The reason for this is that, while firing, guns, particularly towed guns, move back a short distance perhaps a foot, as their spades embed and may move more in soft ground.
32.
After trials in January, fifteen battalions were ordered to convert to towed guns on 31 March, and shortly thereafter it was decided that half of all tank destroyer units would convert to a towed organization.
33.
When the men of C Company began deploying their towed guns, the German infantry attacked the anti-tank guns, and C Company's men, though armed only with M1 carbines, grease gun.
34.
J Troop got three guns ashore ( one towed gun being drowned ) but the LCT carrying the rest of the Troop suffered an engine failure and could not land until D + 3 ( 9 June ).
35.
This quickly gained popularity heavily supported by McNair and in November 1943 it was ordered that half of all tank destroyer battalions were to be equipped with towed guns; this was a major distortion of Bradley's suggestion.
36.
Although an earlier organization included divisional anti-tank battalion ( two companies of 37 mm guns and one company of tank destroyer battalions; their towed guns were replaced with self-propelled ones as soon as the latter became available.
37.
Two distinct forms of artillery developed : the towed gun, which was used primarily to attack or defend a fixed line; and the self-propelled gun, which was designed to accompany a mobile force and provide continuous fire support.
38.
They were not without their own series of disadvantages, however, namely presenting a much larger target than a towed gun, the added responsibilities of vehicle maintenance and logistical support, and the limited spaces in which the crew had to operate and stow all their available ammunition.
39.
Under the E-series TO from 15 April 1943, self-propelled guns in the divisional special weapons battalion were replaced with eighteen 37 mm towed guns in three batteries of six; an infantry regiment had a weapons company with 12, in three platoons of four.
40.
This has a turret very similar to the 2S19 . In addition to these new 152 mm projectiles the 2A65 can fire all standard types of 152 mm ammunition fired by the older Russian D-20 towed gun-howitzer and the 2S3 self-propelled gun-howitzer.
