0 a member of the armed forces who is trained to notice enemy targets and give their position so they can be attacked with bombs or guns:
Forward observers identify targets, such as tanks, and call in their precise positions for attack by artillery batteries.
Captain Fox served during the recent war as a forward observer with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment Battle Group.
Mistaken calls from a forward observer brought bombs down on the wrong spot.
His task was to act as an artillery observer to guide his unit's guns in their bombardment of enemy defensive positions.
