Forward Observer

Forward Observer PDF Author: Edwin Westrate
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1839741430
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description
Forward Observer, first published in 1944, is the account of a U.S. Army artillery observation crew in World War Two. The author based the book on interviews with two surviving members of the crew while they were recuperating from injuries received after their prison ship was sunk in the Mediterranean (the men were being transferred to Italy from Africa, en route to a German prison camp). The account, fast-paced and filled with action, depicts the soldier's lives from training at the Army's Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a short stay for more training in England, and then the unit's transfer to Tunisia where they occupy the frontlines as forward observers for their artillery battalion. Forward Observer is a moving, personal story of a seldom-told aspect of combat in the Second World War. Included are 3 pages of maps.

F. O. (Forward Observer)

F. O. (Forward Observer) PDF Author: K. P. Jones
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780533083121
Category : Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 139

Get Book Here

Book Description


Forward Observer

Forward Observer PDF Author: Edwin Westrate
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1839741430
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book Here

Book Description
Forward Observer, first published in 1944, is the account of a U.S. Army artillery observation crew in World War Two. The author based the book on interviews with two surviving members of the crew while they were recuperating from injuries received after their prison ship was sunk in the Mediterranean (the men were being transferred to Italy from Africa, en route to a German prison camp). The account, fast-paced and filled with action, depicts the soldier's lives from training at the Army's Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a short stay for more training in England, and then the unit's transfer to Tunisia where they occupy the frontlines as forward observers for their artillery battalion. Forward Observer is a moving, personal story of a seldom-told aspect of combat in the Second World War. Included are 3 pages of maps.

Bracketing the Enemy

Bracketing the Enemy PDF Author: John R. Walker
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 0806150327
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Get Book Here

Book Description
After the end of World War II, General George Patton declared that artillery had won the war. Yet howitzers did not achieve victory on their own. Crucial to the success of these big guns were forward observers, artillerymen on the front lines who directed the artillery fire. Until now, the vital role of forward observers in ground combat has received little scholarly attention. In Bracketing the Enemy, John R. Walker remedies this oversight by offering the first full-length history of forward observer teams during World War II. As early as the U.S. Civil War, artillery fire could reach as far as two miles, but without an “FO” (forward observer) to report where the first shot had landed in relation to the target, and to direct subsequent fire by outlining or “bracketing” the targeted range, many of the advantages of longer-range fire were wasted. During World War II, FOs accompanied infantrymen on the front lines. Now, for the first time, gun crews could bring deadly accurate fire on enemy positions immediately as advancing riflemen encountered these enemy strongpoints. According to Walker, this transition from direct to indirect fire was one of the most important innovations to have occurred in ground combat in centuries. Using the 37th Division in the Pacific Theater and the 87th in Europe as case studies, Walker presents a vivid picture of the dangers involved in FO duty and shows how vitally important forward observers were to the success of ground operations in a variety of scenarios. FO personnel not only performed a vital support function as artillerymen but often transcended their combat role by fighting as infantrymen, sometimes even leading soldiers into battle. And yet, although forward observers lived, fought, and bled with the infantry, they were ineligible to wear the Combat Infantryman’s Badge awarded to the riflemen they supported. Forward observers are thus among the unsung heroes of World War II. Bracketing the Enemy signals a long-overdue recognition of their distinguished service.

Fire for Effect!

Fire for Effect! PDF Author: Anthony J. Sobieski
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1468525972
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 278

Get Book Here

Book Description
FIRE FOR EFFECT! is more than just a book about the Korean War. It is the untold history of the Korean War Artillery Forward Observer, told by the men themselves. From the earliest days of the war in 1950 through the harrowing battles of 1951 and on into the so-called stalemate period of the hill battles of 1952 and 1953, into the final climactic battles before the cease fire, the Forward Observer, or FO, was there. Korea was and is known as the Artillery War because more rounds were fired in Korea than in all of WWII, and it was the job of the FO to direct these rounds onto their targets. FOs are the eyes of the artillery, and the importance of their job in Korea has been largely overlooked until now. Serving as infantrymen, but not being considered one, Forward Observers lived, ate and slept on the front lines, ever ready to respond to an attack, or defend friendly troops and positions, and sometimes losing their lives doing it. The awesome responsibility and firepower that was placed on a 22 or 23 year-old lieutenant or sergeant was staggering, and after reading these first hand accounts, one can easily imagine what these young men faced on a daily basis. With over 100 interviews of Forward Observers, from all time periods and from all locations and battles of the war, the grittiness and reality of what these servicemen went through in the Forgotten War is brought to life so that their deeds may be remembered for future generations, so the battlefield known as Korea and its veterans will not be forgotten any more.

