Team Excelsior turning in assignment

[Ray]

Ranger Saltbitch,

Here is the report you have instructed Team Excelsior, comprised of myself, Knightcat, USA1, Snuffer19, and ImportsRsloths, to complete, along with the essay on which of Roger's Rangers' 19 Standing Orders apply to an M3 Gustav team and why.


The M3 Gustav is an 84-millimeter anti-tank, anti-personnel recoiless rifle system. It is shoulder-fired, swimmable, and air-jumpable. The M3 Gustav is unique to the 75th Ranger Regiment, neither tested nor used by other Army infantry units, although it has also become a weapon of the U.S. Navy SEAL's. The weapon is used by the anti-tank section, supplied by three-man teams, in the weapons platoon of a company in one of the Ranger Battalions. It is also known as the Ranger Anti-tank Weapon System, or RAWS. The weapon is capable of firing the Highly Explosive Anti-tank (HEAT) 751 and 551 rounds, the Target Practice (TP) 552 round, the Highly Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) 502 round, the Highly Explosive (HE) 441 B round, the Illum 545 round which illuminates target areas, and the SMOKE 469 B round which developes a smoke screen on impact. In the future, the M3 Gustav will be able to fire an 84-millimeter, highly destructive flechette round. Precautions must be taken when firing from inside rooms and buildings. It should not be fired in very inclosed rooms with little or no ventilation. The danger zone varies for each type of round with 50 meters for HEAT, target practice, and smoke rounds, 250 meters for an HE round, and 500 meters for an illumination round. The weapon is most effective from 250 meters for moving targets to 700 meters for stationary targets.

The 13th order of Roger's Rangers, "Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force," is important to an M3 Gustav team. The M3 Gustav operators have a responsibility of destroying armored vehicles, which can be superior to just light infantrymen. If a unit of Rangers were conducting an operation, the M3 Gustav team would have to make sure that the unit is not inferior to the enemy's force by being prepared to destroy superior weaponry. In order to fulfill this duty, M3 Gustav teams must not only match the firepower, but excede in tactics. If a Ranger unit was unexpectedly attacked by an enemy force that had superior firepower, the M3 Gustav team must know what to do immediately to support the unit. As with Roger's Rangers in the French-Indian War, Rangers have to be prepared in combat. The Brittish were not accustomed to the guerrilla style offenses that they were confronted with, and in turn relied on the success of the Ranger units. The Rangers at the time were well-prepared for the type of conflict that they were responsible for. They were skilled woodsmen and marksmen, who specialized in countering the stealth tactics of the Native Americans. Robert Rogers ensured the preperation of his Rangers through his 19 General Orders. Today, M3 Gustav teams are extremely important to completing the objective and keeping the men as safe as possible. Therefore, the team's readiness is vital to the survival of the men, just as Roger's Ranger readiness for the new style of warfare the Brittish faced was vital for their overall success. The whole idea of preperation and ability to adapt in any combat situation is carried on by M3 Gustav teams and the entire 75th Ranger Regiment today.

[Spartan]

Hmm..... 5th, 18th, 13th, which ONE of those is most applicable? I'd say you have about 10 hours left to correct your assignment. Throwing darts is not the answer men. Stake your claim on ONE, as your assignment requirement dictates.

[Ray]

Yes Ranger Spartan, I posted a rough draft accidentally. I caught that mistake last night and fixed it, I just posted the wrong one. It is edited and squared away now.

[Saltbitch]

Precautions must be taken when firing from inside rooms and buildings. It should not be fired in very inclosed rooms with little or no ventilation.

BUT WHY? This is the essence of the 'back blast' question in the first place.

RAAWS- Ranger Anti-Armor Weapon System.

Flechette rounds for the M3 have existed as long as the weapon has. The whole system is imported from Sweden; and so are the rounds. The flechette has not been purchased by the US since the Rangers switched from the 90mm RR to the 84mm M3. This is due to 'political' views of the round's intent. This policy could change, as all things in the military do.

Fix the 'backblast' and RAAWS parts and address the political correctness of the flechette round. Submit this NLT 0600 06 JAN.

