I just wonder without GPS how they will position the battery? Our exercises were kind of phony since the survey crew went out and found the position and gave us precise grid numbers, but I just don’t see it happening under fire.
Do infantry and armor leaders carry printed maps these days? Does the DOD even print maps anymore?
Sure it does. It's why being on the survey team can be a rather dangerous job, thought they're generally going to be surveying battery positions that are behind/been cleared by the maneuver elements.
re: “I just wonder without GPS how they will position the battery?”
Terrain map on CD; you don’t need GPS with that in hand ... (BUT your laptop will have to work. Alternatively, a 7 1/2 minute paper “topo” map will work.)
Also, carry an aneroid barometer, used in conjunction with topo map.
Oh, you’ll need a pair of function eyeballs to locate land features correlated to the topo map.
The old fashion way. Read a map.I know,it is tough in the desert.
I used to maps spot the battery Center of Mass when I was an XO. I could get to within 100 meters or so.
Once you shoot a registration, you can shoot pretty accurate.
Well, it could certainly be done before the Advent of GPS. The crew did have to inspect a map, locate their position on that map, and then extract the coordinates. We could do it all just fine.
Back in the 70’s each FA battalion had a survey section that would provide the precise location for the battery. It was called ‘bringing in survey.’ Often the survey grid was brought in after we had occupied a position and begun firing using the 6 digit grid the BC or XO provided to us in the FDC. That is also how we did hip shoots, using our estimated position without waiting for survey to be brought in.