A True PR Tale in the Kashan Desert
Posted: 2007-07-26 18:13
Last night, Texas Team Players on Kashan 64 player version. Prior to this point in the round, I have died 4 times, once crewing a tank, and 3 times because the MEC had overrun the village near the US main and I spent those lives rooting them out. On my fifth spawn, a buddy of mine and I are crewing a US tank over TeamSpeak. He is Squad Leader in the diver/commander position; I am manning the main gun. The other 4 members of our squad are either manning the cupola MG, or providing infantry and repair support to our tank and its surrounding area. Through some deft maneuvering, my driver/SL gets our Abrams to the southernmost MEC point just as our team finishes taking both center bunkers.
Our cupola gunner hops out to help capture the flag, and we park the Abrams so that it is out of sight of incoming enemy ground units, and fairly well covered from the air. The three of us white the flag, preventing the MEC from retaking either bunker although they eventually white both of them before we can completely raise the stars and stripes at our location. The rest of our squad drives or spawns in, and a second US squad joins us in defense as the rest of the team struggles to clear the center bunkers.
Expecting a swift counter attack, we position our tank atop a small hill overlooking the village to our right and the main approaches that would be used by enemy armor to advance from the MEC main. We hold this position for roughly 20-30 minutes, taking out a curious AAA vehicle that got too close and many MEC infantry that were approaching from the mountains to the north - those that had to call off their assault on the bunkers after they became uncappable for MEC. Strangely, our position is never assaulted by a large combined arms force. Our squad members spend their time spotting infantry in the hills with binoculars so that I and our cupola gunner can take them out with directed MG fire. By this time we have captured the central bunkers and have just finished raising the US flag at our position.
I am scanning the horizon for enemy armor when I spot it. An MEC tank is driving hard down a slope towards the village we are defending. It has not spotted our position on the hill to the south of the village. The enemy tank reaches the bottom of the slope and turns, now driving left to right across my field of fire. I line up a shot and take it at over 800 meters. The hard hitting sabot round easily finds its mark and impacts the enemy's side armor. Realizing he has been spotted and fired upon in the open, the enemy driver does not stop but changes direction slightly, desperately diving his tank into a ravine perpendicular to and below my field of fire before I can reload. He has escaped certain death for now.
Friendly infantry in the area continue to spot the MEC tank as it moves through the ravine. I traverse my turret to follow his approximate position, vowing to be waiting for him when he finally reappears. The ravine empties out behind a small hill in the first slopes of the mountains to our north. I still have no shot. A friendly Humvee is headed in that direction, and I hope that they can spot the tank and give me a shot before they are attacked. The Humvee climbs the hill I believe the enemy MBT is hiding behind. As it reaches the top, it is suddenly confronted by the barrel of the tank's main gun, as the enemy tank is cresting the hill from the far side.
The Humvee's driver swerves, bouncing off the side armor of the tank. The tank's turret begins to traverse towards my fellow marines, and in an effort to save them from certain death, I fire a poorly aimed shot that impacts the enemy tank's front armor 600 meters away. Heavily damaged, the MEC tank instantly catches fire and explodes. Attempting to escape the ensuing fireball and wave of shrapnel, the friendly Humvee races ahead, careening off the steep side of the hill. I could not see what happened to the Humvee crew at this point, but heard reports of casualties over the comm system and I was even accused of causing friendly fire damage to the vehicle as it crash landed at the bottom of the hill. Glad that there were no friendly fatalities, I resume my scans of the horizon to achieve first shot dominance on any incoming enemy armor.
It is not long before a second enemy MBT crests a berm in the distance, coming directly from the MEC main. It opens fire with its coaxial MG on the friendly infantry scattered around the village flag. The marines take cover and dig in to wait out the siege. I lock in the target and fire a Sabot round - but as I fire, the shrill buzz of a heavy AT's targeting system sweeps over our Abrams, and reacting out of instinct my driver jerks the tank backwards off the crest of the hill. My Sabot round goes high and whistles over the MEC tank, impacting on the hillside behind him.
