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00:08The combat capability of the modern army depends on a careful balance of many types of advanced
00:14weapons, all of them fast-moving, all of them deadly. This episode of Arsenal will show you
00:21a battle-tested example of how today's armies are organized to most effectively use their
00:28rolling power.
01:04The basic combat formation of the modern land army is the division. Divisions contain all
01:10of the elements needed to wage land combat, including infantry, armor, artillery, and other
01:16supporting arms. Divisions are substantial in size, from 10,000 to 20,000 troops, with nearly
01:23500 armored vehicles and 2,000 other vehicles. The United States Army breaks down its divisions
01:30into two groups, the heavy maneuver divisions, such as armor and mechanized infantry divisions,
01:35and the light divisions, which include light infantry, airborne, and air assault divisions.
01:42Although all divisions, from light infantry to heavy maneuver, contain the essential components
01:47needed for effective land combat. In this episode, we'll examine the rolling power of the heavy
01:53maneuver division, the largest and most powerful fighting unit on today's battlefield. It combines
01:59a deadly mixture of armored vehicles, infantry, artillery, attack helicopters, and logistic support.
02:07Two types of heavy maneuver divisions exist, armor and mechanized infantry. The names of these divisions
02:14might suggest that they are substantially different in composition and equipment. But in fact, armor
02:20and mechanized infantry units today are very similar to each other.
02:24You'll find that all the heavy divisions, be they infantry or armor, pretty much are a mirror of each other,
02:31except for one difference of one battalion, one armored battalion. We all have a mix of Bradley
02:35Fighting Vehicle Infantry Battalions and M1 Tank Battalions. That mix gives us a good balance for firepower,
02:42for movement, and for communications command and control. With that, we'll have self-propelled
02:48artillery to back them up. A 155 millimeter, plus a battery of multiple launch rocket system that was
02:54so effective in Southwest Asia. There's a battery in each division.
03:02We also have an aviation brigade that includes one battalion of Apache helicopters, day, night, long-range
03:09precision weapons, and a battalion of general support aviation, Blackhawks and some Hueys. And we also
03:16include with that some of the small observation helicopters that are used to designate artillery,
03:23precision artillery, artillery fires.
03:35The composition of mechanized infantry and armored divisions is due to the evolution of land tactics
03:40since World War I. In the First World War, before the invention of the tank, most armies were based
03:49around infantry divisions. During the war, infantry divisions alone proved lacking when faced with
03:55new innovations in tactics and technology, especially the new machine guns and artillery. Tanks were a
04:02technological solution to part of the problem. But a greater problem remained. How should modern combat
04:07arms, the tank, the infantry, the artillery, be organized to best perform on the battlefield? World War II saw
04:16considerable experimentation with new tactics, including units based mainly around tanks. By the end of
04:22the war, a consensus called combined arms began to emerge. The divisions which had proven most successful
04:29were a careful blend of infantry, armor, and artillery. Each had their strengths and weaknesses, but the
04:37strengths of one often overcame the weaknesses of another. So was born the modern heavy maneuver division.
04:51The importance of the maneuver division today doesn't mean that other forms of combat have
04:56been ignored or abandoned. Take the case of infantry. Mechanized infantry is a heavy maneuver version of
05:03infantry, but more traditional forms still exist. Heavy maneuver divisions are well suited to high intensity conflicts,
05:10such as in Europe or in the deserts of the Mideast, as was so clearly demonstrated during Operation Desert Storm.
05:17But light infantry has proven essential in low intensity conflicts and guerrilla wars, which proved to be
05:23unsuitable for heavy maneuver divisions, such as in Korea, Vietnam, Granada, and Bosnia.
05:40The maneuver divisions are so named for their tactical mobility or their ability to deliver a powerful
05:47response to the heart of the action. The heavy maneuver divisions substitute rolling power for human
05:53endurance. An army division is a complex organization built around many smaller combat formations.
06:00The smallest unit is a squad. Several squads make up a platoon. Several platoons form a company.
06:08Several companies form the basic maneuver element called a battalion. A tank battalion has about 50 tanks.
06:17Several battalions together form a brigade. A division is made up of several brigades.
06:23This episode of Arsenal examines four types of combat units in a division to see what their roles are in
06:30the broader
06:31framework of modern land combat.
