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KG Erwin -> RE: Arty response times, who likes them, who doesnt? (11/23/2006 12:37:43 AM)
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As for the US/USMC, I have no problem with .01/.02 turns for lt/med mortars. Heck, that superiority is a cornerstone of my tactical methods. The offboard arty generally takes from 1.1/1.5 turns, and I fully believe that is appropriate and historically accurate.
Most players would probably agree that the US artillery, in terms of communications and fire control, was the finest in the world.
For me, personally, it spoils me, as I quickly lose my patience playing as anyone else when it comes to delivering barrages in a timely manner.
Perhaps before making such a blanket assertion on US superiority, the historical sources should be consulted.
On the proficiency of US Arty in WWII, let me quote this article:
"All in all, the U.S. artillery was equipped with armament that was at least as well designed as, if not better than, any other in the world. The U.S. artillery further benefited from communications equipment and a fire control system that was equaled only by that of the Royal Artillery. Individual forward observers operated close to the front lines and had access, via powerful radios and extensive telephone landlines, to a formidable array of weapons. The highly redundant signals system meant that, even when all other contact with front-line units and their headquarters was lost, the artillery communications net usually remained open.
Perhaps more important, and making the U.S. artillery the best in the world, was a fire-direction system that had been developed at the U.S. Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, between the wars. This was a highly refined development of the crude system Summerall had pioneered in World War I. This system permitted rapid engagements of targets, and allowed the coordination of fires of many units from many widely separated firing positions. One of the most deadly tactics employed was the time-on-target (TOT) concentration. A TOT massed fires from several battalions onto a selected target and calculated the times of flight for the shells from each battery so that they all arrived on target at nearly the same instant (a similar tactic, called a "Stonk", had been developed independently by the Royal Artillery in North Africa)."
(quote from http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/usarmy/artillery.aspx)
I know what you're getting at, Alby -- you want to petition Mike Wood to make some adjustments, right?
IF that's your agenda, let's make sure we have historical examples to state the case, rather than basically taking a player poll.
At this point, it seems that our British allies should be rated as well as the US. Doesn't bode well for Axis players, does it? [:D]
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