat activity of an officer- artillerymen ( 12.9 % of respondents). During the analysis of the conducted study, it was established that the main pedagogical conditions for improving the quality of physical training of artillery cadets are a rational distribution of training load in all forms of physical training, a gradual but constant increase in physical load with an emphasis on strength training and endurance. Conclusions. Improve methods of conducting physical training with artillery cadets should first of all be carried out with the use of loads adequate to the combat conditions of the artillery officer and modeling of physical training, in accordance with the specifics of the military and professional activity of gunners when performing combat tasks. The developed recommendations for the physical training of artillerymen cadets of the experimental group (EG) showed high efficiency, which made it possible to increase their level of physical fitness by 21.2 %, while in the control group (CG) such an increase was 8.8 %. The functional state of the cadets’ bodies has also changed positively. The level of the studied indicators improved by an average of 18.2 % in EG, and by 7.1 % in CG

“There will be no shortage of books… or money to purchase them.” Education and the Reputation of the Library of the College of Artillery in Segovia as a Scientific and Publishing Centre

Charles III arrived in Spain from Naples accompanied by a multidisciplinary team of military advisers, including Count Gazzola from Piacenza, who had already drawn up his plans for the urgent military reforms required for the artillery. These included the institutionalisation of that branch of the army and the foundation of the college for artillery officers and industrial engineers to run the military factories being taken over by the State. The most eye-catching element of this undertaking is the formation of its magnificent Enlightenment scientific library. A study of this library reveals an exceptional collection, the origins of the first books brought to the institution, the way it was organised and the military and scientific topics addressed. But its fundamental contribution can be measured in terms of results: indeed, textbooks were created for the cadets, as well as research works on military, artillery and scientific topics written by teachers from the college, and translations of important European scientific books. Finally, as a contribution to demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of the Crown’s investment in education for war, we highlight the work of three captains, showing the versatility they achieved thanks to their education at the college and their reputation outside it, in the service of society, as guiding lights of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (SEAP – Economic Society of Friends of the Country) in Segovia. Without this magnificent library, the research, monographs and translations – ultimately the college’s own published works which brought it great academic credit in Enlightenment Europe – would not have been possible.

Greg Pritchett, PhD: 7th District

Greg Pritchett, PhD:7th District Judson L. Jeffries Several months ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to Greg Pritchett, PhD, former Tuskegee University professor, retired US Army Colonel, and former president of the Department of Alabama Reserve Officers Association. In 2018, Pritchett was inducted into the prestigious Field Artillery Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame. A native Alabamian, Dr. Pritchett, with the exception of a few detours here and there, has spent the bulk of his life in the Heart of Dixie. What follows is a conversation extrapolated from several days of discussions during the months of February and March of this year. Judson L. Jeffries: Let's dive right in Brother Pritchett, shall we? Greg Pritchett: Ok, with me. JLJ: I understand from talking to a friend of yours that you have been a member of the Omega Psi Fraternity, Inc., for more than 50 years, is that right? GP: That is correct, I crossed in the Fall of 1964. JLJ: At Tuskegee Institute, right? GP: At Lambda Epsilon, right. I was a sophomore at the time. JLJ: How many were on your line? GP: There were five of us—me, Wilson Blount, Willie Clint Carter, James Walker, and Willie Burroughs. JLJ: Was Black Greek life strong at Tuskegee at that time? GP: Oh, it was very strong. JLJ: Tell me what you mean by very strong. GP: For example, student government was often run by the Greeks. JLJ: Oh, I see. GP: Oh, yeah. [End Page 329] JLJ: Was Lambda Epsilon active in the community there? GP: Yes, it was. JLJ: Give me an example of the kinds of community service endeavors in which the Brothers involved themselves. GP: Ok, for a while, we ran the social service activities at the VA hospital there in town. JLJ: Elaborate please. GP: Every Saturday afternoon a VA bus would pull up on campus and park in front of a girl's dormitory, which was across from the main cafeteria. All the Ques would show up and we'd go to the VA hospital. JLJ: What did you guys do once there? GP: We did whatever needed to be done. We took the vets to the movie theater and the bowling alley, both of which were there at the hospital. JLJ: What do you mean you took them to these places? GP: They were often wheelchair-bound, so we wheeled them around the facility. Whatever recreational activity they were involved in, we would get them there and help run it. We did this for about 3 ½ hours every Saturday, from 1 pm to approximately 4:30 pm. JLJ: How did you all get involved in this service project? GP: Lorenious McDonald was the Chief of Voluntary Services at the VA hospital and was our advisor. JLJ: Was he also a faculty member at Tuskegee? GP: No, actually he wasn't, but he was our advisor. He was a member of Iota Omega, the graduate chapter in the town of Tuskegee. JLJ: As a college professor, one of the things I'm always interested in knowing is whether or not the school from which people graduated was their first choice. Was Tuskegee your first choice? GP: No, actually it wasn't. My first choice was Wilberforce in Ohio and then Daniel Payne College in Birmingham, Alabama. JLJ: I'm very familiar with colleges and universities, past and present, but you've got me on that one—Daniel Payne? GP: [Laughter] Yes, Daniel Payne, it was a historically Black college that no longer exists. I think it closed down in the late 1970s. JLJ: I'll be damned. I fashion myself to be a student of HBCU history, but that is one I had not heard of before. GP: Yeah, it closed down because of financial woes. [End Page 330] JLJ: Why Wilberforce and Daniel Payne? GP: Well, both of those schools are AME schools and there were some folks who were pushing me toward the ministry, but I wasn't convinced. JLJ: Ok, so I suppose you attended an AME church as a kid? GP: Yes, Pleasant Hill AME Church; it was located in Magnolia, Alabama, about 12 or so miles...