06:52Some theorists in World War II were convinced that the tank could dominate the battlefield by itself, but it
06:59soon became quite clear that in many situations tanks without infantry would be vulnerable.
07:13A heavy maneuver division, such as the 24th Infantry Division, uses mechanized infantry battalions.
07:20The biggest difference between mechanized infantry and traditional infantry is that the mechanized
07:26battalion uses armored infantry vehicles like we see here to transport soldiers to the battle line.
07:33Infantry vehicles evolved along with mechanized infantry tactics. The U.S. Army infantry vehicle of World War II was the
07:40half-track.
07:41Although it had a limited amount of armored protection, its rear tracks gave it better mobility and rough terrain than
07:47an army truck.
07:48In the 1950s and 1960s, infantry vehicles evolved into fully tracked armored personnel carriers such as the M113.
08:04The 113 APC armored personnel carrier was literally a carrier. It carried the infantry to the fight.
08:12And at that point they dismounted and got out and fought as traditional infantrymen had done for centuries.
08:17These vehicles were completely armored, though not as thickly as a tank.
08:21In the 1980s, the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle came into use.
08:25The main advantage of the Bradley over earlier vehicles is its tremendous firepower.
08:31A 25-millimeter autocannon and a pair of tow-guided anti-tank missiles on the turret.
08:40Today's armored infantry vehicles, such as the Bradley fighting vehicle, are far more effective than their predecessors.
08:47They provide greater cross-country mobility and offer superior firepower.
08:51Earlier infantry vehicles were armed with only a heavy machine gun.
08:55The Bradley has a 25-millimeter cannon, anti-tank missiles, and firing ports for its infantry passengers.
09:02The older generation had armor that was barely adequate to stop machine gun fire.
09:07The Bradley is protected from guns up to 23 millimeters.
09:18The Bradley's built in two versions.
09:20The basic M2 Bradley infantry vehicle and the similar M3 Bradley cavalry vehicle.
09:27The cavalry version is used for scouting missions and carries fewer troops in the rear compartment.
09:45The Bradley is the most sophisticated of the infantry combat vehicles in service today.
09:50Compared to most European infantry combat vehicles, it has superior firepower.
09:56Although the 25-millimeter Bushmaster cannon is not significantly more powerful than the cannon on
10:01other infantry vehicles, its fire control system makes it much more effective.
10:07The gun is stabilized, allowing the Bushmaster to be accurately fired even while the vehicle is moving.
10:13In addition, the Bradley is fitted with a thermal imaging night sight, which allows it to fight day or night.
10:32In addition, the infantry squad has grown smaller, but its firepower has grown immensely.
10:43In the First World War, a typical infantry squad was 20 or more men armed only with rifles.
10:49An infantry squad and a Bradley has seven men, two of them armed with squad machine guns, and the rest
10:56with assault rifles.
10:58In addition, the squad can carry a Dragon anti-tank missile, as well as other weapons such as anti-tank
11:04rocket launchers.
11:05But the heaviest firepower is on the vehicle itself.
11:08Besides the Bushmaster cannon, the Bradley also carries two Toll missiles, which are capable of destroying nearly any tank on
11:16the modern battlefield.
11:25The
12:00Infantry fighting vehicles expand the tactical options of the infantry commander.
12:04In some situations, the infantry can remain inside their armored protection.
12:09But if the circumstance is demanded, they can get out of the vehicle
12:13and conduct their mission on foot using traditional infantry tactics.
12:18The Bradley's Infantry Squad enters and exits from a large drop-down ramp at the rear end of the vehicle.
12:34The Bradley's Infantry Squad
12:38The Bradley's Infantry Squad
12:51Though the tools of the infantrymen have evolved greatly over the years,
12:55their mission has remained one of the enduring realities of land combat.
13:00Once the infantry leave the armored shelter of their vehicles,
13:03their task remains to close and engage the enemy in combat on foot.
13:09Even in an age of rolling firepower,
13:12the foot soldier remains the anchor of all land battle tactics.
13:27Tanks provide the greatest shock force of all the armored vehicles in the maneuvered division,
13:32overwhelming an enemy with firepower and mobility.