Good job, otherwise. BUT DON'T GET COCKY AND FUCK UP THE FINISHING TOUCHES.

BTW, 'Excelsior' when used as a noun means, "...wood shavings used as packing material..." Good job so far, TEAM WOODCHIP.

[Ray]

Roger that Ranger Saltbitch. We will have a new, revised copy in for you before the deadline at 0600 tommorrow.

[ImportsRsloths]

I wanted us to be Team Depshit, but Team Woodchip will work !!

[Ray]

Ranger Saltbitch,

Here is the updated assignment from Team Excelsior (AKA Woodchip) with the finishing touches you requested.


The M3 Gustav is an 84-millimeter anti-tank, anti-personnel recoiless rifle system. It is shoulder-fired, swimmable, and air-jumpable. The M3 Gustav is unique to the 75th Ranger Regiment, neither tested nor used by other Army infantry units, although it has also become a weapon of the U.S. Navy SEAL's. The weapon is used by the anti-tank section, supplied by three-man teams, in the weapons platoon of a company in one of the Ranger Battalions. It is also known as the Ranger Anti-Armor Weapon System, or RAAWS. The weapon is capable of firing the Highly Explosive Anti-tank (HEAT) 751 and 551 rounds, the Target Practice (TP) 552 round, the Highly Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) 502 round, the Highly Explosive (HE) 441 B round, the Illum 545 round which illuminates target areas, and the SMOKE 469 B round which developes a smoke screen on impact. Although they have been in existence since the weapon's beginnings, the highly destructive 84-millimeter flechette round is not bought nor used by the U.S. due to varying political views on the round's purpose. However this can be changed in the future and the round could be supplied to M3 teams in the Regiment. The backblast of the Gustav must be considered when firing both outside and in. The backblast in outside urban areas can be more dangerous due to factors such as the close quarters of streets and allyways, as well as loose and unsecured concrete, stone and rubble. When firing in the open, burn and blast injuries can easily occur; therefore, everyone should be outside of the danger zone. The caution zone should also be clear. However, if that is impossible, soldiers should be wearing all protective equipment. Firing from inside a room is less dangerous than firing from an open urban area, however, there still remains serious threats from the backblast. The safest place for soldiers to stand is against the wall from which the weapon is firing. Soldiers firing the weapon should take advantage of all ventilation, such as windows and doors, in order to help remove smoke and dust, as well as decreasing the effective duration of overpressure. Firing from small enclosed spaces also presents a saftey hazard as structural damage may occur, especially to the rear wall, windows, and doorways. It should not be fired in very inclosed rooms with little or no ventilation. The danger zone varies for each type of round with 50 meters for HEAT, target practice, and smoke rounds, 250 meters for an HE round, and 500 meters for an illumination round. The weapon is most effective from 250 meters for moving targets to 700 meters for stationary targets.

The 13th order of Roger's Rangers, "Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force," is important to an M3 Gustav team. The M3 Gustav operators have a responsibility of destroying armored vehicles, which can be superior to just light infantrymen. If a unit of Rangers were conducting an operation, the M3 Gustav team would have to make sure that the unit is not inferior to the enemy's force by being prepared to destroy superior weaponry. In order to fulfill this duty, M3 Gustav teams must not only match the firepower, but excede in tactics. If a Ranger unit was unexpectedly attacked by an enemy force that had superior firepower, the M3 Gustav team must know what to do immediately to support the unit. As with Roger's Rangers in the French-Indian War, Rangers have to be prepared in combat. The Brittish were not accustomed to the guerrilla style offenses that they were confronted with, and in turn relied on the success of the Ranger units. The Rangers at the time were well-prepared for the type of conflict that they were responsible for. They were skilled woodsmen and marksmen, who specialized in countering the stealth tactics of the Native Americans. Robert Rogers ensured the preperation of his Rangers through his 19 General Orders. Today, M3 Gustav teams are extremely important to completing the objective and keeping the men as safe as possible. Therefore, the team's readiness is vital to the survival of the men, just as Roger's Ranger readiness for the new style of warfare the Brittish faced was vital for their overall success. The whole idea of preperation and ability to adapt in any combat situation is carried on by M3 Gustav teams and the entire 75th Ranger Regiment today.

