Field artillery on atolls?

[Yaab]

I was looking at pictures of Betio and thinking there would be no sense to put field artillery as defensive measure there. There is not enough land mass to conduct indirect fire from field arty other than placing the guns at the tips of the island and shelling the other tip. Granted, you can use such guns as AT guns and hit a tank here and there, but is seems mortars would be of more use in fighting enemy infantry.

Shouldn't field arty posted on atolls/small islands with 6,000 capacity suffer targeting malus?

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

I was looking at pictures of Betio and thinking there would be no sense to put field artillery as defensive measure there. There is not enough land mass to conduct indirect fire from field arty other than placing the guns at the tips of the island and shelling the other tip. Granted, you can use such guns as AT guns and hit a tank here and there, but is seems mortars would be of more use in fighting enemy infantry.

Shouldn't field arty posted on atolls/small islands with 6,000 capacity suffer targeting malus?

Are you distinguishing between field guns and howitzers? Field guns are a direct fire weapon while howitzers are for indirect fire. A field gun dug into a bunker would be useful in firing on landing and attacking troops. Howitzers would need the roof removed from the bunker, and would find it difficult to target close enemies, even if the barrel could be depressed to horizontal - too hard to move laterally IMO.

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Yaab

I was looking at pictures of Betio and thinking there would be no sense to put field artillery as defensive measure there. There is not enough land mass to conduct indirect fire from field arty other than placing the guns at the tips of the island and shelling the other tip. Granted, you can use such guns as AT guns and hit a tank here and there, but is seems mortars would be of more use in fighting enemy infantry.

Shouldn't field arty posted on atolls/small islands with 6,000 capacity suffer targeting malus?

Are you distinguishing between field guns and howitzers? Field guns are a direct fire weapon while howitzers are for indirect fire. A field gun dug into a bunker would be useful in firing on landing and attacking troops. Howitzers would need the roof removed from the bunker, and would find it difficult to target close enemies, even if the barrel could be depressed to horizontal - too hard to move laterally IMO.

As I recall the terms, a howitzer is for indirect or direct fire, a mortar is for only indirect fire. A field gun for only direct fire.

[Buckrock]

Betio may not be the best example as it was just one of several closely linked coral islands that lined Tarawa atoll (and therefore share the game hex). These islands could have created a battleground up to 15 miles long had the Japanese chosen to set up supported defence points on two or more of these relatively nearby islands. IIRC, the Marines used artillery located on both Betio and from one of the nearby islands to give indirect artillery support during the battle.

[crsutton]

You worry about too much .....[;)]

[Yaab]

I meant indirect fire vs attacking infantry on very thin strips of land. Mortars have minimum ranges of 75-90 meters. Don't know about howitzers.

[mussey]

Yes indeed.

Gotta luv them howitzers.