Skip to comments.
Howitzers Are Leaving Slopes for Tour of Duty
The Washington Post ^
| May 2, 2004
| Rene Sanchez
Posted on 05/01/2004 11:43:53 PM PDT by neverdem
Even at ski resorts, wartime brings hardship.
On the slopes of Mammoth Mountain and Alpine Meadows, high along California's Sierra Nevada range, resort operators have grown accustomed to using five leased Army howitzers to blast loose dangerous drifts of snow packed high on mountainsides.
"They work really well for avalanche control work," said Pam Murphy, senior vice president for Mammoth Mountain ski resort.
But the military wants the big guns back. It needs them for troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Army officials came knocking for the artillery cannons a few days ago, saying they had no choice but to break their deal with the ski resorts because the weapons, once surplus stock, now have to be hastily spruced up and shipped out to the front lines overseas.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; US: California; US: District of Columbia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; banglist; howitzers; iraq; lightartillery
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-56 last
To: Poodlebrain
IIRC, they don't use no stinking FDC. It's all direct fire.
41
posted on
05/02/2004 7:26:08 PM PDT
by
neverdem
(Xin loi min oi)
To: Cannoneer No. 4
Thanks, I found out the manufacturer (joint op with army). Looks like they still make them. Guess we are trying to save money by taking the ones already here. Who knows.
Link
42
posted on
05/02/2004 7:26:29 PM PDT
by
snippy_about_it
(Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: Squantos
This is a joke right? The American's could buy them from Pakistan for a song and have them delivered the next day for cheap.
This is more Bravo Sierra! 125 billion + for the war and thier taking some old equipment off the mountains.
Next thing they will want are my weapons to...
To: Major_Risktaker
Next thing they will want are my weapons to... Don't be surprised if the Brits have to repeat their begging from us again like in World War II. Maybe that's the reason Blair backed up Bush. 8^)
44
posted on
05/02/2004 7:36:11 PM PDT
by
neverdem
(Xin loi min oi)
To: Major_Risktaker
I thought same as you....asked some active duty muzzlephucers at Ft X and it's fer real....................damn sad ain't it !
Stay Safe !
45
posted on
05/02/2004 7:42:07 PM PDT
by
Squantos
(Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
To: Squantos
46
posted on
05/02/2004 7:47:25 PM PDT
by
Cannoneer No. 4
(I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)
To: Major_Risktaker
They're not that old. 1989 through 1995.
47
posted on
05/02/2004 7:48:31 PM PDT
by
Cannoneer No. 4
(I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)
To: Cannoneer No. 4
48
posted on
05/02/2004 7:54:25 PM PDT
by
Squantos
(Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
To: Darksheare
49
posted on
05/02/2004 8:26:56 PM PDT
by
Cannoneer No. 4
(I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)
To: Cannoneer No. 4
What's with the 88mm howitzer? Did someone start using old German 88mm guns as howitzers?
50
posted on
05/02/2004 8:29:18 PM PDT
by
neverdem
(Xin loi min oi)
To: Cannoneer No. 4; archy
Hey, archy and I spoke specifically about that capability about a year or so ago.
Hmm..
51
posted on
05/03/2004 7:22:37 AM PDT
by
Darksheare
(Fortune for the day: I call upon the gods of STERNO and MATCHLIGHT to take care of the evil DUers!)
To: Redleg Duke
The 10duece was the precursor to the one pictured.
The pic is of the M-119A1, the howitzer my unit was equipped with.
I do miss that puppy, and there's supposedly a desigantor now of A2 on them with handrails welded to the trails so that there's something to grip when the chief says "Hands on trails!"
52
posted on
05/03/2004 7:26:25 AM PDT
by
Darksheare
(Fortune for the day: I call upon the gods of STERNO and MATCHLIGHT to take care of the evil DUers!)
To: Darksheare
I'm really showing my age! :-)
53
posted on
05/03/2004 9:14:00 AM PDT
by
Redleg Duke
(Stir the pot...don't let anything settle to the bottom where the lawyers can feed off of it!)
To: Redleg Duke
Don't worry about it, there's a Hawwaiian unit that still has the Duece, and they recently (within the past 5 years) did a stint at JRTC.
They were supposed to switch over to the 119, but with teh slashing of artillery units I'm not sure what happened to them.
I know about them only because they needed people with knowledge of the duece to round out their ranks for JRTC and it was put to our unit for volunteers.
My unit was going to JRTC the next year, and it was put to us for that so that we'd have a few people with 'first hand' experiences of what happens at JRTC.
Don't know exactly how that whole idea came about, but it was interesting to read about it after I left the unit.
Cripes I'm babbling.
What I was trying to say, before I sidetracked myself, was that the old Deuce was still in a few units here and there a few years ago.
;-)
What boggles me is the idea of cross-training/MOS'ing 13B as MP's..
Artillery types think this way: Hey, there's a bad guy, let's blow him up.
MP types think this way: Hey, there's a bad guy, let's detain him.
54
posted on
05/03/2004 9:40:26 AM PDT
by
Darksheare
(Fortune for the day: I call upon the gods of STERNO and MATCHLIGHT to take care of the evil DUers!)
To: neverdem
Do you recall any stories within the last year or so where they discussed using old artillery tubes for inert precision guided munitions, like Jdams, for targets in populated areas. The so called Bunker Buster LGB's (Laser Guided Bombs) were fabricated rom artillery tubes. They were designed, tested, built and deployed in mere months during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. I later worked with some folks involved in the guidance package end of the project.
55
posted on
05/03/2004 11:14:26 PM PDT
by
El Gato
(Federal Judges can twist the Constitution into anything.. Or so they think.)
To: El Gato; neverdem
They are also not inert. You may be thinking of a practice bomb (the designation escapes me) filled with concrete for use in cities, no blast no frags. Just 500# of crete.
56
posted on
05/04/2004 1:04:22 PM PDT
by
xone
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-56 last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson