Quote:
Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b
If the mortar gunner can actually see his target, he could also do a direct lay -- that would be much easier than standard indirect fire. (In direct lay, you are sort of using your mortar sight to aim at the target; direct lay is tricky, takes a good gunner, and you are still going to have deviation, but it's not as much deviation as standard indirect fire and the gunner can function as his own spotter. The downside is that if you can see your target, the enemy can probably see you...)
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Thats it! Direct lay! I was thinking boresighting, direct lay, thats the term I was trying to come up with the last several days. And that is how I would do it. Like I said, in theory it could work and the results would be like a traverse fire mission along the route of travel of the vehicle.
Of course the issue I would worry about is stability especialy after the first round throwing off the gun with the rocking, this could make following round go wild, as well as strong waves, sharp turns and evasive manuvers, again, these could toss the rounds to go way off!
However, the precident does exist of firing mortars and artillery from boats, this was done durring the British attack on Ft. McHenry which inspired Francis Scott Key to pen "The Star Spangled Banner." As were mortar barges and rocket ships common, and in the amphibious landings in Europe and the Pacific many vessels had 105 and 75mm howitzers firing on them or mortars and of course rockets. The Rangers attacking Pt Du Hoc fired mortars from their craft to launch the ropes and ladders which they scaled the heights with. And I seem to recall some units in the Delta of Vietnam had 105s on LSTs or barges firing, so it is entirely possible.
Again, having been a mortar magot once upon a time, the idea is something I would love to test.