While serving with the old 2ACR in Germany, I got the chance to serve as a gunner on a IP M-1. This was the first gunnery exercise that we did after reequipping with the Abrams, and while we had all completed the conversion training, experience was sadly lacking.
While firing the Table VIII night gunnery, we had some problems with the weather, a typical Grafenwoher nighttime fog. But not to worry! We had the new thermal sights and the targets had just been refitted with hot air blowers, they should show up great!
Right!?!
When it came time for our turn on the stationary firing range, the fog was so heavy that you could not see the front of the turret from the hatches. And in the gunners seat...nothing could be seen. Finally, Range Control raised all the targets and turned the hot air blowers to maximum.
And nothing could be seen.
Finally, a dim blotch showed up on the thermal and with a great cry of glee, the tank commander yelled "FIRE!"
I pulled the triggers and watched the target explode into pieces. The only thing that I could think of was that I had hit the generator and had splattered burning fuel everywhere.
Needless to say, Range Control was screaming "Cease Fire" and that was the end of the gunnery program for the night.
The next morning, we found out what I had shot. I had nailed a boar, with a 105mm training HEAT round, 150 meters from the tank.
Yup! I had killed my pig, gutted and skinned it and cooked and served it all over the range!
And since boars are a protected species, I got to fill out about 25kg of forms for the German Forestry Service!
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