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Posted on 09/06/2004 11:23:18 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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 The modern artillery piece is an incredibly lethal and (in the public eye) totally unappreciated piece of machinery. It lacks the popularity and accessibility of the personal firearm or the glamour of the main battle tank, but artillery is an absolutely crucial component of combined-arms tactics in ground warfare. Sci-fi fan discussions of ground warfare often assume that artillery is unnecessary in the presence of air support, but this is a totally unrealistic approach. While artillery doesn't produce pretty pictures of smart bombs hitting buildings for CNN, it does produce results, particularly against targets which are not easily seen from the air. Unlike aircraft, artillery is unaffected by cloud cover or similar visibility conditions; as long as the spotter can relay the target location, the act of aiming is performed through mathematical computation rather than visual target acquisition. Furthermore, artillery isn't as easily fooled by cardboard decoys or other guerilla tricks, since its targeting is based on forward observers rather than detection from a distance. An artillery piece is also much less expensive than an aircraft, and a high explosive shell is much less expensive than a multi-million dollar guided missile. Artillery has an effective 100% duty cycle in the local combat area, unlike aircraft which cover large areas and must periodically return to base for refueling, maintenance, etc. Artillery is also much harder to detect than aircraft. Even a stealth aircraft is neither invisible or silent, while a camouflaged artillery piece can avoid detection until it opens fire, even in daytime.  Artillery pieces can range from small 52mm mortars to massive 8-inch self-propelled howitzers such as the M110A1, and they serve two purposes: close-range infantry support and long-range destruction of enemy units. Since artillery fires projectiles in an arcing trajectory, it has the absolutely priceless ability to hit targets without a line of sight. The importance of this capability simply cannot be overstated. An enemy tank column can be attacked by field artillery from behind geographical obstructions, and even if the attacking artillery is within range, the tanks still wouldn't be able to shoot back. In mountainous terrain, this capability is absolutely crucial; an army without artillery is a dead army. Of course, this leads to the obvious question of how artillery is aimed, and that job falls to fire control and the forward observer. Forward observers operate independently, and their job is to locate the target. They can be anything from specially equipped vehicles to men on foot, and they are typically equipped with laser rangefinders and accurate positioning systems such as GPS systems, so that they can relay very accurate targeting data back to fire control. Fire control then performs mathematical computations to determine the ideal firing angle and charge in order to hit the target, factoring in such variables as wind, humidity, temperature, etc. Modern systems even have multiple simultaneous strike capability, which is accomplished by firing three times in rapid succession: once at very high elevation, once at medium elevation, and once at low elevation. All three shots are timed so that they hit the target at the same time, from three different angles. Against a hardened target, this can effectively triple the power of the weapon. Against soft targets like infantry, the approach is somewhat different; a single proximity-fused projectile is set to explode in the air above the target and shower it with shrapnel. Either way, whether the target is a bunker, a column of armoured vehicles, or a group of infantry, if the artillery can find it, the artillery can destroy it.  Unfortunately, the greatest advantage of the artillery piece is also its greatest weakness: the parabolic trajectory of its projectile. While it allows the artillery piece to hit its target at great distances without a line of sight, it also allows a well-equipped enemy to swiftly locate the artillery piece, simply by tracking the arc of its projectile and mathematically computing its source. Specialized systems have been designed for just this purpose: for example, the EMI Cymbeline radar system is a specialized mortar-locating radar system, and the US Army's Firefinder system can locate both mortars and field artillery pieces. This means that field artillery is as much of a target as a threat, and the best efforts at concealment are basically for naught when the gun is ordered to open fire. However, the enemy must be well equipped in order to exploit this weakness, thus further underscoring the necessity of artillery: an enemy without effective artillery of his own would be helpless to exploit this weakness, so you would be able to attack him with impunity. Another point of vulnerability is the forward observer, since your artillery cannot target the enemy if your forward observers have been killed or captured. A possible alternative to the forward observer is the small aerial RPV (remote piloted vehicle), which is already in use for naval gunnery. However, the RPV is an expensive device, and forward observers are expected to be available on the battlefield by the time artillery is deployed.  Mobile warfare is hampered by immobile artillery support, so a full-scale conventional warfare scenario requires self-propelled artillery pieces. The doctrine of self-propelled gun deployment calls for large numbers of independent units to situate themselves around the countryside and move with the infantry and armour units. When a target is identified by the spotters, all of these artillery pieces will simultaneously open fire and shower it with shells, before pulling up stakes and changing positions in order to avoid the inevitable enemy artillery counter-attack (the slang term is "shoot and scoot". In this way, mobile artillery units achieve the dangerous combination of mobility, dispersion, and firepower concentration.
