From: International Movie Services (ims@telus.net)
Date: Mon Jun 16 2003 - 09:10:00 PDT
I'm an old mud-gunner!
The 105 uses 7 removable charge bags which are deleted at the time the
projectile is loaded in the breech. The number of bags to be removed is
determined by the CP firing orders and will affect trajectory, time of
flight, etc. Left over charge bags are placed in a small pit behind the gun
to be burned later.
I think the charge for direct fire would be 7 (all bags). We used to call
this exercise "killer junior"-the Gunners would love this as with charge 7
at a low elevation the gun would leap up off it's tires and about the time
you recovered from the concussion of firing your round would have arrived at
it's destination with a thunderclap. Flechette rounds were most spectacular!
We used M135s with winch as gun tractors; The 211s were solely used for ammo
resupply. The kitchen truck was a specially modified 135 which towed a 1 1/2
ton trailer with steel cage which contained the rations and cook's supplies.
There was a removable gangway connecting the truck with the trailer which
was left hooked up at all times in case of a "bug-out", which in the FA
doctine was usually in the pouring rain in the dead of night.
Ah, the many memories!
HOOAH.
Ian D. Newby, Major, FA (ret)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Martin" <mung@in-touch.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2003 7:10 AM
Subject: [MV] War story and M-211
> Had a nice long talk with the girlfriend's father yesterday and
> found out he was one of the first outfits (army artillary) into Korea,
> came from Japan on LST's (landing ship tanks)...said they didn't have
> equipment to lash down vehicles and used several turns of no. 9 wire.
> Also said the damn cooks were too lazy to lash down the mobile kitchen
> truck and rough seas took it over the side...bummer! The point of this
> is...he said the M-211 (I think...with the automatic
> transmission)...while in Korea wasn't liked. He said that while going
> downhill on muddy type terrain...(also commented on no hard top roads in
> Korea) that the darn thing would downshift on it's own and all wheels
> would slide...losing traction and steerability. Any of you guys that own
> these noticed this? I think that while we all have enough mud...maybe
> Bobby Joe can volunteer his vehicle to field test this...unless the
> shift kit he put in his corrected it.
> He also described in detail the firing of the 105 artillary piece (7 of
> them to a battery)...from the aim stake to the charge 5 and fire for
> effect bit and said at night that you got used to them going off...but
> when you heard charge 1 and fire for effect...you immediately started
> rolling up your bed roll and prepared to get out of there...cause the
> enemy was about to overrun you. He then went on to tell about a small
> plane that the enemy used at night (had a GI name for it) which looked
> for fires (cold in Korea) and would drop mortar shells on you. Said one
> of the guys on a halftrack with quad 50's on it trained it on the moon
> and waited forever till the plane came in light of the moon, led him a
> little and shot him down. The rest of the guys were sure proud of
> him...but a couple of nights later...another one came. I told the
> girlfriend that he should write down his memories. Maybe it should be
> posted on the Korean War Project. One last comment on the truck that I
> bet Bobby Joe didn't know...Paul (Paul W. Mills) also told me that they
> would put a wire around a can of beer and put it down the gas tank to
> cool it...sounds crude...but must have worked for them. Thanks for the
> band space. Fred Martin
>
> >
> >
> >
> >
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