OT - The story so far. A TW2013 adventure

[Cdnwolf]

You weren’t the best… you weren’t even properly trained… but you were the most competent of the bunch and you knew how to paddle a canoe and make things go “BOOM”. Congratulations for ‘volunteering’.

That was over a week ago and after a long and dangerous night trip down the great Danube River you ended up here on a wooded hilltop watch smoke billow from the partially damaged bridge that was your objective. What catches your interest even more is the two horse drawn cart full of Russian soldiers disembarking at the road in the distance. Its time you moved on.

After an unsuccessful attempt to destroy a bridge that was the major supply route for the Russian army attack on Venice, the adventurers make their way to the city of Gyor to meet up with a guide who will take them to the abandon NATO airbase at Papa.

Date: 02 Jul 2013 1300 hrs. - 0100 hrs.

Led by Capt. Philip Thomas - demo expert and leader of the ad hoc party they made their way down the hill towards the city of Gyor in the far distance. Most of the going was rough wooded terrain and they managed to scare off a pair of deer foraging before coming to a 2 metre wide trail. An awareness check reveals the faint sign of hoof prints nearly 2 days old.

After travelling about 5 kms down the trial the group takes a quick meal and decides to look for a place to settle down for the night.... The time is about 1800. Ahead is a sharp 90 degree bend in the trail... a great spot to set up camp to watch for any sign of pursuit. As the team makes it way to the spot... an awareness check is made and suddenly Father Ted the team medic swears he can smell cigarette smoke.

A check by the team scout revealed a log blocking the road around the bend and a sentry guarding it. Nearby was a rambled shack with two other guards. The sentry was quickly and quietly eliminated by a silenced pistol shot to the head. The rest of the team rushed the shack and killed the three sleeping guards. The team found a makeshift stable behind the shack and acquired two riding horses with all the gear. They also acquired 2 AKR's and a pistol and a weeks’ worth of dried meat and dried fruit. A medic’s kit full of homemade bandages was also found, a carton of handrolled cigarettes and 7 Advil pills were recovered from the sentry. Two full canteens of homemade beer were also acquired.

Wanting to put as much distance from the cabin as possible the team got on the horses and rode until around 0100 and made camp miles away from the trail and near the river. Sentries were posted with 2 on and 2 off and everyone got at least 4 hours sleep.

Date: 03 Jul 2013 0800 hrs. - 2000 hrs.

The team moved out around 08:00 towards their rendezvous with the resistance leader from the Hungarian November 4'th Resistance Party. Around 11:30 they arrived about 3 km from the last standing bridge over the river that formed the northern border of the City of Gyor. Twenty minutes later their contact emerged from the river’s edge.

Leading the team across the river by an old forgotten ford, they made their way by sewers and abandoned houses to the headquarters located deep inside the city. The leader of the resistance was a Canadian (Lt Ryan Everest) who advises the group of the existence of the main tank repair depot for the 4'th Guards Tank Division located 5 miles away. He also let the group know that an old museum steam train engine was being use to shuttle supplies between the town and the depot. In exchange for their help in destroying the depot, Ryan agreed to accompany the team to help steal the train and guide them to their rendezvous at the old NATO airbase at Papa.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by Cdnwolf

...suddenly Father Ted the team medic swears he can smell cigarette smoke.

The sentry was quickly and quietly eliminated by a silenced pistol shot to the head. The rest of the team rushed the shack and killed the three sleeping guards.

A very good reason why smoking in a tactical setting is a VERY BAD IDEA!

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

A very good reason why smoking in a tactical setting is a VERY BAD IDEA!

You should also watch what you eat. On one exercise at Ft Stewart, I cracked an ambush because I smelled the gas of one of the ambushers.

[Legbreaker]

Not just what, but when and where you eat too. Smells can "float" downstream for miles over water so that curry you're munching on could well result in you copping an artillery strike....
Cooking at first and last light, or even worse at night is also a BIG no no!

Which then brings us to light discipline. Using a torch at night is likely to attract unwanted attention. Smoking at night, in addition to the smell, gives an enemy a nice glowing red aiming mark to hit. Head shot anyone?
Striking a match or using a cigarette lighter can be seen for miles in open country, and even if in the bottom of a hole in the ground, the glow can be a giveaway to an observer.

A lot of common behaviours in civilian life can so easily get you killed when there are hostiles in the area. Paranoia is the key to survival for the infantryman because they really are out to get you!