Team Yankee: a novel of World War III (42 page)

team consists of four to six men and travels in an M-113, normally within arm's reach of the company commander.

FSOFSE: Fire-support officer and fire-support element. The fire-support officer is responsible for coordinating all indirect fires, i.e. artillery, mortar, and close air support, for the battalion or brigade to which he is attached. The fire-support element is located at the battalion or brigade command post.

Gasthaus: A small German neighborhood restaurant and pub that may also include a hotel.

GB: A chemical agent.

Gun Mantel: The armor that protects a tank's main gun and its cradle.

Halon Gas: A gas used to extinguish fires in the M-l and Bradley vehicles. Automatic fire sensors detect fires and release the halon gas within milliseconds of activation.

HEAT: Short for high explosive antitank, a round that depends on a shaped charge explosion to penetrate an armored vehicle's armor. Because the round contains high explosive, it has a secondary role as an antimaterial round.

Hind: Nickname of the Soviet MI-24D attack helicopter.

Improved TOW Vehicle or ITV: A modified M-l13 armored personnel carrier that has an antitank guided missile launcher mounted on a small rotating turret. TOW stands for tubelaunched, optically-tracked, wire-guided antitank guided missile. The TOW is currently the heaviest antitank guided missile in the U.S. Army's inventory capable of hitting a tank-sized target out to a range of 3700 meters with a 90 hit probability.

Intercom: Short for intercommunications system. The intercom links all tracked vehicle crewmen together and allows the crew to talk amongst themselves.

LAW: Short for light antitank weapon. The current U.S. Army LAW contains a 66mm antitank rocket that has an effective range of 300 meters. The LAW comes in a collapsible tube that is discarded when the rocket has been fired.

LBE: Short for load-bearing equipment. This is the web gear worn by soldiers that includes suspenders and a web belt to which equipment is attached, such as ammo pouches, the soldier's first-aid pouch, canteen, grenades, bayonet, pistol holster, etc. LBE is designed, in theory, to evenly distribute the weight of this equipment on the soldier's body.

LOGREP: Short for logistics report. Submitted to higher headquarters to inform them of the current status of ammunition, fuel, maintenance, and supply of a unit.

LP: Listening post. A listening post is an outpost that is used during periods of limited visibility to provide security and early warning to the unit that it is covering. As its name implies, the LP relies on hearing the approaching enemy.

M-l: This is the current main battle tank of the U.S. Army. It has a crew of four, mounts a 105mm main gun, an M2 caliber .50 machine gun, and an M240

7.62mm machine gun. The 63-ton tank is powered by a 1500 horsepower turbine engine and is capable of 45 mphs. The fire-control system incorporates a laser range finder, a solid-state computer, a thermal imaging sight, and other electronics that allow the main gun to fire while on the move with a high degree of accuracy, day or night.

M-3: The scout version of the Bradley fighting vehicle. See Bradley for a description.

M60: A 7.62mm machine gun that is the mainstay of the U.S. Army's infantry squad. It has an effective range of 900 meters.

M-113: Until recently, the M-l13 was the primary armored personnel carrier. Weighing 13

tons, it has a crew of two, driver and commander, and the capacity to carry an entire infantry squad. The M-113 is normally armed with a caliber .50 M2 machine gun located at the commander's position. Because infantry cannot fight while mounted, the M-113 is being replaced by the M-2 Bradley fighting vehicle. The M-113 still remains a mainstay in the U.S.

Army, performing support roles on or near the front.

M-577: A specially configured personnel carrier used as a command and control vehicle at battalion and brigade level.

Mech: Short for mechanized or, in the case in this book, mechanized infantry.

MI-241: A Soviet attack helicopter similar to the U.S. Army AH 1. The MI-241, named Hind, is heavily armed with an automatic cannon and antitank guided missiles and is well armored.

Mine Roller: An attachment to a tank that clears a path through a mine field for an attacking armored force. The rollers are nothing more than large metal wheels that are pushed ahead of the tank and set off mines as they run over them.

MOPP Level: Short for mission-oriented protective posture. MOPP levels prescribe how prepared individuals are to be to meet a chemical attack. In MOPP level I, soldiers simply carry or have their protective gear available. In MOPP level II, soldiers will don the chemical protective suit and carry their protective masks, gloves and boots. MOPP level III requires the soldier to wear the chemical protective suit, gloves, and boots. MOPP level IV, the highest level, requires the soldier to wear all his protective clothing and his protective mask.

MIZE: Short for Meal, Ready to Eat. MREs have replaced the age-old C-rations as the standard combat ration in the U.S. Army.. MREs are a combination of dehydrated and ready-to-eat foods that come in plastic pouches.

MTU: A Soviet tank-mounted bridge that can be laid under fire across obstacles such as antitank ditches or small streams.

NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Founded in 1949, it is a military alliance whose expressed purpose is to prevent Soviet expansion in Europe. Today, NATO consists of Norway, Great Britain, Denmark, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, the Federal Republic of Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Canada, and the United States. France is still a

member but does not actively participate in NATO maneuvers or exercises.

NBC-1 Report: An initial, chemical attack report.

NCO: Short for noncommissioned officer or sergeant. NCO ranks are: E-5 or buck sergeant, three stripes; E-6 or staff sergeant, three stripes and one rocker or lower stripe; E-7 or sergeant first class, three stripes and two rockers; E-8 or master sergeant, three stripes and three rockers; and E-9 or

sergeant major, three stripes, three rockers with a star between the stripes and rockers.

