Screen Shot Questions

[DavidW75]

If I may stoke the flames ...didn't a best selling author once write his first non-fiction book about some stetsons and sabres

[Sabre21]

Byron

When you reply to a post, look just underneath the window where you type in your response. There is a line that says "Attach File". Click on the browse and go to the file in your system where the pic is then click on it then select submit reply when you are ready. Heck..even Cav troopers can figure that one out:)


Anyways...that was a good response Byron, and the rivalry between Cav and non-Cav types hopefully will always be there.

One of the best things I liked about the Cav was the assortment of job types you can find. Tankers, infantrymen, aviators, cannon cockers, ada, engineers...heck...we even have our own chaplin. Usually during the tour together, you learn a lot more about your brothers in arms than you would in a pure unit. I think all combat MOS's should get a tour in the Cav, it's a good learning experience....not to mention all the crazy parties.

One other thing I would add, when I was enlisted, I was an 11B in the 82nd. We had pretty good esprit de corps, I eventually made it into the recon platoon where the unit was even more tight knit than the line platoons. When I went to flight school and arrived at my first cobra assignment in an attack helo battalion, something was missing.

It didn't take me long to figure that the esprit de corps was lacking. Even a tour in the 101st AH battalion was the same..I was a bit dissapointed thinking the Army must have changed. But then I got assigned to the Air Cav unit in the 101st, and what a night and day difference.

These were combat troopers, not unlike what I was used to as a grunt. The esprit was great, and yes, we were the brunt of many non Cav types who looked at us with disgust. But for those misguided souls I forgive, for they can not understand what they do not know.

From then on, the remainder of my career was in the Cav, never again would I have to suffer in a non motivated organization. Now this might be just an aviation phenomenon, for I do believe that most combat units are motivated like the Cav, at least they were in the 82nd. But for an aviator...it's either the Cav or nothing:)

Sabre21

[byron13]

Here it is . . . I hope. This Cobra got to close to an M60 of the 2-81 Armored Air Defense Artillery battalion (the "Mongooses") while being nuisance to friendly forces, and the M60 pounced on the unsuspecting Cobra.

Sorry about the quality of the picture, but the Hohenfels MPs weren't letting anyone get too close to the scene. While it is hard to really see what's happening, this is a picture of a meeting between a 53 ton tank and a slightly lighter Cobra. I understand the Cobra had to be sent back to Texas for about $1 million worth of work. Fortunately for the tax payers, the responsible party was docked one month's pay.

Later today, I'll give you . . . . the rest of the story. Or, rather, the real story.

[byron13]

Hmmm. Seems it didn't work. Let me try a different file location.

Is it my firewall that's preventing me from verifying the picture posted? Or is the picture not posting properly?

[Sabre21]

Byron

It's there at both posts. Looks like an F model sitting next to an M60A3. When was this taken? I would guess around mid eighties and thats probably a 1st Armored Div unit.

Sabre21

[byron13]

Its' an F Model sitting <under> an -A3. I think this was taken in December '84 during an ARTEP.

Bad ARTEP. Around midnight on December 22nd, one of our sister battalions that we were OPFORing against had an M113 go over an embankment and roll over. The TC was pinned under the vehicle in about a foot of water. The crew couldn't get him out before he drowned. We had the depressing experience of listening to the Medivac helicopter radio to the hospital that they had no vital signs. All I could think about was the Christmas presents from him that were probably sitting under his tree at home for his kids and what an awful Christmas it would be for his family.

And, of course, we reduced the national inventory of Cobras by one for a period.

[Jo van der Pluym]

Originally posted by byron13
She was was horridly ugly and wore a pound of makeup; he was a goofy little guy that looked plastic.

Anyway, they were a couple that gave religion a real bad name, and they were the butt of many jokes.

Byron13

Thanks for youre answer. And after read youre description about Tammy, must I sad to say, that the ruling class are look-alikes, or better to say the Politicians.

[byron13]

How the Tank Came to Have the Cobra Painted On Its Turret

From: Kipling's I Told You So Tales


Gee, guys, I was hoping for a few more oohs and ahs than that! It's not every day you see a Cobra wrapped around a tank. Whatever. You all are a hard crowd.

Now for the rest of the story. Our illustrious company was performing an ARTEP and Hohenfels in December 1984. Were were bored with kicking Cav butt, and were looking for some new prey. If I remember, we were parked on the top of a hill on the far western part of the reservation, and there was a FARP set up between us and OP 19. The crews had dismounted to do a MOPP and decon exercise. All, that is, except the company commander, who was in the commander's cupola, and the lieutenant in charge of our FIST, who was on the back deck of the company commander's tank. I'm sure they were discussing something terribly important.

Well, next thing you know, the treads start clanking. Clank . . . .clank . . clank clankety-clank . . clankety-clankety-clankety. With a sick feeling in his stomach and his face turning pale, the company commander looks up, sees the FIST lieutenant swept off the back deck by a tree limb, and, lo, begins the wild ride of Captain X and B-66. The tank picks up speed down the hill, and the commander yells into the intercom for the driver to stop. The driver, however, is in MOPP 4 on top of the hill with his mouth agape. The end of the story is obvious: the tank crashes down the hill with its sole occupant trapped in the turret until it comes to rest against a Cobra.

Turns out that the parking brakes were not functional on the tank. This, however, was not a deadline item in the -10, so no one thought much of it. Within a week, however, division passed down the word that non-functional parking brakes were a deadline item.

Like I say, the company commander was docked a month's pay for what I've heard was about $1 million in repairs.

And that, my friends, is how B-66 came to have a Cobra painted on the side of the turret!

[jrcar]

Bah all you lot are just pawns in the game of chess that us Intel guys are playing...

Cheers

RobC

[IronManBeta]

Originally posted by Sabre21
JTaylor

You mentioned 58th Engineer Battalion...the 11th ACR site shows it as a company. A battalion would make better sense considering the size of an ACR and maybe it's a misprint.

Sabre21

So did we figure out if this was an engineer company or a battalion? My copy of David Isby's Armies of NATO's Central Front show it as a company with 13 M113, 3 CEV, 6 AVLB, and 6 armored dozers. One company seems pretty skimpy for a regiment with such a broad front and ambitious mission.

Cheers, Rob.