One of our squad members reports taking out the heavy AT infantry that was targeting us, but I no longer have line of sight to the enemy tank. Through his higher vantage and tank commander optics, squad lead reports that the tank has ceased firing on the village and is searching the horizon for us, having noticed the round that missed his turret by inches. We are in a slight depression at the top of the hill we have been defending. We cannot move without exposing some part of our armor to direct fire from the enemy tank.
Evidently, enough of our turret is visible for the enemy crew to spot us. He opens fire and shells begin impacting the small rise in front of is and whistling overhead. I still have no shot, and we are now pinned down. We have remained unscathed when, suddenly, the shelling stops. I assume that the enemy tank has been destroyed by our friendly A-10 that is making passes in the area. However, other members of our team confirm its presence by spotting it again, and our squad members confirm that it is once again firing on infantry with its coaxial MG. I can only surmise that the gunner got tired of firing at a target he could not hit, or assumed we had been destroyed.
My driver pops smoke and races out of the depression as I try to line up a shot blind, basing the trajectory on the enemy tank icon on my GPS. We crest the hill and squad lead confirms the enemy's turret is not facing us; he stops to let me fire. I lock in the target and fire another Sabot round. This one hits home, impacting directly into the side of the MEC tank's turret.
Ominously, its turret begins to rotate as I reload, and I watch as it traverses towards our position, its gunner obviously zoomed in and scanning for a target. I hear words that make me grin wolfishly: "Sabot, Up!" The enemy's turret is still at an off angle, and I know he doesn’t have us dialed in yet. Another round explodes from the end of my barrel and I watch it's trajectory carry it directly into the side of the enemy tank. Before my eyes is a sight I can only describe as glorious - the MEC MBT explodes in a fireball that consumes its crew and turns the hull into a charred black husk of smoking wreckage. Satisfaction.
Shortly after this encounter, the rest of our team captures the northernmost MEC outpost. We have successfully defended our position and the enemy can no longer capture it. Our squad lead gives orders to move towards the final MEC flag: MEC Main. We begin traversing the open desert between mountain ranges, circling left to attack the MEC Main flag from the east while the main US force assaults from the west.
I spot another enemy tank and our driver halts. I fire, scoring a direct sabot hit on his right flank. The enemy tank increases speed and disappears into the mountains before I can reload. I am advised of a mobile AAA to my 10 o'clock. I traverse the turret and score an easy one hit kill. In the distance, and enemy Vodnick is racing away from the MEC Main. I switch to HE rounds, and land one directly in front of the jeep's path. Smoking and heavily damaged, the jeep halts and its crew bail out, to be quickly taken out by friendly infantry in the area.
I reload a fresh Sabot round as we round the mountain range we are skirting and I spot the tank I scored a single hit on earlier. Its rear armor is facing us, turret pointed in the wrong direction. An easy kill.
We push in closer to MEC Main and our cupola gunner decimates the enemy infantry wandering around with directed .50 caliber fire. I drop some HE rounds into rubble I think is concealing enemy troops, and am rewarded when their bodies careen into the air and slump unceremoniously into a heap on the ground. I traverse the turret towards the MEC airfield as we roll into the capture zone for MEC main. I think I spot an enemy MBT leaving the front gates and call this information out to my driver who quickly positions us behind a burned out structure relative to the incoming enemy tank. We are covered on our left flank, but surrounded by infantry.
Grenades begin pinging off of our hull, gifts from the infantry that keep spawning at this location. Our cupola gunner is killed exchanging rounds with what I think is an enemy infantry using the MEC's squad LMG weapon. I curse under my breath - too many infantry for me to continue covering with the coaxial by myself while also watching for that MBT coming from their main. I empty the last of my first reserve of 7.62mm coaxial ammunition into an advancing engineer with his C4 pack in hand. I am in the process of traversing back to cover our frontal position when our tank is rocked by an explosion on our rear armor.
