| Author | Message | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4157 Registered: 5-2003 |
A UN commander in Bosnia was under orders only to fire on troops who were confirmed as actively firing on his own troops. Faced with a Serb tank spotting for artillery that was targeted on his position, his orders did not permit him to fire an anti-tank weapon to destroy the tank because, while it was spotting for artillery, it was not itself shooting at him. What lateral solution did he find to deal with this problem without violating the letter of his orders? | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 1043 Registered: 9-2009 |
As a result of his lateral solution, did he in fact destroy the enemy tank? Did he make it retreat? Surrender? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8808 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did he fire a weapon? An anti-tank weapon? Did someone else fire a weapon? An anti-tank weapon? | ||
| Markobr (Markobr)
New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 906 Registered: 5-2009 |
Does, according to how he read the orders: "be confirmed as doing X" necessarily imply "doing X"? "his own troops" mean the UN troops and no other troops? "only" limit the set of troops he is allowed to fire on? Is any non-obvious reading of the letter of his orders relevant at all? Did he do something to make the tank open fire? If so: successfully? Did he fire on the tank at all? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4158 Registered: 5-2003 |
As a result of his lateral solution, did he in fact destroy the enemy tank? This. Did he make it retreat? Surrender? Did he fire a weapon? Yope. An anti-tank weapon? No. Did someone else fire a weapon? An anti-tank weapon? None of these. Does, according to how he read the orders: "be confirmed as doing X" necessarily imply "doing X"? Yes. "his own troops" mean the UN troops and no other troops? Yes. "only" limit the set of troops he is allowed to fire on? Yes. Is any non-obvious reading of the letter of his orders relevant at all? Yes. Did he do something to make the tank open fire? No. If so: successfully? Did he fire on the tank at all? Yope. | ||
| Biograd (Biograd)
New member Username: Biograd Post Number: 1261 Registered: 6-2008 |
Did he use a weapon, such as a land mine, whose operation was not directly controlled by him, but rather was triggered "passively" by the movement of the tank? | ||
| Markobr (Markobr)
New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 909 Registered: 5-2009 |
Did he destroy/damage something else than the tank? Did he use something which isn't technically a weapon but can be used to destroy something? Maybe run down something with a vehicle? Did the commander carry out the relevant actions himself? Give orders to carry them out? Relevant? | ||
| Woodworm (Woodworm)
New member Username: Woodworm Post Number: 2441 Registered: 3-2006 |
Did he use some sort of espionage? Did he trick the Serb army into firing on its own tank? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4159 Registered: 5-2003 |
Did he use a weapon, such as a land mine, whose operation was not directly controlled by him, but rather was triggered "passively" by the movement of the tank? No. Did he destroy/damage something else than the tank? No. Did he use something which isn't technically a weapon but can be used to destroy something? Yes. Maybe run down something with a vehicle? No. Did the commander carry out the relevant actions himself? Give orders to carry them out? This. Relevant? No. Did he use some sort of espionage? No. Did he trick the Serb army into firing on its own tank? No. | ||
| Markobr (Markobr)
New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 920 Registered: 5-2009 |
So he used something which isn't a weapon to destroy the tank? Equipment of the UN troops? Something present at the place anyway? Maybe something natural? Was the Serb tank destroyed by an explosion? Something heavy falling on it ( like a collapsing building, a landslide...)? Something blocking its way it run into? Maloperation by its own crew? Did the tank crew die in the event? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4160 Registered: 5-2003 |
So he used something which isn't a weapon to destroy the tank? Yes. Equipment of the UN troops? Yes. Something present at the place anyway? No. Maybe something natural? No. Was the Serb tank destroyed by an explosion? No. Something heavy falling on it ( like a collapsing building, a landslide...)? No. Something blocking its way it run into? No. Maloperation by its own crew? No. Did the tank crew die in the event? Unknown, irr. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8856 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was the tank in one piece after it was destroyed? Was it made inoperable? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4161 Registered: 5-2003 |
Was the tank in one piece after it was destroyed? Irr. Was it made inoperable? It already was, actually. But assume yes. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8862 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did he use the troops' rations to destroy the tank? Part of their uniforms? Ammunition? | ||
