European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 1, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes saturday february 1, 1969 defenders churn toward counter offensive Carbide ice viewed from the tap9 by James Gunter staff writer with Blue forces i Carbide ices a peering through the open door of an army helicopter which circled the Carbide ice Man Euver Are Friday you could see plainly the encampments of defending troops on both sides of the Peg Nitz River North of Herrbruck. Churning the Muddy ground nearby were trucks armoured personnel carriers tanks an tracked artillery of the assault ing Orange Force which represents a foreign entity. The Orange men had moved almost27 Miles since Early wednesday and had pushed the . Blue Force up against the Nuernberg Berlin  there the attack chugged to a halt. The blues were ready ing a counter offensive. Germans participate a group of observers piled into a ch34 Choctaw helicopter at Vilseck army Airfield Muddy Flat choked with helicopters of Many kinds including bloc of German army uh1d Huey. The German aircraft retaking part in demonstrations with the  Choctaw lifted with much vibrations and noise and headed South Westward Over a Forest of Pines and patches of  flight of 12 choppers could be seen to the right flying in the same direction. Suddenly a Mountain top knobbed with outcroppings of stones loomed almost level with the chopper. A cameraman with a Blue Woolen band around his ears leaned out of the door to photograph armoured person Nel carriers at the Edge of a Thicket. An army truck was moving through a Small Village below and a jeep was scooting Long a wet Highway like a Bug on a glistening  one spot about 15 German civilians had stopped their Carsto watch american tanks parked along a country  Brown whorls of tracks blemished the Snow and marked the military s activities. Distress signal at one group of tents and vehicles two men were waving a red panel a signal of  helicopter went Down and airlifted an injured Soldier to the Hospital. A bystander re ported that the injured Soldier was a truck Driver who had lost his brakes and swerved into ditch suffering a fractured  German civilian became the first fatality of the vast exer Cise when his Small car ran into the Back of an armoured person Nel Carrier inside the Man Euver area at 6 10 . Thursday. Mili tary police identified the dead Man As Maximilian ,22 of Nuernberg. No one in the pc was  big Choctaw swooped along a tree line to get an in Friendly Welcome from soldiers Emp laced on a Hillside under the Trees. Riflemen raised their weapons and fired on the whirly Bird. The rapid popping an flashing of Blank cartridges met the eyes and cars of the news men inside. One Soldier put his thumbs in his ears and waggled his Handset the overhead intruder. Near by villagers waved in a Friend Lier fashion. Some units were camped i gravel pits. Dark tracks leading into a Woods and Blue smoke sifting upwards from the tree tops marked the location of one  Snow had flooded streams of the area and turned Fields and unpaved roads into goo. Mishap minutes before a press Bell copter passed overhead this ton truck went off the Road because of Brake fail ure. At right men hold up a red panel to summon help a helicopter later picked up an injured Man. Is photo Cole Orange forces use Trojan horse if real thing Blue would t have had a Chance by Jay Ligons a Nuernberg Bureau chief with the Orange Force sin exercise Carbide ices a operation Trojan horse an intelligence pipeline behind the Blue forces lines is feed ing the Orange artillerymen in formation about location of enemy Camps. Four teams of Forward observers in jeeps Are moving around behind the lines gathering in formation which is radioed to the 6th in 19th arty of the 35tharty up based in Bamberg. After pinpointing the location Trojan horse observers relay the information into battalion head quarters. Map coordinates Are converted through computers into gun laying data. The data Are then radioed tothe 175mm gun Crews for firing the . Boatwright s Headquarters 24th inf div he was Rig there where we Are now at the beginning of the exercise Saidt. Col. Gerald a. Wilcomb com Mander of the 6th  this were the real thing the Blue forces would t have had a Chance he said. Our first two rounds hit battalion Headquarters and their division artillery Headquarters said  colonel spoke with Pride about his battalion. We be gota Bunch of boys out Here doing a Man s Job better than  the division artillery made upon Vii corps units for exercise Carbide ice has been pounding the Blue forces with Over 2,000 simulated rounds a  Muddy conditions the aggressors Nave marched Over the Blue forces made up of 24th inf div troops who were airlifted Here this month pushing them just South of Ansbach Friday afternoon. Both sides will be taking Atwo Day breather while the 15th allahut n Maas i Anobile show saturday for nato Mili tary observers and newsmen. Not so icy Blue Force tanks Wallow through gooey mud to take up holding positions. Is Coler i a. I German choppers carry gis in assault by Wellington Lon Vilseck Germany up the West German helicopter Crew chief was fastidious. He had covered the floor of the Pas Senger compartment of Bis Huey hell copter with heavy Brown wrapping paper and fixed the Corners with masking  soldiers of the 3rd inf div had to slog through ankle deep mud to reach the Craft that was to carry them into Battle and their overshoes dripped the filth All Over the paper. The Craft was one of 12 West German army Huey assigned to help carry 450 american assault troops to a Landing zone on a River Bank in the Middle of hostile country. Although live ammunition was being used it was a mock Battle Only the dress rehearsal of an air mobility demonstration to be one of the highlights of the Winter Maneu vers being held 1� Eastern Bavaria about 23 Miles from the czechoslovak Frontier. American officials said it was the largest demonstration of us kind Ever mounted in Western Europe they neglected to mention that the russians had carried out a much larger military demonstration and for real when they invaded Czechoslovakia in August. Two battalions of eighteen 155mm howitzers each pounded the Landing zone for three minutes. In the helicopters circling in with the infantrymen we could Bear the explosions and see smoke Drifting up Over the horizon. Other helicopters1 flew in with gun blazing and rockets whistling to do some pin Point softening our flight of 12 moved steadily three abreast at about 150 feet Altitude nod a Speed of 70 Kalis across the wooded Hills teaming in the unseasonable warmth we could Aee a dozen other swarms of choppers. Somewhere going in like we were others were Rushing Back from the Battlefield to get another Load. Suddenly an american lieutenant nod ded to the other soldiers in the German Huey. They unhooked their safety  instant inter we were Over the land ing zone. The chopper shuddered Downto a Stop the German Crew chief snatched open the door on the right Videaud lot out. The americans dived out beb Tod him ran a couple of Steps and Tutag themselves into the mud. Tie Crew chief jumped Buck on Board and 10 seconds after we touched Down we were airborne again. One of soldiers looked up longingly As we flapped away