Cpt. Robert Hofmann, Austrian Artillery Officer and Artist with the Ottomans in World War I

This article investigates the life, artwork, and experiences of Cpt. Robert Hofmann, an Austrian artillery officer and artist who fought with the Ottomans in the Levant from 1917 to 1919 during World War I and its immediate aftermath. His experiences and artwork provide powerful and vivid insight into the life, times, and situations of war in the Middle East. Unlike those of most of his European compatriots fighting with the Ottomans, his work and perspectives were from a distinctly non-Orientalist perspective as he sketched the flora and fauna, cityscapes, landscapes, and people he encountered while in the Ottoman Empire, particularly in the Levant. His attention to detail and captivation by the everyday and mundane without an imperialist or Orientalist gaze begs explanation, particularly since he was a classically trained artist from the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. This article asserts that the combination of his own marginalized identity as an assimilated Jewish soldier, his gifted artistic talent, attention to detail, and his direct and sustained experience in the Middle East enabled him to develop a deep sense of empathy and appreciation for the peoples, places, and environments of the Middle East. This enabled him to transcend the bigotry and dehumanizing views of non-Western peoples so prevalent among his compatriots and European powers of the time.

Assessing Ethical Reasoning among Junior British Army Officers Using the Army Intermediate Concept Measure (AICM)

ABSTRACT Army Officers face increased moral pressure in modern warfare, where character judgement and ethical judgement are vital. This article reports the results of a study of 242 junior British Army officers using the Army Intermediate Concept Measure, comprising a series of professionally oriented moral dilemmas developed for the UK context. Results are suggestive of appropriate application of Army values to the dilemmas and of ethical reasoning aligning with Army excellence. The sample does slightly less well, however, for justification than for action reasoning, and there are differences following initial training for infantry and artillery officers versus other branches of service. Dilemmas involving anti-torture methods and not covering up soldiers' failings generated best results compared to those requiring balance between compassion and mission, and negotiating personal relationships with military needs. Gender differences favouring women were less than those observed for other professional groups using similar measures. This research further develops a much-needed measure of ethical reasoning among junior Army officers, with potential for use among other ranks. This approach is advocated for other professional groups.

