Chapter 6. Flex The Plans

by Irene

Aztex Poison Weekend

The Aztexs crew spent Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday spreading pesticide, cutting the grass, fogging the entire area and generally preparing the grounds. They used a pair of what they called “Moon Tractors” that had sealed cabins and were equipped with foggers which could penetrate 5 to 10 yards into the dense marsh around the cleared area. The smaller tractor had treads and could actually climb the steep pyramid.

They crew worked in shifts, the protective clothing they needed was a limitation to the people mixing the poisons, refilling the tractors, etc. When they were off-shift they stayed in a refitted large Winnebago with A/C and air filtration. It was not healthy to stay on site without protection until the poison level dropped. Part of the deal was that whores and drugs were provided for the time spent “in local housing” between finishing the prep work and when the party started. These ‘prep’ people were not in the assault, but they enjoyed the party and used their own vehicles for travel to and from the Yucatan.

The original Aztexs had been top college students, including a few gifted chemists unencumbered by ethics. The found the pyramid, looked at the crawlies in the area, and formulated the powerful poisons. It was easy to target the specific threats if you didn’t have to worry about safety concerns for every category of humans (young, old, unborn, ill, etc.), pets, or persistence in the environment. Drug users did not get high-paid jobs at DuPont or Exxon, but their classmates did, so I guess I don’t wonder about ethics for that generation - I accept that we missed one. Maybe things have swung the other way.

The entire area would be contaminated for a few days, depending on wind, sun and rain. Aztexs did not plan to show up until Thursday August 28, when low-ranking grunts would show up to set up benches, paint lines for parking, etc. They were in partial protective clothing, but did not make long term career plans.

Saturday Tank Swim

Our original plan was to have the tank and the M-113 swim ashore sometime between early Monday and late Tuesday, when the Aztexs were gone. However, the weather report said that dawn on Saturday the 23rd would have the smoothest ocean, and when putting a tank in the water one is very concerned about rough water.

I did not think that was even a possibility until I saw the floats.

Normally one does not expect a tank to swim in water. However, during the cold war both the US and the Soviets designed “light” armored vehicles that were designed to be air-dropped with a parachute, plus they were sealed to be safe from radiation, chemical and biological weapons. As a bonus side effect they were watertight and light enough so they could float in rivers as needed. The Soviet models were designed to float without augmentation. Initially the US Army had the same thought, but as usual the contractors went overboard in the designs.

The Allies had developed the “D-Drive” tank for D-Day in Normandy, adding a propeller and a 360 degree water-tight canvas skirt above the hull deck which, when raised, increased displacement to allow the (then) full-sized tank to float well enough in British ponds and rivers. Like the “USS Monitor” ironclad in the US civil war, most of the tank was submerged. On D-Day this design did not work well, ocean waves came over the edge of the “skirt” to swamp many of the tanks, sending them to the bottom in formation. I believe the same type of thing happened to the “USS Monitor” which was designed for rivers, not an ocean storm. The things people forget...

During the cold war bright US designers tried the “skirt” design again for both the light Sheridan tank and M-113 APC. They added a stern warning that waves were dangerous to one’s health. But waves don’t read and soldiers follow orders from command, regardless of some pencil-pushers stern warnings. Both the US and Soviet designs saw action during the 60’ and 70’s in various conflicts, and continued in service until the ‘90s.

(Note: the Monitor, the D-Drive tank, and the cold war designs were very useful in rivers, which they were designed for. The problems were encountered at sea, where they were never intended to operate.)

When the Prince got the vehicles a dozen years ago he scrapped the waiting-to-fail “skirt” design that was standard equipment and replaced it with a set of removable outriggers fitted with dual floats designed for the Cessna 208s, which the Patron had in excess. (The US Army would never think of such a design because of the complicated logistics.) The outrigger sat outside the treads, held the floats, added outboard motors with fuel and a steering mechanism, all with an eye toward fast removal when landed. They were not designed for easy attachment on a steel deck, as I could testify.

The floats gave plenty of extra buoyancy without swamping. They could launch at sea (using the cranes), swim ashore, and then easily drop off the floats/outriggers until they were needed for the return trip. Reattachment of the floats is a “drive on” procedure on a soft surface like a beach, but it takes some care and a crew who knows what they are doing on a steel deck.

With the floats the vehicles rode high enough in the sea and could, if needed, fight with the commander’s heavy machine guns if required. The floats were foam-filled so a few bullet holes will not sink it. Each pair of floats supplies more that 8,000 pounds of displacement, so the M-113 has a very low waterline while the tank sits high enough to keep the deck, turret and driver’s port dry.