high-angle gun
Noun: A high-angle gun is a type of cannon designed to fire projectiles at a steep upward angle. This high trajectory allows the shells to descend almost vertically onto a target, which is particularly useful for attacking targets behind cover, such as fortifications or enemy positions on reverse slopes. Its defining characteristic is its capability for high-elevation firing, but it is typically effective only at relatively short distances compared to long-range, flat-trajectory artillery.
The term is used specifically in military and historical contexts to describe a class of artillery pieces. It is a technical compound noun.
Examples: * The fortress was vulnerable to attack from a high-angle gun lobbing shells over its walls. * For trench warfare, armies often deployed high-angle guns like howitzers and mortars. * The museum's collection includes a World War I-era high-angle gun.
- The concept is often contrasted with "flat-trajectory guns" or "direct-fire guns," which shoot on a much shallower arc.
- In modern terminology, the specific functions of a high-angle gun are fulfilled by weapons categorized as howitzers and mortars.
- Howitzer: A type of artillery piece that fires shells at high angles with a curved trajectory. It is the most common modern embodiment of a high-angle gun.
- Mortar: A portable, short-barreled, high-angle gun that fires projectiles at very steep angles.
- High-angle fire: The method of firing artillery at elevations greater than 45 degrees.
- Curve-trajectory gun
- Lob gun (informal/historical)
- High-elevation cannon
- Plunging fire: The type of fire delivered by a high-angle gun, where projectiles fall on a target from a steep angle.
- Indirect fire: A method of aiming where the target is not in the gunner's direct line of sight, frequently employing high-angle guns.
- a cannon that can be fired at a high elevation for relatively short ranges