The Teaching of Mathematics at the Royal Military Academy: Evolution in Continuity

En 1741, la Royal Military Academy de Woolwich est créée par le Board of Ordnance afin d’instruire les futurs artilleurs et ingénieurs militaires. Cette instruction s’appuie dès le départ sur les mathématiques. Dans cet article, nous présentons et étudions les différents programmes sur la longue période (entre 1741 et les années 1860). Les évolutions, les changements mais aussi les constances sont évalués et nous donnons les raisons de ceux-ci. L’âge de recrutement, le poids du Board of Ordnance ou encore les diverses guerres ont aussi une influence importante sur la place des mathématiques dans les programmes. Par ailleurs, le peu de turn-over des professeurs entraîne aussi une inertie de l’enseignement des mathématiques. In 1741, the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich was created by the Board of Ordnance in order to instruct artillery officers and military engineers. From the beginning, the teaching was mainly based on mathematics. In this paper, we study different curricula and point out the long-term (between 1741 and the 1860s) evolution as well as continuity in mathematical learning and we give reasons for them. The age of recruitment, the authority of the Board of Ordnance and several wars had an influence on the role of mathematics in the syllabus. Furthermore, the low turnover of professors led to inertia in the teaching of mathematics.

Apie oberbombardyro Vaitiekaus Ivaškevičiaus 1791 m. Vilniaus piešinį

ABOUT THE 1791 PICTURE OF VILNIUS BY OBERBOMBARDIER WOJCIECH IWASZKIEWICZ The article discusses a watercolour painting from a private collection authored by Wojciech Iwaszkiewicz, artillery ober-bombardier of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the background of the urban landscape are objects that allow easy identification of the capital of Lithuania: partly ruined Upper Castle and the Bekesh Hill. Other objects and figures are identifiable by the inscriptions on the other side of the painting. Particularly interesting is the first plan of the drawing, which depicts the Tatar Gates and a few wooden houses standing near them. This is the only known view of the Tatar Gates of the Vilnius defensive wall. The buildings also depict a number of city dwellers, most of them being military personnel of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (artillery officer, cannoneer, ober-feurwerker, etc., as well as the author of the painting himself ), thus the picture is also interesting as a source of research into different military uniforms. Inscriptions by the Upper Castle and Bekesh Hill reflect legends and stories, popular among Vilnians at the end of the eighteenth century. In the former case, one tower of the castle is named as the temple of the pagan god Lelum Polelum Swistum po Swistum. Yet above the Bekesh Hill is written a legend about the reckless death of this cadet on the way down while riding a horse. Through historical sources we were able to determine that W. Iwaszkiewicz enlisted into the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a cannoneer in the spring of 1790, soon was raised to the rank of the bombardier and in the spring of 1791 to the ober-bombardier, yet in the summer of 1793 he was raised to the rank of stykjunker. The painting in analysis is related to a particular event: attempts to reform and strengthen the Lithuanian artillery at the end of the eighteenth century and the amassing of the military in Vilnius. In spite of somewhat primitive style of the painting, it’s a very interesting and valuable document of urban iconography. Keywords: Vilnius, Wojciech Iwaszkiewicz, Bekesh Hill, Upper Castle, Tatar Gates, artillery.

О структурном анализе литературного произведения (на примере романа Л.Н. Толстого «Война и мир»)

The article is devoted to the issues of teaching the Russian literature in high school. The author of the article, based on the concept of structure and on the basis of structural analysis, where the part is considered as part of the whole and carries the properties of the whole, suggests using this law to solve the following question: a small fragment of the text can give an idea of the meaning of the work as a whole, its ideas, the features of the writer’s skill, the creative process and the writer themselves. A special semantic message in the article is put on the term “theme”, which is characterized in the article as a specific, clearly organized emotional and imaginative material that has the ability to develop further, reincarnate in accordance with the general idea of the work and with its own laws. Moreover, the author emphasizes the paradoxical nature of the topic, since accuracy in it is born of inaccuracy: invariance is fused with variability, constancy with variability, statics with dynamics, so that it is impossible to separate one from the other. The article combines two types of research. One refers to the fundamental problems of the philological science: emotionality as the basis of the nature of literature and other arts, the specifics of the structure of a literary work, the concept of a topic in the literary science; the other puts specific questions of a methodological nature before teachers of literature. The approach to the analysis of a literary work stated above is demonstrated by the example of L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “War and peace”. In this case, it is taken into account that L.N. Tolstoy is the only one of the classical writers who went through three bloody military campaigns as an artillery officer in the active army and used his experience in creating “War and peace”.

