The purpose of this post is to explain the difference in the types of artillery that the military uses.
First of all there are Guns. Guns are chacterized by their longer tubes and the flat trajectory of their rounds when fired. An example of guns are those used on Navy Battleships. Guns have long tubes and a higher velpcity when fired. Guns are direct fire weapons. They have to aim directly at the target that they are shooting at. Even if they can't see the target they can adjust their aimpoint higher but they must have a direct line of sight to the target.
Howitzers are the next type of artillery. They are indirect firing systems in that they aim at a man made object rather than the actual target that they are shooting at. Howitzers have shorter tubes and less muzzle velocity. They can be used as direct fire weapons, but are not quite as effective as guns when used this way. The round fired from a howitzer is lobbed at the target. One great advantage of this is that the howitzer can hit targets which are hidden behind a natural object such as a hill or mountain whereas a gun can't. The angle of fire gives the howitzer greater range.
Last but definitely not least is mortars. Mortars have very short tubes and fire their rounds at angles greater than 45 degrees. The round is dropped into the tube of the mortar where the firing pin located in the tube ignites the explosive charge and propels the round. Mortars can be fired much faster than artillery but are limited in range. One big advantage is that they can engage targets in deep defilade, for example right next to the back side of a hill or mountain. Which no other form of artillery may be able to engage.
There you have it you can see my artillery heritage. Every person who has served in the Armed Forces can tell you the story of their service. Many of us have taken the time to create a custom military ring to do so.