A monitor secures the seaward end of an army's defensive line. Trenches are difficult to sustain directly on a flooding beach, while fixed coastal forts can be bypassed or attacked from an unexpected direction. A monitor supplies a mobile battery that keeps the shoreline under heavy fire. Troops attempting to outflank the land position can then be caught between shore-based weapons and naval guns. Rapid six-inch fire is especially valuable against moving formations, while larger weapons attack fixed positions at longer range. This operational role explains why a medium-sized monitor could be more useful close to the front than a platform optimized only for distant bombardment.
Notable Point · 7:51-9:17
How monitors secure the coastal end of an army's line
Naval gunfire can deny an enemy the beach and prevent a landward flank from being turned along the coast.