Sergeant led the men over to the row of vehicles. The Sergeant rattled off the features of the vehicle. “This is the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, commonly known as the Humvee. It is a four-wheel drive military automobile that can carry eight soldiers easily. It has a wide number of uses. All of our Humvee’s have 50 caliber machine guns mounted though the roof. Since they don’t need to be heavily armored, they are capable of speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour and are designed to cross open country. They can ford a body of water that does not exceed 2 and ½ feet, and are powered by a V-8 cylinder diesel engine.”
The next stop was the Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Another sergeant was on duty to conduct the briefing. “General Washington, The Bradley is designed to transport infantry or scouts with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy troops and armored vehicles. There are several Bradley variants, including the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle. The M2 holds a crew of three: a commander, a gunner and a driver, as well as six fully equipped soldiers.”
“The M2 model, which is what we have here, has primary armament of a 25 mm cannon which fires up to 200 rounds per minute and is accurate up to 2500 meters, It is also armed with a M240C machine gun mounted coaxially to the M242, with 2,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.”
Washington looked at Compton, “I suppose you are going to explain what all these terms mean?”
“It will be a lot easier when we head out to the firing range and show you how all these weapons work,” said Compton.
Next, they came to the artillery pieces. At least this was something that Washington recognized, at least in principal. Nevertheless, he was astonished with the explanation by the Artillery sergeant.
“Sir, this is the M102 105 millimeter towed howitzer. It is a lightweight towed weapon that provides direct support fire to light assault forces. It can be towed by a Humvee. It has a very low silhouette when firing and a roller tire attached to the tail assembly that permits the weapon to be rotated 360 degrees. It weighs 3,000 pounds, has a maximum firing distance of about 7 miles, a crew of eight, and firing rate of 10 rounds per minute. It fires standard high explosive ammunition with a kill radius of 75 feet, or it can fire controlled fragmentation anti-personnel ammunition.”
“Did you say that this weapon can fire ten rounds per minute,” asked Washington?
“Yes sir, for about the first three minutes. Its actual sustained rate of fire is three rounds per minute.”
“I’m beginning to understand why Arcadia said that we can defeat the British in no more than three engagements. I can hardly imagine this kind of firepower.”
“Neither can the British,” said Compton. “But come along and let me show you the real strength of your army, the individual soldier.”
They walked out of the garage and were met by a platoon of soldiers, standing at attention on the blacktop road. Compton motioned for the soldier standing in front of the formation to step forward.
“At ease, sergeant,” said Compton. “We’re going to show General Washington you standard issue weapons and equipment.”
Compton removed the helmet and handed it to Washington. It was curved along the sides to provide protection for the ears. “These helmets are made from an artificial component called Kevlar. That makes them lighter, but they will stop most military bullets and especially British musket
The next stop was the Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Another sergeant was on duty to conduct the briefing. “General Washington, The Bradley is designed to transport infantry or scouts with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy troops and armored vehicles. There are several Bradley variants, including the M2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle and the M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle. The M2 holds a crew of three: a commander, a gunner and a driver, as well as six fully equipped soldiers.”
“The M2 model, which is what we have here, has primary armament of a 25 mm cannon which fires up to 200 rounds per minute and is accurate up to 2500 meters, It is also armed with a M240C machine gun mounted coaxially to the M242, with 2,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.”
Washington looked at Compton, “I suppose you are going to explain what all these terms mean?”
“It will be a lot easier when we head out to the firing range and show you how all these weapons work,” said Compton.
Next, they came to the artillery pieces. At least this was something that Washington recognized, at least in principal. Nevertheless, he was astonished with the explanation by the Artillery sergeant.
“Sir, this is the M102 105 millimeter towed howitzer. It is a lightweight towed weapon that provides direct support fire to light assault forces. It can be towed by a Humvee. It has a very low silhouette when firing and a roller tire attached to the tail assembly that permits the weapon to be rotated 360 degrees. It weighs 3,000 pounds, has a maximum firing distance of about 7 miles, a crew of eight, and firing rate of 10 rounds per minute. It fires standard high explosive ammunition with a kill radius of 75 feet, or it can fire controlled fragmentation anti-personnel ammunition.”
“Did you say that this weapon can fire ten rounds per minute,” asked Washington?
“Yes sir, for about the first three minutes. Its actual sustained rate of fire is three rounds per minute.”
“I’m beginning to understand why Arcadia said that we can defeat the British in no more than three engagements. I can hardly imagine this kind of firepower.”
“Neither can the British,” said Compton. “But come along and let me show you the real strength of your army, the individual soldier.”
They walked out of the garage and were met by a platoon of soldiers, standing at attention on the blacktop road. Compton motioned for the soldier standing in front of the formation to step forward.
“At ease, sergeant,” said Compton. “We’re going to show General Washington you standard issue weapons and equipment.”
Compton removed the helmet and handed it to Washington. It was curved along the sides to provide protection for the ears. “These helmets are made from an artificial component called Kevlar. That makes them lighter, but they will stop most military bullets and especially British musket
Similar Books
