The Multi-Purpose Infantry Munition system was issued to the army and the marines in 2002, replacing the AT-4 and M-72 Light Anti-tank Weapon. The AT-4s and the LAWs served as disposable, one-use-only weapons against armored vehicles and heavily fortified emplacements.
“Tango Nine,” Goose said as he sprinted toward a nearby building, “you have your target. Neutralize the armor.” He reached the corner of the building, put his back to the wall, and hunkered down with the M-4A1 cradled across his knees and one hand on his helmet.
“Bird’s away!” Tango Nine warned.
From the corner of his eye, Goose marked the MPIM gunner’s position from the weapon’s ignition flare that briefly lit the Ranger dressed in full battle gear. From his position, Tango Nine had direct line of sight to the Syrian tank’s guts.
Farther down the street toward the barricades, three other armored vehicles roared through the clouds of dust and layers of smoke. Muzzle flashes from the surrounding buildings marked the defenders’ positions and drew enemy fire. Fifty-cal machine guns strafed the buildings and chewed holes in the walls.
The MPIM rocket slammed against the Syrian tank’s undercarriage. The explosion unleashed a host of flames that enveloped the vehicle. Chunks of metal broke loose, flying into the air and streaking into the buildings and the street. The other tread didn’t survive the new assault, coming apart at once and flapping with horrendous bonging noises. Propelled by the blast, the tank overturned, rocking to a halt upside down.
“Tango One,” Goose called, shoving himself back into a standing position.
“Go, Leader. You’ve got Tango One,” Lieutenant Wake replied.
“Secure that vehicle,” Goose ordered.
Wake snapped orders to his unit, deploying men instantly. A half dozen Rangers abandoned their positions and rushed forward to surround the tank. They carried their rifles loose and ready, tight against their chests and muzzles down so they could swing the weapons in any direction.
“If they don’t have any more fight in them,” Goose instructed, “I want prisoners, Tango One.” His weak knees trembled slightly under his weight and he didn’t trust his legs. He wasn’t sure if he could move, much less run. He locked into the side of the building to provide cover fire for the approaching troops.
“Affirmative, Leader.”
Wake led the team himself. He was compact and broad-shouldered.
Goose shoved away from the building. “Control, this is Phoenix Leader.”
“Go, Leader. Control reads you five by five.” Remington’s voice was calm and cool.
“Lead armor is down, Control. Can you confirm the number of incoming bogeys?” Goose stared through the M-4A1’s open sights as he covered the Tango squad.
“Negative, Leader. I’ve got spotters up and active, but the smoke and dust are messing with the thermographic and IR.”
The thermographic scanners read heat signatures. The infrared binoculars multiplied the available light and reduced vision to a sharply defined world of greens and blacks. Both of those enhanced-vision systems suffered when particles hung in the air. The smoke and dust generated by the explosions and the arriving vehicles guaranteed problems.
Two Syrian APCs and another tank sped along the street. The vehicles jerked and bounced as they crunched through broken debris. Two jeeps maneuvered among them, taking shelter between the larger armored vehicles.
The overturned tank’s rear hatch opened and a Syrian soldier dropped through. The man landed on his head and one shoulder, rolled, and came up with an AK-47 assault rifle in his hands. Before he got a round off, two Rangers stitched him with controlled tribursts that knocked him backward.
Tank crews came with a complement of four. Two were down. One of the Rangers barked commands for the survivors to come out with their hands up. One of the men appeared in the open loader hatch, then shoved a rifle out.
Goose knew Syrian Command would have told their men that they could expect no mercy from the Americans and United Nations soldiers after their brutal attack against Turkey. From the centurieslong struggle between the two neighboring countries, the Syrians already knew they could expect no mercy from the Turks.
Lieutenant Wake gave the order to fire. Bullets riddled the Syrian. The dead man dropped in a loose-limbed sprawl. An instant later, a sphere bounced from inside the tank.
Recognizing the threat, Goose yelled, “Grenade!”
The Ranger squad turned and broke away from the tank. The men took two strides and threw themselves to the ground, staying within the three-count. A fragmentation grenade carried a probable kill zone of fifteen meters, but most of that cleared the immediate area primarily of standing targets.
The grenade exploded. Steel shot smacked against the wall where Goose stood, cracking stone and ripping up a layer of dust and broken mortar.
“I’m hit! I’m hit!” a young Ranger yelled. Two other voices joined the first.
Goose started around the corner of the building; then he saw that the lead Syrian tank had locked down and brought its main gun to bear.
“Incoming!” someone yelled.
Taking cover again, Goose watched helplessly as the enemy fired. The last surviving member of the Syrian tank crew tried to scramble out of the vehicle during the confusion, never knowing the other one had fired. The 120mm round slammed against the overturned tank, rolling it onto the Syrian soldier who had just clambered out. The blast hammered rolling thunder between the bombed-out buildings.
The forty-ton vehicle skidded a dozen feet before it came to a stop. Long tears showed in the street where stones had ripped free.
Goose rushed forward. The Syrian tank at the other end of the street lurched into motion again. Reactive armor exploded in bright yellow and white bursts all along its back and sides, proof that the war machine drew heavy fire from defenders’ guns. But even the .50-cal rounds failed to penetrate the thick hide of the snarling metal beast. The APCs and the jeeps remained in the tank’s wake, letting the bigger, more protected vehicle run blocker for the attack.
A Ranger in the grenade’s blast area struggled to get to his feet. Blood stained his legs. The