The hull slumps sideways as our right side suspension falls apart and the Abram’s mobility is destroyed. I try to traverse the turret to face our rear but before I can focus on anything, we are rocked by another shell impacting our front armor. Warning alarms start singing inside the Abrams. We are on fire.
The tank commander gives orders to bail out. I open the top hatch and drag myself outside, getting badly burned in the process. I ready my M16, switching it to 3 round burst for close quarters. My ears are ringing, and I am bleeding, but I am not about to give up this fight. The tank commander takes point, rounds a corner and is mowed down by an enemy’s assault rifle. I curse and duck inside some burned out buildings, expecting them to come for me next.
Applying my field dressing stops the flow of blood, but I know I am still badly wounded. I have only a few magazines for my M16 and did not have time to salvage much other equipment from the burning Abrams. Friendly forces have surrounded the area, but these are comprised mostly of infantry. I hear two enemy tanks and an APC maneuvering and firing nearby. Soon, my GPS shows few friendless left in the area. I am the only marine in a kilometer radius, surrounded by enemies, and hiding in the middle of their main reinforcement point. I assume it is only a matter of time until I am discovered.
Tension builds as I wait for rescue, prone, in the corner of a blown out building. There is no roof, and only 2 low walls are keeping me hidden from the enemy. I bide my time, as I see and hear enemy infantry walking all around my position. No one has spotted me yet, but they will as soon as I fire. Around 5 minutes have elapsed since the Abrams was destroyed.
Suddenly, an enemy sniper dives prone into cover directly in front of me. He is facing away from me and does not see me. Startled, I empty a three round burst into his groin. He dies with a groan. Knowing that I have no more field dressings, and could use the grenades he carries, I grab the equipment from his corpse. Immediately, I regret not killing him more stealthily with the knife. Surely an enemy recognized the sound of M16 fire and they are hunting for me. I leave my position and round a corner, brandishing the large sniper rifle I have stolen. Three meters in front of me an enemy officer is scoping the distant mountains with his binoculars. He does not see me, but begins to pull his weapon out. I panic, and quickly sighting through the scope, loose a bullet at his head nearly point blank. In my haste, I must have aimed low. The round impacts his shoulder, and he dives to the ground, confused and grunting in pain. I end his life with my stolen pistol before he can call for help.
Surely, I reason, someone has noticed the gunfire so close to their area of operations by now. I peek around a corner and am rewarded with a face full of gravelly shrapnel as an enemy opens fire with his assault rifle, the rounds impacting the wall near my head. I duck and fire a poorly aimed round from the sniper rifle – it misses. I attempt to get back around the corner, but am hit from another direction. My vision swims, and I realize I am bleeding out. I desperately apply my stolen field dressing, but it is not enough to staunch the flow. My vision clears for a split second before my loss of blood begins to overtake me once more and I can barely stand up.
I can no longer see straight. I am stranded and miles from friendly reinforcements. I know I am going to bleed to death. I am armed only with a stolen bolt action rifle, sidearm, and…grenades. I grin maniacally and ready a grenade. I pull the pin and heave it over the wall I am hiding behind, towards the enemy infantry who mortally wounded me. I tick off the seconds in my head and the grenade explodes with a satisfactory BOOM. I can’t tell if I’ve hit my mark. I peek around the corner – two more infantry advancing on my position! I duck back and pull the pin on my second and last grenade, mentally preparing to die throwing it. I wait just enough time for the enemy to advance on my position before I step out of cover and heave it in their direction. I am instantly knocked down by automatic weapon fire, but as I lay dying on the ground, I focus all my energy on living long enough to see if my grenade hit its mark. I can feel the end coming, and everything is fading to black. I hear a muffled explosion. That must be the grenade, I muse. Those ******** deserved it. I breath my last, looking up into the beautiful sky of the Kashan Desert.
