Joe Shearer
PROFESSIONAL
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2009
- Messages
- 27,493
- Reaction score
- 162
- Country
- Location
When it comes to tube artillery, there are two base methods of using it.
No 1. Direct fire - As the name suggests, it refers to the launching of a projectile directly at a target.This method is used at shorter ranges, where the target happens to be within clear line-of-sight and line-of-fire of the gun in question.You know, like the Germans, during WWII, used their 88 mm Flaks against allied tanks to devastating effects or as this article mentions, Indian Army did against the sanghars in Kargil.
Field guns are better suited for this method due to the higher velocity and flatter trajectories of their shells compared to howitzers.
No. 2 - Indirect fire - It's the complete opposite of the first method (as the name suggests).This is used at longer ranges, when there is no clear line of sight between the target and the gun or the target is behind some terrain features, the target coordinates are sent by specially trained fire control directors and the gunners calculate the target distance and elevation of the gun barrel by triangulation method.
I hope this helps.
It does, in the sense that it confirms my suspicion that the term is wrongly used. Almost none of the shell-fire directed at the dug-outs was of any effect. On the other hand, the shelling of the arms depot at Muntho Dhalo and the shelling of the lines of communication of the infiltrators while they were retreating was what caused the greatest damage, and it was all indirect fire.
Which is the basic purpose of a howitzer.