3-068-984 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

By the cannon, 1916. Legionary artilleryman at a cannon, popularly known as the 'Ecuadorian'. These were mountain guns with a 3.7 cm barrel (Gebirgskanone M.13), on a light wheeled carriage, equipped with a protective shield for the crew. In December 1914, one of the batteries of the 1st Artillery Regiment of the Polish Legions was equipped with them. These guns were perfectly suited for effectively destroying machine gun positions. The artilleryman kneeling next to the "Ecuadorian" was probably Józef Beck (1894-1944). Gottlieb's watercolour was undoubtedly created in Volhynia, probably in February 1916, when the artist visited the Second Brigade in its positions near Kostiuchnówka. This is evidenced by the fortified walls of the trench. Defensive positions prepared in this way were made by the legionnaires during the winter-spring break in the fighting on the fort on the Styr River. Waclawa Milewska