Artillery...

[hptmurphy]

Wouldn't worry about it too much seeing as the ammo is a fraction of the age of the guns and still being manufactured ..they could go on forever..which is more than can be said for some of the crews seing as some of them have been around for ever ..or so it would seem....

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi all
Laners, before the age of electronics, there used to be large mechanical fire computers, into which a whole team of bods dialed up the relevant data,such as the range to the target,bearing, wind,etc and an allowance for the forward speed of the ship. After the shells were fired,a fella manning a large rangefinder,usually at a high point of the vessel, called out the fall of shot to his computer operators and corrected. With the advent of radar, the shooting became more accurate and allowed for non-visual firing.
As an example of mass fire control, the British General, Horrocks, stated that "I had control of 300 guns,all at the end of a telephone.One call and I could bring the whole lot down on the Germans". This was in 1944, with the 25pdr being the smallest gun available,with no electronic devices.
When I was on that mortar shoot, I don't believe that there were any computers and that all the work was being plotted the old way. I believe that the officer was reluctant to admit to being unsure of himself. I had expected a mortar shoot to be a comparatively quick event,peacetime safety considerations allowed for.
regards
GttC

[hptmurphy]

if you remember laners we engaged visual targets over open sights....and we fired according to the motion of the ship it was the gunners own chice at what stsge tofire after the order was given....easy enough with an Oerlikon or a rheinmetal...but with the 40mm...correct me if i'm wrong w fired on the down roll of the ship as if the shell feel short there was a better cahnce of get a richochet off the water and hitting the target...every thing was direct fire with those waepons and no plunging fire..The targets we engaged were always with in direct fire range.....

[Docman]

Hello all
Artillery questions for your perusal,please. Once upon a time,I did the Mortar Course with the FCA and several things remain unresolved: It took two hours from setting up the guns to firing the first shot. When asked why, the nearest NCO stated that it was "taking 'em ages to work out the maths!". Eventually, we started firing,but why,oh,why did it take so long? What's so hard about working out bearings and elevations? Are there such things as "tables" for mortars? Are mortarmen taught anything more than just how to set up and load the weapon?
I have read in several military histories about guns being "gridded", so as to allow all tubes to be at the beck and call of one control centre.How is this done?

I was actually involved in both the firing and organisation of Mortar shoots.
Basically any RDF unit should be able to get rounds down range accurately in much less than 30mins from getting off the trucks. The actual timings are RESTRICTED info though. The ability to plot a target is more map reading than maths and a fairly decent proficiency in Map reading is required (But no more than what is thought at NCO level). The Morfire units simplify everything but it is common practise to still do it the old fashioned way to keep the skill in case there is a technical fault with the computers in a real war. The plot is then checked against the morfire plot. The big thing however is safety and every plot is checked and double checked. While the range may appear to be clear, the 81mm Mortar has the ability to engage targets far beyond what can be seen visually and a bad plot may result in rounds impacting miles from the intended target. An 81mm round on full charge will impact on the other side of the mountains that you see in the Glen of Imaal when you are firing.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Docman
Thanks for that. I remember being told that the 81mm bomb would rise to about 10,000 feet before beginning it's descent (hence the high ceiling to Danger Areas) and would travel for as far as 5 miles (I think) when fired on the full charge. We fired them in Kilworth where the target was visible directly. I appreciate that actual expected into-action times are not for the public gaze, but I would expect a mortar crew to be ready to fire within a few minutes and actually putting bombs on target soon after that.. Given the availability of mortar-locating radar,they'd have to be pretty sharp getting in and out of action.
regards
GttC
PS: naval gunnery buffs should have a look at the mechanical fire computer on HMS Belfast,London for an eye-opener.

[DeV]

Theres a BIG difference in the time taken to engage a target with artillery/mortars in peacetime and wartime.

I read an article about the All Army Mortar Competition a while back. The aim was to deploy, bed in, and engage a number of targets as quickly as possible. A good mortar team can get the bedding in rounds on the target, thereby saving more time.

[Docman]

But the big thing is that the more time spent preparing and sighting in.... the more accurate and effective the barrage.