Earlier today I was visiting with friends. Our conversation strayed onto anecdotal war stories. One person recounted a story from a Canadian soldier based in Germany in the 80s. It went something like this:
A Canadian squad is out manoeuvring when their field radio breaks, and so one soldier is ordered to return to headquarters and get a replacement. They have no transport, so he has to make the journey on foot. As he is walking along the road, he hears heavy engine sounds and can feel the ground shaking, so he runs and hides by a single tree a little way off in the field.
Along comes an American armoured column of M-60 tanks on an exercise refereed by a Bundeswehr major in an IFV. They stop on the road and the crew leaders debark, gathering around the tree the Canadian is hiding behind. Apparently, they had become lost and are arguing about where exactly they are now.
The Canadian realizes this is an opportunity he can't afford to pass up. His weapon is loaded with blanks, and he leaps out from behind the tree, firing randomly until his clip runs empty. He then sprints between the tanks and down the road. The American unit, so surprised by the entire episode, does not react.
The Bundeswehr major laughs so hard he allegedly falls out of his vehicle. He gestures toward the commanders still standing around the tree, repeating between bouts of laughter, "You kaput! You all dead!" Without damaging any of the vehicles, the Canadian had effectively killed all the commanding officers of the unit.