Социально-профессиональный облик офицеров белгородского гарнизона в 1914 г.: общее и особенное

In the post-Soviet period scientific research of the officer corps of the Russian Imperial army in the first quarter of the XXth century gained great popularity. The article is part of a large study on the ways of officers of the Imperial army in the years 1914–1922 in Voronezh, Kursk and Tambov provinces. We have tried to undertake a micro-historical analysis of a separate cohort of officers on the example of one of the garrisons of the Kursk province. Using the prosopographic method to identify the socio-professional appearance of the cohort, we were able to determine the general and special features of the officers of the Belgorod garrison on the eve of the First world war. The key point of this period of research were the issues: the study of the age composition of Belgorod artillery officers, the timing of their completion of military schools, the specifics of educational skills required in this kind of troops, as well as the presence of combat experience and national and religious composition of the cohort members. The obtained data allow us to continue studying the life ways of the personalities of our cohort during the World war, the Revolutions of 1917 and the Civil war.

Major Zygmunt Kunisz – artylerzysta zamordowany w Charkowie (1894–1940)

<p>Artykuł opisuje życie majora Zygmunta Kunisza – jednej z ofiar zbrodni sowieckiej z 1940 r. Był on oficerem artylerii między innymi pociągach pancernych w czasie wojny polskobolszewickiej, a po jej zakończeniu służył w 22 i 28 pułku artylerii lekkiej, zaś od 1935 r. kwatermistrzem w 4 pułku artylerii ciężkiej. We wrześniu 1939 r. objął dowództwo nowo sformowanego I dywizjonu tego pułku, którym dowodził w trakcie kampanii wrześniowej. Po agresji sowieckiej na Polskę – major Zygmunt Kunisz dostał się w bliżej nieznanych okolicznościach do niewoli sowieckiej. Przez kilka miesięcy przebywał w obozie jenieckim w Starobielsku, po czym w kwietniu 1940 r. został zamordowany w więzieniu w Charkowie. Postać tego oficera była w polskiej literaturze często mylona w odniesieniu do kampanii wrześniowej 1939 roku z jego młodszym bratem Tadeuszem – także oficerem artylerii w stopniu majora. Tekst został oparty w głównej mierze na dokumentach archiwalnych oraz wspomnieniach i materiałach przekazanych przez Marię Kunisz – wnuczkę Stanisława Kunisza, starszego brata Zygmunta. Artykuł ten ma na celu wyjaśnić istniejące nadal rozbieżności i błędne informacje na temat majora Zygmunta Kunisza, awansowanego w pośmiertnie w 2007 r. na stopień podpułkownika.</p>

The peculiarities of artillery officers’ practical thinking development

The peculiarities of artillery officers’ practical thinking development

Visual Rhetoric of the Truth in the Dreyfus Affair: A Semiotic Approach

At the turn of the twentieth century, French society was shaken by a scandal that affected it at many levels to varying degrees and that is still considered as a symbol of injustice, miscarriage of justice and antisemitism. The Dreyfus Affair started in 1894 when an artillery officer of Jewish descent was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for communicating military secrets to the German embassy in Paris. Only years later was Alfred Dreyfus exonerated and rehabilitated, due mainly to the role of the media and the famous article by the novelist Emile Zola, “J’accuse”. The press, in general, played a fundamental role in the narration of the event and in the complex chemistry that led a confidential case of espionage to become a broad public debate, exemplifying the constant struggle against prejudice and irrational impulses that implies democracy. From the impressive volume of publications, I selected two drawings issued when the truth about captain Dreyfus’s innocence began emerging. One is by Félix Vallotton, “That’s why she was not coming out!”, the other by Gustave-Henri Jossot, “She was too naked”, and they both give an interpretation of the truth and of the reasons why it—the truth—came out so late. The semiotic approach of the drawings and of Zola’s pamphlet in terms of visual message leads us to distinguish three aspects. The first is iconic and consists of establishing the links between a signifier, a signified and a referent in order to recognize the immediate message but also the connoted signification; the second is linguistic and consists of the captions; and the third is plastic, focusing on size, colors and shapes. These analyzes of the mode in which visual artefacts produce meaning and provoke an interpretative process are made in terms of rhetoric insofar as rhetoric is considered, not only in terms of figures of speech, but as a method of persuasion and argumentation.