As my respawn timer ticks down, the round ends. The US prevails, overwhelming the MEC 300-0. I end the round with 30 kills and 5 deaths, and around 250 total points. My friend, who was squad lead and the commander of the tank, ends with 1 kill, 5 deaths, and over 300 points. God I love this game.
Our cupola gunner hops out to help capture the flag, and we park the Abrams so that it is out of sight of incoming enemy ground units, and fairly well covered from the air. The three of us white the flag, preventing the MEC from retaking either bunker although they eventually white both of them before we can completely raise the stars and stripes at our location. The rest of our squad drives or spawns in, and a second US squad joins us in defense as the rest of the team struggles to clear the center bunkers.
Expecting a swift counter attack, we position our tank atop a small hill overlooking the village to our right and the main approaches that would be used by enemy armor to advance from the MEC main. We hold this position for roughly 20-30 minutes, taking out a curious AAA vehicle that got too close and many MEC infantry that were approaching from the mountains to the north - those that had to call off their assault on the bunkers after they became uncappable for MEC. Strangely, our position is never assaulted by a large combined arms force. Our squad members spend their time spotting infantry in the hills with binoculars so that I and our cupola gunner can take them out with directed MG fire. By this time we have captured the central bunkers and have just finished raising the US flag at our position.
I am scanning the horizon for enemy armor when I spot it. An MEC tank is driving hard down a slope towards the village we are defending. It has not spotted our position on the hill to the south of the village. The enemy tank reaches the bottom of the slope and turns, now driving left to right across my field of fire. I line up a shot and take it at over 800 meters. The hard hitting sabot round easily finds its mark and impacts the enemy's side armor. Realizing he has been spotted and fired upon in the open, the enemy driver does not stop but changes direction slightly, desperately diving his tank into a ravine perpendicular to and below my field of fire before I can reload. He has escaped certain death for now.
Friendly infantry in the area continue to spot the MEC tank as it moves through the ravine. I traverse my turret to follow his approximate position, vowing to be waiting for him when he finally reappears. The ravine empties out behind a small hill in the first slopes of the mountains to our north. I still have no shot. A friendly Humvee is headed in that direction, and I hope that they can spot the tank and give me a shot before they are attacked. The Humvee climbs the hill I believe the enemy MBT is hiding behind. As it reaches the top, it is suddenly confronted by the barrel of the tank's main gun, as the enemy tank is cresting the hill from the far side.
The Humvee's driver swerves, bouncing off the side armor of the tank. The tank's turret begins to traverse towards my fellow marines, and in an effort to save them from certain death, I fire a poorly aimed shot that impacts the enemy tank's front armor 600 meters away. Heavily damaged, the MEC tank instantly catches fire and explodes. Attempting to escape the ensuing fireball and wave of shrapnel, the friendly Humvee races ahead, careening off the steep side of the hill. I could not see what happened to the Humvee crew at this point, but heard reports of casualties over the comm system and I was even accused of causing friendly fire damage to the vehicle as it crash landed at the bottom of the hill. Glad that there were no friendly fatalities, I resume my scans of the horizon to achieve first shot dominance on any incoming enemy armor.
It is not long before a second enemy MBT crests a berm in the distance, coming directly from the MEC main. It opens fire with its coaxial MG on the friendly infantry scattered around the village flag. The marines take cover and dig in to wait out the siege. I lock in the target and fire a Sabot round - but as I fire, the shrill buzz of a heavy AT's targeting system sweeps over our Abrams, and reacting out of instinct my driver jerks the tank backwards off the crest of the hill. My Sabot round goes high and whistles over the MEC tank, impacting on the hillside behind him.
One of our squad members reports taking out the heavy AT infantry that was targeting us, but I no longer have line of sight to the enemy tank. Through his higher vantage and tank commander optics, squad lead reports that the tank has ceased firing on the village and is searching the horizon for us, having noticed the round that missed his turret by inches. We are in a slight depression at the top of the hill we have been defending. We cannot move without exposing some part of our armor to direct fire from the enemy tank.