13:35They protect themselves with thick shields of armor.
13:38The U.S. Army's current main battle tank is the M1A1 Abrams,
13:43a modernized version of the M1 Abrams first introduced in the 1980s.
13:48In addition to sporting a main gun which has grown from 105 to 120 millimeters,
13:53the latest versions also incorporate important improvements in communications and armor protection.
14:08As imposing as such a tank is,
14:10there is still the need for close cooperation between the infantry and the tanks on today's battlefield.
14:15One of the threats that most worries tankers is the enemy infantryman armed with small portable anti-tank rockets and
14:23missiles.
14:24When enemy infantry is present, tankers need friendly infantry.
14:43Tanks and infantry can be used side by side.
14:46But normally combined arms tactics means using tank units and infantry units.
14:51For example, a company of mechanized infantry and a company of tanks operating on the same mission.
14:56When used in such a fashion, the geography and enemy dispositions will dictate the tactics.
15:07If it is likely that enemy tanks will be encountered during an attack, tanks are likely to be in the
15:13vanguard.
15:14The tank's unique combination of armored protection and firepower makes it an ideal antidote to enemy tanks.
15:21Though infantry vehicles can withstand heavy machine gun fire,
15:24they're not well protected against heavy tank fire.
15:28On the other hand, if the enemy is heavily dug in with infantry and anti-tank missiles,
15:34the infantry vehicles are likely to be in the lead.
15:36They will disembark their teams away from the enemy lines,
15:40and the battle will be conducted on foot.
15:43The infantry vehicles and tanks will provide covering fire from the distance,
15:47using their superior mobility to exploit the breakthrough when the enemy defenses are overcome.
15:54The composition of a combat team is also dependent on terrain.
15:58The ultimate aim is to configure the combat team to provide the maximum flexibility and strength,
16:04overwhelming the enemy with a shattering combination of armor, mobility and firepower.
16:21The maneuver division has an impressive amount of firepower at its disposal.
16:25Besides the direct fire provided by the guns from the armored vehicles,
16:30indirect fire from artillery battalions and the firepower of attack helicopters
16:34can further contribute to the combined arms battle.
16:38Artillery has long been called the king of battle.
16:42Artillery can pound enemy positions before an attack, gravely weakening an enemy.
16:47In maneuver formations, such as the 24th Infantry Division,
16:51the firepower is concentrated in the field artillery brigade.
17:04Artillery can be categorized into three basic types related to the flight paths of their projectiles,
17:10mortars, howitzers and guns.
17:14These days, mortars are mainly used as the pocket artillery of the infantry,
17:19lightweight and easily moved.
17:27Howitzers are the most common weapon of the regular artillery,
17:30varying considerably in size and appearance.
17:33The two basic categories of howitzers are the traditional towed howitzers
17:37and the self-propelled howitzers.
17:41The artillery weapons in maneuver formations are mounted on self-propelled vehicles
17:46to ensure that the artillery can move with the tanks and mechanized infantry.
17:50These vehicles with their long gun barrels can easily be confused with tanks.
17:55There are two main differences.
17:57They lack the heavy armor of tanks,
17:59and their cannon are designed to fire at much longer ranges.
18:03The backbone of the division's artillery is the M109 self-propelled 155mm howitzer.
18:11There are two battalions of howitzers in the division totaling 48.
18:14These battalions can each deliver a ton of projectiles and high explosives in a single devastating sound.
18:32In recent years, a new vehicle called the FAS-V has been developed for the artillery.
18:38The FAS-V is an armored ammunition handling vehicle.
18:41In the past, ammunition for the M109 was brought forward by unarmored vehicles, which were vulnerable to enemy fire.
18:49The new FAS-V better protects the ammunition and has handling equipment inside,
18:55such as a conveyor belt, to speed the loading of the M109 howitzer.
19:00One of the most significant technological revolutions in artillery has been the advent of new computer navigation equipment.
19:07The accuracy of artillery is very dependent on knowing precisely where the artillery is located in relationship to the enemy
19:15target.
19:15In the past, this was done by laborious and time-consuming surveys.
19:20Newer systems, like the improved M109 Alpha-6 Paladin we see here, contain their own positioning systems.
19:28Previously, howitzers had to be clustered together at a surveyed site.
