september - october - Fort Sill

METHODS OF FIRE DIRECTION
BY MAJOR JAMES A. LESTER, F.A.
Definition.—"Fire direction is the tactical command of one or more fire
units with a view to bringing their fire to bear from a suitable position upon
the proper targets at the appropriate time."
Scope.—The particular phase of fire direction which this paper
proposes to discuss is the designation of targets by the battalion
commander to battery commanders at distances of from several hundred
yards to twelve hundred yards from the battalion observation post. The
tactical reasons for the selection of particular targets and the tactical
reason for distances, occasionally as great as twelve hundred yards
between a battalion observation post and battery observation posts, will
not be treated.
Whenever a battalion of field artillery goes into action, the battalion
commander is confronted with the problem of designating targets to his
battery commanders, some of whom are often at considerable distances
from his observation post. His problem is not solved by merely giving half
of the normal zone of his battalion to one battery and half to another and
holding the third battery at his immediate disposal for fire over the entire
normal zone of the battalion. This is the normal initial procedure and in
general is a good "starter."
Liaison with the supported infantry unit is normally with the artillery
battalion. The artillery battalion commander is therefore the normal person
to whom the infantry commander comes for fires on particular localities.
Hence the necessity for his ability to quickly pass these localities on to his
battery commanders in order that fire may be delivered promptly.
The following methods have been successfully employed in solving this
problem:
REFERENCE POINT METHOD
The principle involved in this method is that used in the computation of
firing data by the parallel method.
A reference point is designated by the battalion commander. He sets the
zero of his own angle measuring instrument on this point, reads the
azimuth of targets upon which he wishes fire placed, and after having
corrected same for the displacement of his battery observation posts,
transmits this data in a message of the following general form:
1. Reference point St. Luke's Church steeple.
2. Two hundred mils left and 15 mils below
3. A road intersection at about 3600 yards.
4. Machine guns in southern edge of orchard just beyond this road
intersection.
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