Mission 3 - Pathfinder - p. 2 AA II: OA Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

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Climb along the road to the top of the hill you have in front of you, but don't expose the whole silhouette of your tank to the enemies who may be hiding on the other side of the slope. There should be only the upper part of your tank (the turret) visible from behind this hill, but not the main, lower body (hull). You can describe the tank which is standing in such a position that it is in "hull-down position". The enemy may have problems with hitting and destroying this tank, or even with spotting it (especially when there's a tree, for example, behind this vehicle, which makes spotting this threat even more difficult). There's also a term of "turret-down position" in use, which means that from behind the slope there's visible only a half of a silhouette of a... tank's commander who is standing in his hatch. The commander of the vehicle may order to take a "turret-down position" to recon. Let's go back to the mission. About 600 meters further to the north you should see some trucks parking on the road near the enemy strong point (2b). Order your gunner to destroy them using HE shells, or you can fire personally from commander's HMG, if you don't want to waste the precious ammo for the main cannon on such soft targets (#9). You may also order to reverse after each shot of tank's cannon, to reload this cannon while being completely hidden and out of sight of hostiles. But do this only if you really want to emulate the real tankist... Kill the combatants who are hanging around the trucks then start driving downhill carefully. Carefully, because there's a recoilless gun SPG-9 emplacement amongst the buildings located to the left from the road. You should destroy SPG-9 right after spotting it in your sight. Kill also a Takistani guy who is operating the HMG situated near SPG-9 emplacement and one more gunner of the HMG located on the right roadside, on the hill, near some rocks - it's best to spot it on thermovision.

Afterwards, it's time to move towards the enemy strong point number three (2c) (#10).

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Keep going along the road. It goes over the top of the hill - have a peek from behind it. Carefully! You'll see a road crossing and at the right leg of this road, to the east, you'll spot some armoured car and HMG emplacement on the left roadside, and the second HMG with some combatants on the right roadside (#11). Kill them all!

Follow the road and when you reach this crossing take the left leg which is leading NE. You'll reach another hill - there's an electric line running over the top of this hill (#12).

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It is more or less grid 088041, its northwestern corner (point 1-9 in the slang of some fans of this game) (#13). Behind this hill, in grid coordinates 093045, there's located the Naran Darre mountain pass (3), which you have to clear of enemy forces. A little further to the north, on the road, in grid 087048, near Timurkalaj village you have to get to, there is situated the main strong point (2d) of the enemy, his base. There are parked some tanks in this base and an attack helicopter Mi-24.

The grid 088041, mentioned above, which is a top of the hill with an electric line over it, is also a good place to disembark from your tank again, to make a little reconnaissance. After disembarking your Abrams tank order your other vehicles to stop and their crews to observe various directions - you want them to cover you, when you're going for a walk. The Abrams tank which is leading the convoy may, for example, observe the road running towards the mountain pass - if something appears on this road it should be quickly annihilated. However, don't get with your tank on top of the hill. Instead of doing this, sneak like an ordinary infantryman to the rocks, which are situated on the left roadside, under the electric line, and take a look at the main Takistani strong point (2d) located to the north. Draw out your rangefinder, take a look through its ocular and call for artillery support first (key combo 9-2, if my memory works fine). Afterwards you may also call for CAS (Close Air Support) of A-10 Thunderbolt (key combination 9-1 or 8-1) to eliminate enemy remnants on the strong point (2d). (#14) In this simple way you'll use this well-known and colossal, military advantage of US Army to quickly destroy the whole enemy base. By the way you'll also dispose of this Takistani gunship mentioned above, which would take off in the latter part of the game and be a pain in the...ekhm...

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If there is still something moving on the strong point (2d), then you can return to your Abrams tank and get with this vehicle closer to the rocks located under the electric line, in order to finish off enemy remnants (#15). In enemy base (2d) there are some tanks (T-55 probably), one, equally old T-34, HMG emplacements, Mi-24 gunship mentioned above, some IFVs (probably BMP-2) and lots of infantry.

Afterwards, return with your tank on the road and lead your convoy of military vehicles towards the Naran Darre mountain pass (3). Behind the top of the hill with an electric line over it you'll encounter some outpost (probably abandoned) with HMG emplacement and UAZ off road car parked near the tent on the left roadside. But first of all you should destroy the next enemy tank which is patroling the road in front of you (#16). Fire also at the infantry you'll spot in the distance through your thermovisual sight.

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Behind the road bend there's a mud hut which you can destroy with HE shell, because you'll see a HMG at the entrance and some cars parked in front of this building. These cars aren't rather in possession of allied or neutral forces (#17)...

Proceed with the whole convoy along the road towards this mud hut. You may alternatively stop your column nearby this hut, disembark from your tank again and check this building, if you didn't destroy it earlier. Perhaps you'll encounter a gentleman inside - I didn't ask for whom he fights... (#18)

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Near the mud hut, in grid coordinates 092046, there's a hill located, marked on your map as a "governmental combatants hideout" (or something similar - sorry, I played on Polish version of this game, not English) (#19). You may arrange one or several your vehicles in the way which allows them to cover you and then take a walk uphill with some soldiers.

It seems that there are really some positions of enemy combatants on this hill, but their owners should be all dead now. It's probably the work of American commandos - you'll encounter some of them on the hill (#20). They aren't communicative, though, so return downhill to the convoy which is waiting on the road.

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And you may alternatively burn the vehicles located on the hill, after ensuring yourself that they belong to the enemy (#21).

Embark your Abrams tank again and lead your convoy of military vehicles downhill along the road, towards the already destroyed strong point (2d), which is situated near Timurkalaj village (#22).