We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:26:22 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:01:23 -0600
Corollary the First:  The larger or more numerous the antennas, the larger and more numerous will be the projectiles they attract.

Corollary the Second:  Do not walk next to the poor schmuck who is humping the radio.
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77620 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77620 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:01:34 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77608 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77608 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:27:44 -0600 The Engineers used the M48 chassis for some of the AVLB (Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge)systems. A naked chassis, without a turret, and two hatches side by side behind the driver's hatch. When used that way, the only armament on board was a couple of grease guns (M3)or maybe an M16/M203 combo. We were still fielding the M48 AVLB and the M60 AVLB at the same time as late as 1987-88, in Germany. As always, on the battlefield, stay away from the strange stuff, for it shall attract all the wrong kind of attention. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77604 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77604 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:45:12 -0600
Blake touched on it, but I want to point out that the M85 MG was a totally different gun from the M2HB and linked ammo for one was not usable for the other.  Same round, different link.  The M85 carried its ammo in a coil around and inside the cupola and when your storage bin was empty you had to stop and replenish from your banana boxes on the turret floor.  I have pulled three or four charging handles clean off.  They were just steel cable with a plastic handle.  The M85 could be fired buttoned up, and it had an optic sight reticule, which if you could figure out would put on you target in 5 rounds.



]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77547 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77547 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:27:29 -0600 I hate it when you're right, John. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77529 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77529 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:06:22 -0600
Cheers]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77527 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77527 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:32:57 -0600
"Can When Lo"
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77526 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77526 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:27:15 -0600 Alabama in Mobile.  It's about the size of four washing machines jammed together. 

As long as you have the time to work the bugs out in advance, there's no reason why one cannot achieve reasonable first-round accuracy with a mechanical system.  Especially if one assumes from the outset, as the Navy does, that they will observe and adjust as required to put effective fire on the target.  The big advantage that the US had in WW2 was that they (the battleships, at least,) had radars fitted to the main battery directors that could visualize the fall of the rounds in relation to the target.  It made a big difference when Washington and South Dakota were engaging  Kirishima and her escorts off Savo Island in November of 1942.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77525 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77525 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:19:46 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77523 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77523 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:57:40 -0600
Can Lo.

Hah. And again, hah.
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77521 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77521 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:08:11 -0600
each one (on the M60A1) was just a wee bit different in the turn count, so you had to spend some time on the boresight line getting your fine motor skills tuned into each particular one if you ever had to jump turrets (ick! going down range to qual in somebody ELSE's turret!)...

ah, me heart goes pitter pat when ya durka durka me like that!
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77518 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77518 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:59:14 -0600
Some of our readers have a low tolerance for what they call "durka-durka" talk...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77512 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77512 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:48:32 -0600
Couple of quick notes, the reason why the fire control computer was so much smaller than the John Rodgers was because it solved only one variable, range, while the computer for the destroyer solved for range, range rate, bearing rate (ie, leading the target) altitude (for anti-aircraft fire), coriolis effect and a bunch of other variables.
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77510 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/08/okay_back_to_th.html#comment-77510 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:29:06 -0600