scattergun
07-09-2004, 01:15 PM
"The Guns of Victory" is the third in a trilogy about the Canadian 4th Field Regiment Artillery, and follows the unit from Normandy to victory in Germany. The first 2 volumes are titled "Where the Hell are the Guns", and "The Guns of Normandy".
The author is an artillery FOO, and he is consistently at the 'tip of the spear' at the front with infantry units, calling in close support from 25-lb and medium field guns that move constantly with the infantry.
The parallels in this story to today's CAS are striking, in my opinion. Some of the stories in 'The Hunt for Bin Laden' where the ODA's are calling in air strikes right on top of their own position, in danger of being overrun, etc. are very similar to stories in this book from France, Belgium, and Germany in 1944-45.
It is one thing to have confidence in calling in GPS or laser guided munitions within 25-50 yards of your own position, but to do the same with multiple troops of field guns relying on map references and mathematics is quite another.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in artillery history. As a personal note, my grandfather, Capt. F.J. Bigg, served with George Blackburn as his GPO throughout the western front. This was Baker Troop, 4th Field Regiment, 2nd Canadian Division.
The author is an artillery FOO, and he is consistently at the 'tip of the spear' at the front with infantry units, calling in close support from 25-lb and medium field guns that move constantly with the infantry.
The parallels in this story to today's CAS are striking, in my opinion. Some of the stories in 'The Hunt for Bin Laden' where the ODA's are calling in air strikes right on top of their own position, in danger of being overrun, etc. are very similar to stories in this book from France, Belgium, and Germany in 1944-45.
It is one thing to have confidence in calling in GPS or laser guided munitions within 25-50 yards of your own position, but to do the same with multiple troops of field guns relying on map references and mathematics is quite another.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in artillery history. As a personal note, my grandfather, Capt. F.J. Bigg, served with George Blackburn as his GPO throughout the western front. This was Baker Troop, 4th Field Regiment, 2nd Canadian Division.