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Mission 4 - Production Notes
Samarra Bank Heist, Part 1

"You're a Fedayeen soldier. You've set an ambush, and you see an M1A2 tank coming at you. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I had better have a really great ambush."
- Staff Sergeant Dan Snyder"You're a Fedayeen soldier. You've set an ambush, and you see an M1A2 tank coming at you. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking I had better have a really great ambush."
- Staff Sergeant Dan Snyder

The Samarra Bank Heist Attempt was a must-do for Kuma\War for a number of reasons. It included aspects of everyday situations that US forces are facing in the region. Iraqi insurgents are clever. They're using roadside bombs and ambushes and are willing to engage in asymmetric attacks. The scene has a Wild West feel to it. As US troops work to restore electricity, rebuild schools, bring in medical care, and bolster the economy, Saddam's loyalists are trying everything they can to rip the reconstruction effort off track.

The two cash convoys were bringing new dinars - the Iraqi currency -- to banks in Samarra to replace existing dinars with Saddam Hussein's image on them. The old currency was easily counterfeited, and insurgents were using that liability to drive up inflation and further thwart coalition efforts. The money had to be swapped out successfully, not only as a symbolic move to remove Saddam from everyday society, but also to bolster both the nation's economy and US authority in Iraq.

Tactical Considerations:
The Fedayeen militia launched the bank heist attempts with some advantages. They were on their home turf. They knew the times and exact locales of where the US convoys were going to be. They certainly had the benefit of the element of surprise. You'll get that same feeling in the game. This is an ambush, so they can succeed. You may have solid firepower, but if you get caught in the kill sack, you're an easy target.

Key Elements:
Some key elements you'll want to pay attention to as you move through Samarra. In Part One, there is a roadside bomb that can cause significant damage. Know that IEDs are limited by their materials, though, and are best used as anti-personnel weapons. They're not projectiles, but rather carry a shaped charge. They'll explode upwards, not out. Watch where you step ... or drive. In Part Two, keep an eye on the mosque. When insurgents heard shots, they flooded out from the holy site and into the streets. In both missions, the ambush scenarios are recreated with a reality that places you in the thick of enemy fire coming from every direction. You'll face the same split-second decision-making US troops encounter in the midst of such an attack.

The M1A2:
Which brings us to your tank. We believe the 4th ID troops in Samarra used the M1A1, but we chose to give you the updated and more efficient M1A2. We think you'll get more use out of it now and in the future. Here's how to use your tank: Right click on the target. It will calculate the range, and the main gun will elevate accordingly. You may have to compensate for ballistics here as you hone in on something farther away. This is a tank, not a rifle, so you also have to plan for time to reload. US troops will often proceed with an armored convoy with soldiers both in the tank and on foot.

The Samarra Bank Heist attempt is split into two parts because the attacks happened at almost the exact same time - within seven minutes of one another - and each has unique elements worth showing. In part 1, you're protecting the convoy delivering cash to the Samarra bank while in part 2, you're defending the Al Mulya bank to the west. We've chosen a representative section of Samarra to model for each and placed as many of the tactical elements from the actual events as we could. The simultaneous ambushes provided a natural break, and while they took place in the same city at the same time, you will face different action and two distinct Kuma\War experiences.