Tube Missile Artillery: How do they find their targets?

Gollevainen said:

Thanks, thats very informative...

Individual tents...how about in winter? Do they expect all sleep without any sort of heating? We had this small sectiontent which barely accomodated the entire crew (8) and small stove to heat it...It actually managed to keep the heat inside so in -20 degree and bellow we theoretically managed just fine...




We never used direct fire mode with the 155K98 becouse there was no optical sights assiged to the gun. But we did it with D-30s. We had mixed results, when firing with the normal gunsight (indirect firesight) we hardly hit anything exspecially when shooting with small charges. But when switching to special anti-tank sight and firing full charges, it was amaizingly accurate...Tough our instructors told us that if we see a tank, we shouldn't vaste time for loading, just run like hell

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Well, no, the usual Kraut does not have a heating system with him.
Guess some armies never learn from russian winter experiences.
Propably another reason why Germans like Tanks, they are heated while their Tents arent
If we meet a Tank we are told to make use of that reverse gear and quickly dissapear behind the next hilltop.
If we stumble upon an enemy anti air/ other Artillery we could use it, as were still faster than these guys (at least were told so), chances are that they mistake us for a Leo anyway^^.

Wow duskylim, did Singapore sell artillery guns to Philippines? Which type is it? The FH88 or the FH2000, judging from your comments, I think it is the FH2000.

I am a consript from Singapore many years back from the Guards battalion. It is actually a rapid deployment force of the 21st division, it is some sort of heli-borne infantry. Talking abt the artillery force, it provides those foot soldiers like us good neutralisation of enemy grounds before the deliberate assault and also a good defensive weapons against enemy counter attacks or to cover a retreat. Our division artillery is the new Singapore made SLWH Pegasus, which is heli portable. The gun is veri small and could be towed by a medium sized truck

How does artillery work? This is wad i was taught.........

1)How does the artillery 'see the target'?

Each infantry coy has a forward observer and gun assistant attached to the coy HQ. The 2 are artillery officer/nco respectively. Before the battalion moves out to assault an enemy objective, a route of advancement will be designed based on aerial photography and higher HQ intelligence. At each strategic points on the route of advancement, a fire-point will be established. Which means to say, for example, when ur battalion has progressed to that particular position, the division HQ will be comms, and orders will be related to the artillery to fire at the enemy position. The general rule is that as the battalion gets closer and closer to the enemy, the intensity of the shelling will be increased. The aim is to harasse them or demoralise them.

For defensive battles. The FO/GA will be deployed at all major axis of possible enemy routes of advancement. They will provide the orders to shell the incomming enemies for example, enemies travelling by 5 tonnes/ 3 tonnes things like that.

2) How to translate enemy position from the battalion to the division artillery?

Usually, the FO will have a set of maps that depicts the fire points. For example a certain Map Grid Referrence, a code will be established. He will comms the artillery likeby giving the code, and type of ammos to be used, depending on type of enemy. Ammos like HE, white phosphorous

3)Things, artillery guys need to worry abt.

Triangulation. Since when artillery fires, it exposes itself to being counter battery fired upon. Bcos there are modern euipments like artillery radar which helps to detect theincoming shells and thus enabling the enemy to produce a efficient counter fire. Thus most artilleries must depend on shoot and scoot type of firing. Enemies may also send special forces to raid or attack artilleries especially MLRS as they are deemed to be high valued assets, as they can deliver high volume of fire

How different militaries organize artillery is interesting. In Canada, in the reserves, we have a rotational system in which the enlisted gunners are cross-trained to do the different tasks of loading, firing, aiming, and preparing ammunition. Our NCOs told us that while the Americans could afford to lose a loader and send in one from a pool of loaders, we all had to know every task in case we couldn't replace dead gun crew.

As you become more experienced and are promoted, you go to additional qualification courses where enlisted personnel learn how to calculate trajectories from the gun command post, drive the gun around, handle radio communications and act as a forward observer, and so on.

Our gun was a 105mm towed howitzer. It was aimed by vertical and horizontal elevation wheels, a periscope, and micrometers, and the gun itself would be picked up and moved if traverse was insufficient. You could also direct-fire with it, even through bore-sighting.

In a fire mission, we would be given numbers over the radio which indicated where we had to traverse the gun by way of the hand-wheels. Usually we would deploy so that the gun would not have to be picked up and moved at all once deployed as the gun would be "zeroed" in the right direction, so to speak, and minute adjustments made from that point on. Rapid and accurate fire was possible from that point onwards. Individual guns could be given individual fire missions, or in groups, or the entire battery or even the entire regiment.

