lowtech
Posts: 39
Joined: 5/13/2015 Status: offline
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Okay. Briefly a competent commander will analyze the current situation and then bring ALL the relevant combat power to bear in the most efficient manner; while weighing the risks. The Soviets were no different than any other army. So, as usual, Loki100 gets it right: quote:
So larger guns fired 'off the map' (indirect long range fire) or 'over the barrel' (direct short range fire) depending on circumstances. When the enemy has a credible artillery threat, generally, a commander needs to keep his artillery so deployed that he can 1) counter-battery as well as 2) support his own forces in the face of an enemy counter-attack. This almost always means in the rear, with adequate transport and supply. IF the enemy's support, artillery etc., is neutralized, AND one is under no restrictions concerning collateral damage, AND one has decent control over the immediate battle zone, ie that the Soviets had pinned the defenders down (more or less) THEN a commander could afford to risk his artillery and the even more difficult to replace specialists that operate it, in a "dangerous" urban zone to blast away fortified positions. The image "Lobster" posted is from March, April 1945 when the Red Army was usually confronted by heavily fortified urban areas in Germany, and the Germans lacked artillery, or pretty much any other kind of support. Moral: Don't get caught up in the terminology. PS- Please don't start in on the "differences" between a Light, Medium and Heavy Machine Gun ....
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