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On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on September 07:
1533 Queen Elizabeth I England, (1558-1603) daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
1829 August Kekule von Stradonitz discovered structure of benzene ring
1829 Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden US, geologist (Geograph Survey 1859-86)
1860 Grandma (Anna Maria) Moses NY, primitive painter (Old Oaken Bucket)
1900 "Janet" Taylor Caldwell England, novelist (Melissa)
1908 Dr Michael E DeBakey artificial heart pioneer
1908 Paul Brown Norwalk Ohio, NFL hall of famer (Browns, Bengals)
1909 Elia Kazan Canstaninople Turkey, director (Streetcar Named Desire)
1913 Anthony Quayle England, actor (Anne of 1000 Days, Lawrence of Arabia)
1914 James Van Allen discovered Van Allen radiation belts
1922 Art Ferrante pianist (Ferrante & Tachere-Exodus)
1923 Peter Lawford London England, actor (Mrs Miniver, The Thin Man)
1924 Daniel Inouye (Sen-D-Hi), chair of Iran-Contra hearings
1924 Leonard Rosenman Bkln NY, TV composer (Marcus Welby MD)
1930 Sonny Rollins NYC, jazz saxophonist (Blue Room)
1934 Bill Giles Rochester NY, baseball owner (Phila Phillies)
1936 Buddy Holly singer (Peggy Sue, That'll Be the Day)
1939 S David Griggs Portland Oregon, astronaut (STS 51D, STS 33)
1942 Garrison Keillor humorist(or so it's said) (Praire Home Companion)
1942 Richard Roundtree actor (Shaft, Earthquake)
1949 Gloria Gaynor Newark NJ, disco singer (I Will Survive)
1950 Peggy Noonan author (What I Saw at the Revolution)
1954 Corbin Bernsen North Hollywood Calif, actor (Arnie Becker-LA Law)
1957 Melvin Edward Mays one of FBI's most wanted
1985 Tatia Jayne Starkey Ringo's 1st grandchild
FAMPL treadhead history ping.
SP howitzers.
On this day...
1991 Professional Engineer becomes a civilian again at midnight after 7 years, 10 months, 7 days of active duty.(finished Valin's Commie Whipping)
Morning Aeronaut.
Morning E.G.C.
Thanks for your daily bump of yesterday's thread.
I thank your Father-in-law for his service. Sounds like he had quite a career. Hope we can bring back some good memories
When I look in the mirror every morning, I see my biggest problem staring at me."
Boy Ain't that the truth!
Morning GailA. How's the graphics recovery going?
Morning alfa6.
Scoot and Shoot :-)
Yes it is..
The American Turtle was successfully launched in the dark of night on September 6/7, 1776 against the British flagship, HMS Eagle, a 64 gun frigate moored in New York harbor off of the island now occupied by the Statue of Liberty. The Turtle had undergone extensive test trials in the safe colonial waters of the Connecticut River off Old Saybrook, Ct., piloted by the inventor's brother Ezra Bushnell. Unfortunately, on the eve of the submarine's first combat mission, Ezra Bushnell died.
With a freshly recruited, but less practiced pilot, Ezra Lee of Old Lyme, Ct., the American Turtle made its way underwater to the rudder of the Eagle's hull. Unfortunately, Lee first struck metal rather than wood with the screw intended to attach the bomb to the enemy's hull. After a second failed attempt, Lee propelled the American Turtle away, only to be observed and chased. The bomb was released into the water and resulted in a frightening explosion. While the American Turtle failed to destroy its target, the British recognized the threat and moved the fleet. Weather problems, and other operating difficulties prevented a successful attack by the submarine before it was scuttled by the British while being transported.
Morning PE. Great Flag-O-Gram today.
I've never heard of The National Flag Truck.
Good Morning Feather.
I see you're all dressed up in armor this morning.:-)
Thanks for serving PE. It's appreciated.
Armour yes, a lady has to be prepared!!! LoL
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