19:33Their proximity to one another made them vulnerable to enemy counter-battery fire.
19:38But with their own automated navigation equipment, the self-propelled howitzers can roam the battlefield independently.
19:45This makes them far less vulnerable to enemy artillery fire and immensely increases their survivability against other modern artillery systems.
19:54In addition, the computer-assisted navigation data makes it possible for the artillery crew to aim and fire their weapon
20:02much more quickly.
20:03This greatly enhances the firepower of the field artillery.
20:12Although the M109 is the most numerous howitzer in the division, a second type, the M110, is also in service.
20:20The M110 is a 203-millimeter howitzer which provides heavier firepower.
20:26It can fire normal ammunition 12 miles and rocket-assisted ammunition up to 18 miles.
20:32The projectile fired by the M110 is about double the weight of the M109s.
20:44Besides traditional cannon artillery, the U.S. Army is now using rocket artillery systems, called MLRS, for multiple launch rocket
20:52systems.
20:52The main advantage of rocket artillery over traditional cannon artillery is range and firepower.
20:59The rocket artillery can reach targets further away and with a much greater high-explosive payload.
21:05The rocket system is mounted on an armored tracked vehicle derived from the Bradley Infantry vehicle.
21:11Each launcher vehicle is equipped with 12 rocket tubes.
21:15Each individual rocket is armed with 644 submunition grenades.
21:20A single rocket can devastate an area the size of a football stadium.
21:32The MLRS was the first U.S. Army artillery system to take full advantage of the revolution in computer navigation
21:39systems, helping it to obtain pinpoint accuracy.
21:43Each launcher vehicle has its own onboard navigation system.
21:47At the beginning of the mission, the vehicle drives up to a pre-surveyed spot where it obtains its location
21:53data.
21:54From that point on, the navigation system automatically keeps track of where the vehicle is located.
22:00When target data is received by the launcher vehicle, it's inputted into the vehicle computer.
22:05The computer then analyzes the target data and its own location data, resulting in a solution to automatically aim the
22:13rocket launcher at its target.
22:35The multiple launch rocket system has been designed to operate with a minimum of personnel.
22:41There are only three men in the crew, compared to 11 on an M110 howitzer.
22:46The loading of the large rockets has been simplified by automation.
22:57Helicopters have added a new dimension to the classic maneuver division.
23:01The division's aviation brigade performs a wide variety of roles using several types of helicopters.
23:07The combat chopper is still used as a basic troop carrier, a role which was inaugurated during the Vietnam War.
23:33Helicopters also provide heavy lift capability, providing transportation for vehicles and light artillery to areas otherwise unreachable.
23:41The most recent role performed is that of the attack helicopter, exemplified by aircraft such as the AH-64 Apache,
23:49which serves with the division's attack helicopter battalion.
23:58Army aviation is an integral part of every single one of our Army divisions.
24:05It performs a variety of missions, all the way from general support, which can be anything from carrying critical items
24:14of supply,
24:15to moving personnel about the battlefield, to command and control, to courier type missions, to attack helicopters capable of going
24:25and extending the reach of the division commander out in front of his forces.
24:31For firepower support, nothing matches the attack helicopter.
24:36A maneuvered division such as the 24th Infantry has a single attack helicopter battalion with a total of 18 Apache
24:44helicopters.
24:45The attack helicopter can provide the ground forces with three main types of firepower.
24:50Lightly armored vehicles can be destroyed with a 30-millimeter cannon, and the 2.75-inch rocket pods provide high
24:58-explosive firepower, much like an airborne artillery platform.
25:02But the most lethal weapon in the attack helicopter's arsenal is the anti-tank missile.
25:08The Apache carries the Hellfire missile.
25:11It is laser-guided, having a range in excess of five miles, and able to destroy any tank in existence.
25:18Attack helicopters can serve as the division commander's reaction force.
25:23Because of their great speed compared to ground vehicles, they can race to nearly any trouble spots and provide concentrated
25:30pinpoint firepower.
25:37If it's within artillery range, I think the commanding general would use artillery and his ground forces to take care
25:44of it.
25:45When it's out on the fringes of that capability, then he would use attack helicopters.
