Big guns and spotting.

[Perturabo]

I mean stuff like large caliber AT guns and 122mm howitzers. These things are enormous, it's weird when they can just hide in the open, even when dug in.

IMO there should be a separate category of a big gun that is easy to spot.

[22sec]

One of the modifications I did in the past that I liked the results was to change the muzzlesignature value to the square root of the gun’s caliber. It really seemed to make large guns stand out, and be more realistic. Of course, there was no testing to prove if what I was seeing was accurate, but it felt right.

[Veitikka]

Didn't Rommel famously dig-in the 88mm AA-guns in the Africa desert, so that only the barrels were visible above ground?

[altipueri]

Yes.

Read Liddell Hart's "History of the Second World War."

Rommell had only 4 or 8 88mm AA guns but used them as anti tank. They were devastating.


Britain had the 3.7 inch AA gun which could have been used in a similar role (and occasionally was). But no proper AT ammunition was ever developed.

[Perturabo]

ORIGINAL: Veitikka

Didn't Rommel famously dig-in the 88mm AA-guns in the Africa desert, so that only the barrels were visible above ground?

These were huge barrels, though. Take into account that in the Desert, 88s would shoot at distances of a few kilometres at targets unable to retaliate. Tanks the British used back then didn't have HE ammo.

Also, AT guns are very low, so it's impossible to dig them in that way.
In the end of this video, there's a prepared position for Sprut-B gun. Note that gun shield is a part of protection, and there are berms on the sides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fLmNjIkrI

What currently happens in game is that unless a gun is firing (and also, the firing signature of these things is so big that not spotting it would be possible only if one didn't look in it's general direction), one needs to literally step over a huge gun to spot it.

[zacklaws]

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Also, AT guns are very low, so it's impossible to dig them in that way.

It is possible to dig AT guns in. When we used the 120mm RCL Wombat we would dig them into a gun pit. So long as there is muzzle clearance and clearance for the back blast it is not an issue, apart from digging a great hole. On one infamous occasion whilst on one of the large BAOR exercises, our AT platoon dug in one of the guns during the night when they deployed but next morning when daylight broke, they had dug in on the lawn of a large manor house in a stately garden. The Wombat was quickly covered up with tarpaulines from prying eyes of the press that was always around and removed from situ as quick as possible and the hole filled. But that was a normal thing in BAOR deploying in peoples gardens etc but this went a bit to far or should a say, a gun pit to far.

[Perturabo]

ORIGINAL: zacklaws

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Also, AT guns are very low, so it's impossible to dig them in that way.

It is possible to dig AT guns in. When we used the 120mm RCL Wombat we would dig them into a gun pit. So long as there is muzzle clearance and clearance for the back blast it is not an issue, apart from digging a great hole. On one infamous occasion whilst on one of the large BAOR exercises, our AT platoon dug in one of the guns during the night when they deployed but next morning when daylight broke, they had dug in on the lawn of a large manor house in a stately garden. The Wombat was quickly covered up with tarpaulines from prying eyes of the press that was always around and removed from situ as quick as possible and the hole filled. But that was a normal thing in BAOR deploying in peoples gardens etc but this went a bit to far or should a say, a gun pit to far.

I see.

What about the category of guns I'm talking about, though - the 100+mm guns like Rapira and Sprut? Never saw any photos of them actually dug in.

[zacklaws]

ORIGINAL: Perturabo
What about the category of guns I'm talking about, though - the 100+mm guns like Rapira and Sprut? Never saw any photos of them actually dug in.

Anything can be dug in when in a defensive position. from digging a great hole or just a scrape with just a berm at the front. So long as you can get muzzle clearance, then you dig down to that depth. Plus the weapon system if it is large with trails etc when dug in needs access to the rear for a towing vehicle to access it quick for a rapid bugout, hence why a scrape with a protective berm at the front is a best. Digging an AT piece in is no different to digging a tank in. If it has to be done, its done.

Reason why you do not see many pictures is because they have probably been photographed mainly on range days etc as opposed to being in actual combat in a defensive position.

But if you could get your hands on a manual then there should be diagrams of dimensions needed to construct field defenses to emplace them.

[nikolas93TS]

It is also a common practice for any gun to dig slit trenches and ditches, for personnel and ammunition, on each side of the platform. Usually, when in combat, not a whole crew is outside, but they are rotating to prevent single-hit kill.

But Perturbo is right in sense that artillery units don't have dimensions in game, so it is fully irrelevant (except for muzzle blast) if you are using 25mm or 150mm gun.