....there are plenty of colorful metaphores...

Rounds Complete!!

Hi Gary,
Okay, that's great. Thanks.
I dont suppose you have any photos of your stay in country, do you?
Cheers buddy.
Joe.

Gary, as usual, a hell of a discussion.....

Joe sorry I have not chimed in here in a bit....couple of quick notes

Besides the Verlindin ammo set that Gino showed, you could also have some 50 cal ammo boxes. They were used to pack fuses. The HE (High Explosive) round comes un-fused. You would normally keep PD and MTSQ fuses (MTSQ = Mechanical Time Super Quick or TI)

I agree with Gary....we would keep plent of rounds fused with PD and one with MTSQ.

Units would usaully have at least a pair of WP rounds and maybe 4 HC smoke rounds at the ready....incase of a call for Immediate Smoke

Illum rounds would be set up as night approached

Powder bags are always away from the gun....some units would have a cut in half 55 gallon drum, others used the empty ammo crates.

Aiming stakes are used as a reference point. They were usually set out so once the gun had traversed far enough that it could not use its primary reference point (infinity colimeter), the gun could then pick up the aiming stake as a reference.

Lastly....for the record, I spent a bulk of my time in the military on the 105mm including commanding a battery of them.

Rounds Complete!!

Lovely piece of kit then, eh?
Joe.

The COFRAM (COntrolled FRAgmentation Munitions) rounds were the predecessor to what we call today as DPICM (Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition). It ejects smaller bomblets (like grenades) at a predetermined altitude above the target. These bomblets then rain down on the target and blow it all to hell as they explode.

Present day DPICMs have both anti-personnel and anti-armor bomblets in them, hence the Dual Purpose part.

I bet Gary had plenty of times when there were enemy forces close in front of him and the beehive round would have been nice to have. The charge 1 Green Bag and 1 second VT fuse setting referance he made is to have the shell explode pretty much right in front of the howitzer. So yeah, the beehive rounds would have been nice.

Hi Mike,
Couple of great pointers there. This has given me a couple of good ideas.
As an artillery crew, was your day busy?
Was it busier at night or during the daytime? And at night during a fire mission what did you use to illuminate your gun position? Did you have any kind of lighting rigged up?
Joe.

Gino - If you did not have beehive you could fire "Killer Junior"....HE round with an MTSQ fuse set to blow at the minimum safe distance and everyone down when you fire.....It is a fun direct fire exercise!!

The COFRAM (COntrolled FRAgmentation Munitions) rounds were the predecessor to what we call today as DPICM (Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition). It ejects smaller bomblets (like grenades) at a predetermined altitude above the target. These bomblets then rain down on the target and blow it all to hell as they explode.

Present day DPICMs have both anti-personnel and anti-armor bomblets in them, hence the Dual Purpose part.

I bet Gary had plenty of times when there were enemy forces close in front of him and the beehive round would have been nice to have. The charge 1 Green Bag and 1 second VT fuse setting referance he made is to have the shell explode pretty much right in front of the howitzer. So yeah, the beehive rounds would have been nice.

Quoted Text

---

The COFRAM (COntrolled FRAgmentation Munitions) rounds were the predecessor to what we call today as DPICM (Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition). It ejects smaller bomblets (like grenades) at a predetermined altitude above the target. These bomblets then rain down on the target and blow it all to hell as they explode.

Present day DPICMs have both anti-personnel and anti-armor bomblets in them, hence the Dual Purpose part.

I bet Gary had plenty of times when there were enemy forces close in front of him and the beehive round would have been nice to have. The charge 1 Green Bag and 1 second VT fuse setting referance he made is to have the shell explode pretty much right in front of the howitzer. So yeah, the beehive rounds would have been nice.

---

Gino - If you did not have beehive you could fire "Killer Junior"....HE round with an MTSQ fuse set to blow at the minimum safe distance and everyone down when you fire.....It is a fun direct fire exercise!!

Also as a self protection, the 1/4 pound block of TNT that you removed from using a deep well VT fuse would be saved. This would be used on the bottom of a drum for the foo gas traps. Also would make part of the foo gas in the drum with some of the extra powder bags.....Nice stuff.

Rounds Complete!!

Your always busy....If you are not firing, you are cleaning up dunnage, doing position improvement, doing ammo resupply, preparing ammunition, doing maintenance..etc, etc.

As far as the night....NO LIGHTS...We would use flashlights with red lenses to view areas we needed to see....Sights, ammo assembly etc. Aiming posts had small flashlights with red and green lenses which pointed in the direction of the weapon. They were replaced in the 80s by the chem lights and a holder which made their light directional. The collimeter had a power pack and could be illuminated for night use.

It takes training, the entire crew knowing their job and being in the right places. But....there are plenty of colorful metaphores as the crew bumps items of equipment in the dark.

Obviously it is the worst when there is no moon or inclement weather. It is also fun to survey or lay the battery in the dark.

In general you did not want anyone knowing where you were until you fired. Unlike VN with prepared semi-permenant positions, most times you moved into a new position at twilight to perform some missions under the cover of darkness then moved to another position.

Moving is the biggest PIA for artillery and you tend to do it a lot...especially in a 105 unit. VN was a different story. There it was a semi permenant firebase for the support of the grunts.

Rounds Complete!!

I will not tell you how we made foo gas (got a repremind for that here once), but a row of that stuff going off is a sight to see. SF teams used to use those supplementry charges like they were going outta style.
gary

In a Firebase situation, the crew all sleeps together in the bunker. In an open field situation at a friring point, you throw down your sleeping bag around, in, or on your vehicles. There is always someone on either a radio or, more commonly, a wired field telephone. The Fire Missions come in by voice over the field phone. If its at night and everyone is down and there are no planned fire missions, there is usually one gun that is fully manned as a Hot Gun that reacts to calls for fire. If more than one gun is needed, the Hot Gun starts the mission as everyone else gets up and moving to join in. The Hot Gun rotates through out the night at determined intervals so everyone gets some sleep.

Hi fellas,
Gino, thanks for putting me straight about the radio setup.
Gary, I'd love to see ANY photos you've got!
And Rob, I can just imagine that beautiful sense of self satisfaction of calling an officer a mother_____ & getting away with it! Sublime!
All the best to you fellas. Appreciate your help & stories.
Joe.

Guys,
I've been reading these threads & I'm in awe.
Gary, I'm sorry to hear about Thomas Alfred Garman. You know, we sit here in the comfort of our own homes discussing stuff on our PC's & chat away about this & that model & the best way to build them, etc & then you hear of something like this. Reading your little story really brought it home to me that good men were killed & would never come home & grow old.
It makes you sit up & think.
Amazing story....

I'm speechless...
...A real hero.
Joe.