25:51Now, when you think about the firepower that you get from both artillery, ground forces, and the attack helicopter, it's
25:59just a dynamite combination.
26:04The helicopter provides the ground force commander with a combination of mobility and heavy firepower unmatched by any other Army
26:13weapon.
26:18For an Army to effectively employ its rolling power, it must train realistically.
26:24For the past decade, the United States Army has learned the hard rules of war in unique war games conducted
26:31at the National Training Center in California's Mojave Desert.
26:34On this barren terrain, the divisions of the United States Army have pitted themselves against a battle-hardened enemy, taking
26:43away invaluable combat experience, essential for survival on the mechanized battlefield.
26:58For centuries, armies have practiced the difficult art of war by peacetime training.
27:04The more realistic the training, the more effective the learning.
27:08Modern mechanized warfare has proven especially difficult to practice with its vast scale and its complex blend of infantry, armored
27:17vehicles, artillery, and aircraft.
27:20In the 1970s, advances in laser technology opened new opportunities to safely and realistically simulate modern weapons during training.
27:31Like a modern gun, laser beams travel in a straight line and hit with pinpoint accuracy.
27:37Unlike a gun, low-power lasers do no damage to the target they hit.
27:42Advances in laser technology led to military training systems such as MILES, the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System.
27:56MILES consists of two elements, a laser which fires a beam at the target, and laser detectors which determine whether
28:03the soldier has been hit.
28:06The MILES harness and the halo is simulated for battle purposes to tell when a soldier gets shot or injured.
28:13Because every weapon, like the M16 here, has a laser when it's fired and sends out a beam.
28:18And when the beam hits any one of these little black sensors here, and you have a buzzer right here
28:23that'll go off,
28:24and you can't shut it off by yourself unless an evaluator comes and shuts it off for you.
28:27And that goes the same with the halo right here.
28:29If it hits you in the head anywhere here, then it automatically sets off this sensor right here, and you're
28:34dead.
28:35Before the system was put into place, traditional methods of war games were very much like children's games of cowboys
28:41and Indians,
28:42with soldiers arguing which side had won.
28:44The ruthless realism of MILES eliminates any guesswork regarding the effectiveness of each side's fighting.
28:52The real thing is that there's no question of who shot you.
28:56It's not somebody's judgment call.
28:58Well, he shot you first.
28:59I mean, first draw wins if you're on target.
29:04Realism is enhanced by coding the laser signal.
29:08Each type of weapon, from the infantryman's M16 rifle to the massive 105-millimeter gun on an M1 tank,
29:16has its own special laser code.
29:18This way, an M16 rifle cannot take credit for destroying a tank during a war game,
29:24just as such an outcome could not possibly occur in a real battle.
29:35A small buzzer on the infantryman's back is set off when he's hit by an opponent's laser.
29:40On armored vehicles, a flashing yellow beacon light signals that the vehicle has been knocked out.
29:46The MILES computer then shuts off its laser transmitter so the armored vehicle can't fight any longer.
29:53Lasers are invisible, so blank ammunition is used by infantrymen to simulate firing.
29:59Tanks use a small explosive simulator to mimic the flash and smoke of a real battle,
30:04since blank ammunition is not practical for their guns.
30:24Generally, these lasers have very good capability or fidelity with real systems.
30:30And if you get killed, you would have been killed by a real system.
30:36I'm very much in favor of it. I don't know of a better way to do it.
30:39It's an excellent training.
30:41In the late 1970s, while recovering from the Vietnam trauma,
30:46the Army's focus shifted back to its main mission of defending Europe
30:50from the massive forces of the Warsaw Pact.
30:53Taking a cue from the Navy's Top Gun program,
30:55the Army planned a realistic training area to teach soldiers to fight outnumbered and still win.
31:07The desire for more realistic training was combined with the new laser training technology
31:13to form the National Training Center at Fort Irwin.
31:22Fort Irwin is located in southeastern California in the Mojave Desert, south of Death Valley.
31:29Its harsh environment, nearly buried but for a few coyotes and scorpions,
31:34has provided the setting for the U.S. Army's most realistic force-on-force training since the early 1980s.
31:40At the heart of this facility is the Operations Center, locally nicknamed the Star Wars Building.
