parsifal
Colonel
I am a little bemused by the discussion at this juncture. So i apologize if my comments arent quite on topic.
Tracked SPGs for the Soviet army using indirect fire weaponary would have been somewhat of a waste in an offensive role. I know they had tracked artillery, but this was either of the direct fire variety, or was never meant to operate as mobile artillery, in the sense the artillery would move during the course of a battle. Soviet indirect artillery was always fixed, in the sense that it would be moved into position, alsong with awhole bunch of other artillery pieces, have its artillery stocks built up over a series of weeks or months. When the time came, this artillery would unleash its ammunition load, and then wait until the artillery pieces were moved to the next firing position. Soviet artilery was great on firepower, but weak on flexibility, meaning Soviet Command Control was simply too inflexible to manage a mobile artillery park.
The artilery that did accompany the fire support formations was generally of the direct fire variety. It usually shot at targets it could see. this is not really true artillery in my book. A howitzer or similar would not do for this sort of work. Soviet gunners were simply not flexible enough to be able to quickly work out indirct firing solutions quickly.
Tracked SPGs for the Soviet army using indirect fire weaponary would have been somewhat of a waste in an offensive role. I know they had tracked artillery, but this was either of the direct fire variety, or was never meant to operate as mobile artillery, in the sense the artillery would move during the course of a battle. Soviet indirect artillery was always fixed, in the sense that it would be moved into position, alsong with awhole bunch of other artillery pieces, have its artillery stocks built up over a series of weeks or months. When the time came, this artillery would unleash its ammunition load, and then wait until the artillery pieces were moved to the next firing position. Soviet artilery was great on firepower, but weak on flexibility, meaning Soviet Command Control was simply too inflexible to manage a mobile artillery park.
The artilery that did accompany the fire support formations was generally of the direct fire variety. It usually shot at targets it could see. this is not really true artillery in my book. A howitzer or similar would not do for this sort of work. Soviet gunners were simply not flexible enough to be able to quickly work out indirct firing solutions quickly.