Artillery at LZ Dottie--three photos--155mm howitzers 4x4 firing at LZ Dottie, gun #4
105mm howitzer, & defenses


Four 155mm howitzers from A Btry, 1st Bn 82nd Artillery, fire simultaneously from LZ Dottie
in 1970 in support of 1st Bn 6th Inf soldiers east of the base.  14,600 m range, with 350 m
radius HE round.  Photo provided by John "Doc" Large,  C Co 1-6 Inf 1970


Photo provided by SGT Earl Pogue, A Btry, 1st Bn 14th Arty, at LZ Dottie in 1970 with his 105mm
howitzer "Amen."  11,000 m range, 175 m radius HE shell.  Note the low berm, wire entanglements,
and excellent positioning of the tube for firing final protective fires with "Beehive" rounds along the
perimeter wire entanglements directly behind the gun.

105mm howitzers were capable of firing a "Beehive" round in the direct fire role as part of the final
protective fires from artillery positions.  Used against troops in the open, the howitzers fired in a
swath across the ground like a giant shotgun.  Thousands of one inch long steel darts or "flechettes"
like those above pierced everything in their path.  To minimize the danger to friendly forces, a signal
flare would be fired to warn soldiers to take cover.  These flechettes were retrieved from the area
of operations near LZ Dottie in 1970.   Scan provided by Wayne Johnston (1/6 Inf '70-71).


A Btry, 1st Bn, 14th Arty, emplacement for gun #4 (105mm howitzer) at LZ Dottie 1970.  Note:  the
fighting position just in front of the gun provides overhead cover; the several belts and layers of concertina
wire outside hand grenade range; and, the absece of cover and concealment for approaching sappers in
the wire.  At night, a powerful infra-red searchlight swept the hills east of LZ Dottie in the background.
Photo provided by Earl Pogue.


A 30" xeon searchlight of the type used at LZ Dottie at night in 1970-71.  The hills to the east of
the LZ could be illuminated by either white light or infared.  A sniper with a night-vision scope
could target enemy troops in the distance and only a dull red-orange glow marked the position of
the searchlight.
 

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