Evidently, enough of our turret is visible for the enemy crew to spot us. He opens fire and shells begin impacting the small rise in front of is and whistling overhead. I still have no shot, and we are now pinned down. We have remained unscathed when, suddenly, the shelling stops. I assume that the enemy tank has been destroyed by our friendly A-10 that is making passes in the area. However, other members of our team confirm its presence by spotting it again, and our squad members confirm that it is once again firing on infantry with its coaxial MG. I can only surmise that the gunner got tired of firing at a target he could not hit, or assumed we had been destroyed.
My driver pops smoke and races out of the depression as I try to line up a shot blind, basing the trajectory on the enemy tank icon on my GPS. We crest the hill and squad lead confirms the enemy's turret is not facing us; he stops to let me fire. I lock in the target and fire another Sabot round. This one hits home, impacting directly into the side of the MEC tank's turret.
Ominously, its turret begins to rotate as I reload, and I watch as it traverses towards our position, its gunner obviously zoomed in and scanning for a target. I hear words that make me grin wolfishly: "Sabot, Up!" The enemy's turret is still at an off angle, and I know he doesn’t have us dialed in yet. Another round explodes from the end of my barrel and I watch it's trajectory carry it directly into the side of the enemy tank. Before my eyes is a sight I can only describe as glorious - the MEC MBT explodes in a fireball that consumes its crew and turns the hull into a charred black husk of smoking wreckage. Satisfaction.
Shortly after this encounter, the rest of our team captures the northernmost MEC outpost. We have successfully defended our position and the enemy can no longer capture it. Our squad lead gives orders to move towards the final MEC flag: MEC Main. We begin traversing the open desert between mountain ranges, circling left to attack the MEC Main flag from the east while the main US force assaults from the west.
I spot another enemy tank and our driver halts. I fire, scoring a direct sabot hit on his right flank. The enemy tank increases speed and disappears into the mountains before I can reload. I am advised of a mobile AAA to my 10 o'clock. I traverse the turret and score an easy one hit kill. In the distance, and enemy Vodnick is racing away from the MEC Main. I switch to HE rounds, and land one directly in front of the jeep's path. Smoking and heavily damaged, the jeep halts and its crew bail out, to be quickly taken out by friendly infantry in the area.
I reload a fresh Sabot round as we round the mountain range we are skirting and I spot the tank I scored a single hit on earlier. Its rear armor is facing us, turret pointed in the wrong direction. An easy kill.
We push in closer to MEC Main and our cupola gunner decimates the enemy infantry wandering around with directed .50 caliber fire. I drop some HE rounds into rubble I think is concealing enemy troops, and am rewarded when their bodies careen into the air and slump unceremoniously into a heap on the ground. I traverse the turret towards the MEC airfield as we roll into the capture zone for MEC main. I think I spot an enemy MBT leaving the front gates and call this information out to my driver who quickly positions us behind a burned out structure relative to the incoming enemy tank. We are covered on our left flank, but surrounded by infantry.
Grenades begin pinging off of our hull, gifts from the infantry that keep spawning at this location. Our cupola gunner is killed exchanging rounds with what I think is an enemy infantry using the MEC's squad LMG weapon. I curse under my breath - too many infantry for me to continue covering with the coaxial by myself while also watching for that MBT coming from their main. I empty the last of my first reserve of 7.62mm coaxial ammunition into an advancing engineer with his C4 pack in hand. I am in the process of traversing back to cover our frontal position when our tank is rocked by an explosion on our rear armor.
The hull slumps sideways as our right side suspension falls apart and the Abram’s mobility is destroyed. I try to traverse the turret to face our rear but before I can focus on anything, we are rocked by another shell impacting our front armor. Warning alarms start singing inside the Abrams. We are on fire.