The gun was heavy but a strong person could move its trails to traverse the entire gun on his own. The worst was carrying it through ditches, or having to dig a hole for its elevation in hard ground. If you stood in the wrong place, it would recoil against you and shatter your shin.

Like in the other militaries, we rode around in trucks instead of walking like the infantry. Of course, we were cross-trained as infantry and could be "dismounted" for infantry missions.

It was not requred to score very highly on an intelligence test to get in, though you had to be a reasonably fast learner. I had difficulty with the mental and physical part but most of the college rugby players who had joined seemed to be having a fine time of it.

In addition, the worst thing for us would be to receive counterbattery fire. We were not scared of infantry. But we had some kind of emergency code word for being counterbatteried like "FIRE FIRE FIRE" or something, and everyone would pack up the entire battery in like 1 or 3 minutes and drive off without forgetting anything behind, like a muzzle cover in the dark. I got yelled at in a drill once because I was taking too long to get the elevation to proper height for towing and my sergeant yelled at me "WE'RE BEING CBed!"

I think our doctrine was a combination of the British and American model.

First of all Welcome, there is never too much artillerist onboard I'll try to get all you promoted to vip membership as soon as possiple...

How different militaries organize artillery is interesting. In Canada, in the reserves, we have a rotational system in which the enlisted gunners are cross-trained to do the different tasks of loading, firing, aiming, and preparing ammunition. Our NCOs told us that while the Americans could afford to lose a loader and send in one from a pool of loaders, we all had to know every task in case we couldn't replace dead gun crew.

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Here in finland we also practised a rotation system exspecially in the early stages of the training. But it was more of finding out the most suitable guy in the specific task. I was the smallest (and smartest ) in my crew so I was pointed out to be aimer which theoretically would have had lesser physical stress...theoretically...Our NCO school however relayed much more to the rotation system and were shifted not only inside the firing platoon but in the entire battery.

It was not requred to score very highly on an intelligence test to get in, though you had to be a reasonably fast learner. I had difficulty with the mental and physical part but most of the college rugby players who had joined seemed to be having a fine time of it.

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Well it didn't need to be rocket scientist in our battery too. Before we started the actual gun training, our NCOs (actually older conscripts) had the change of picking their own guncrew and so all the best mens went to the guncrews. That wasen't entirely wise becouse some of our batterys "finests" didn't even manage from the easiest HQ troop missions like pointing out the guns spesific position in the fireposition or guiding the truck so that the gun was right at the spot on first attempt (122mm D-30 is rather painfull to move around by menpower..)

In addition, the worst thing for us would be to receive counterbattery fire. We were not scared of infantry. But we had some kind of emergency code word for being counterbatteried like "FIRE FIRE FIRE" or something, and everyone would pack up the entire battery in like 1 or 3 minutes and drive off without forgetting anything behind, like a muzzle cover in the dark. I got yelled at in a drill once because I was taking too long to get the elevation to proper height for towing and my sergeant yelled at me "WE'RE BEING CBed!"

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We call it asemaralli (fireposition-race)

Gollevainen said:

I was the smallest (and smartest ) in my crew so I was pointed out to be aimer which theoretically would have had lesser physical stress...theoretically...

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LOL, I know what you mean. It can be very stressful with the sergeant yelling down your neck.

It's been a while now since I was in the military in late high school (kind of many conscripts in other countries, I guess! though we weren't conscripted of course)

But the rotation system was firmly ingrained as there was proper drill for the actual rotation itself. We didn't rotate in battery much, as we were all assigned to a gun crew per gun led by a sargeant, and only went to other guns in the battery as replacements.

Gollevainen said:

Well it didn't need to be rocket scientist in our battery too. Before we started the actual gun training, our NCOs (actually older conscripts) had the change of picking their own guncrew and so all the best mens went to the guncrews. That wasen't entirely wise becouse some of our batterys "finests" didn't even manage from the easiest HQ troop missions like pointing out the guns spesific position in the fireposition or guiding the truck so that the gun was right at the spot on first attempt (122mm D-30 is rather painfull to move around by menpower..)

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Wow i never knew other countries think other wise for artillery guys. Here before enlistment, guys have to go thru physical and mental ability test. Those with strong grasp of English commands and maths goes to the Signal institutes. Those with good spatial skills and logic capabilities are send to Armoured and artillery vocations. The REST OF US?................. Low IQ folks like me got to those Infantry, Guards vocation.:nono: :roll: :roll:

We have this saying: Tyhma, tyhmempi, tykkimies...Which roughly translated to Stupid, more stubidier, an artillerist...

...man did I hear that alot when I was in the army....