'King of Battle' rules over enemy in Fallujah

Marine Link ^ | August 21, 2004 | Sgt. Jose E. Guillen

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

'King of Battle' rules over enemy in Fallujah
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200482154027
Story by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen



CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Aug. 20, 2004) -- A deep, rolling boom echoed across the desert, quickly followed by another. This was no mortar or rocket attack, though. It was the calling card of the King of Battle: the 16,000-pound combat workhorse called artillery.

The artillerymen of the 1st Marine Division continued to shoot and communicate here recently, shielding their brothers-in-arms on the front lines near Fallujah.

"We're here to support all of our infantry units, but we support anyone who needs artillery out there," said Sgt. Felix A. Rocha, an operations chief for Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment. "Most of our missions have been from Marines near Fallujah."

Army infantry units also called for Marine artillery in March.

"They still had people out there. They needed fire support and we shot it," said Sgt. Andrew S. Hecker, a 28-year-old section chief from Miami, Fla.

Marines in Battery A are routinely committed to bringing down "the rain of pain" as their motto states, and they often get that chance when "fire mission!" is shouted. The result is like clockwork, according to the Marines.

"We make sure each fire mission is taken with speed and intensity because those grunts need arty - they need our help," said Lance Cpl. Joseph K. Arthur, an artilleryman from New York City.

A battle damage assessment of the effects the artillery rounds had on the target is collected after each fire mission. The BDA is relayed to commanders by forward observers or the unit closest to the target.

"We don't normally get BDAs, but we received one that we destroyed an enemy mortar platoon and Iraqis with RPGs," said Rocha, a 26-year-old from Hart, Texas. "We're pretty accurate."

Although the battery is not engaging the enemy as frequently as they did last year, their presence has been felt throughout the province and proven critical.

"Artillery has always been extremely vital because of their quick response to counter battery fire," explained Lt. Col. Sparky Renforth, operations officer for Regimental Combat Team 1, from Wheeling, W.V.

"Their fire support for offensive units maneuvering onto the enemy is also vital," Renforth said. "They've been timely, responsive and accurate. We can use artillery when we want to."

A lot of coordination goes into executing artillery missions.

"It takes time to have aircraft on station, as with artillery - it's just a faster means of returning fire to the enemy," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Thomas D. Kircher, senior watch officer for the regiment's combat operations center.

"The battery is connected to every battalion. That allows them to directly communicate with each other," added Kircher, 34, of Swanville, Minn.

One way the regiment keeps the enemy on their heels is tracking the enemy's system of fighting, according to Kircher.

"There's a consistency of enemy," Kircher said. "We have points of origin - or places we're now firing back on."

Precision weapons like hellfire missiles fired from fixed wing aircraft and armed predator drones are often used to destroy confirmed threats when use of artillery is not ideal, according to Renforth.

"We don't want to shoot artillery into the city - that's stupid," explained Renforth. "It's so much harder to clear rubble than to clear buildings that are already standing."

-30-

 

Photos included with story:

	Lance Cpl. Joseph K. Arthur, an artilleryman with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, turns a wheel to ensure total balance of a howitzer in preparation for a fire mission directed at targets near Fallujah, Aug. 18. (USMC Photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen
	Lance Cpl. Richard Escobar, an artilleryman with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, aligns 95-plus pound artillery shells for a fire mission directed at targets near Fallujah, Aug. 18. (USMC Photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen
	Lance Cpl. Jeremiah S. Adkins, an artilleryman with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, positions 95-plus pound artillery shells closer to a M198 howitzer in preparation for a fire mission directed at targets near Fallujah, Aug. 18. (USMC Photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen
	Lance Cpl. Joseph K. Arthur, an artilleryman with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, manually pumps the howitzer off the ground to shift the direction of the gun in preparation for a fire mission directed at targets near Fallujah, Aug. 18. (USMC Photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen
	Cpl. Sajjad R. Naqvi, an assistant section chief with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment measures for accurate gun-direction through a scope in preparation for a fire mission at targets near Fallujah, Aug. 18. (USMC Photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen
	Marines with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, rotate the 16,000-pound M198 howitzer to a new direction in preparation for a fire mission directed at targets near Fallujah, Aug. 18. (USMC Photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen

	Marines with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, wait for the order to begin a fire mission directed at targets near Fallujah, Aug. 18. (USMC Photo by Sgt. Jose E. Guillen) Photo by: Sgt. Jose E. Guillen

[doodad]

But specifically, how do you call out a rain of steel on a target 20 meters to your north? If I am at 35d20'56"N and 24d15'45" what do I do to call the fire and how close do I accept hits to me? What got me thinking was "We were soldiers" and how they called in fire. Is it that accurate? and how to insure the coordinates?

Thanks for the reply though.

[dukeman]

Is there anybody who even comes close to training fighting men as well as the USA? I THINK NOT!

God bless these Marines!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

"This is what we live for," Vargas said. "We only do this twice a month, but this is what we like. We're artillery. We're not happy unless things go boom."

God bless Texas!

[Lurker]

The accuracy of those gunners is nothing short of amazing.

