ATP-3-09-30 Observed Fires Download
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Observer Special Missions 28 September 2017 ATP 3-09.30 7-7 MULTIPLE MISSIONS 7-26. Contact with the threat may be so intense that the observer must transmit two or more calls for fire and adjust all missions simultaneously. The observer should consult the supported commander, if possible, or use own best judgment to determine which of several important targets to engage first. Once a target number is assigned, the observer should begin each correction with the observer identification, followed by the target number, and ending with the desired correction. For example, ROMEO 12 THIS IS JULIET 73, TARGET NUMBER AB2010, LEFT 50, ADD 200, OVER. 7-27. The observer tracks multiple missions by their target numbers and records the corrections determined for each target to eliminate any confusion that may arise in the heat of battle. AUXILIARY ADJUSTING POINT 7-28. To achieve surprise, the observer may decide not to adjust directly on the target but to adjust on a nearby point. This nearby point is called the auxiliary adjusting point (see figure 7-6). An auxiliary adjusting point must be far enough from the target (500 meters) to obscure the real purpose of the adjustment. The observer must also select an auxiliary adjusting point that facilitates an easy and accurate (preferably lateral) shift to the target. Once the adjustment on the auxiliary adjusting point is complete, fires are shifted to the target. Figure 7-6. Auxiliary adjusting point OBSERVER NOT ORIENTED 7-29. Poor visibility, unreliable maps, deceptive terrain, or rapid movement through unfamiliar terrain sometimes makes it difficult for the observer to orient oneself. The observer may call for a marking round to be fired on a known point, a previously fired target, or a prominent terrain feature (for example, MARK KNOWN POINT 1 or MARK HILL 37). As a last resort, the observer may call for a round to be fired into the center of the target area (for example, MARK CENTER OF SECTOR). The observer usually requests a type of projectile that is easily identifiable (such as WP) or a high airburst or both. (The unit may have an SOP for shell fuze combination.) The FDC prepares data that will place the round at the point requested by the observer. If the observer fails to see the round, the FDC prepares data that will move the next round to a different point of impact or that will raise the burst higher in the air. Continue this procedure until the observer positively identifies the round, then orders a shift from the point of impact (burst) of the identified round to a target or an object that is permanent or semi-permanent in nature, such as a road junction or the ruins of a building. Once the observer locates this point by adjustment of fire and the FDC plots the point, the observer may use it as a known point from which to make future shifts to subsequent targets.