The following is one soldier's memories of Hohenfels (
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/hohenfels.htm) Germany back in the 20th during the Cola Wars...
January 1991 was one of the coldest months in Northern Europe since 1945, when the German offensive known to Americans as "The Battle of the Bulge" was defeated. Standing on the loaders seat of a M60A3 Patton tank, named after the same celebrated American General that decisively defeated the German Armies during "The Bulge" some 46 years earlier. I was scanning the horizon and nearby tree lines with my binoculars, looking for anything out of the ordinary, something that could indicate a possible ambush.
Cresting a rise, there was a half dozen rusting hulks of tanks that looked Soviet in design. This part of Germany had seen battles from the Germans and Soviets during WWII. I was distracted by this, but this was an exercise after all. Getting "killed" in an exercise wasn't a bad thing, you weren't really dead, just virtually dead. One could kick back and take a nap or read the latest girlie magazine waiting for the exercise to conclude.
I duck back down into the turret, I have never had experienced these kinds of temperature extremes in my life. From my waist up, the cold had penetrated all my protective clothing chilling me to the bone. My legs however, were being burned from the heat exhaust pumped from the engine into the turret. After a couple of seconds I stand back up and out the loaders hatch and resume scanning.
Our tank was heading back down the hill into a valley. This was going to be the most dangerous part of the maneuver, the valley floor was completely devoid of vegetation and we had to cross that gap of protection to make it to the other side. The tank stops near the edge of the tree line, and I start to scan the opposite ridge for activity. It doesn't take long to find an enemy vehicle. It was a scout tracked vehicle, and it was hidden fairly well. A brief break in the clouds caused the optics on the vehicle to glint in the sun. I casually scan off target and inform the tank commander of my discovery. We had both spotted each other and for the moment neither of us wanted to give up our "hiding" spots in order to properly engage each other.
Something was bothering me, there should have been dismounted infantry with that scout vehicle. Perhaps at the opposite tree line waiting for someone foolish enough to try and cross the gap. I don't notice any fresh dirt or built up sticks and rocks that would stick out like sore thumbs in the snow. Infantry love to dig in, and hug the earth, its the only thing that keeps them alive in a hasty defensive position. I don't know what made me turn around, it certainly wasn't due to any noise, the engine was still idling and making enough noise to mask most sounds.
Glancing back, I see a two man machine gun crew setting up only a short distance away. They were too slow, I shouted to the tank commander and our main gun swung around and fired a round into them. They were "dead", but they still continued to setup their machine gun, knowing they need to get the lead out faster next time.
With the main gun firing, our cover was blown, and we hit the gap at full speed. I was scanning the ridge line again and noticed our friend had bugged out when we fired at the enemy troops. Suddenly, I was free falling.
I was too intent in scanning the ridge to see the large hole that our tank hit. In the span of less than a second the tank dropped over 3 feet then hit the opposite lip of the hole, next thing I know, I'm being catapulted out of the hatch. The only thing that saves me from from being completely ejected is my boots catch the lip of the hatch opening. Now, I'm falling back into the turret and I spread out my elbows in the hope I don't hit the lip with my face or fall completely into the turret and smack some very unforgiving piece of metal. Luckily, I land back on the loaders seat and put a death grip on the hatch ring. I look over and my tank commander is smiling at me and giving me the thumbs up, I decide that I had enough of this exercise and stay hunkered down in the turret.
The exercise completes in the usual manner, we got funneled into another tank's kill zone and spent the rest of the afternoon cheering on our forces as they tried to take the enemies "flag". No one even saw the flag, and everyone was classified as being killed.
It was January 16th 1991, I went into our barracks and noticed everyone gathered around the TV. I remember hearing, "The liberation of Kuwait has begun..."
Current Mood: 
contemplative
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
sertorius's journal
Previous
relaxed
naughty
enthralled
excited
apathetic
annoyed
blah
accomplished