31:47The Operations Center has extensive communications and video links to the battlefield,
31:52enabling each exercise to be monitored and studied.
31:58The Star Wars Building is primarily used to monitor the brigade operations out in the field.
32:05And our primary job here is to monitor operations
32:09and be able to graphically take a look at the operations and provide some feedback to the player unit
32:17by virtue of tracking their systems out in the field
32:21and taking particular shots, that we call them, of certain operations that occur,
32:26so we can provide them that feedback.
32:29Miles forms the first layer of the NTC network.
32:33Each armored vehicle is fitted with a transmitter, which emits a signal that's tracked on the computer screens at the
32:39Star Wars Building.
32:43The ultimate purpose of recording the battle is to prepare an after-action review for the visiting units engaged in
32:50the mock battles.
32:51The purpose of an after-action review here at the National Training Center is to facilitate for the unit that's
32:58out here to bring out lessons learned,
33:02what was done in the battle, what was done right, what the unit did not do,
33:08and then ask the question, why? Why did it happen or why did it not happen?
33:15At Fort Irwin, the training experience is not all computers and lasers.
33:20The other critical ingredient is a realistic enemy force to fight the visiting unit.
33:26Here at the National Training Center, the enemy force is called the OPFOR, short for Opposing Forces.
33:32The OPFORs pattern on the former Soviet Army.
33:36They use Soviet-style tactics and battle formations.
33:40The Soviet pattern was selected due to the Army's concentration on its Central European mission in the early 1980s,
33:47when the training center was founded.
33:49In the 1990s, with tensions declining in Europe, the OPFOR began preparing an alternative pattern based on Middle East armies
33:58such as the Iraqis.
33:59Still, the existing Soviet pattern proved helpful since so many Third World armies were equipped and trained by the Soviets.
34:07The OPFOR troops differ from actual Soviet soldiers in one important respect.
34:13They are far better trained.
34:15They are no paper tiger.
34:17In fact, many feel that they are the best mechanized unit in the entire United States Army.
34:22They're deadly. And they're real. They don't care.
34:26They're gonna walk through you. And if you mess around and give them a half an inch, they're gonna take
34:30the rest of it.
34:32They'll kill you.
34:33The Opposing Forces unit uses tanks modified to resemble standard armored vehicles of the former Soviet Army.
34:40These visually modified vehicles, called Vismods for short, are mostly built on surplus Sheridan light tank chassis.
34:48The Soviet T-72 tank forms the inspiration for the OPFOR's tank force.
34:54Unlike the actual Soviet equipment, which is thickly armored, the T-72 Vismod has a turret shell made of fiberglass.
35:02The heart of the Soviet mechanized formations is the BMP-1 infantry combat vehicle.
35:09The BMP Vismods cannot actually carry an infantry squad, but visually duplicate the vehicle on the battlefield.
35:24Enemy mechanized colors are protected from air attack by Shilka anti-aircraft vehicles.
35:30The Vismods at Fort Irwin are remarkably similar to the Soviet originals,
35:34even though their fearsome array of four 23-millimeter cannons are nothing more than simple steel pipes.
35:43The BRDM tool is the mainstay of Soviet-style reconnaissance and anti-tank units.
35:49The Vismod version of it is based on the Humvee light truck.
35:53But it is not the equipment which characterizes the Opposing Forces, but their relentless training.
35:59They conduct mock battles week after week, giving them a special home team advantage over visiting units from distant bases.
36:15The Opposing Forces units not only have the advantage of training and terrain, they often have numerical advantage.
36:22The purpose of training at Fort Irwin is not to stage a fair fight between equals.
36:27It's to subject the visiting team to an experience which mimics the real confusion and stress of modern war.
36:37On a cool November afternoon, we visit the base camp of the Op-4 as they plan an attack on
36:43a visiting unit from the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson, Colorado.
36:48The visiting units are designated as the Blue Force.
36:51The Op-4 headquarters is located in the cusp of a rocky mountain to keep it hidden from the prying
36:57eyes of enemy scouts.
36:59The headquarters of the Op-4 presents a thorough briefing to its unit commanders who will lead tomorrow morning's attack.
37:05The 2nd Guards, Borderized Rifle Regiment will conduct the attack on the march through units in contact in the southern
37:12corridor.
