noun
Military term for artillery units deployed in the field, as opposed to fortress or coastal artillery. Can refer to the branch, its personnel, or the guns themselves.
彼は野戦砲兵の将校として戦場に赴いた。
He went to the battlefield as a field artillery officer.
野戦砲兵が敵陣地に砲撃を加えた。
The field artillery shelled the enemy position.
Compound of 野戦 (field battle) + 砲兵 (artillery soldier). The term is a straightforward military designation with no obscure historical derivation.