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What a great reference point that road junction is! You can call in fire with real precision. Anybody attacking out of the woods across that open field is in for some hurt.
"Fire mission, fire mission, troops in the open -- From road junction T, right 500, drop 200, will adjust!"
"On the way, wait! --- five seconds to splash, three, two, one, SPLASH"
Left 200, repeat range, FIRE FOR EFFECT!"
You better give me "direction" to go along with that right and drop or my chart operator might not put the shells where you want them.
Jerry Liles
Chief FDC
I wouldn't dream of arguing with a Chief of FDC, but back in the day you called 'em from where you stood. The FDC knew where you were and where the guns were, translated your "right" into whatever was necessary for the mortars. You just needed a known starting point like "center of sector" or a known hill. I would assume the road junction was preplotted.
Actually, I truncated the fire mission, you were meant to get a "bracket" before firing for effect. If you thought the first round was 100 yards too far, you called for the next one to be 200 yards closer. If you were correct, then split the difference and FFE.
Our FC would have sent in the target grid in clear and then a direction as well. Unless he's directing from a defensive posn, his location wouldn't be too important unless calling for FPF on him. Yes, we would also bracket and then third rd should be tgt. Then FFE...
Bob you are essentially correct, however I did not always know precisely where the FO was. They often move and sometimes they just don't want to announce their position on the radio for all to hear and sometimes they aren't too sure where they are in the middle of moving and shooting or in a fight but can locate a landmark for us to use. If I know the direction he's looking and can locate the landmark or the map coordinates the Chart operator can place a grid over the landmark with the correct orientation and use that for the adjustment. If I know the FO's position it's automatic. FOs frequently will call direction anyway to help with the precision of the adjustment. Of course even that can help the enemy locate him. This was how we did it almost 50 years ago. With GPS, Fire direction computers, laser range finders, GPS and Terminally guided munitions, and scrambled commo it is a bit different today. At any rate FOs live on the sharp end of the stick.
Jerry Liles
Adjusting arty or mortar fire was WAY cool :) And didn't the guns LOVE to hear "troops in the open!" Ooooh, get some!
With what missiles, A-10's can do coupled with a Spooky C-130 gunship you could almost have an armchair as an FO and watch all sorts of ordnance drop on the baddies in fact it is so good today there is virtually no where the baddies can go even in total darkness.
One thing that I did find a bit of a chuckle the accuracy of the ICBM's type missiles today with the multi targeted war heads are accurate to a matter of feet I mean with a NW does a couple of feet really matter!
Adjusting indirect fire is reported to be the source of the military use of "I say again" and not "I repeat." Repeat is meant to be reserved exclusively for firing a concentration again. There is an old legend that an FO discovered friendlies in the impact area and frantically called back, "CEASE FIRE, I REPEAT, CEASE FIRE." There was a lot of static and the FDC only heard, "Braaak REPEAT Braaak, so of course they fired the mission again. Don't know how true that is, but radio procedure is pretty strict about "Say again."
That is correct. Repeat will get you another set of rounds on the way.
Cinders that is almost true except when and if we ever engage with an enemy that is an even or near even match. Most of our current engagements really aren't "fair fights." Of course in war if you are fighting "fair" you aren't doing it right.