Black Knights Kill - Targets!
The first in a series of reports covering the "Black Knights" in action
It is early morning.
The sun has risen, leaving deep shadows at the base of the distant hills.
Behind a prepared fighting position sits an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, running at a combat idle.
Inside, the crew sits alert, awaiting orders.
They do not have to wait long.
A group of experienced Officers and NCOs are located at a vantage point on a nearby hill. One of the Officers, a Captain, calls to the to the waiting tank crew over his radio.
Inside the tank, the radio crackles and the following message is received by the 'Black Knights' crew:
"Black Knights Tree-Two, Charlie Niner-Two. Battle carry sabot. Intelligence indicates enemy armor has been spotted moving in your sector. Report RedCon One, over."
The Tank Commander, an experienced and seasoned Sergeant, immediately answers back over his radio, "Charlie Niner-Two, Black Knights Tree-Two, RedCon One, over."
The Captain replies, "This is Charlie Niner-Two, engage and report, over."
The whole crew has heard the report over the tank's intercom, through their CVC helmets. They are tired, hungry, and fatigued. They have been up almost all night, as they have been most nights, doing repairs and preparing their tank, in adverse weather, and had little time for morning chow. They have been in constant motion for days on end, and have dealt with fluid, constantly changing situations for nearly a week. They haven't had a shower or changed uniforms in as long. In an instant, however, all else is forgotten. Adrenaline and training now takes over. They have spent their entire military careers preparing and training for the moment at hand. Their Officers and NCOs have ensured that they have the means and ability to deal with the situation at hand and come out of it alive, with their mission accomplished.
They are ready.
The Tank Commander announces over the tank's intercom, "Okay, This is it! Gunner scan and find that target!"
The tank and it's crew; every breath and heartbeat, every sound and vibration, becomes one.
Man and machine is melded together and focussed on one thing: Destroying the enemy.
The group on the hill sees the enemy tank appear and the Captain radios to the tank, "Target up!"
"Moving tank! Moving tank!" calls out the Loader a second later, as he spots the tank moving in the distance.
"Got it!" answers the Gunner.
The Tank Commander issues the fire command "Gunner, sabot, moving tank! Driver, move out! Gunner take over!".
"Up!" calls out the Loader, as he arms the 120mm smooth bore main gun and moves quickly out its recoil path. It was at the battle carry, already loaded with a sabot round. Sabot rounds are lethal, being an ammunition type designed specifically to defeat the heavy armor of an enemy tank with high velocity and kinetic energy. Simultaneously, the Driver, sitting in a reclined position, sealed beneath the forward slope of the tank, twists the throttle on his control bar. The more than 60 ton M1A1 Abrams, the world's most formidable Main Battle Tank, leaps forward, ready for battle, with it's turbine engine loudly whining, and begins to climb to the top of the prepared fighting position, unmasking itself to the enemy. It is now exposed to incoming fire and every second counts. In the next few short seconds, the Gunner continuously tracks the target with his thermal sight, while the Tank Commander performs a visual identification and confirms that the target in the Gunner's sight is a viable target.
The tank reaches the top of the firing position and the Gunner calls out, "Identified! Driver stop!"
With that announcement, the Gunner has let the Tank Commander know that he has acquired the target, is prepared to fire, and has commanded the Driver to smoothly let off of the tank's throttle and gently apply the brakes, so as not to throw off his aim. Even though the M1A1 is equipped with an advanced fire control stabilization system, skill, experience, and teamwork is required to fire on a target as quickly and accurately as possible.
"Fire!" orders the Tank Commander.
"On the way!" answers the Gunner, pressing the fire button on this controls, called "Cadillacs".
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The group of NCOs, and the Captain who called the intelligence report to the tank, monitors the flurry of activity and commands over the radio, listening for any mistakes or problems, and watch the tank, keeping careful track of what is taking place, when, and in what order. Two of the NCOs have binoculars held to their eyes and are watching the moving enemy tank. Under their breath they can be heard saying, "Come on, come on, get it!" A blinding flash and fireball erupts from the tank's main gun. A red streak is instantly seen rocketing toward the enemy target. It is the sabot round, destined to destroy the enemy tank. At the same time, a loud "CLANK" is heard over the radio, as the main gun is fired. Dirt and dust that has collected on the tank is suddenly suspended in mid-air, hovering around the tank. A cloud of dust instantly replaces the fireball in front of the tank. Suddenly, a ear-splitting "BOOM" is heard, and literally felt, as the sound and the shock wave of the main gun firing travels through the bodies of the group on the hill, and violently shakes everything around them.
The sabot round hits the enemy tank.
The NCOs with the binoculars, in unison, call out "Target!"
The Captain immediately radios to the tank, "Target!", letting the Tank Commander know that they have the hit their intended target.
The Tank Commander echoes to his crew, "Target!"
In that instant, an overwhelming sense of pride, accomplishment, and relief washes over the crew, and the Gunner yells, "Yeah! Nailed it!"
The Tank Commander orders the driver to back down from the firing position. He then radios to the Captain, "Charlie Niner-Two, this is Black Knights Tree-Two, engaged and destroyed one enemy tank, over". The Captain replies, "Roger, Black Knights Tree-Two."
Time elapsed from when the enemy tank was sighted until the time it was hit by the sabot round: 21 seconds.
Although this could have been easily been an engagement with an enemy tank in Iraq, it was not.
It was the crew of Black Knights Tree-Two (3-2: 3d Platoon, 2d tank crew) firing Tank Table VII.
Tank Table VII is a live fire practice run for qualifying as a combat ready tank crew, which is performed during Tank Table VIII. The tank crews of B Co, 2d Battalion, 112th Armor, 49th Armored Division, Texas Army National Guard (B Co, 2-112, AR, 49th AD, TXARNG), along with the rest of the 2d and 3d Battalions (referred to as 2d and 3d Tanks), completed both Tank Table VII and VIII. This was the assigned mission of both battalion for their Annual Training at Fort Hood, Texas from 7 June 03 through 21 June 03.
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The group of Officers and NCOs giving commands to the tanks were in a range tower on a nearby hill, responsible for running Tank Table VII, at the Trapnell Multi-Purpose range of Fort Hood, Texas. The Officers were the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and his second in Command, also serving as the script reader for the tank firing engagements (Tank Tables), known as "Charlie Niner-Two". Additionally, there was an additional Officer serving as the Range Safety Officer (RSO), who followed the tanks from the "ready line" and throughout their engagements in a HMMWV. It was his duty to ensure that all safety regulations on the range were strictly adhered to, as well as to assit the Tank Commander and his crew in the event of any emergency. The NCOs in the range tower were serving as Tank Crew Evaluators, or "TCEs". It was their responsibility to record and evaluate the performance of the tank crews during their engagements. All worked in shifts - day and night crews. All TCEs during AT03 were from 2d Tanks, with the assistance of some personnel from active duty units during some of the night shifts, due to training schedule conflicts that resulted in some unavoidable personnel shortages.
2d and 3d Tanks were to qualify as many crews as combat ready, during AT03, as was possible.
Mission accomplished!
Hooah!
Story by SGT Wheless
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