Case 13. Documents of the head of the 105th artillery group: plans of fire and temporary schedules, as well as information about the goals of the head of the 105th artillery group for Operation Felix.

Brief Summary of Case 13

This document contains the fire plans, firing schedules, and target assignments prepared by Artillery Command 105 (Arko 105) for Operation Felix, the planned German assault on Gibraltar.

The file is primarily a detailed operational planning document that includes:

• Artillery bombardment schedules covering the days before the attack, the eve of the operation, and the assault itself.
• Coordinated fire plans for the North and West Groups, specifying which artillery regiments would engage specific targets and when.
• Counter-battery operations against enemy artillery and anti-aircraft positions.
• Preparatory bombardment of Gibraltar’s defences, including walls, barracks, fortifications, observation posts, searchlights, communications facilities, tunnels, steep slopes, harbour installations, and defensive obstacles such as minefields and wire barriers.
• Support for infantry assaults, with timed fire concentrations, creeping barrages, smoke screens, and shifting artillery fire as attacking troops advanced.
• Target lists and firing missions assigned to specific artillery regiments, including heavy guns, mortars, and very heavy artillery.
• Observation and reconnaissance arrangements, including air observation, balloon observation, sound-ranging, and other methods used to direct artillery fire.
• Ammunition accounting and operational control tables showing the planned employment of batteries and the allocation of fire missions.

Overall, the document is a comprehensive artillery operations handbook for the proposed attack on Gibraltar, detailing how German artillery would neutralize defences, support advancing infantry, and coordinate fire throughout the battle.