The tank commander gives orders to bail out. I open the top hatch and drag myself outside, getting badly burned in the process. I ready my M16, switching it to 3 round burst for close quarters. My ears are ringing, and I am bleeding, but I am not about to give up this fight. The tank commander takes point, rounds a corner and is mowed down by an enemy’s assault rifle. I curse and duck inside some burned out buildings, expecting them to come for me next.
Applying my field dressing stops the flow of blood, but I know I am still badly wounded. I have only a few magazines for my M16 and did not have time to salvage much other equipment from the burning Abrams. Friendly forces have surrounded the area, but these are comprised mostly of infantry. I hear two enemy tanks and an APC maneuvering and firing nearby. Soon, my GPS shows few friendless left in the area. I am the only marine in a kilometer radius, surrounded by enemies, and hiding in the middle of their main reinforcement point. I assume it is only a matter of time until I am discovered.
Tension builds as I wait for rescue, prone, in the corner of a blown out building. There is no roof, and only 2 low walls are keeping me hidden from the enemy. I bide my time, as I see and hear enemy infantry walking all around my position. No one has spotted me yet, but they will as soon as I fire. Around 5 minutes have elapsed since the Abrams was destroyed.
Suddenly, an enemy sniper dives prone into cover directly in front of me. He is facing away from me and does not see me. Startled, I empty a three round burst into his groin. He dies with a groan. Knowing that I have no more field dressings, and could use the grenades he carries, I grab the equipment from his corpse. Immediately, I regret not killing him more stealthily with the knife. Surely an enemy recognized the sound of M16 fire and they are hunting for me. I leave my position and round a corner, brandishing the large sniper rifle I have stolen. Three meters in front of me an enemy officer is scoping the distant mountains with his binoculars. He does not see me, but begins to pull his weapon out. I panic, and quickly sighting through the scope, loose a bullet at his head nearly point blank. In my haste, I must have aimed low. The round impacts his shoulder, and he dives to the ground, confused and grunting in pain. I end his life with my stolen pistol before he can call for help.
Surely, I reason, someone has noticed the gunfire so close to their area of operations by now. I peek around a corner and am rewarded with a face full of gravelly shrapnel as an enemy opens fire with his assault rifle, the rounds impacting the wall near my head. I duck and fire a poorly aimed round from the sniper rifle – it misses. I attempt to get back around the corner, but am hit from another direction. My vision swims, and I realize I am bleeding out. I desperately apply my stolen field dressing, but it is not enough to staunch the flow. My vision clears for a split second before my loss of blood begins to overtake me once more and I can barely stand up.
I can no longer see straight. I am stranded and miles from friendly reinforcements. I know I am going to bleed to death. I am armed only with a stolen bolt action rifle, sidearm, and…grenades. I grin maniacally and ready a grenade. I pull the pin and heave it over the wall I am hiding behind, towards the enemy infantry who mortally wounded me. I tick off the seconds in my head and the grenade explodes with a satisfactory BOOM. I can’t tell if I’ve hit my mark. I peek around the corner – two more infantry advancing on my position! I duck back and pull the pin on my second and last grenade, mentally preparing to die throwing it. I wait just enough time for the enemy to advance on my position before I step out of cover and heave it in their direction. I am instantly knocked down by automatic weapon fire, but as I lay dying on the ground, I focus all my energy on living long enough to see if my grenade hit its mark. I can feel the end coming, and everything is fading to black. I hear a muffled explosion. That must be the grenade, I muse. Those ******** deserved it. I breath my last, looking up into the beautiful sky of the Kashan Desert.
As my respawn timer ticks down, the round ends. The US prevails, overwhelming the MEC 300-0. I end the round with 30 kills and 5 deaths, and around 250 total points. My friend, who was squad lead and the commander of the tank, ends with 1 kill, 5 deaths, and over 300 points. God I love this game.