| Markobr (Markobr)
New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 929 Registered: 5-2009 |
Did they use some massive object to damage the tank's walls (is this the right word? Or hull?)? To damage mechanic parts of the tank? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4162 Registered: 5-2003 |
Did he use the troops' rations to destroy the tank? Part of their uniforms? Ammunition? This...ish. Did they use some massive object No. to damage the tank's walls (is this the right word? Or hull? Hull is the correct term.)? To damage mechanic parts of the tank? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8869 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did they use some part of the ammunition? Or is the ammunition itself more of an "ammunition-ish"? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4163 Registered: 5-2003 |
Did they use some part of the ammunition? Or is the ammunition itself more of an "ammunition-ish"? This. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8882 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is the "ammunition" used in a firearm? Arrows? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4164 Registered: 5-2003 |
Is the "ammunition" used in a firearm? Yesish. Arrows? No. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8885 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is it used in a type of gun? That is "ish" a firearm? BBs? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4165 Registered: 5-2003 |
Is it used in a type of gun? Yesish. That is "ish" a firearm? Yes. BBs? No. I do have other puzzles, guys... | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8908 Registered: 4-2010 |
A type of "ish" gun, then? A squirt gun? Water? Or a dart gun? Darts? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4166 Registered: 5-2003 |
A type of "ish" gun, then? Yes. A squirt gun? Water? Or a dart gun? Darts?It's not a toy. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8921 Registered: 4-2010 |
A gun attached to a vehicle of sorts? The gun on the tank? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4169 Registered: 5-2003 |
A gun attached to a vehicle of sorts? Irr, but likely. The gun on the tank? The enemy one? No. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8946 Registered: 4-2010 |
The gun on a friendly tank? | ||
| Biograd (Biograd)
New member Username: Biograd Post Number: 1265 Registered: 6-2008 |
The "ammunition", was it fireworks? and the "gun" was one of the tubes they are launched from? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4172 Registered: 5-2003 |
The gun on a friendly tank? Possibly. The "ammunition", was it fireworks? Very close! and the "gun" was one of the tubes they are launched from? Yes. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8971 Registered: 4-2010 |
Cannonballs? Something explosive? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4175 Registered: 5-2003 |
Cannonballs? No. Something explosive? No. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8979 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is the "ammunition" on fire? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8980 Registered: 4-2010 |
Flares? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4180 Registered: 5-2003 |
Is the "ammunition" on fire? Yes. Flares? Yes. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 8988 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did he shoot a flare? At the tank? Did the tank catch fire? Did the flare go inside the tank? Setting a fire inside it? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4181 Registered: 5-2003 |
Did he shoot a flare? Yes. At the tank? Technically, no. Did the tank catch fire? Yep. Did the flare go inside the tank? Setting a fire inside it? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4182 Registered: 5-2003 |
Did he shoot a flare? Yes. At the tank? Technically, no; that would have violated his orders. Did the tank catch fire? Yep. Did the flare go inside the tank? Setting a fire inside it? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 9010 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did he shoot the flare...in front of the tank? Behind it? Above it? Did he shoot the flare straight up (well, relatively so)? But angled the shot so the flare would "accidentally" land on the tank? | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 4185 Registered: 5-2003 |
Did he shoot the flare...in front of the tank? Behind it? Above it? Did he shoot the flare straight up (well, relatively so)? But angled the shot so the flare would "accidentally" land on the tank? This, and SPOILER: The UN officer patiently waited until nightfall. Then, since there was nothing in his orders against lighting up his area, he launched several illumination shells -- which "just happened" to land on and around the spotter vehicle. The highly flammable phosphorus they contained ended the problem. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 9053 Registered: 4-2010 |
Good lateral thinking by the officer, and nice puzzle! |
