Someone please teach these people to shoot straight.

[threaded]

But howitzers rarely shoot straight.

[AtW]

Now now, you've just spoiled the chance of making this thread bigger than Columbian Hostages was

[DaveB]

Since when did the "facts" ever get in the way of a good "discussion" around here?

[threaded]

Now would the Columbians have kidnapped them, the hostages, if they'd had a howitzer?

[OrangeHopper]

The artillery regard mortars as indirect. Simple as that!

[EternalOptimist]

Yes, mortars are straight shooters, as you generally have line of sight to the target.

absolute, complete and utter b0ll0cks

any battallion commander who got his mortars in LOS with the enemy would deserve to be strung up.

and not by the neck

[threaded]

So if you're doing direct fire, you don't have line of sight to the target?

[OrangeHopper]

Nobody has mentioned self-propelled howitzers yet.

[threaded]

Nobody has mentioned self-propelled howitzers yet.

Have too. The OP refered to the yanks, and I corrected earlier that they were gun-howitzers.

HTH

[EternalOptimist]

So if you're doing direct fire, you don't have line of sight to the target?

the definition of direct fire is that the firer can see the target

the definition of indirect fire is that the firer cannot see the target

see means Line of sight or eyeball to eyeball


Indirect fire relies on either observers to help 'aim on' , or 'blind fire'

very occasionally some indirect fire weapons are used in a direct role, eg howitzers or big artillery peices firing at an enemy about to overrun them - this is aka 'firing over open sights'

Mortars cannot do this so only a complete idiot would deploy them within LOS of an enemy- it would be an act of suicide.

Threaded I suspect you could speak with great authority on nuclear physics - to a Bishop. and great authority on Religion - to a nuclear physicist.