the shape of things to come

THE MECHANIZED BATTLEFIELD
“Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little
battle he is to fi ght fi ts into the larger picture, and how the success of
his fi ghting will infl uence the battle as a whole.”
—Bernard Law Montgomery
It is said that military history is written on the tombstones of
soldiers who thought themselves invincible.
More than any other combatants, MechWarriors are predisposed
to this fatal fl aw. You pilot the ultimate product of centuries
of armored warfare, so it is not surprising that many of you aff ect
this mindset. Unfortunately, some of you believe it. As students
at the Canopian Institute of War, you are being trained to discard
—Excerpt from “The Modern Battlefi eld” by MAF Colonel (Ret) Ashley Hodd,
Canopian Institute of War Press, Canopus IV, 19 August 3067
outmoded thinking in favor of a realistic view of combat. This
fundamental relearning is vital in the vehicular combat arena; no
other paradigm is as neglected.
In subsequent units, we shall review specifi c strategies and tactics
regarding the so-called lesser combatants most armies refer
to simply as “conventional vehicles.” This briefi ng will present an
overview of 31st-century armored combat vehicles and discuss
the place of noteworthy designs in modern warfare, with a focus
on practical information. The Warbook Appendix on the accompanying
data disk contains technical information on all major
vehicle designs currently in use, and Unit Twelve will focus on
identifying them. At the conclusion of this exercise, you will un-