37:13To orient you to the map for the operational graphics and control measures used for this operation,
37:19the operational area consists of Northern Boundary TV Hill, Teepert Mountains, John Wayne Foothills, and Hill 824.
37:30In the south, the southern boundary consists of the Hill 909 Complex, the Southern Wall, the Whale, and Red Pass.
37:38Phase lines used for this operation, LDLC is phase line, RIP with main phase line in sectors.
37:48Smash, grind, kill, cut, stab, and crush.
37:56I say again, mission, 30-second Guards, Motorized Rifle Regiment, attacks through units in contact, 17-06-30 hours, November
38:0890,
38:09to destroy enemy forces in zone to seize objective Remagen at Vicente, November Kilo, 5-7-0-9-er.
38:21While the opposing forces officers are brief, their troops prepare for the mock battle.
38:27As in any mechanized unit, there's plenty of work to keep the troops busy.
38:32Armored vehicles require daily attention, especially in the desert.
39:08With a hard day's work done, most of the Op 4 troops bed down for the night.
39:13But there's no rest for the scouts, who head out into the desert to reconnoiter the enemy Blue Force positions
39:19in preparation for the next morning's battle.
39:27Today's early morning attack will pit the full weight of the opposing forces against a small opposing Blue Force from
39:34the 4th Infantry Division.
39:36The Op 4 commanders expect to face a task force of about 30 tanks and 30 light armored vehicles.
39:43The balance is even more in their favor.
39:5040 of their tanks facing 13 Blue Force tanks, 118 infantry vehicles against 13 Blue Force vehicles,
39:58and 9 anti-tank vehicles against 9 Blue Force vehicles.
40:05The Op 4 attack will begin with a feint by a forward detachment into the northern sector of the battle
40:11area, nicknamed the Valley of Death.
40:14The forward detachment numbers about 25 armored vehicles.
40:18Then, the main attack will come in the south through a mountain pass between Furlong Ridge and a small mountain
40:25nicknamed the Whale.
40:26Small skirmishes by scout units the night before have preceded the main battle.
40:32Reconnaissance is an essential prelude to battle.
40:45At 0530 in the morning, the enemy Op 4 forward detachment begins its attack into the Valley of Death.
40:53Their commander hopes to lure the bulk of the Blue Force into the northern sector while his main force crashes
40:59through the Furlong Whale Gap.
41:01The Blue Force commander is not fooled.
41:04Team Reaper, a small force of armor supported by Cobra helicopters, decimates the Op 4 forward detachment after they become
41:13bogged down in a mine field.
41:22At 0630, the main enemy Op 4 battle group heads out in narrow collars toward the Furlong Whale Gap.
41:30The dust kicked up by the lead vehicles will obscure those following behind, making it difficult for the Blue Force
41:37to gauge their size.
42:08The Blue Force is one of the greatest
42:35The Blue Force commander sends out scout
42:37helicopters to determine the location and direction of the main body of the
42:42attacking Op4 unit. Helicopters are the modern counterpart of traditional
42:49cavalry, able to cover the flanks of the army with their speed and mobility.
43:09Reports from the helicopters prompt the Blue Force commander to call in air
43:13support. Battle is joined at 0700 when four Blue Force A-10 attack aircraft begin
43:20strafing the lead enemy Op4 tank column as they're reaching the whale gap. Opposing
43:26forces casualties are heavy.
43:47The first enemy Op4 tanks in the whale gap are destroyed by mines. In moments, laser beams
43:54crisscross the desert in invisible fury as the two armored forces begin their laser
43:59duels.
44:17Over a mile away, the Blue Force M-1 tanks swing into action in an attempt to repulse the
44:24Op4 attack.
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45:02They came through and hit the obstacle. The Wales Gap itself was smoked. The first couple of vehicles came through
45:11four or five at a time, and we hit them. Then the masses came through. What they did is they
45:17found out where we were at from where we were shooting, fixed us, held us in place and got our
45:21attention there, and the rest of them just came around them to the left flank and just walked right on
45:27through. And that's the doctrine they should be.
