Photo By Pfc. Cynthia Teears Van Cleve | Sgt. 1st Class Wallace, , A Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st...... read more read more
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Soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team's 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment were tearing up the terrain on Fort Drum Nov. 2 — 6 as they conducted recertification qualification with their M-119A2 towed howitzers.
During their last deployment these modern day "red-legs" were used for their infantry capabilities, but their true field of expertise is quite different — putting steel on target.
"Our job is to provide close supporting fires for the brigade," said Maj. Roy Walker, the battalion operations officer for 3-6 FA. "That's what we are getting after out here. We're a much more flexible option for the commander. We're kind of a utility player, like in baseball."
In order to stay mission ready all Soldiers must perform pre-maintenance inspections on their M4 and M16 rifles and keep their qualifications and certifications current on any weapon or equipment they have had in the past.
"It's like your PMI's and qualifications on your weapon," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey East, command sergeant major for the battalion. "They are qualifying on their job, showing they know how to fire the artillery rounds."
This field artillery battalion is made up of one headquarters battery, two firing batteries and a support company, each of which performs duties that enable the firing of the howitzer guns.
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery consists of the meteorological section, who monitor the weather using weather balloons, a survey section, that decides the points from which the guns fire, the radar section, that can monitor where the enemy is firing from and where their rounds will impact, the battery also has some fire direction center personnel.
Both Alpha and Bravo Batteries have of the howitzer firing teams as well as more FDC personnel.
The battalions remaining unit, Golf Company, who administratively belongs to 1st BCT's 10th Brigade Support Battalion, and primarily consists of the support personnel is responsible for all the behind the scene operations from cooks to vehicle maintenance and supply for the battalion.
"There are a lot of moving parts that have to come together, so that we can fire," East said.
Like the battalion, there are several jobs within the howitzer firing teams. There is a section chief, a gunner, two assistant cannoneers, a radio-telephone operator and an ammunition team chief for each gun.
Even before the firing team can set up to fire, the crew sends out a lone Soldier who serves as the advance party and prepares the site for gun placement. He is responsible for clearing the area, setting the aiming circle, otherwise known as the lay circle, setting the gun in the general aiming direction of a target and finding out the sight-to-crest for the gun on that site, which is its lowest possible point of fire.
Once it is determined that the howitzers are in the correct position to fire, a process of communication starts.
Forward observers take a points coordinates and send that information to the FDC who will then compute what they see into what the guns can understand, then the guns can shoot the target the forward observers see, explained Lt. Maximilian Petri, executive officer for Alpha Battery
"I've ran all the different positions and this is my first time as a gunner," said Pfc. Jason Mauldin, one of the howitzer gunners with Alpha Battery. "I'll put the numbers in and get sighted in, then he (the section chief) will verify the sight and the numbers and he'll call the FDC and they'll verify that we are ready to shoot."
The radio-telephone operator records the missions fired, said Pfc. Tyler Niesen, an RTO, Alpha Battery. The FDC will radio what deflection quadrant and how many rounds to be fired for each mission to the RTO for each gun and that RTO must relay the information to the gunner and section chief.
"I'm the accountability guy and the commo guy," said Niesen. "Once the firing mission starts it'll be intense."
The deflection method used by the 105 mm gun is for indirect firing of the weapon.
"It started with Napoleon," said Walker. "I think we are the only army left that still does it. Artillery used to be a direct fire weapon. Napoleon used the deflection method to confuse the enemy."
The FDC controls all the guns and determines what is fired on and the rate of fire.
"FDC is the brains for field artillery," said Petri. "Each gun is pointing in a certain direction. The common deflection is where all the guns are pointing from the start."
The radar section practiced their job by tracking all the fires and checking for equipment accuracy.
"The radar will pick up and give you a point of impact and a point of origin in a grid form," said Walker. "TPQ-36 Radar, that we are using today, is a directional radar and we are comparing the accuracy with the FO records and it has been within 50 meters."
There is a record of the points fired upon and a count of how many rounds have been fired because after so many thousands of rounds the barrel of the howitzer needs to be changed out, Niesen said.
"Take your time," said Capt. Michael Abercrombie, the Alpha Battery commander. "Do not rush. This is all I get to do today, recertify people. Do not put yourself in the line of recoil."
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2009 15:27 |
| Story ID: | 41316 |
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| Web Views: | 343 |
| Downloads: | 266 |
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