[House Rules] A New Artillery Mission: Time on Target

[plloyd1010]

Time on target (TOT), Multiple round simultaneous impact (MRSI) in the modern vernacular, is an artillery coordination technique which has the intention of the first shells of an artillery strike impacting the target at the same time. Analysis of artillery effectiveness showed that most casualties caused by artillery occurred within the first few seconds of the initial round’s impact. To achieve the maximum effectiveness of artillery fire, the British Army developed this firing technique in late 1941. The U.S. Army enthusiastically adopted TOT methodology and had it in place prior to the North Africa landings, though may not have been using the technique in the Pacific until later in the war.
 
The technique is fairly simple. The target and specified impact time is sent to each battery. The battery staff then calculates when the guns would need to fire in order for the first shot to reach the target at the correct time. The standard being that the first round of each gun would hit the target with 3 seconds of the designated time. Time synchronization be achieved via a common time-base, initially this was the time signal provided by the BBC.
 
TOT missions should be considered similar to the drumfire mission from East Front Artillery. It may be performed by off-board artillery or on-board artillery and heavy mortars which have not moved. Any onboard weapons using TOT must be able to fire together, either being stacked together or with the aid of a leader’s fire modifier.

• TOT missions must be planned at least 1 turn in advance. This information includes Artillery units or OBA increments involved in the mission, the target hex and the turn of impact. Artillery units or OBA increments involved may still perform other fire missions in the intervening turns.
  
• Artillery units or OBA increments removed from a TOT mission on the turn of the mission may not combine fire with other artillery units or OBA increments. Artillery units or OBA increments removed from a TOT mission on a turn prior to the mission do not suffer this penalty.
  
• TOT missions get a +1 column shift for each artillery unit or OBA increment after the first, up to a maximum of +2.
  

[treadasaurusrex]

Time on target (TOT), Multiple round simultaneous impact (MRSI) in the modern vernacular, is an artillery coordination technique which has the intention of the first shells of an artillery strike impacting the target at the same time. Analysis of artillery effectiveness showed that most casualties caused by artillery occurred within the first few seconds of the initial round’s impact. To achieve the maximum effectiveness of artillery fire, the British Army developed this firing technique in late 1941. The U.S. Army enthusiastically adopted TOT methodology and had it in place prior to the North Africa landings, though may not have been using the technique in the Pacific until later in the war.
 
The technique is fairly simple. The target and specified impact time is sent to each battery. The battery staff then calculates when the guns would need to fire in order for the first shot to reach the target at the correct time. The standard being that the first round of each gun would hit the target with 3 seconds of the designated time. Time synchronization be achieved via a common time-base, initially this was the time signal provided by the BBC.
 
TOT missions should be considered similar to the drumfire mission from East Front Artillery. It may be performed by off-board artillery or on-board artillery and heavy mortars which have not moved. Any onboard weapons using TOT must be able to fire together, either being stacked together or with the aid of a leader’s fire modifier.

• TOT missions must be planned at least 1 turn in advance. This information includes Artillery units or OBA increments involved in the mission, the target hex and the turn of impact. Artillery units or OBA increments involved may still perform other fire missions in the intervening turns.
  
• Artillery units or OBA increments removed from a TOT mission on the turn of the mission may not combine fire with other artillery units or OBA increments. Artillery units or OBA increments removed from a TOT mission on a turn prior to the mission do not suffer this penalty.
  
• TOT missions get a +1 column shift for each artillery unit or OBA increment after the first, up to a maximum of +2.
  

May I add this rule to the draft house rule set that we've been testing for some time, Peter?

[plloyd1010]

May I add this rule to the draft house rule set that we've been testing for some time, Peter?

Thanks for asking. Of course you can use them. Anything I post is open for use. Let me know how they work out.

I am still trying to think of a good way to pair this concept with counter battery missions. That would need to have some sort of off-board location system, which I haven't devised yet.

[Tambu]

Does this kind of mission really need to be planned 1 turn, or more in advance?

[Schoenwulf]

Since each turn is 15 minutes, that would seem a reasonable time for communication, setting the artillery piece appropriately and firing.....but I've never done that so this is only a shirttail guess.

[plloyd1010]

Does this kind of mission really need to be planned 1 turn, or more in advance?

Yes

There are 2 rational paths you can trace for the requirement.

The first, tracing the reality angle, is that the order, which is coming from battalion control or higher, says put fire on this point at this time. To pick something out of the air, let's say 49°10'08.2"N 7°34'06.0"E at 14:35:00. (it's in the Rhineland near the border, whatever). No the battery staff needs to plot fire, calculate time of flight, count backward to determine firing time so that the shells hit the target at 14:35:00. Oh yeah, synchronize your clock to the time base. All that while doing your regular job. No impose the graininess of game time. So, a couple turns out is not unreasonable.

The second would be the game rational. A ToT mission shifts fire effectiveness up by 1 or 2 columns. Assume that the Americans are calling in 3 batteries of 105mm OBA. That makes 54 points, which will resolve starting with the 42 column. With a ToT mission, that 42 moves to the 70+ column. Now that gain could be normalized, hence no need for a "mission", or it should come with some friction. Since there is already a normal process and resolution, that means friction, in this case a delay. Due to the dynamics of the game, plotting in advance is problematic, thus 1 turn out is reasonable.

Either way, now you have a decision point, which is what these games are all about in the first place. Is the column shift worth the risk of the target not being viable, and thus having weaker OBA fire on that turn, or not?

[Grognard Gunny]

..... AND to further obfuscate things, I believe that the TOT "invention" came into being during the later part of the war, therefore requiring a "time hack" of effectiveness (use) ala "Armor Efficiency". Yes?

GG

[plloyd1010]

..... AND to further obfuscate things, I believe that the TOT "invention" came into being during the later part of the war, therefore requiring a "time hack" of effectiveness (use) ala "Armor Efficiency". Yes?

GG

Actually late 1941, just in time for the Crusader battles. The British used the time signals from the BBC, remarkably similar to WWV from NOAA.

[Grognard Gunny]

How about that. Learn something new every day. Which leaves everything short of that date "up in the air".

GG

[Col. Sonichu]

I like this idea a lot.