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Centaur turret markings

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Jemima Fawr:
^ Wot he said.  :D  I've also discussed it on my blog: http://www.jemimafawr.co.uk/2020/05/09/the-royal-marines-armoured-support-group-in-normandy-1944/

NB The Troop commanders' OP Shermans were armed with 75mm guns.  According to the history of 1 RMASR the Battery Commanders also had a Sherman OP (probably with dummy guns), while the RHQ had Jeeps.

Sources are somewhat confused, but the compass graduations were apparently there in order to calculate the differential between the LCT(A)'s heading and the bearing onto which the guns were to be laid.  180 was painted at the front because they were going to be sailing south on approach to the beach.

Digits:
Ok, think I get it, cheers.

Jemima Fawr:

--- Quote from: Digits on June 18, 2022, 04:33:38 PM ---Ok, think I get it, cheers.

--- End quote ---
I'm not sure I do!  lol

dadlamassu:
It is all to do with indirect fire.  The Centaur IVCS was a tank with its gun optimised for direct fire.  It was not a self propelled artillery piece so lacked the artillery sights. To enable the guns to engage targets that they could not see the "sight graduations" were painted on the outside of the turret. 
Thus the observers (FOO or Forward Observation Officer) on the ground's positions were marked on the Regiment/Battery/Troop HQ maps and when he gave his bearing and distance to the target this was also marked.  At the gun position or LCT in this case the known position of the gun was marked and a line from gun to target drawn.  The gun to target bearing was then calculated (allowing for LCT movement, orientation of tank and time of flight) and passed to the tanks.  The turrets were rotated to the required bearing aligning the turret "compass" to the aiming mark.  The gun was then elevated to the correct angle and the command "Shoot" given.  (The Royal Navy did not use "Fire" on ships and boats as it meant that the ship was ablaze - dates back to the old wooden walls.) 
The corrections depending on fall of shot were then passed from FOO to HQ to tank until target neutralised or destroyed.
Simple.

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