A Russian dismounted squad is engaged by 155mm DPICM cluster munitions. The squad is travelling from the lower right of the screen to the upper left of the screen, and the lead man is even with two destroyed tanks when the first barrage lands on their position. Given that the landscape around them is pockmarked with shell craters, and that the trees have been shredded by shellfire, and that the two burned out tanks are at a crossroads of trails likely leading somewhere, it would not surprise me to learn that this mission had already been fired and recorded as a target by the firing battery. After the initial barrage the squad reverses course and ducks for cover in the tree line. The second barrage comes in and the pop of the shell in mid air can clearly be seen, followed by the pattern of submunitions hitting the ground. The area is hit a third time, probably ending that squad’s mission for the day.

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through sailing.