The premise of the article is bogus. The enemy who launched rockets at the fire base were well within the range of those howitzers, keeping the enemy outside a 43 mile diameter circle is impossible.
The biggest issue of the extended range howitzers is the sustained rate of fire. Unfortunately no one in the current force can remember when volume of indirect fire was essential. We have other weapons systems that can reach out and touch the long range targets, the purpose of the guns are to mass fires at the decisive place and decisive time. Ask the Wehrmacht what they thought of American artillery.
>> Ask the Wehrmacht what they thought of American artillery.
Besides having a lot of it, we were really good at FDC, fire direction control. When your forward controllers can bring in fires from your DivAty, the DivArty from the two adjacent divisions on either side, and corp level assets, you can really put a hurtin’ on a main force effort in your sector.
My dad was an artillery spotter in the 20th Armored, seeing combat in southern Germany. Lots of good stories, and he brought home a rock from Hitler's fireplace in Bertchesgaden. But my mom never let him make a lamp out of the 155 casing he brought back. I did get to shoot his liberated Mauser rifle, though.