 |
||
|
Mission Overview | Mission Detail | Chronology |
|
|
||
Mission 4 - Tactical Considerations
Samarra Bank Heist, Part 2
| "If they use a holy site for military purposes, its protection disintegrates." |
US soldiers abide by certain rules of engagement, one being not to attack places of worship. All bets are off, though, if the enemy fires first. If they use a holy site for military purposes, its protection disintegrates. Use defines the target. It’s not about the building, but the attitude. Sometimes US troops will even try to avoid religious landmarks in laying out their routes. But in Samarra, insurgents launched part of their ambush from a nearby mosque, and if you take a look at the aftermath video, you’ll see how US forces responded.
One of the weapons they used in Samarra was the M1A2 tank, and while it does give troops a tremendous advantage, it’s not invulnerable. There are ways to succeed in ambushing a tank. Narrow city streets limit maneuverability, and the best way to attack a trapped tank is from behind, targeting the engine compartment or the exhaust system. You’d have a hard time from the front with a shoulder mount weapon like the Fedayeen had. You could disable the vehicle, but even firepower from another tank wouldn’t breach the armor. Strategically, you could get in close to the tank and catch the soldiers inside unaware so the hatch is open. You could also disable viewing parts by defacing or burning them. Another way to attack a tank is to target the treads or take them out of commission with obstacles like trenches. As the Fedayeen discovered in Samarra, their blockade of cars was useless as an M1A2 can roll right over a car.
When in combat with a tank, you don’t put all your men inside it. Infantrymen in a tank are buttoned up and restricted. They’re looking the way the tank is facing. You want to keep men on the outside for peripheral vision. And if the tank is attacked, there are ways the enemy can get to the men inside. They can create an environment of unbreathable air inside the tank with a gas weapon, like a Molotov cocktail, or they can heat up the outside of the tank so that the temperature inside is lethal. There are some limits to how much protection a tank can provide in these kinds of extreme situations.
From an interview with Staff Sergeant Dan Snyder, US ARMY