Night Vision Goggles: Night vision devices that amplify available light and provide the user with a visible image.

OH-58: Designation of the U.S. Army's current scout or observation helicopter.

OP: Short for outpost or observation post. An outpost is placed well forward of a unit's main position and is intended to provide security and early warning for the unit. An OP can be manned by two or more dismounted personnel or armored vehicles.

Panzer: German for armor.

Panzer Grenadier: The German term for mechanized infantry.

Platoon Sergeant: The senior noncommissioned officer in a platoon, normally an E-7. The platoon sergeant is the second in command of the platoon and performs the same duties that the executive officer does at company or battalion level.

PRC-77: A small man-portable FM radio used by the infantry.

Protective Mask: Gas mask.

REFORGER: A peacetime exercise that practices the redeployment of U.S.. forces from the continental U.S. to Europe.

Remote Box: Part of the track's radio system, it allows the track commander to change frequencies from his position without having to climb down into the vehicle.

RPG: Short for rocket-propelled grenade. The RPG is the standard Soviet infantryman's antitank rocket, the equivalent to the U.S. Army's LAW.

S-1: The "S" is for staff. The S-1 is the staff officer responsible for all personnel matters in the battalion or brigade.

S-2: The staff officer responsible for gathering, analyzing, and producing intelligence on enemy activities and intentions.

S-3: The staff officer responsible for planning, coordinating, and monitoring combat operations of the battalion or brigade.

S-4: The staff officer responsible for providing and coordinating for supply, maintenance, and non-combat transportation needs of the battalion or brigade.

SABOT: The word is actually French for shoe. Here, it is the name of an antitank round.

SABOT is short for armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot. The round consists of a small tungsten alloy or depleted uranium penetrator that has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the gun tube. To

compensate for this, the penetrator is seated in a boot that is the same diameter as the gun.

This boot, called the SABOT, falls away after the round leaves the gun, leaving the penetrator to continue to the target.

SHELLREP: Short for shell report. Used to report the impact of enemy artillery.

SITREP: Short for situation report. Subordinate commanders use the SITREP to update their superiors on the current activities, location, and condition of their unit.

SOP: Short for standing operating procedures. A unit SOP prescribes set actions to be taken given in a given situation.

Spot Report: A short, concise report used to provide information on the sighting of enemy activity. At a minimum, the report provides information on who has made the sighting, when the sighting was made, where the enemy was observed, how the enemy was equipped, and what he was doing.

Stand-to: A set time, normally before dawn, when all members of a unit are awake and manning their weapons and fighting positions.

Stinger Team: The Stinger is a man-portable short-range antiaircraft heat-seeking missile.

Stinger teams are two-man teams that are stationed well forward with combat units to provide air defense.

T-55 Tank: A Soviet tank with a four-man crew and mounting a 100mm gun and a 7.62mm machine gun. This tank is considered obsolete by today's standards but is still found in Warsaw Pact inventories.

T-62 Tank: A Soviet tank with a four-man crew and mounting a 115mm smoothbore gun, a 12.5mm and a 7.62mm machine gun. Though considered obsolete, it is still very capable and found in many Warsaw Pact units.

T-72 Tank: A Soviet tank with a three-man crew and mounting a 125mm smoothbore gun, a 12.5mm and a 7.62mm machine gun. The elimination of the fourth crewman is achieved by using an automatic loader for the main gun. Special armor and a sophisticated fire-control system make it a powerful foe that is difficult to stop.

Task Force: A combat battalion that has both tank and infantry companies. Under U.S. Army doctrine, battalions seldom fight as pure tank or infantry units.

Team: A company-sized unit that includes both tank and mechanized infantry platoons.

Unlike a peacetime company, the number and type of platoons in a team can vary according to

its assigned mission. In the case of Team Yankee, the Team initially has two tank and one mechanized infantry platoon as well as two improved TOW vehicles.

Thermal Sight: A sight that detects the heat emitted by an object and translates that heat into a visible image for the gunner or tank commander.

TOG: Short for tactical operations center. This is where the staff plans future operations and monitors the current battle. The TOG receives and passes reports, relieving the commander of that responsibility so that he may run the current battle.

TOW: Short for tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided antitank guided missile. The TOW is the U.S. Army's current heavy antitank guided missile with a range of 3700 meters.

The guidance system provides a high probability of hitting a tank-sized target out to its maximum range.

Trains: A term used to describe the collection of support and service elements that support military units.

Two-and-a-half Ton Truck: A medium cargo truck with a hauling capacity of two and a half tons. This truck is also referred to as a deuce and a half.

VC: Viet Cong, another war.

Vulcan: A 20mm multi-barreled short-range antiaircraft gun. The extremely high rate of fire, 4000 rounds a minute, results in a chainsaw-like sound when firing.

Warsaw Pact: A military alliance founded by the European Communist countries to counter NATO. It consists of the Soviet Union, Poland, the German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Rumania.

WD-1: Two-strand wire used to connect field telephones or other communications equipment.

ZSU 23-4: A Soviet antiaircraft gun. It has four rapid-firing 23mm guns hence 23-4. It is very capable and serves the same mission as the Vulcan in the U.S. Army. The ZSU, sometimes called "Zoo" for short, accompanies the first echelon attack elements to provide air defense for those elements.