felixgrey

Hi I've seen alot of mentioning of elite units - like SF, Delta, Rangers, etc. I only have the experience that I saw while I was on the ground. We conducted raids in conjunction with 3 different SF teams and a couple of different "elite" outfits. Without an exception, all the teams we worked with wore IBA outside the FOBs. Now their IBA looked different and a bit lighter then ours, but they wore armor. Of course, this is Iraq experience only - which is a different monster then Afghanistan. Scott

Antawar, For our experience in OIF II an RPG can disable a M1 fairly easily if the shot hits the right area. Back deck, Back of the tank where the exhaust is, etc. However, actual penetrations into the crew compartment is very rare. Most of these tanks can be recovered pretty quickly and repaired. I have never seen a penetration from a front arc on an M1. All the penetrations I saw were from side, back, and underneath. Scott

As for Brads and Tanks serving organically together in the same company the only organization that I can think of that does it is the Cav Troop for a Mech Division. 9 M1s and 13 M3s, plus two 120mm Mortar tracks. And they get OH-58Ds assigned to them as a force modifier. I wonder if OH-58Ds are simulated. Unlike the rest of the Helos in the US inventory - the 58 is the only one that would routinely be on a CM2 type battle field. Scott

I agree with Kurtz about the IEDs. I have seen on numerous occasions where IEDs were the trigger for a complex ambush. IEDs hitting the target in the kill zone, followed by small arms and RPG fire, then a break in contact. Just because it is an IED doesn't make it a political weapon, it's just a weapon that the enemy is comfortable using against a stronger force. IEDs allow for greater survivability as opposed to classic ambushes. An IED is just another means of delivering a planned attack on an enemy, like artillery. The person laying a command detonated IED is pulling the trigger as effectively as if he pulled a lanyard. Scott

US Army 97-Present. Served with 1-4 CAV, 1ID in Samarra Iraq, OIF II.

Hello all, About staffs in the US Army this is the way it is layed out. S-1,2,3,4 -is Brigade and below (S tands for Staff) next level G-1,2,3,4 - Is Division and Higher (G stands for General Officer) J-1,2,3,4 - Is joint level staff usually at Joint command levels - very high up - in command of Army, Air Force, Navy ,and Marines in a certain area. I am currently an Assistant S-3. So I'm very familiar with the layout. :cool: Scott

Hello Doc, In a modern US tank platoon it is set up like this. (However do to lack of soldiers this is not always the case) 1 Tank (PL) TC- LT Gunner - SGT or SSG Driver - PFC or SPC Loader - PVT or PFC 2 Tank (PL's Wingman) TC - SSG (E6) Gunner - SPC or SGT Driver - PFC - SPC Loader - PVT or PFC 3 Tank - (Platoon Sgt's Wingman) TC - SSG rest as above 4 Tank - (PLT SGT) TC - SFC (E7) rest same as above When the TC gets killed the Gunner will move to the TC seat. You can fight an M1 with a three man crew (ie shoot from the TC's seat. When you get replacements then you will figure out where the new guy will go based on rank. Hope this helps [ March 07, 2003, 07:43 AM: Message edited by: felixgrey ]

I thought JP-8 was a diesel product. (At least that is what I was lead to believe in the army) In my M1A1 I could blow through the 550 Gal fuel tanks in a day or less depending on what we were doing. As for desert sand - the problem we had in Kuwait was that our air filters became clogged with the fine particles of sand. We had to stop ever three hours to hook up a hose to the engine and blow the sand out of out filters. The newer tanks (M1A2s) have automatic sand filter blowers. The engine can blow out the filters with out needing to stop. However a good crew will manually blow out the filters after a day of manuver. Hope this helps. Scott [ March 05, 2003, 08:15 AM: Message edited by: felixgrey ]

The TC has a couple of shields that he puts up to protect him from the main gun, but it is still real easy to get your elbow crushed by the gun when it goes off. The loader doesn't have any real protection b/c he needs the freedom of mobility to load rounds.

See ya JJ- midnight here also. Sleep sounds quite good. Take care all and remeber "Gunner, Sabot, Sniper is a waste of ammo" according to murphys laws of armor. Scott

The place I hated was NTC. It was a great fight, when you could make it too the fight. The Tanks they give you out there are beat down. It is good to have an OR rate of 60% for a fight. One of the tanks my troop drew was L0002 - the 2nd M1a1 off the factory floor - L0001 is in a museum and that one should have been too!

I totally agree! Helos are scary. Let the stingers or the Brads take them out with the 25mm.

JJ, Do you guys use the "Gunner MPAT Air?" It's been a couple of years since I was last in a COFT, but I could of swore we were using "Gunner, Sabot, Air" By the time the loader got the MPAT wrenched up to anti-air, I would imagine the helo would be gone. SGT G, I hope that happens to me....stuck on the beach...what a hard life!

Dr. R, That was the MPAT-A (Multi Purpose Anti-Tank / Air). The round is supposed to detect electromagnetic energy put off by the rotars (at least that is what they said in school). Like JJ and I said neither of us have ever seen a real one. None of the senior NCOs I've worked with have seen one either. As far as I know they have never been issued to US troops in combat. (Now some guy is going to come along and tell me he used it ) Scott

JJ, I know what you mean. It is a big privledge to be living here in Germany. Any chance that we get the wife and I get on a train and do some traveling. I love Europe. The last battle fields I made it too where the Market Garden bunch - Nimegan, Veghle (sp?), and Arnhem, Really enjoyed the trip. Hope to make it up too Normandy this summer. Scott