It seems that whenever you need it or want it they are reluctant to give it to you.
Early in the morning on thanksgiving 2004 I was minding my own business hanging out on a major bridge just north of Baqubah and a bunch of locals thought it’d be fun to throw a bunch of small arms fire my way. Being a lazy PL, I didn’t really feel like dealing with it so I buttoned down the hatches of our vehicles and attempted to call in for some HE on a couple of pre-designated TRPs. The artillery guys, in their infinite wisdom, said “nope, those TRPs are too close” and sent me a bunch of illumination rounds instead. They didn’t even give me the chance to tell to forget about it.
After all, they were the ones who made those TRPs. If they were too close, then why give them to me to use in the event of contact?
I really appreciated how the illumination rounds lit up the area around me, making my vehicles easier to spot and shoot at...
Fortunately the yahoos shooting at me only had small arms to throw my way. Had the had any sort of decent anti-armor weapons, I would have the chance to be pissed off, I’d be dead.
The others times I wanted it, they said my targets were in urban areas and they didn’t want to put any rounds there...
Even the time or two my platoon was attached to an artillery battalion I couldn’t get HE.
King of battle my ass. I know the statistics and the history of the lethality oft arty, but I never saw it. from my experience, it’s just as worthless as helicopter support and CAS. They supposedly are there to support the ground pounders, but when you need it or want it, they don’t want to give it to you.
= new reply since forum marked as read