 U.S. Army troops in Europe, winter 1944-5, with artillery shells labeled as gifts for Hitler. Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery weapon used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility and tactical efficiency, and not for long range nor sheer destructive power. Image File history File links Gun-squad-at-drill. ...
Image File history File links Gun-squad-at-drill. ...
The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2913x2319, 1755 KB)Easter Eggs for Hitler Photo by National Archives January 17, 2007 Two Soldiers proudly show off their personalized Easter eggs before firing them. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2913x2319, 1755 KB)Easter Eggs for Hitler Photo by National Archives January 17, 2007 Two Soldiers proudly show off their personalized Easter eggs before firing them. ...
The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1500x1000, 91 KB) U.S. Marines with Alpha Battery 1/11, 13th MEU (SOC), fire M198 howitzers during a live fire and maneuver. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1500x1000, 91 KB) U.S. Marines with Alpha Battery 1/11, 13th MEU (SOC), fire M198 howitzers during a live fire and maneuver. ...
United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. ...
The M198 Howitzer during the Persian Gulf War The M198 howitzer is a medium-sized, towed artillery piece. ...
Historically, artillery (from French artillerie) refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ...
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...
The bayonet is used as both knife and spear. ...
Types - infantry support guns - directly support infantry units (mostly obsolete)
- mountain guns - lightweight weapons that can be moved through difficult terrain
- field guns - capable of long range fire
- howitzers - capable of high angle fire
- gun howitzers - capable of high or low angle fire with a long barrel
- mortars - lightweight weapons that fire projectiles at an angle of over 45 degrees to the horizontal
Infantry support guns are artillery designed for direct-fire against infantry targets. ...
Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use during mountain combat. ...
A field gun is an artillery piece. ...
Loading a WW1 British 15 in (381 mm) howitzer A howitzer or hauwitzer is a type of field artillery. ...
Loading a WWI U.S 15 in (381 mm) howitzer A howitzer is a type of field artillery. ...
US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ...
Field artillery team -
Modern field artillery (Post-World War I) has three distinct parts: the forward observer (or FO), the fire direction center (FDC) and the actual guns themselves. On the battlefield, there will be combinations of all of the following elements. Calling in and Adjusting Artillery Fire on a Target In the land-based field artillery, the field artillery team is organized to direct and control indirect fire artillery fire on the battlefield. ...
Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz...
FO (Forward Observer) Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon, the forward observer must take up a position where he can observe the target using tools such as binoculars and laser range-finders and designators and call back fire missions on his radio. This position can be anywhere from a few thousand meters to 20-30 km distant from the guns. Indirect fire is a characteristic unique to artillery in which the fire is adjusted out of sight of the guns. ...
Porro-prism binoculars with central focusing Binocular telescopes, or binoculars, (also known as field glasses) are two identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, one to be viewed through each of the users eyes to present the viewer...
A laser range-finder is a device which uses a laser beam in order to determine the distance to a reflective object. ...
Using a standardized format, the FO sends either an exact target location or the position relative to his own location or a common map point, a brief target description, a recommended munition to use, and any special instructions such as "danger close" (the warning that friendly troops are within 600 metres of the target, requiring extra precision from the guns). Once firing begins, if the rounds are not accurate the FO will issue instructions to adjust fire and then call "fire for effect."
The FO does not talk to the guns directly - he deals solely with the FDC except in the case of CAS (Close Air Support). The forward observer can also be airborne and in fact one of the original roles of aircraft in the military was airborne artillery spotting. Close air support (often abbreviated CAS) is the use of military aircraft in a ground attack role against targets in close proximity to friendly troops, in support of ground combat operations. ...
The FO may be called upon to direct fire for CAS and/or Naval GunFire in addition to Field Artillery based howitzer and Infantry based mortar units.
The US Army Field Manual describing the duties and responsibilities is FM 6-30, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Observed Fire.
FDC (Fire Direction Center) Typically, there is one FDC for a battery of six guns, in a light division. In a typical heavy division configuration, there exist two FDC elements capable of operating two four gun sections, also known as a split battery. The FDC computes firing data, fire direction, for the guns. The process consists of determining the precise target location based on the observer's location if needed, then computing range and direction to the target from the guns' location. These data can be computed manually, using special protractors and slide rules with precomputed firing data. Corrections can be added for conditions such as a difference between target and howitzer altitudes, propellant temperature, atmospheric conditions, and even the curvature and rotation of the Earth. In most cases, some corrections are omitted, sacrificing accuracy for speed. In recent decades, FDCs have become computerized, allowing for much faster and more accurate computation of firing data. In military science, a battery is a unit of artillery guns or rockets, so grouped in order to facilitate battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion. ...
Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ...
Guns The final piece of the puzzle is the "gun line" itself. The FDC will transmit a warning order to the guns, followed by orders specifying the type of ammunition and fuze setting, bearing,elevation, and the method of adjustment or orders for fire for effect (FFE). Elevation (vertical direction) and bearing orders are specified in milliradians) or mils, and any special instructions, such as to wait for the observer's command to fire relayed through the FDC. The crews load the howitzers and traverse and elevate the tube to the required point, using either hand cranks (usually on towed guns) or hydraulics (on self-propelled models). The radian is a unit of plane angle. ...
Table of Hydraulics and Hydrostatics, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ...
Parent battalion and US Army brigade/USMC regimental FDCs FDCs also exist in the next higher parent battalion that "owns" 2-4 artillery batteries. Once again, an FDC exists at the US Army brigade or USMC regimetal level that "owns" the battalions. These higher level FDCs monitor the fire missions of their subordinate units and will coordinate the use of multiple batteries or even multiple battalions in what is called a battalion or brigade/regimental mission. In training and wartime execises, as many as 72 guns from 3 battalions may all be coordinated to put "steel on the target" in what is called a "brigade/regimental time on target" or brigade/regimental TOT for short. The rule is "silence is consent," meaning that if the lower unit does not hear a "cancel the mission" (don't shoot) or even a "check firing" (cease firing) order from the higher monitoring unit, then the mission goes on. Higher level units monitor their subordinate unit's missions both for both active as well as passive purposes. Higher level units also may get involved to coordinate artillery fire across fire support coordination boundaries (often parallel lines on maps) where one unit can not fire into without permission from higher and/or adjacent units that "own" the territory.
Major artillery battles Combatants Finland, Germany Soviet Union Commanders Lt. ...
Combatants United Kingdom Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British and 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10½ divisions (initial) 50 divisions (final) Casualties 419,654 British Empire...
Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC, and Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders...
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