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Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

By The Armorer on January 13, 2006 | | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (1)

Stuff for a Redleg's soul.

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Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery, 4th Fires Brigade, fire a rocket from a Multiple Launch Rocket System during a tactical mission from Forward Operations Base Q-West. Qayyarah, Iraq in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. CREDIT U.S. ARMY PHOTO: SSG James H. Christopher III. (RELEASED) CPT Michael Blankartz BDE / PAO CAMP COURAGE MOSUL

The target must have been a bunch of guys in the open, away from anything else - that's a big hammer in the Current Operating Environment, with a huge impact footprint for the bomblets, and the associated duds - which means this was probably fired out at the border regions.

Oh, and "feh!" on the whole renaming of Division Artillery to "Fires Brigade." I know why they did it (I live in the muddle [sic] of the process. I'd rather call 'em "4th Brigade (Fires)" if we *have* to do it that way. And I understand the real purpose is to, in a sense, break the mental mold of the division in favor of the brigaded Army - are reversion to pre-WWI, where divisions were much more ad-hoc constructs, built only for big wars or even just for big battles in during big wars.

Fine. Call 'em Artillery Brigades then.

Fires. Feh.

More about that here.

UPDATE: D-oh! (sound of hand slapping forehead). I knew this:

There is a precision guided version available now with a 200 lb unitary warhead. More useful for up close and personal. I'm not a Red Leg, so I can't tell from the picture.

More from Lockheed Martin

Just goes to show how old habits die hard when you only use simulation vice smell the burning powder... Hat tip to M. Lewis for the reminder!

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A Cause worth Plugging from Bayosphere on January 13, 2006 3:28 PM

Having opined on this matter already, this seems the logical next step.

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11 Comments

By FbL on January 13, 2006 9:49 AM
*pats John on the shoulder sympathetically*
 
By Blake Kirk on January 13, 2006 10:57 AM
Well, in the new light division structure, there is no "Fires Brigade." Instead each of the Brigade Combat Teams gets its very own organic artillery battalion, currently equipped with 105mm towed howitzers. Me, I have my doubts that the new "2 Inf + 1 Cav + 1 Arty + supports" structure is robust enough, but the name of the game these days is getting more deployable brigades out of the same amount of manpower, and the planners never asked my opinion anyway.
 
By M Lewis on January 13, 2006 11:52 AM
There is a precision guided version available now with a 200 lb unitary warhead. More useful for up close and personal. I'm not a Red Leg, so I can't tell from the picture. More from Lockheed Matin
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 13, 2006 11:55 AM
Y'know, I knew that, having used that munition in the work that I do. Just goes to show how you revert to type when you haven't smelled burning powder in a long time. Thanks!
 
By name muffy on January 13, 2006 11:56 AM
>>hzz. name fires brigade same thing as hy'umuns what ride big red truck. not be worrying--scrup'ls also not seeing in color, either. >>hzzzz. fires brigade. hy'umuns talk funny.
 
By AFSister on January 13, 2006 1:38 PM
Huh. "Fires Brigade" Is that related to the "SugarButtons Brigade"? Perhaps a long lost cousin. A really hawt one....
 
By J.M. Heinrichs on January 14, 2006 3:47 PM
Blake: The 2-1-1 org is descended from 2WW Lessons Learned. Basically, an Infantry organisation should have 2 infantry components and 1 tank component; an Armoured organisation should have 2 infantry and 2 tank components. Each organisation would have 1 artillery component, otherwise the latter would become pouty. Cheers JMH
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 14, 2006 3:49 PM
We'd rather be all off on our own, not having to associate with you riff-raff...
 
By cw4(ret)billt on January 14, 2006 7:26 PM
Yeah, the gun bunnies do tend to get a bit *off*... Scene: FP2A, Ft. Drum, NY. Time: Summer 1977 Cast: Lollygaggers loosely associated with an M110 battery and yours truly, waiting to take the BC and cohorts up for a little Aerial Adjustment. No, it doesn't have anything to do with your radio. "Hey, Chief--y'ever spend any time with guns?" *hand cupping ear, hollering* "Huh?!?" *standard laughter for standard joke* "Yeah, I've yanked a couple of lanyards in my time." "How 'bout one of these? You ain't lived 'til ya yanked an eight-incher...""
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 14, 2006 7:29 PM
Huh? What? #82 you say?
 
By cw4(ret)billt on January 14, 2006 7:39 PM
*cupping hand s to side of mouth and hollering* "I said, 'Straw, Grass Horse's....'!"