scwilliam

28th Feb 2005

We Were Soldiers (2002)

Question: What does the term "Fire in the hole" mean? It is used in this and many other military films.

Answer: It was originally a mining term. A hole was drilled in a seam and then dynamite pushed into it. As an explosion in a mine is always dangerous, the other miners were warned that there was "fire in the hole". It's since been adopted for most other situations involving explosives.

scwilliam

Question: The request "Fire for effect." is used in this and many other war films when calling in artillery support. What is the meaning of this term?

Answer: After a series of individual rounds are fired to insure that the artillery is on target, the entire battery then fires as many rounds as possible to have the greatest effect on the enemy.

scwilliam