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Forward Observer Location Errors


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Here's another little fun fact for all the artillery buffs on this board.

One of the driving factors in the Army's automation of fire direction functions in the 1970s at the forward observer level came from a thorough study of all the errors in the fire direction process, including those unwittingly contributed by the FO.

When the Army took a careful look at the error introduced by the FO's miscalculation of his own position, it found that that one error alone amounted to an average of 300 meters, all because the FO wasn't where he thought he was.

That's why FOs today have laser rangefinders, GPS receivers, etc., making possible the "precision shoots" we now think of as being the norm.

So I must ask, does CM model the FO's error in estimating his own position, or is he credited with what essentially amounts to precision survey data on his own location?

Regards,

John Kettler

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Humm, In WWII the german FO's usually had a 200 meter land line back to their positions. So when they called in fire they just judged the distance from them to the target and added 200meters( for the line) when they called in the strike. Seems that this is a case where lack of wireless radios may have helped them out.

Just rambling

Lorak

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