m10bob -> Fact sheet:"Time On Target"(TOT) (4/27/2015 3:41:42 PM)
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We have all seen the war films showing unit commanders "synchronizing" their watches, prior to an attack, knowing an artillery barrage will pre-empt the attack, when the guns would all fire at the same time.Well, there was another type of artillery fire which was much more deadly than simultaneous fire. "Time On Target", known as TOT was when a suspected concentration of enemy units, or even a known tactical/strategic target was to be hit at the same moment. Instead of the guns firing at once, the target is surveyed for it's exact location, (as small an area as an intersection), and the fire is timed so all the fired shells will LAND at that point at the exact same time.. There is no initial "zeroing" shot fired, no warning to the intended target, and if done correctly, all shells will come in at once. Usually, at least four arty Bn's will be engaged in this tactic. The Americans became masters of this tactic during WW2 and the first fired in combat was by the 25th Infantry Division under Gen Lawton Collins on Guadalcanal. BTW,the target of artillery (or concentrated small arms MG fire) is referred to as "the beaten zone".. Effectiveness? Soon after Operation Cobra started (in France), a German battalion (target of a TOT fire mission) was found. The troops had been in formation when the shells landed and they were still in formation where they fell. [image]local://upfiles/7909/939A94AF2B744B5FAE591D5CE36F5E72.jpg[/image]
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