Artillery

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

What are those red and white poles on the back of Hummels and Wespes?

2

Aiming stakes.

3

Rob-
Would you elaborate ‘artillery for dummies’? So what does one do with those aiming stakes? Place them where?

Glenn

4

Aiming stakes are used to aim the gun. They are placed off the left front of the gun (or whichever side the site is on, left on US guns) at about a 45 degree angle. The first is placed at about 50 meters out, the second at about 100 meters. They are lined up when looking through the site, called a PanTel (Panagraphic Telescope). When laying the gun, the aiming stakes are lined up in the site and the gun is layed on the azimuth of fire (pointed in the direction that you want the rounds to go). Once this is completed, your gun is now layed. To change the direction that the rounds go, you set off an azimuth on a scale on the PanTel and line up the aimimg stakes in the site, now you are on the new azimuth. Pretty simple and quite effective.

5

HeavyArty. You nailed it on the head. Although I was a Forward Observer in the Marines I learned what the guys on the guns (cannoncockers) did. And your explanation is right on.

KingTiger

6

Hence the handle “HeavyArty”

7

I remember the mortar section was always complaining about having to put out their aiming stakes when we were out “playing war” and not doing any live-fire. I just thought they should have picked a “better” MOS…

8

Would the Nashorn have had the same need for aiming stakes as the Wespe and Hummel?

Reason I ask is that the Nashorn had a slightly different job than both the Wespe and Hummel. While the Wespe and Hummel were armed with howitzers, 10.5 cm and 15 cm respectively, the Nashorn was armed with an 8.8 cm high velocity anti-tank gun. So I’m thinking the Wespe/Hummel ‘lobbed’ their rounds onto enemy targets and Nashorn was looking for more ‘direct/line-of-sight’ arc to its target. Correct? Also, I don’t mean to imply that there was never any crossover of targets by any or all three vehicles!

Glenn

9

That would be a correct assumption.
John
Helicopters don’t fly, they beat the air into submission