M4 Calliope, needs a graduated site

[Lusche]

ive actually found that switching to the hull gun position when on a ridgeline will help in accuracy when testing to find your target with one or two rockets better than the F8 mode because sometimes you are way too far away to use F8 to keep visual on your target.

I'm slightly confused. How can you be too far away to use f8 in gunners view? I mean, after all it has much better zoom than the hull gunner position.

[WWhiskey]

The rockets are only effective out to 2750 range on the target!  no matter how much more you raise the gun 2750 is as far as they will go
I set up offline with a target and shot from 500 all the way to 3000 only hitting the 3000 one time firing over 600 rockets!
 I also now have a scale to use to hit targets from 500 to 2750 without any problem.
 while i like to use f-8 for this, it is not necessary with  the gun pushed up but not zoomed in,, the bottom of the barrel on my screen is still farther than I can hit
this is very simple to do, go off line get the tank out point it north click .target 500 and go to work it took some time to find a base with flat ground extending 3000 out to the north but there are some!
 next I went to the south side of town, put up the target then moved away from town till the target was in the building i wanted to hit, after ranging it I moved out another 500 till i got to 2750.
at 2750, if you keep raising the gun, the rockets start falling back at you based on trajectory.
 this all took about 2 hours, I marked a piece of paper with the markers  and have it on a sticky pad as well, now when i get to town i just put the sticky note up and fire away, you can also now rotate with f-8.
  after firing just zoom in as soon as you fire and you can follow the rocket right to target, this is tough the first time or two but once you see it a few times it will become easy!

[Lusche]

The rockets are only effective out to 2750 range on the target!  no matter how much more you raise the gun 2750 is as far as they will go
I set up offline with a target and shot from 500 all the way to 3000 only hitting the 3000 one time firing over 600 rockets!

You should use another method.

I determined max firing range by going to max elevation, firing the rockets and filming it. In the film viewer, I was now able to measure the distance the impact point to my tank:



My tank is standing just where it spawned, right in front of the VH of that very base. As you can see, quite some distance: 5.1k

[gyrene81]

Now your going to tell me they didnt aim the thing...., and your going to tell me that the crew wasnt given a range table so they would know what angle to set the pod for a prescribed distance, nor was there a bubble on-board the tank so they would know that the entire contraption was level....
OK..., then WHY hook it to the barrel so it can be elevated or deppressed?

You honestly expect me to beleive that our troops in Normandy where just firing rockets off willy nilly, just bounding across the landscape firing off a salvo whenever the urge struck them.
Not aiming at any particular area, nor recieving any targeting information, (distance, elevation, salvo),there wasn't a way of setting the pod to a particular elevation so it could be done repeatedly, no compass, no map...no form of fire control at all..., just some shmuck with a button, and a will to succeed.

The Vets where less like soldiers and more like free spirits.....YEAH!, free spirits spilling thier mirth upon the earth in the form of lite hearted high explosive entertainment for the Germans to enjoy.
(Though in recollection they wouldn't be landing rounds anywhere NEAR the Germans..., because they weren't AIMING.)

Obviously my response went right over your head. The calliope was attached to the barrel of the tank so they didn't have to get out and manually adjust the elevation...barrel elevation mechanism is stronger than a man. There wasn't a "sight" on the thing, nothing more than elevation markers and by moving the barrel of the tank the gunner could use the markings in the main gun sight to determine approximately where those rockets were going to land...not like firing a round out of the main gun which is more direct fire than the rockets.

I recommend you study the Calliope and the Nebelwerfer...you won't be so likely to make erroneous assumptions.

[WWhiskey]

You should use another method.

I determined max firing range by going to max elevation, firing the rockets and filming it. In the film viewer, I was now able to measure the distance the impact point to my tank:

(Image removed from quote.)

My tank is standing just where it spawned, right in front of the VH of that very base. As you can see, quite some distance: 5.1k

I started to do that! I did film it so as to measure that way, but after playing with it for a couple of hours I forgot!
that said I can effectively use them now, I am not sure I could at the range your talking, also I had the target up while filming so I will look at it and see what the difference is!   ty bty for the info!

[321BAR]

I'm slightly confused. How can you be too far away to use f8 in gunners view? I mean, after all it has much better zoom than the hull gunner position.

