How does artillery work?

Answer 1

Firstly, let us define artillery as a proper military authority would. Artillery is any ground-based external fire support designed to aid and assist ground infantry forces by supressing and destroying enemy units. Conventionally, when we talk artillery, we mean big cannons... but bear in mind that various rockets and missles are categorized as artillery too. For the sake of this, however... we are talking cannons.

Artillery cannons are broadly categorized in three groups:

The Gun: has a low trajectory angle and a very high projectile velocity (we see these mainly on ships)

The Mortar: has a high trajectory angle and a low projectile velocity (lobs rounds up-and-over to fire into defilade and rain rounds overhead, maximizing explosive damage)

The Howitzer: low to high angle, medium velocity (most versatile)

Essentially all of these weapon systems are no different than any other firearm (propellant ignites via a primer, hot gases rapidly expand forcing the round out of the barrel) except that they can be quite large and the rounds are typically explosive. Where the magic happens is how you shoot one accurately at a target you cannot see. I will explain as best as possible without getting overly complicated:

There are 3 elements necessary to accurately deliver artillery fire... the Forward Observers (FOs), the Fire Direction Control Center (FDC), and the guns themselves. FOs embed themselves with infantry and serve AZ the 'eyes'. They are trained to call for fire, knowing how to ID targets, estimate range, and interact with the FDC in general. Standard infantry can often perform this duty in emergencies as well, in fact all ground based military combatants really should know how to at least halfway do it in a pinch.

They contact the FDC, and through mathematical equations (done now by computers but traditionally by chart and sliderule) they convert the raw data from the FO to useable data for the guns in the form of an '11 element order'... when the guns hear it, sounds like this:

FIRE MISSION (warns them that they are receiving data)

BATTERY 2 ROUNDS (tells which guns fire how-can vary)

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS _______(gives any spec. Inst. Like if waiting to actually fire on command. Can be left blank)

LOT _____(lot designator for ammo type, to make sure you pull from correct pile

CHARGE ______, ______ BAG (tells propellant bag color and charge strength, determines range)

SHELL ______ (what kind of round type, such as high explosive, smoke, illumination)

FUZE _______ (fuse type- point detonating, timed, proximity)

TIME_______ (if timed fuse, the time comes here, if not, can be skipped)

DEFLECTION_______ (this gets tricky-stay with me. A deflection is an angle off of a known line or" azimuth" that the gun battery has already aligned itself to. This DEFLECTION is a 4 digit number that rotates a sight on the gun. The gunner enters the number and adjusts the gun to bring his known aiming point-which are usually red and white stakes which have been set up-into view.)

QUADRANT_____(number 3 or 4 digit, the assistant gunner puts it in and it turns his 'sight" (called a quadrant) and he simply elevates the gun until the quadrant is leveled again (evidenced by leveling bubbles)

At this point the piece is ready to fire accurately and, barring any special Instructions, is free to do so.