Forward Observer (Illustrated)

Forward Observer (Illustrated) PDF Author: Edwin Westrate
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 143

Get Book Here

Book Description
Forward Observer is the account of a U.S. Army artillery observation crew in World War Two. Fast-paced and filled with action, the book depicts the soldiers' lives from training at the Army's Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a short stay for more training in England, and then the unit's transfer to Tunisia where they occupy the frontlines as forward observers for their artillery battalion. Forward Observer is a moving, personal story of a seldom-told aspect of combat in the Second World War.

Forward Observer

Forward Observer PDF Author: Edwin Westrate
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781008961371
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 140

Get Book Here

Book Description
Forward Observer is the account of a U.S. Army artillery observation crew in World War Two. Fast-paced and filled with action, the book depicts the soldiers' lives from training at the Army's Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, a short stay for more training in England, and then the unit's transfer to Tunisia where they occupy the frontlines as forward observers for their artillery battalion. Forward Observer is a moving, personal story of a seldom-told aspect of combat in the Second World War.

A Dangerous Assignment: An Artillery Forward Observer In World War 2

A Dangerous Assignment: An Artillery Forward Observer In World War 2 PDF Author: William B. Hanford
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1678118966
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
Merriam Press World War 2 Memoir. Corporal Bill Hanford had one of the US Army's most dangerous jobs in World War II: artillery forward observer (FO). Tasked with calling in heavy fire on the enemy, FOs accompanied infantrymen into combat, crawled into no-man's-land, and ascended observation posts like hills and ridges to find their targets. But beyond the usual perils of ground combat, FOs were specially targeted by the enemy because of their crucial role in directing artillery fire. Hanford spent much of his time fighting in the Vosges Mountains in eastern France and then in Germany in late 1944/early 1945. Rare memoir of a risky job performed by relatively few troops. Honest and observant narrative describes the good, bad, and ugly of the war. Originally published by Stackpole Books in 2008 and discontinued in 2015, this brand new edition from Merriam Press has a completely revised and improved design with additional photos. 23 photos.

The Search for an Optimum Forward Observer (FO) Message-entry Device

The Search for an Optimum Forward Observer (FO) Message-entry Device PDF Author: Charles R. Hughes
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description


Selection and Training of Field Artillery Forward Observers: Methodologies for Improving Target Acquisition Skills

Selection and Training of Field Artillery Forward Observers: Methodologies for Improving Target Acquisition Skills PDF Author: John B. Mocharnuk
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Get Book Here

Book Description
Research was performed to identify prominent characteristics of Field Artillery forward observer (FO) selection and training which can be used to improve basic performance of FO tasks and thereby enhance the combat effectiveness of the fire support system. The methodology incorporated profile development, task analysis, and training analysis. These research elements were supported by data obtained from: (1) interviews with instructors and over 50 FOs or Fire Support Team (FIST) chiefs, (2) two questionnaires administered to Field Artillery Officer Basic course (FAOBC) students, and (3) a questionnaire completed by 332 artiller officers. The task analysis clearly showed that map reading skills were among the most critical FO skills, Task by scenario interactions were found to be an important consideration in determining FO tasks and skill requirements. The training analysis revealed discrepancies in the list of tasks taught in FAOBC and the list of tasks emerging from the tasks analysis and identified alternaitve approaches. Methodology and procedures were suggested for increasing the effectiveness of FO and OBC training development.

Rounds Complete

Rounds Complete PDF Author: Steve Gower
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1925520676
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
In 1966, Steve Gower, a young gunner captain in the 101st Field Battery, was sent to Vietnam. He would serve in what is arguably Australia’s most controversial war in the dangerous role of forward observer with the 5th and 6th battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment. The definition of his role stated simply that he was to provide ‘timely, accurate and effective fire support’, his task to guide the guns of the Australian artillery, sited many kilometres away, in providing deadly firepower to support the soldiers who battled both the jungle and its shadowy inhabitants. Gower would learn quickly that the definition omitted to mention the terror and nerve-jangling tension of jungle warfare he was to experience as a forward observer. In Rounds Complete, Gower describes living the life of an infantry soldier, tramping the ground and joining his infantry mates in a variety of operations including search and destroy, cordon and search, heliborne and road-protection operations and company patrols from forward operating bases. He describes the inevitable boredom and monotony of the routine, contrasting this with the heightened senses of the men as they prepared to move forward with the ‘safety catch off’, the nervous anticipation of what might lie ahead, the exhilaration and, above all, the camaraderie. Gower is positive about his time in Vietnam and, perhaps surprisingly for one who saw action in this contentious war, is supportive of Australia's commitment, referring to the conflict as the last time the Army was permitted the ‘unfettered, all-arms prosecution of a war’. Rounds Complete is a frank and compelling tribute to men who served just as nobly as their AIF predecessors but, until recent times, were denied their nation’s gratitude. Their fight for understanding continues.