Plunging fire

Plunging fire on a warship: the steeper angle of fire allows the shell to hit the thinner deck armor

Plunging fire is a form of indirect fire, where gunfire is fired at a trajectory to make it fall on its target from above. It is normal at the high trajectories used to attain long range, and can be used deliberately to attack a target not susceptible to direct or grazing fire due to not being in direct line of sight.[1][2]

In naval warfare, plunging shellfire was theoretically capable of penetrating an enemy ship's thinner deck armor rather than firing directly at a warship's heavily armored side.

Plunging fire in terrestrial warfare allows attacking a target not in direct line of sight, for example over the brow of a hill engaging in a reverse slope defence. Artillery weapons such as howitzers and mortars are designed for this purpose. Machine guns and belt-fed grenade launchers may also use plunging fire.

The Vickers machine gun was used for indirect fire against enemy positions at ranges up to 4,500 yd (4,115 m) with Mark VIIIz ammunition. This plunging fire was used to great effect against specific features or points of interest that might be observed by a forward observer, or zeroed in at one time for future attacks, much to the surprise and confusion of the enemy.

The Australian Army still trains specialist infantry units, called Direct Fires Support Weapons DFSW teams, to perform an indirect sustained fire role with the MAG 58 GPMG, fitted with a C2A2 Support Weapons Sight[3][4] - similar to a mortar sight.[5][6] In this role the MAG 58 can fire a beaten zone up to a range 3,000 m (1.9 mi).[7]

See also

• Top-attack
• Ballistic coefficient
• Grazing fire

References

1. "A State of War, Plunging Fire and Naval Construction, and more". Scientific American. 116 (13): 320–321. 1917. Bibcode:1917SciAm.116..320.. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican03311917-320. ISSN 0036-8733. (subscription required)
2. Global Security, CHAPTER 5, COMBAT TECHNIQUES OF FIRE
3. "C2A2 Support Weapons Sight – Hall & Watts Defence Optics". Retrieved 2023-11-11.
4. "Contract Notice View - CN18255: AusTender". www.tenders.gov.au. 4 June 2007. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
5. WEAPONS OF THE ADF Handy Reference Guide Part 1 – Revision 2 | Contact Air, Land & Sea (PDF) (2nd Revision ed.). Australia: CONTACT Air, Land & Sea. 24 February 2016. p. 8.
6. "MAG58 | Australian Army". Australian Army (army.gov). Retrieved 2023-11-11.
7. Maj Thomas, Russell B. "An Infantryman Down Under". In Eno, Russell (ed.). Infantry Magazine (PDF). October–December 2017. Vol. 106 (Number 4 ed.). Department of the Army. pp. 19–21.