The zoom in the main gun view can only go so far lusche. I've effectively hit targets even in an indirect fashion if somebody is spotting (dare i say it was extremely hard to accomplish but very feasible). Through practice i believe i will be able to use an artillery spotter method soon where a dedicated spotter jeep or such tells me the target distance and i find some way to mark my gun (through F3 tank commander mode) to be able to mark my target very fast and be able to fire OVER hills and such without being spotted by the enemy. This will open up new AH GV tactics such as artillery lines to level bases and towns in seconds from barrage fire.

[Lusche]

The zoom in the main gun view can only go so far lusche. I've effectively hit targets even in an indirect fashion if somebody is spotting (dare i say it was extremely hard to accomplish but very feasible). Through practice i believe i will be able to use an artillery spotter method soon where a dedicated spotter jeep or such tells me the target distance and i find some way to mark my gun (through F3 tank commander mode) to be able to mark my target very fast and be able to fire OVER hills and such without being spotted by the enemy. This will open up new AH GV tactics such as artillery lines to level bases and towns in seconds from barrage fire.

Yes... but you were saying "hull gun is better than gunner's F8 when you are too far away". But the gunner's view is much better than the hull gun in any case - you are stitting higher and  the zoom is much better there. I see absolutely no advantage observing your own fire from hull gunner position.


Example: Im sitting on a ridge, town is at the limit of my rockets range. First view is from gunner's sight, second from hull gunner position (max zoom)

[whiteman]

the F8 idea works fine, played with it off line and was able to hit a town that was 2.8 away. think i was aiming almost twice as far for rockets to hit than the HE rounds.

[321BAR]

Yes... but you were saying "hull gun is better than gunner's F8 when you are too far away". But the gunner's view is much better than the hull gun in any case - you are stitting higher and  the zoom is much better there. I see absolutely no advantage observing your own fire from hull gunner position.


Example: Im sitting on a ridge, town is at the limit of my rockets range. First view is from gunner's sight, second from hull gunner position (max zoom)

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

yes lusche but this includes moving your gun and approximate ranging that you have acquired. its like resetting your 8" guns to hit the target after land mode aquiring it again.

the F8 idea works fine, played with it off line and was able to hit a town that was 2.8 away. think i was aiming almost twice as far for rockets to hit than the HE rounds.

i've hit towns over 2.8k away by not using F8. and F8 wouldnt help with indirect fire (even though my hull gun wouldnt either)

[whiteman]

the F8 helped in that when firing rockets i wasn't looking at the sky.

[321BAR]

the F8 helped in that when firing rockets i wasn't looking at the sky.

theres a point where sky's all you see whiteman

[Lusche]

yes lusche but this includes moving your gun and approximate ranging that you have acquired.

I'm still not getting what you are trying to say... I look through the gunsight and shoot at my clearly visible target. Just as I would do it with the cannon, only difference is that I'm using the rockets. If I were using hull gunner position, I would not only had worse zoom, but also I would have to jump back to gun, select rockets again, move barrel a bit, shoot, go back to hull gunner position.. Whereas with main gunner & F8 I just stay there, pull triger, adjust aim a bit, pull trigger again.... I don't have to switch positions, don't have to adjust my view past the initial adjustment, no cycling through ammo, with a fully visible and zoomed in target area all the time.

[321BAR]

I'm still not getting what you are trying to say... I look through the gunsight and shoot at my clearly visible target. Just as I would do it with the cannon, only difference is that I'm using the rockets. If I were using hull gunner position, I would not only had worse zoom, but also I would have to jump back to gun, select rockets again, move barrel a bit, shoot, go back to hull gunner position.. Whereas with main gunner & F8 I just stay there, pull triger, adjust aim a bit, pull trigger again.... I don't have to switch positions, don't have to adjust my view past the initial adjustment, no cycling through ammo, with a fully visible and zoomed in target area all the time.

ok. the horizon in your gunsight only reaches a certain altitude for your gun. say... 40 degrees? what if you wanted to fire at your target at 45 or 50 degrees? you cannot see the target. understand now? i'll try to simplify it more if i need to but i dont think i can no offense intended. unless you are saying the full distance the rockets can impact stays in sight of your gunsight?

[Lusche]

unless you are saying the full distance the rockets can impact stays in sight of your gunsight?

Yes it does. Look again at my screenshot:  I have the maximum range impact point clearly in sight, at maximum barrel elevation.

[321BAR]

Yes it does. Look again at my screenshot:  I have the maximum range impact point clearly in sight, at maximum barrel elevation.

ahh. ok, i missed that part of your post. sorry for the confusion