They can lob those shells literally miles away and hit something the size of a house if they want to.

The math is pretty complicated, but the military term for it is "TOT" which stands for 'timed on target' fire. They can actually coordinate volleys of shells from different positions and time them so that every shell arrives at the same spot over a period of seconds.

I wasn't a cannon cocker, Canoneer can explain the math much better than I can.

"Danger close" usually means the enemy is just about within the effective burst radius of the shell our guys are firing.That can be pretty scary.

I hope that helps.

L

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ADJUST INDIRECT FIRE

You wouldn't call in artillery on a target 20 meters from your position unless you were extraordinarily desperate. Danger close is 600 meters.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

It's Scary - Firing Heavy Artillery Close to Friendly Troops

[kellynla]

But I can't tell you how many times we called artie on ourselves in Nam because of the lousy maps we were issued! LOL

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[AndrewC]

"It's so much harder to clear rubble than to clear buildings that are already standing."

I wonder why that is? I would just make smaller rubble.

[doodad]

That is more to the heart of the matter. The math I would still like to hear, but real world I figured that was the case.

[I got the rope]

Can you imagine the adrenaline on that gun when you know you're backing your bros and taking out jihadis?

That's a awesome recruitment poster.

[I got the rope]

I believe that they adjusted fire using a polar coordinate system. They gave their position as a KNOWN POINT (using grid coordinates to the FDC. Then they gave the FDC (fire direction center)a distance and azimuth (direction to the target. The FDC calculated all the angles and directions for the guns. By adjusting fire danger close you could easily bring in the rounds to 20 meters if you have confidence in your cannoneers. This is suicide! The 105 rounds could take you out at 50 meters.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

If I am at 35d20'56"N and 24d15'45" what do I do to call the fire

You know where you are in Lat/Long. What you need to know is where the target is is 6-digit grid coordinates. When you figure that out, get on the horn:

REDLEG57, this is DOODAD71, Adjust Fire, over.

This is REDLEG57, Thank you for calling the 25th Infantry Division's automated artillery support request line. Please be assured that we will attempt to assist you with all available resources in the shortest time possible.

For air support, please call the U.S. Air Force at 1-800-BOMBNOW.

For naval gun fire, please call 1-888-SEASICK.

If you are attacking a fixed enemy position, please press 1.

If you are engaged in mobile defense, please press 2.

If you are defending a fixed position, please press 3.

If you are setting up a hasty defense or are about to be overrun, please press 4.

If you wish to cancel a prior fire mission request, please press 5. Press the star key at any time to return to the main menu.

If you are using a TA-312, remain on the line and one of our customer support counselors will be with you shortly.

Please select the type of fire mission you would like.

If you would like 81 mm or 4.2 inch mortars, please press 1.

If you would like 155 mm howitzers, please press 2.

If you would like advanced munitions, such as fuel-oil explosives or scattering mines, please press 3 to speak with one of our soldier advocates to complete our brief Advanced Firepower Usage Survey.

If you would like to request chemical or nuclear weapons, please press 4 and hold the line. The Secretary of Defense will speak with you as soon as possible.

Enter the map coordinates of the target you would like to strike, followed by the pound sign.

If you need to enter map grid designations, please use the star for a "q" and the pound sign for an "i."

Please remember to verify your coordinates and that your request may take several minute to process. [Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep]

You have entered co-ordinates 32364519.

If this is correct, please press 1.

If this is incorrect, please press 2 and re-enter the coordinates. Thank you.

Please enter your battalion, company and platoon passcodes, each followed by the pound sign. As soon as we verify your passcodes, we will begin processing your request.

If you have forgotten your passcode, please contact 1-800-IFORGOT for a temporary passcode.

Please enter your passcode now. [Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-#, beep-beep-beep-beep-#, beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-#]

Thank you. [Pause] Your passcodes have been verified and your request will be processed.

We strongly suggest that you and your comrades take cover as soon as possible.

Thank you for using the 25th Infantry Division's artillery request support line and have a nice day.

[I got the rope]

ROTFLMAO!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

CALL FOR FIRE

[doodad]

HAAAAAAA

Yes one large pepperoni with mushrooms, one works, oh and a democrat special: cheese, extra cheese, mushrooms, and tofu.

Seriously though, did you guys regrid your maps down to lower coords (my Dad was 2 tour vet and I grew up with Bragg maps) by drawing lines in important areas? The maps I have seen I could have mapped geology on, but would have never trusted a precise arty or air stike without modification.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The standard military tactical map is 1:50000 scale. Each grid is a square kilometer. To figure out your 4-digit grid location, read bottom, then side; e.g., NK4578.

To figure out your 6-digit grid, eyeball it or use a square protractor to get NK455785.

To get your 8-digit grid, sharpen your pencil and get out your magnifying glass to get NK45527857.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Determine the Grid Coordinates of a Point on a Military Map

[doodad]

Understood. I was in ROTC as well as geology so I like maps. Underfire: was a protractor used or premarked map?

Other question: was the arty accurate enough to give precise or did you give "windage" to make sure nothing fell in your area.

Thanks for the help and patience and service all who replyed. You may have ensured my Dad came home; who knows?