‘Right Boss. I’ll sort it.’
Billy scurries off to the men, bent low. As he leaves them each group moves to their new position facing the approaching enemy.
You change channels to address the men on the local net. ‘All callsigns this is Alpha 9er. I want the enemy to stop before they reach us, and hopefully go home, so we will open a steady suppressing fire as soon as you see targets.
The first burst of gunfire comes from your line, quickly followed by another and then general firing breaks out. You take out your binoculars and scan the advancing enemy. There are more than 100 infantry approaching in a rough line and you can see three armoured vehicles in support. Eight-wheeler BTR 80 APCs firing 14.5mm heavy machine guns from their turrets. But the fire is still high. The enemy infantry drop to the ground 300 yards away and continue their approach in pairs, using the fire and movement system, with one man moving as his buddy gives suppressing fire. The mortar fire continues steadily and the heavy machine guns from the armour are getting the range. They have been joined by medium machine guns and rifle fire from the front of each vehicle.
‘Looks like he is going to try for a win Billy. Getting sticky.’
You change channels and call the Pavehawk commander, ‘Alpha 9er. Can you give me an ETA for touch-down over?’
‘Heelo 9er. ETA minutes 1 over.’
The reinforcements confirm this over the comms. ‘Alpha 4. We are on the ground 50m short of the top of the hill. The ship with Alpha 3 is landing now. The Pavehawk crew gave us a shiny new Golf Mike Golf and a crate of ammo over.’
‘Alpha 9er. Get yourselves to the top of that hill and tell me what you see. Get the GMGs rigged up ASAP.’
The enemy are now within 200 yards and your rifle fire is bouncing off the BTR 80s but you have killed several of the infantry although you have three casualties of your own.
‘Grenade launchers Billy.’ Billy whistles loudly and signals for the men to begin using the grenade launchers slung under their rifles with a tap of his own.
‘Will we be fixing bayonets then Boss?’ Billy grins without humour.
You radio begins to speak, ‘Alpha 9er this is Alpha 4 over.’
You reply instantly, ‘Alpha 9er send over.’
‘Alpha 4. My callsign and Alpha 3 are on top of the hill and can see about a hundred infantry skirmishing towards your position. There are three BTR 80s in close support and three more further back. There’s a huddle of trucks and a mortar group with three tubes about half a click away. Over.’
‘Alpha 9er. Stop those BTRs with the GMGs as soon as you like. Fire on the infantry with small arms and personal grenade launchers. Over.’
‘Alpha 1. Copy out.’
Moments later the slow bursts of automatic fire from the GMGs starts up on the hill. First one then a second, then the third of the closer BTRs bursts into flame. Firing down onto the enemy from the higher position is like shooting fish in a barrel. The infantry advance stalls as the men become reluctant to move forward and their fire lessens as their casualties grow.
‘Alpha 9er, Alpha 4, Switch fire to the distant BTRs, trucks and mortar group over.’
‘Alpha 4 copy out.’
The GMG fire pauses then continues. The mortar fire stops. The infantry begin to retreat at the run, many of them brought down by machine gun and rifle fire from the hill. You call out to your men, ‘Cease fire!’
A Pavehawk swoops in to begin collecting your men, now formed into a protective circle, while Heelo 9er collects the survivors and bodies from the stricken chopper himself. As you pull away a CH-53E Super Stallion, which has been held in reserve to allow for accidents, prepares to recover the smashed Pavehawk airframe.
* HAHO stands for High Altitude High Opening and refers to a means of parachute insertion where the operators jump at high altitude over the enemy radar and then open their square canopies while still at a high, and classified, altitude allowing them to fly undetected for an extended distance in excess of 30 miles to their target, all the while navigating by chest-mounted GPS.
AP
anti-personnel
BSA
Broad Spectrum Antibiotic
civvy
Civilian/Non-military personnel
Cockneys
Londoners, particularly working-class and from the East End of that city
Det Cord
detonation cord used to fire strings of charges
False Flag
Old naval term now used to describe an operation which is made to look like it has been perpetrated by another country’s armed forces
FOB
Forward Operating Base
GPMG
General Purpose Machine Gun
GMG
grenade machine gun
HEAT
High Explosive Anti-Tank
HAHO
High Altitude High Opening
IED
Improvised Explosive Device
IMT
Individual Movement Technique
MEMS
micro-electromechanical systems
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (also known as the North Atlantic Alliance)
Para(s)
Parachute Regiment or members thereof
PE
plastic explosive
PIAT
Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank
PMC
Private Military Contractor
R&R
rest and recuperation
RPG
Rocket Propelled Grenade
Sangar
a permannt, fortified, room-sized defensive or observation position
SAS
Special Air Service
SF
Special Forces
SOPs
Standard Operating Procedures
stag
period of sentry duty
Stick
a unit of 4 to 8 infantry or SF
TAB
Tactical Advance into Battle, from the Parachute Regiment concept of landing by parachute some distance from the objective and running to the battle
TNBI
neutron backscatter imaging
Two-way range
combat situation (ie. people are returning fire at you with live ammunition)