Ocotillo

*Ocotillo* is the callsign for the Mojave Rose Tankery Team's SU-100. It is commanded by Nora Cisneros, a girl who joined the team during the first of the United States National Tankery Tournament. Armed with a 100mm D-10S cannon, it is the most powerful tank destroyer Mojave Rose has in their arsenal, with firepower on par with the team's T-44. Being a tank destroyer, it is often used in defense roles or to provide sniping support during an offensive push.

## Former Affilation

Vehicles that participate in tankery are either manufactured during wartime that soon found their way into tankery teams modified to have protective carbon linings or accurately reproduced by engineering firms for the purpose of being sold to teams.

For Mojave Rose's SU-100, it was manufactured at the Ural Heavy Machinery Factory, a heavy production facility also know as *Uralmash*, in late 1944. It was then sent to the 1st Guards Tank of the 1st Belorussion Front. The 1st Guards would see action in various major engagements in the Eastern Front. The 1st Gaurds particpated in the Battle of Berlin, where their SU-100s proved their worth doing actions they were not designed to do; street fighting. This was because the 100mm gun was ideal with busting down fortications.

After the war, the SU-100 remained in service for the Soviet Red Army until 1967 when it was withdrawn in service. Not wanting to let these still-capable tank destroys lay idle, the Soviet Union authorized the disturbation of such machines and a select few others to their domestic tankery teams. As this was during the Cold War-era, no tankery teams from the West had access to Soviet tanks. They would have to wait until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 for Russian tanks to become freely available for procurement.

The SU-100 was shipped from Russia after 1991 where it found itself in the United States. Sometime prior to 2012, the SU-100 would be under the ownership of Oceanside High School in California. However, the tank destroyer was heavily damaged during practice where the vehicle flipped over multiple times so severely that any open hatches were torn off, tracks snapped, and the inner walls of the fighting compartment was cracked, revealing the deteriorated carbon protective lining. With such heavy damage, Oceanside wanted nothing to do with the machine and essentially abandoned it. This period of abandonment saw the SU-100 being tagged with graffitti by tankery atheletes who were sour over their loss to Oceanside earlier that year. During the US National Tankery Tournament, after some negotating by Valarie Woodlin, Oceanside would give their SU-100 to Mojave Rose at no cost.

## Under Mojave Rose's Ownership

Once Mojave Rose was handed ownership of the SU-100, they set to work to restoring the machine to working order, which they accomplished within the span of a day. Not longer after, a crew was found for the tank destroyer. It's callsign is painted on the left side of its hull in a white color. It is a minimalist depiction of ocotillo, a type of desert plant whose branches somewhat resembles the tencatcles of an ocotpus.

*Ocotillo* is crewed by a crew of four.

* Nora Cisneros *( Commmander )*
* Lana *( Driver )*
* Leah *( Gunner )*
* Kennedy  *( Loader )*