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fire will be provided, by which batteries, and the type and amount of ammunition to be provided. The first is characterized by the
British, the second by the United States. In World War II both Germany and the Soviet Union tended towards the British method. In the British system, the observer sends a fire order to their own and any other batteries authorized to them, and may request fire from additional batteries. Each battery command post converts the fire orders into firing data for its own guns. Until post-World War II the observer would usually order actual firing data to the guns of their own troop, this was enabled by the use of calibrating sights on the guns.
372:, and coordinate fire support assets to include mortars, rockets, artillery, NSFS and CAS/CIFS. A rifle company Fire Support Team typically consists of a Fire Support Officer (FSO), Forward Air Controller (FAC) or Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), two scout observers (FO), and two radio operators (RO). In Weapons Company, the Fire Support Coordination Center (FSCC) determines fire support asset allocation to each rifle company FiST, and supervises the planning and execution of each FiST's fire support plan. Key players in the FSCC include the Fire Support Coordinator (FSC), Battalion Fire Support Officer (FSO), and Battalion Air Officer (Air-O).
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405:(OP) or accompany the supported arm (infantry or armour) as Forward Observation Officers (FOOs). During World War II it became the practice for close support battery commanders to become part of the tank regiment or infantry battalion headquarters they were supporting. They also started using 'quick fireplans' usually limited to their own regiment, to support fast moving limited battalion actions.
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just one FSO and three enlisted personnel. Brigade COLT teams operate in groups of two individuals, a Fire support specialist in the grade of E-1 to E-4 and a Fire
Support Sergeant in the grade of E-5. Currently in unit training is beginning to incorporate more close air support and close combat attack missions into the field artillery team's mission.
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had been responsible reporting targets and observation of fire in World War I, this role was subsequently called 'Arty/R, but proved difficult from high performance aircraft over hostile territory in World War II. In 1940 it was agreed that RAF AOP squadrons equipped with light aircraft, operating at
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In the U.S. Army, a Light, Heavy, or
Stryker Infantry company Fire Support Team (FIST) consists of a Fire Support Officer (FSO), a Fire Support Sergeant, three Forward Observers (FO), two Fire Support Specialists and three Radio Telephone Operators (RTO). Armored/Cavalry FIST teams usually consist of
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in the early years of the 20th
Century. However, the First World War introduced 24 hour, seven days a week fighting. Furthermore, indirect fire had increased the distance between the guns and their targets, and between the observers and their guns. This led to the use of observing officers to act
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Generally FOOs were assigned to a company or squadron of a battalion or regiment that their battery was supporting. In the
British artillery system FOOs were always authorized to order fire commands to their own troop or battery, based on their assessment of the tactical situation and if necessary
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From mid World War II some artillery observers were authorized to order fire to all batteries of their regiment, it also became the practice for some observers to be designated 'Commander's
Representative' able to order fire to a divisional or corps artillery. Unauthorized officers could request
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Broadly, there are two very different approaches to artillery observation. Either the observer has command authority and orders fire, including the type and amount of ammunition to be fired, to batteries. Or the observer requests fire from an artillery headquarters at some level, which decides if
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effectively. The proximity of the observer to the target depended on the terrain and battlefield situation. Elevated observation posts could be used as an aid to facilitate communication between the guns and the observers. The development of optical and communication aids for observation advanced
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In the U.S. system, the observer sends a request for fire, usually to their battalion or battery Fire
Direction Center (FDC). The FDC then decides how much fire to permit and may request additional fire from a higher artillery headquarters. FDC(s) convert the observer's target information into
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such as enemy headquarters. This is in contrast to an artillery observer's typical work with field/line artillery, which works in support of its own combat group. Such patrols may also form into 'stay behind' parties which deliberately hide in special observation hides as the main force fights a
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A functionally similar title is a mortar fire controller (MFC). An MFC is an infantry NCO who is part of their battalion's mortar platoon. He controls platoon's fire in the same way as an FOO. The introduction of FSTs places MFCs under tactical control of the FST commander.
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Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located miles away. The observer serves as the eyes of the guns, by sending target locations and if necessary corrections to the fall of shot, usually by
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fire from more than their own battery. During that war it also became the practice that FOOs arranged quick fireplans comprising several coordinated targets engaged by guns and mortars to support short offensive actions by the squadron or company they were with.
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batteries were divided into troops, with the troop commanders (Captains) as observing officers at an (OP). These officers and their parties could operate as either as an
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For centuries the
Battery Commander had been responsible for controlling the fire of their battery. This continued with the introduction of
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In the U.S. Marine Corps, scout observers also act as naval gunfire spotters and call for, observe and adjust artillery and
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is a spotter. For general fire support, the position is known as a fire support specialist (FiSTer) or simply an observer.
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Training, enabled by simulators, allows most soldiers to observe artillery fire, which has long been possible via a FOO.
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Since the development of small unmanned aerial vehicles, they have been used for identifying targets, spotting
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could usually still fire directly on the target by line-of-sight. As ranges increased, methods of employing
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unit, an artillery observer is often tasked with coordinating fire from long-range artillery guns against
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firing data for the battery's weapons. The equivalent of an artillery observer for
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were developed. This made a forward observer essential in order to be able to use
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Military role for observing artillery strikes and directing them to their targets
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artillery forward observer in a tree to get a better view of the battlefield in
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officers would be formed. These squadrons existed until the formation of the
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Illustrating all aspects of drone spotting, and subsequent enemy attack.
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on behalf of the battery commander. In the 1938 re-organization of the
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In World War II OP/FOO parties were normally mounted in an armored
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The process of an artillery observer calling for artillery fire
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onto a target. An artillery observer usually accompanies a
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artillery observer watching an artillery strike during a
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Ukraine war: Drone pilots mark targets for new offensive
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steadily increased over the centuries. In the era of
30:"FOO" redirects here. For the placeholder name, see
67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
462:low altitude over friendly territory and flown by
384:British and French artillery observers during the
285:. Equipment used in the observer role ranges from
553:"Canadian Warplane Heritage: Auster Beagle AOP"
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409:liaison with the supported arm commander.
573:Abdurasulov, Abdujalil (18 August 2022).
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
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531:/1up?q=Observers online at archive.org
336:Forward observers in the U.S. military
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65:adding citations to reliable sources
376:British Forward Observation Officer
231:Medieval direct line-of-sight fire
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350:Guadalcanal
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276:Description
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559:2012-01-26
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426:Sherman
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