When the air assault element had completed their disembarkation, the guns lifted and shifted their fires to other Guard positions. This fire was meant to be suppressive, a bombardment engineered to prevent those elements from interfering with the destruction of key Guard units and vehicles by the air assault troops. While this phase of the attack was in progress, the 4th Armored Division’s mounted ground maneuver elements would break out from concealed attack positions and charge across Deadman’s Flats as quickly as their vehicles could carry them. The tankers and mech infantry of lead elements were to aim for the gaps in the Guard’s defenses that the combined efforts of the artillery and air assault troopers had carved out. Once the lead units had climbed the steep mesa and established a foothold, follow-on forces would pass through and begin the methodical process of crushing what was left of the Idaho National Guard.

Not all would go as planned. The most junior commander in Scott’s division knew this just as well as their commanding general. Some Guard units would not be affected by the artillery fire. Not all the platoon positions targeted by the air assault troopers would be overwhelmed before the 4th Armored’s tanks and Bradleys came into the range of the Guard’s tanks and Bradleys. So unit commanders at all levels had contingency plans. More often than not these plans involved a number of their M-1A1 tanks. Following the lead elements or set on commanding ground the gunners and the tank commanders of units assigned to watch over the advance would scan the far horizons through their thermal sights looking for trouble. When they saw an enemy vehicle that looked as if it were moving into a position from which it could place effective fire on the lead elements, the over watching tanks had the task of silencing it. While they could not count on getting off the first shot in every case, all were determined that they would fire the last.

SOUTH OF HAMMETT, IDAHO 0305, NOVEMBER 11

With the helicopters finished and away, Sergeant First Class Samuel Decon looked around and called for a sitrep from all his squad leaders. When he had heard from the last, he reached for the handmike from his RTO. After a quick check with his company commander, he took a second or two to orient himself on the ground. When he was ready he gave the command to move out.