By Lieutenant Katerine Fontaine
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The third troop of Batterie R to deploy in support of 2-2 Infantry, a light infantry battalion from the U.S. Army.
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The crew of an M777 howitzer conducts an indirect fire mission.
Operations are going full blast at our forward operating base in Afghanistan?s Maywand District. We are engaged in an unusual collaboration, in which the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of Infantry, U.S. Army, better known as 2-2 Infantry, is supported by a troop of Canadian artillery. Our troop of Batterie R, a component of the 2nd Battalion Royal 22e Régiment Battle Group, is the third Canadian troop armed with M777 howitzers and 91-mm mortars to provide indirect fire support to the American battalion.
The co-operation with the Americans is more than an enriching experience, and that goes for both organizations. If our southern neighbours have shown an aptitude for infrastructure and resupply, we have demonstrated skill in employing artillery in a variety of operations. The troop?s command post team has adapted quickly to the nuances the Americans bring to fire discipline: from our training, in which Canadian observers controlled every aspect of fire, we have moved on to a method that gives us the freedom to choose the load and the number of rounds to fire. Being infantry soldiers with a special qualification, rather than gunners by trade, the American observers enthusiastically accept advice from our more experienced members, also improving their fire discipline, which gives them greater effectiveness in getting the effects they want on the ground.
If our troop has had the opportunity to fire, on average, one mission every three days, it?s thanks to the fact that the battalion?s fire support officer is both very open to training missions, and keenly aware of how indirect fire can benefit their operations. We have already had a chance to fire specialized munitions at very long range, something our troop sergeant-major had never seen in his 21-year career! Fired vertically, the rounds attained a height of more than 68,000 feet. For this occasion, the meteorological section produced a 27-line message, a record for the Afghanistan deployment so far.
Working with a foreign army has given our troop of Batterie R an opportunity to prove its shooting ability and to accomplish missions outside the traditional Canadian pattern. For some of our radio operators, it is also a chance to refine their skills in the language of Shakespeare!
