Fort Knox Opens Urban Training Site

A highlight of this year’s Armor Conference at Fort Knox was the dedication of anew, $17.2 million “city” to train mounted warriors and their infantry counterparts. It has been named in honor of 2LT Raymond Zussman, whose heroic actions leading a tank/infantry task force in a French city in 1944 led to the award of the Medal of Honor. Following MG B. B. Bell’s dedication speech, Conference attendees observed a force-on-force combat demonstration by Fort Knox’s 1-16 Cavalry Regiment and 3-502 Infantry from Fort Campbell, Ky. The 26-acre site is specifically designed to train mounted soldiers in cooperation with infantry. Special effects, developed with the cooperation of experts at MGM Studios, add to the realism with exploding gasoline pumps, cars and buildings engulfed in flames, fallen power lines, and a sewer system that permits infiltrators to maneuver underground. The buildings include a walled embassy compound, hotel, town houses, school, a fire station, churches and homes, slums, and an industrial area. A tall “water tower” is actually an observation point for trainers and exercise controllers. All Photos by Robert Stevenson

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Bradley crew, at left, waits by the church for the exercise to begin.

At far left, a tank moves out and infantrymen bound ahead to clear the street.

Range Chief F. L. Andrews, in baseball cap, above, welcomes Armor Conference visitors to the urban combat site. At left, he leads a tour group through some of the many buildings in the training complex, which is located about 20 miles outside the main post area near the reservation’s northern boundary. Left, tanks and infantry move to flush out insurgents as the demonstration develops. Above left, one of the buildings that is equipped with smoke and flame generators “burns” after being hit. Above right, a HMMWV crewman takes the insurgents under fire. ARMOR — 17

At right, Armor leads the way. Insurgent parking violations are treated harshly in this model city! MG B. B. Bell, Fort Knox commandant, thanks some of the soldiers who helped conduct the demonstration for Armor Conference visitors. Buses shuttled the conference participants on 45-minute trips to the remote site. 18 ARMOR —