[Horned Toad]

I thought Maj Rogers " Plan of Discipline" had 28 paragraphs not 19 I'd flunk you for no attention to detail, buts that just me and I didn’t give you the assignment

[Saltbitch]

Team Woodchip,

You are all a 'go' at this station.

Mission complete; End of mission. Have a nice day.

[snuffer19]

Leatherneck,
We said that the "Safest" (not 100% safe) place to stand would be against the wall which the weapon is firing out of. Not the wall behind the weapon. When firing from an small enclosed area wouldn't this be the safest place to be? Please let us know if we are incorrect.

[Saltbitch]

The backblast of the M3 has a blast fan of 90 degrees on center; with a kill area of 5 meters and a danger area of 100 meters. In other words, anyone within the 5 meters of the Venturi (rear area of wpn) will likely be killed. Anyone within the 100m area will be SERIOUSLY injured. I know this one from experience. Also, anything that is behind the wpn, ie, rocks, brass from wpns, or even vegetation, will ALL become projectiles.

The fact that it is recoilless, as LN explained, means that the explosion to propel the rounds out past 750m (rounds average 7 lbds) is quite large. Current regs allow an individual to accrue only 1000 BOP (blast overpressure points) within 24hrs. This amounts to approximately three to six rounds, depending on the type/combo used. I remember exceeding this limit on many occasion, resulting in tasteing blood for several hours. Nausea, concussions, and other complications also occur. Under no circumstances should you fire it from a room. You would probably be medevacd.

[Currahee 3-4]

i was wondering about the whole backblast issue too....my first job was as a dragon gunner,and i was thinking god help the man who fires that bastard indoors

While in korea,we were having a competition between dragon gunners in my BN.My AG wasnt there...so i had a stand in...highly motivated and had never been around a live dragon.

So the scenario went something like this....run up to a certain spot....set up....fire a live round.we fired from all of the standard positions(including prone which is a bitch....and i still remember that round going almost vertical when the gunner fired)

When it was finally our turn,i warned my inexperienced AG "do not look up when i fire this thing"He said he understood,but he was a little hyper....and really wanted to see that bastard flying downrange.We run up...i mount the sight...he hits the ground to my left and the last words i spoke were"hinshaw keep your head down" WHOOOOOMMMMMM....ROUNDS HEADED DOWNRANGE SOUNDING LIKE A POPCORN POPPER GONE WRONG.smoke clears...im still on target.....700 meters away....BOOM...SHE HITS HOME.

Next thing i hear is Hinshaw gagging like he just walked out of a gas chamber session."fucking...cough cough....great....cough gag....shot....cough puke.That was ...yack choke....fucking awesome.i want to be a Dragon gunner"....lmao.he was so pumped about the whole thing....never closed his eyes or buried his face.He was filthy,tears running down his face gagging the whole time.he must have ate a shit load of that fine Korean soil,and a good portion of propellant.

Lesson to all DEPs....listen to what people tell you....he could have easily lost an eye,or worse,even though it was funny as hell.

No wait a minute,funny is watching some guy get his face too close to the sights on an m-203,or an m-21 scope

[Saltbitch]

No wait a minute,funny is watching some guy get his face too close to the sights on an m-203,or an m-21 scope

Yeah, that was an AT cherry initiation 'tradition'. The sight was a telescopic sight like you'd use on a long-rifle, with a springy rubber eye-piece similar to the ones used on NVG's. We would tell the cherry, "Now remember, put your eye up to the sight, and push forward until the rubber compressed". They would usually give a quick look of distrust, as common sense would say 'HELL NO'. We would then reassure them that the rubber was there to absorb the shock. Then we'd make fun of them saying,"Hey dumbass, it's a recoilless rifle; there's no kick!" Wrong. As soon as that idiot fired, instant black eye! I didn't get an instant black eye, apparently the side of my nose was closer to the edge of the sight. I got a broken nose AND a black eye. Ha ha.... Welcome to Batt.