Quote:
Originally Posted by Polak2
Question: are the tanks in the platoon marked in any way to differentiate the Platoon Leader, Platoon Sgt and both wingmen?
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There were no obvious markings other than stenciled vehicle numbers that you could only see close up.
Each Bradley CFV and IFV had a number stenciled on the back. We were working with M1 tank platoons, and as I recall the tanks and every vehicle had a marking denoting it’s specific unit but there was nothing other than that.
Mine, for example, was HQ #301 if I remember correctly. The scout platoon was technically part of the headquarters company even though we reported directly to the battalion commander.
The vehicle designations described in the M1TP2 manual appear accurate and were similar to how our vehicles were marked. FM 17-98 was my main guide book back in the day. I studied it religiously in the fall and winter of 1990!
There’s a flaw in the logic of the scout platoon mission in that “what can be seen can be hit, what can be hit can be killed” - our mission was to gain and maintain contact with the enemy - apparently without being seen….in a two story tall screaming M3 CFV!
We carried twice the ammo as a standard M2 IFV, but we were not to engage.
Upon studying tactics, I came to the conclusion the scouts mission is basically to get out in front of the battalion and if we get destroyed, the main force knows where the enemy is! The awfulness of that was discussed in the first M1 Tank Platoon manual!! Sending vehicles out to see what shoots at them. That was an effective tactic in the first game even though it was frowned upon.
I came to the conclusion we should’ve been on motorcycles or something quiet and camo’d up. You can’t sneak around in an M3 Bradley CFV. You will be seen - and hit. I would’ve preferred a hummer with the windshield down and top off but even that’s a bit loud.
More trivia - around that time, there were only two PC games depicting platoon level armored combat. M1 Tank Platoon (the best) and Armored Fist 1994 (the most fun for me). Ed Dille wrote the Armored Fist Strategy Guide which was fun reading. I also noticed he is credited in the M1TP2 manual. His name also appears as a tank crewman on the platoon roster in the game!!
I enjoyed Armored Fist immensely because it was a civilian’s take on the subject. That game was just really interesting. They got some stuff right, some was total fantasy, probably because everything was classified then.
Fun memories…ancient history now.