Computers

When I was a stripling soldier, I was introduced to computers.  Not the kind I'm typing on now, but e an electro-mechanical computer that figured ballistics for tank ammo.  It was mounted to the right side of the gunners station and fed inputs from the range-finder into the gun, to help assure a first-round hit.

You can click on it to see a bigger version.  When used, you could hear the cams working

For the uneducated, elevation is the angle of the gun from level.  Super elevation is that minute change, based on the ballistics of the ammo, to make the bullet hit the target. 

I found this picture on the Book of Face this morning, and it brought back a lot of old memories.