95mm howitzer & smoke

[Andreas]

John, much as I value your posts, but you are out on a limb here. The reason for that is that this is not mathematics, and you can not just take some concept of proof from some random science and apply it to this discussion.

To repeat - one (uncorroborated) incident in an 11 month campaign does not disprove Jon's argument. On the contrary, it makes it all the more stronger.

[JonS]

In an attempt to defuse this a little...

John, I've had another look at Overlord and found the passage you mention. It is very brief, and without something more to go on I would question its veracity in the same way Steve (BTS) recently dismissed a documented case of an AFV shrugging off bazooka hits. Eleven-odd words don't make a very strong case.

That aside, I think you have read more into what I originally wrote than was intended. I still doubt that RA field, medium or heavy regiments were used in a direct fire role in NWE in 1944-45. I haven't been through every regiments unit historys, of course, and am basing my comments on what I have read, and an understanding of the role of the indirect fire units. If you can come up with more, or better, examples I'd love to read them.

You defended your use of the Tomcats, etc, as examples to back up your central argument (weapons get used outside their designed-for role IIRC). I pilloried it because, while valid, it has nothing to do with what I was saying (25prs used in direct fire in NWE in 1944-45) - which was, after all, what you were seeking to demolish, was it not?

Having said that, I basically agree with you about the inclusion of as wide a range of weapons and systems as practical, all realistically modelled. That extends to British indirect fire systems. They were in the theatre, and given different circumstances could have been called upon to fight for themselves. So fine, model it. But don't kid yourself that it was something that was encouraged, or practiced on a regular basis.

Hmm. Not sure how useful that was in terms of defusing things. {shrug}

Regards

JonS