Hi Ron,
When I first started my "short" career we'd announce "Fire Mission" and then give a direction from our position to the target, a grid and a range. Then, as you said, we'd adjust fire from the base piece. You could give adjustments in any increment of meters that you thought would get steel on target. Later on when I was in Regimental Cav and we, as the Squadron Tank Company had a dedicated battery and we worked a lot with pre-plotted targets, given we had a defensive scenario. With the pre-plots you just called the the target ID, for instance H1290 and called for fire for effect. I can still remember one of my available pre-plots in the Fulda Gap. HA1776 was box 1500 meters wide and 500 meters deep and if you called it you would have gotten all the artillery that Corps could provide that was in range plus Air Force.
About that time the Squadron howitzer batteries adopted the "split battery" concept where they could fire two fire missions at a time supporting two units simultaneously. In that case you called for "Immediate Suppression," threw them a grid and if your grid was accurate you got 3 guns X 2 rounds on the target of your choice. If need be you could adjust from there or call for "Repeat" as needed. Then after GPS came along you didn't even call for a "Fire Mission" anymore. You just called in your "spot report" to higher and as the FDC was monitoring your radio frequency if you wanted artillery at the end of the spot report you'd add "Request Artillery." I'm sure that it has changed quite a bit. It's been 22 years after all. I have to admit though that one of the few things I miss is calling for live fire artillery.
Watching a "Fire for Effect" when you got it right was just about the most fun you can have with your pants on.
I noted that you were on the "I-Corps Staff"... that means you were a "Light" Colonel???
Not even close Ron! I retired as a mere PSG/E7. Strangely enough, for the first two years I worked in I Corps, G3 Warplans, due to a shortage of officers I did work in an O4 slot but eventually we got a Captain in to fill that slot and I reverted back to an E7 slot.
As to the look of the guns that depends on if you're talking about towed 105s or mechanized 105s. I usually worked with mechanized M109s and when I wasn't, since the guns weren't in my unit I never saw them.
Actually, when I first started out in tanks if you missed on your first round you gave your gunner a similar "subsequent fire command" something to the effect of "add 100 right 50, fire." That too changed over the years.
Hope this all makes sense to you and sorry to the OP for getting so far OT.
Take care,
George
