Name:   MrHodja - Subject:   Duck and cover Date:   8/9/2017 9:03:33 AM

I had to get coordination signatures on over 125 joint action packages during my four years in the five sided funny farm, and the signers were scattered about the building.  If the weather allows, one finds the shortest way from Corridor 5 to Corridor 9 or 10 is through the courtyard.  They used to occasionally display in the courtyard new weapons under development....one I remember was an artillery piece that was spring loaded.  It would be in the "cocked" position and just before the shell fired the barrel would be released and begin traveling forward.  The momentum of that mass of steel moving in one direction absorbed almost all of the recoil from the firing of the shell, with just enough recoil left to send the barrel back down into the cocked position.  The theory was that using the mass of the barrel to absorb the recoil greatly reduced the amount of re-aiming required due to the piece shifting around from the impact of the traditional recoil.  I don't know if the thing was eventually procured, but it was an interesting concept.  Any Field Artillery guys out there know the answer?