Appendix January 1945

At the beginning of the period the unit was in position in the vicinity of Rotgen, Germany, attached to 187th Field Artillery Group, in general support of XIX Corps. On 26 January 1945 the Battalion moved and occupied positions in the vicinity of Nidrum and Camp Elsenborn, Belgium, still attached to 187th Field Artillery Group, supporting 2nd Infantry Division.

Total missions fired during the period totaled 306, divided as follows:

Harassing 190

Interdiction 57

Counter-Battery 20

Destruction 17

Preparation 14

Registrations 8

Defensive 1

In order to facilitate the formation of an appropriate sheaf which, with wide and varied dispersion of pieces and resulting irregular formations in battery positions, requires corrections for individual pieces. Fire Direction Center of this Battalion has devised and uses a device which has proved satisfactory. The howitzer positions are plotted on a board, the base piece (Number Two) being at the center. Upon this is superimposed a transparent circular template, free to rotate about a pin at the center, driven into the center of the board, the position of the base piece. The circular template is marked off in squares and azimuths of fire are marked on the board, so that when the template is revolved to a given azimuth the range and deflection displacement of each piece may be read from the template and thus its appropriate range and deflection correction obtained. The computer uses this device and sends down the piece corrections at the end of the sequence of fire commands. The time consumed is negligible.

Another device which has proved highly satisfactory, cutting the time for computing meterlogical messages to about one-tenth is made of a sheet of acetate upon which a form is set up, containing spaces for all the corrections and the permanent corrections in their appropriate places, in permanent crayon. The variables are added, algebraically, in grease pencil, so that they can be erased and the new ones inserted when a new message comes in and is figured.