M777 Video Marines or Canadians ?

[tomahawk6]

The video is titled US Marines.But it looks and sounds like Canadian Artillerymen. Anyway looks like a well drilled crew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wCXqcBpURZE

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Flak jackets look Canadian to me....

 

[WLSC]

Canadian.  Frag jacket, square pants pocket and brown t-shirt.

 

[GnyHwy]

Here is a US Det. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNh5TEWCtU.  Nevermind the dumb title for the vid, but you can see the difference in drills.  Other than the uniforms, notice when the loader puts the next round on the loading tray.  The US do it after the gun has fired and then ram it.  The CAN already have the next one on the tray as the gun is firing, and it is ready to be rammed almost right after the breech is open, saving at least 5 secs. 

Not to knock the US Det, but I would say that the CAN crew had a lot more time together, and I think we put a lot more trust in our Det Members as well.  The Det Comd of the US crew is supervising very closely and methodically, where as with CAN crew you don't even see the Det Comd until the very end.  He is off to the right watching his display terminal, staying the heck out of the way, and supervising from a distance.

Just a guess, but the CAN crew probably had fired at least 1000 rounds in training and/or operations prior to that mission, where the US crew may have fired less than 100.   

 

[57Chevy]

I can't help but noticing a couple of new comments at the link.  ;D 

 

[slayer/raptor]

Too bad they are firing over the maximum rate of fire for the M777, hard work though.

 

[Old Sweat]

Too bad they are firing over the maximum rate of fire for the M777, hard work though.

The maximum rate of fire is a planning figure, not an absolute. That is not to be said that it should not be exceeded for more than short periods, and all sorts of factors prevent it from happening. If things have not changed since those days in the far distant past when I was a gun number, when the order for x numbers of rounds fire for effect without an interval in seconds between rounds are received, the rounds are fired as quickly as possible.

One of the happy face situations I recall was a conversation between the British brigadier who was the Commander, Royal Artillery (CRA) of 2nd British Division and  Sergeant AC Sinclair, who commanded a 155mm towed howitzer in F Bty 2 RCHA at an equipment display. (At the time the Canadian brigade in Germany was part of the division.) The dialogue went something like this.

CRA, "How many rounds a minute can you fire, Sergeant?"

Sinclair, "At least six, sir."

CRA, "I'll bet you a beer that you can't."

Sinclair, "Make that a case, sir. My boys will work up quite a thirst doing it."

Come the divisional fire power demonstration and one serial had the CRA explaining what had happened and then Sinclair and his boys set to work. Suffice to say, the 155 might as well have been belt fed. As an encore, at the end of the demo a Canadian 5 ton towing a 155m towed drove up in front of the stands. Sinclair and his detachment dismounted, formed up and were congratulated by the CRA and, of course, accepted the case of beer. They then drove off to a standing ovation from the audience.

 

[Chelomo]

Nice story Old Sweat haha.

6 RPM for a M777 is pretty impressive, though if one were to be nitpicky, the 6th round went off at 1m03 haha. Still, superb fire drills, I'm really hoping I get to command a battery of those bad boys someday, they could be firing a 12 pounder and still kick ass

 

[Petard]

They're Canadian, an no it is not good gun drill.
Already discussed at length here:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/87764.0.html

 

[Chelomo]

I read your first post, thanks a lot for pointing that out. I would never have noticed all those problems even with the research I did on the M777. I guess it all comes down on the urgency of the task at hand. If they were direct firing because their position was under attack, that might have excused it, but they seem to be on a fire support mission.

Thanks for clearing that up Petard, if you have some other good links on the M777, I would be very interested in having them, either on this topic or by PM.