45:30They've studied the tactics, and they work on it. And when they come at you, they mean business. I mean,
45:37it's not like a bunch of vehicles coming at you and saying, okay, well, you killed me, no bigot. No,
45:41they'll maneuver. They'll zigzag. They'll come at you. They mean to kill you.
45:44It seems like they come out with an attitude that they're here to just wax everybody that's in front of
45:49them. It's not like they're just here like a training tool. They come out here to train anybody to kill
45:53you.
45:53After intense fighting, the enemy opposing forces unit has overwhelmed the blue task force. But few Opfool vehicles have reached
46:02the objective due to the blue force's tenacious defense.
46:05We killed, I believe, 40 to 50 tanks and then about 80 to 90 light armored vehicles. My combat power
46:17was 13 tanks starting out because of prior missions. And so I was extremely pleased with the importance with the
46:23way the task force did.
46:24The soldiers, particularly at their level, observed the standards and did well.
46:32As the war games end, the blue force soldiers will return to their home base, knowing that they have faced
46:38the best. The lessons learned have been priceless. In actual combat, these lessons would have come at a very high
46:46cost in men and machines.
46:49Realistic training is as essential as high-tech weaponry on today's mechanized battlefield. This training has prepared the U.S.
46:58Army for an even greater challenge in another desert far removed from these bloodless laser war games.
47:07There is no better way to demonstrate the rolling power of combined arms than to see how it performs in
47:14actual combat. The 24th Infantry Division spearheaded the attack of the 18th Corps during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
47:23One of the division's toughest battles took place after President Bush's declared ceasefire. Iraqi units violated the ceasefire and tried
47:36to break out of the encirclement at the Romalia oilfields near the city of Basra.
47:45We had overrun and routed about five more divisions who had fled and run towards Basra.
47:54We did security operations for about two more days. And on the morning of two March, the Hammurabi division attempted
48:03to break out of the Basra area, engaged our security elements in direct fire, and whereupon we sealed them into
48:12a pocket.
48:13The Iraqi forces intended to break out of the Romalia pocket across a causeway leading back into central Iraq. They
48:22substantially outnumbered the task force of Lieutenant Colonel Ware standing in their way.
48:28I request permission to return fire because my charter company was in danger, and he would have been the guy
48:33that would have been really, if you want to say, hit hardest because he was closest to the southern edge
48:38of the Romalia oilfields.
48:40Colonel Ware reported that the Iraqi armored vehicles had turned their weapons against his units and that there were explosions
48:48on the ground nearby.
48:50The brigade headquarters authorized Colonel Ware to return fire.
48:54We had artillery sealed off the southern end. MLRS and the 141 did some firing down there, too. And up
49:02in the north, we had the Apache helicopter sealed off the northern end, where these guys were getting across the
49:08bypass in the causeway that we didn't know was there.
49:11The Iraqis were retreating across a bypass on a causeway which was supposed to have been destroyed.
49:18We rolled into the battle position. Alpha Company was already engaging targets. They were almost out of weapons and ordnance.
49:26So we relieved them on station. They broke for fuel. We occupied the battle position and continued the battle so
49:31there was no delay in the firepower that was being focused on those targets in the Romalia oilfield.
49:36Bravo Company stayed there on line. We were in the battle position for no more than 25 minutes. Every aircraft
49:41I had fired almost all of its weapons. We came back with only a couple of hellfires, some 30-millimeter,
49:48and very few rockets. There were plenty of targets to hit.
50:03With the Iraqis tied down by the infantry and the causeway sealed off by artillery and helicopters, Colonel Lemoyne ordered
50:11one of his battalions to counterattack.
50:17On the brigade commander's order, an attack was launched into the oilfield from two directions. The attack destroyed a large
50:25amount of Iraqi armor and combat support vehicles. After only four hours of fighting, the oilfield was secured, a textbook
50:34example of combined arms battle.
50:47As was so clearly demonstrated by the 24th Infantry Division in the Gulf War, the power of modern armies depends
50:55on a combination of technology, training, tactics, and organization.
51:00High-tech weapons alone cannot win wars. Rigorous and realistic training, effective organization, and skillful leadership are equally essential. It
51:11is this dynamic combination that gives the heavy maneuvered division its rolling power.
51:16Conor – What do you see –
51:45Another time is starting today?
51:46He starts playing from the conquers
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