Sri Lanka Artillery: Difference between revisions

| commander1 = [[Major-general (Sri Lanka)|Maj Gen]] KW NA S KotuwegodaS Wanasinghe RSP USP VSV ndc

| commander2 = [[Brigadier (Sri Lanka)|Brig]] HHKSSB HewageG S Fernando USP Hdmc psc

| commander3 = [[Brigadier (Sri Lanka)|Brig]] DPS WelagedaraP Malawarage RSP USP IG

| colors = {{colorboxcolor box|Red}} {{colorboxcolor box|#00008B}}

The roots of the Sri Lanka Artillery goes back to 1888, when on 12 April 1888 the '''Ceylon Artillery Volunteers''' was formed as a [[Artillery battery|gun battery]] under the command of Captain C.E.H Symons of the [[Royal Artillery]] to man a gun battery equipped with [[BL 12-pounder 6 cwt gun]]s. By 1901 it numbered a strength of 162.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wright |first1=Arnold |title=Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon |year=1999 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=9788120613355 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUF_rS8FEoIC&q=Artillery}}</ref> In 1910, its headquarters was moved to Galle Buck Road in [[Fort (Colombo)|Colombo Fort]] (which is now part of [[SLNS Parakrama]]). During [[World War I]] the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers were mobilised, along with the '''Town Guard Artillery''' of [[Colombo]], for the defence of Colombo against [[German commerce raiders in World War I|German commerce raiders]].

With the on setonset of [[Ceylon in World War II|World War II]], the CGA was mobilised and expanded. The expansion saw the 1st Coast Regiment raising one field and four coast batteries. Heavy coastal batteries around Colombo at [[Fort (Colombo)#Remains|Battenburg]], [[Galle Face Green|Galle Face]] and [[Rock House Army Camp|Mutwal]] were manned by the 1st Coast Regiment equipped with [[BL 9.2-inch Mk I – VII naval gun|BL 9.2-inch gun]]s and [[BL 6 inch Mk VII naval gun]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ancient artillery gun discovered at Galle Face |url=http://mirrorcitizen.dailymirror.lk/2015/09/28/ancient-artillery-gun-discovered-at-galle-face/ |access-date=24 Nov 2020 |agency=Daily Mirror}}</ref> The 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, was formed and headquartered in [[Trincomalee]] equipped with [[QF 3.7-inch AA gun]]s, followed by the 3rd Searchlight/Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment based in Colombo equipped with [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40mm Bofors gun]]s. These formations defended Colombo and Trincomalee during the air attacks that occurred as part of the [[Indian Ocean raid]] by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]].<ref>[{{cite web|url=http://stonebooks.com/archives/070121.shtml |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502014827/stonebooks.com/archives/070121.shtml|archive-date=2007-05-02|title=The British Armies in World War Two: An Organisational History, vol 9: The Indian Army, part two: The Indian Army in the East, 1939-43]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Britain's strategic base in Ceylon World War II |url=http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=210209 |accessdate=16 May 2020 |publisher=Island}}</ref> The CGA was also deployed overseas to support the Allied and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces in the Indian Ocean. A detachment of CGA was deployed in defence of the [[Seychelles]] and the [[Cocos Islands]] manning [[BL 6 inch Gun Mk 7|6 inch Coastal Gun]]s. There on the night of 8 May 1942, 30 out of 56 personnel of the CGA detachment on [[Horsburgh Island]] mutinied in what was known as the [[Cocos Islands mutiny]]. Following the mutiny, no combat units from Ceylon were deployed overseas, support units were deployed with Commonwealth forces. With the end of the war CGA was demobilized.

In 1980 a new volunteer regiment, the 5th (V) Artillery Regiment was formed from the 2nd Battalion of the [[Ceylon National Guard]]. With the on setonset of the [[Sri Lankan Civil War]], SLA grew in size and added [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Ordnance QF 25 pounder]] Mark III field guns to its inventory.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wickremesekera |first1=Channa |title=The Tamil Separatist War in Sri Lanka |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317293859 }}</ref> These were used in major military operations in the 1980s such as the [[Vadamarachchi Operation]]. 24 3.7-inch AA guns were in service till the early 1990s<ref>{{cite book |title=Jane's Land-based Air Defence 1992-93 |publisher=[[Jane's Information Group]] |page=306 |url=https://ftp.idu.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/ebook/tdg/ADNVANCED%20MILITARY%20PLATFORM%20DESIGN/Janes%20Land-Based%20Air%20Defence%201992-93%20by%20Tony%20Cullen,%20Christopher%20F.%20Foss%20(z-lib.org).pdf}}</ref> New regiments were formed with new sources of weaponry in the 1990s and 2000s from [[People's Republic of China|China]] and the [[Czech Republic]]. With the escalation of the [[Sri Lankan civil war]] [[85 mm divisional gun D-44|85 mm Type 56 field gun]]s, [[Type 60 howitzer|122&nbsp;mm howitzer]]s, [[Type 66 gun-howitzer|152&nbsp;mm gun-howitzer]]s, [[Type 59 field gun|130&nbsp;mm field gun]]s and [[120-PM-43 mortar|120&nbsp;mm mortar]]s, [[Type 87 mortar|82&nbsp;mm mortarsmortar]]s were introduced, and in 2000 [[RM-70 Multiple rocket launcher]]s were added, increasing SLA's firepower. [[Target acquisition]] was carried out to locate enemy guns using [[AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar]]s and [[SLC-2 Radar]] as [[counter-battery radar]]s by its Independent Locating Battery.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dhammika |first1=KVP |url=http://dl.lib.uom.lk/bitstream/handle/123/1889/Chapter02.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y| title= Chapter 02: Literature Survey |website=uom.lk |publisher=University of Moratuwa |accessdate=16 November 2020}}</ref>

*12th (Volunteer) Regiment SLA (Formed on 9 September 1990) - infantry role (Converted from 8 Sri Lanka National Guard)

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* Type 86 (W86) 120&nbsp;mm mortars<ref>http://www.sinodefence.com/army/crewserved/type86mortar_120mm.asp {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>

*[[General]] [[C. S.Srilal Weerasooriya]], [[Rana Wickrama Padakkama|RWP]], [[Rana Sura Padakkama|RSP]], [[Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya|VSV]], [[Uttama Seva Padakkama|USP]] - former [[Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)|Commander of the Army]].

* [[Major (rank)|Major]] [[Victor Gunasekara]], [[Ceylon Civil Service|CCS]] - former [[Comptroller|Controller]] of Imports Exports and [[Government Agent (Sri Lanka)|government agent]] of [[Kegalle]]

* [[Lieutenant]] [[Ajantha Mendis]] - international cricketer<ref>[{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080613_04 |title=Soldier creating history in International cricket]| {{webarchive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702014712/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080613_04 |archive-date=2008-07-02 }}</ref>