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"That is a good amount of fire power, but your unit is an SP arty unit...would a towed arty unit have similar allotment of MGs?"
No. Nor would towed arty likely play a prominent role in a high intensity modern conflict involving American forces. During DESERT STORM, our only towed arty belonged to the 82nd Airborne, 101st Air Assault and Marine units employed with JTCF (Joint Task Force Coalition Forces). Gun Grape would be able to discuss their organization for combat but even the Marines employed nearly all their self-propelled assets.
"Concertina and minefields would be a real waste of resources and time, as the bty would moving ahead all the time to keep up with the advancing columns..."
Not necessarily true. In Europe many of our initial defense positions would be planned for such. If able to occupy with sufficient warning then we'd do all that was humanly possible to harden in the time and with the resources available.
Gun sections follow an acronym known as T-LASBAPP (Trails, Lay, Aiming Points, Site to Crest, Boresight, Azimuth markers, piece displacement and position improvement).
You always improve your position until the moment you displace.
"...Unless deployed in Afghanistan or in a Vietnam type conflict where inflitrating enemy is a major problem..."
I'm unaware of a single fire support base in Afghanistan that's had its local security seriously challenged by either direct fire or infantry assault. Nor have the taliban attempted infiltration of sappers into those positions.
Vietnam was a mid-intensity battle. Fire Support Bases hardened against both direct assault and indirect fires. Both were commonplace. Moreover, it was a rare artillery unit that didn't have at least an infantry platoon providing local security.
"That is a good amount of fire power, but your unit is an SP arty unit...would a towed arty unit have similar allotment of MGs?"
No. Nor would towed arty likely play a prominent role in a high intensity modern conflict involving American forces. During DESERT STORM, our only towed arty belonged to the 82nd Airborne, 101st Air Assault and Marine units employed with JTCF (Joint Task Force Coalition Forces). Gun Grape would be able to discuss their organization for combat but even the Marines employed nearly all their self-propelled assets.
"Concertina and minefields would be a real waste of resources and time, as the bty would moving ahead all the time to keep up with the advancing columns..."
Not necessarily true. In Europe many of our initial defense positions would be planned for such. If able to occupy with sufficient warning then we'd do all that was humanly possible to harden in the time and with the resources available.
Gun sections follow an acronym known as T-LASBAPP (Trails, Lay, Aiming Points, Site to Crest, Boresight, Azimuth markers, piece displacement and position improvement).
You always improve your position until the moment you displace.
"...Unless deployed in Afghanistan or in a Vietnam type conflict where inflitrating enemy is a major problem..."
I'm unaware of a single fire support base in Afghanistan that's had its local security seriously challenged by either direct fire or infantry assault. Nor have the taliban attempted infiltration of sappers into those positions.
Vietnam was a mid-intensity battle. Fire Support Bases hardened against both direct assault and indirect fires. Both were commonplace. Moreover, it was a rare artillery unit that didn't have at least an infantry platoon providing local security.
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