The Fulda Gap at CDWGC
Players pre-registered for this game and the Generals had been planning from almost the day that the game-over fireworks were launched the previous year . Fulda Gap has become one of the premiere events in the southeast and a yearly reunion for many who get to see their paintball family only one time a year . A special treat for me this year was getting to reconnect with Mike “ Blue “ Hanse of EMR Paintball Park and leader of Blues Crew who came down to camp and chat with many longtime friends . Many teams host reunions at Fulda Gap and there is a rumor that the 101st Airborne from Oklahoma D-Day will attend in 2023 for a reunion .
The sides are always the 2 major powers of the Cold War . The Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact vs the NATO Allied Forces . With 1200 + players registered for 2022 this was going to be a battle of huge proportions with no one really knowing how the game would playout . No one really knew how the first attack would go , let alone the 2-day battle , as there were so many unknowns with all the changes from previous years .
THE GAME BEGINS
As the referees allowed the players to enter the battlefield , unit commanders on both sides made sure their players were ready with air , paint , water , and the stamina to stay on the field for as long as they were needed . Their attitudes were infectious , and it was filtering down to the walk-on players . These players were ready . It also must be noted that NATO Special Forces and Warsaw Spetsnaz had inserted an hour before game on to attack from hidden positions . 6 tanks also took the field before game on to do battle .
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