FJAG
Army.ca Legend
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CHAPTER 9 (Cont'd)
Dunford and Shirazi had gone over the pros and cons of taking such a heavyweight system: an unusual item for a direct-action assault. In the end, the overriding factor was the anticipated nature of this fight. It would be far from a typical special operations HVT assault on a house or compound, instead it would be more like a raid on a fortified platoon position on what was for all intents and purposes, a conventional battlefield. The ability to bring some artillery of their own to the fight that could reach out to a kilometer and that they controlled, eventually outweighed the weight of nineteen pounds for the launcher and approximately eight pounds for each round.
12-ALPHA’s team of two bricks was the assault element. Shirazi’s three men formed the reserve and would be moving close behind Lennie’s. The fact that Lennie was already near the objective and had seen it meant that Shirazi had been able to use Lennie to do much of the reconnaissance and planning for the assault itself. In fact, during the first half of the night, while Shirazi’s group had been making their way up the Whale, Lennie had moved forward and reconnoitered and established an objective rendezvous, a release point, a vantage point and a support position and marked them with shielded eight-hour IR glow sticks.
They’d arrived at ALPHA’s base camp just before midnight. Dunford counted the patrol in to ensure everyone had made it.
While Lennie’s 2i/c and Corporal Henare looked after the redistribution of equipment and ammunition, Shirazi, Lennie, Dunford and Lennie’s ETAC hunkered down inside a small CP formed under a small rock overhang closed off to the outside with two groundsheets. Rather than risking even a red light, they continued to use their NVG to review Lennie’s assault plan. Shirazi handed him the air photo that he and Dunford had been using for planning purposes, and Lennie marked on it the route to the ORV; the route from the ORV to the rel P; and the two routes from the rel P: one to the VP for his assault force and the second to the SP for Dunford’s support force. He also marked a suggested alternate rally point in the event that the mission and the ORV and base camp became compromised and they had to regroup elsewhere. Shirazi asked a few questions about the latter, and since Lennie had seen it and vouched for its defensibility, he accepted it.
Within the hour they had set out. They had left all their rucks behind except for some with the support group for extra ammunition and a few empty ones with the assault group for hauling out any captured equipment or documents.
They progressed slowly and deliberately, making use of every contour the ground had to offer. Just short of the ORV they halted, and while Shirazi and Corporal Henare went forward to secure the ORV, Dunford closed the patrol up and took up an all-around defence.
Once the ORV was secured, Henare was left behind for security while Shirazi went back and brought the rest of the patrol forward. Dunford counted them out. At the ORV the patrol again formed into its defensive perimeter and conducted a listening halt to ensure that there was no activity in their area.
When Shirazi was satisfied he brought together his recce party: Dunford, Lennie, the ETAC and a JTF-2 assaulter and two Kiwis for security. The remainder of the patrol was left under the command of the remaining JTF-2 brick commander.
The recce party proceeded to the rel P where the ETAC called the circling Spectre for an update. The Spectre confirmed that it had eyes on their patrol, which had set out IR strobe markers, and the target, and confirmed minimal activity in each of the three AQ section positions—activity that was consistent with a single sentry being up at each one.
The ETAC and one of the Kiwis were left for security at the rel P while the rest of the party proceeded to travel in an arc toward the northeast side of the nearest AQ defensive position. At a rock outcrop about one hundred and fifty meters away Shirazi confirmed that they had a suitable VP and set the JTF-2 assaulter out as a security element watching south and east. They collectively scanned the area and identified the enemy trenches and the cave complex with its sanger defenses. The ground sloped up to the west—their right—as they looked at the enemy position. Also just visible from there was the AQ’s reserve position on the ridge’s crest and, further northeast along the ridge, another outcrop that would form the Kiwis support position.
Shirazi and Lennie discussed the route that the assault force would take from here, first through the northernmost section position and then into the sanger and cave complex. They discussed where the assault group would have to set out flanking security as it progressed to and into the cave and how they would withdraw once the mission was accomplished.
Once agreement was reached they left the assaulter behind to watch the flanks and withdrew back to the rel P where once again they checked in with the Spectre. It confirmed no change in the enemy situation and that they had marked the VP as a friendly forces location on their systems.
They carefully made their way on to the support position. Travel here was more difficult because of the state of the scree which was even more crumbly than before. Every step disturbed the stone. When weight was put down on a foot, shards of shale would snap under the pressure. Every step sounded like the snap, crackle and pop of a box of Rice Krispies. At first, every ten paces they halted and listened. As they grew more confident they would go for thirty before stopping. The wind continued to blow steadily: fortunately it was a westerly wind blowing the sounds from the enemy to them and from them away into the darkness below.
By 0100 hrs they had achieved getting into the support position just below the crest. They stayed low amongst the boulders to avoid being silhouetted against the very faint glow of the skyline. This time the remaining Kiwi was set out as security crawling to the crest to watch west and south.
Lennie pointed out the depth AQ section position which sat up on the crest line to their southwest again about one hundred and fifty meters away. There was no sign of any sentry. Below them they could make out a small shelf in the slope on which they could see both of the forward AQ positions: the first two hundred meters to their southeast, the second four hundred meters to their south. The CP and its sanger was not visible from here being hidden by the slope.
The height of this position made it obvious that it would be fairly easy to support the assault force going in, but equally it showed problems with fully neutralizing both the depth position and any counterattack force coming across the crest from the south with GPMG fire alone. The AQ’s depth position, if not fully taken out by the Spectre, could shoot into the assault force. They would need a contingency plan to keep the Spectre on that position during the assault and a further one where the Kiwis might have to take the position out with CarlG fire.
Leaving the security elements at each of the VP, SP and rel P, Shirazi, Lennie, Dunford and the ETAC returned to the ORV where the first three gave final confirmatory orders to their troops while the ETAC made final arrangements with the supporting Spectre.
Dunford and Shirazi had gone over the pros and cons of taking such a heavyweight system: an unusual item for a direct-action assault. In the end, the overriding factor was the anticipated nature of this fight. It would be far from a typical special operations HVT assault on a house or compound, instead it would be more like a raid on a fortified platoon position on what was for all intents and purposes, a conventional battlefield. The ability to bring some artillery of their own to the fight that could reach out to a kilometer and that they controlled, eventually outweighed the weight of nineteen pounds for the launcher and approximately eight pounds for each round.
12-ALPHA’s team of two bricks was the assault element. Shirazi’s three men formed the reserve and would be moving close behind Lennie’s. The fact that Lennie was already near the objective and had seen it meant that Shirazi had been able to use Lennie to do much of the reconnaissance and planning for the assault itself. In fact, during the first half of the night, while Shirazi’s group had been making their way up the Whale, Lennie had moved forward and reconnoitered and established an objective rendezvous, a release point, a vantage point and a support position and marked them with shielded eight-hour IR glow sticks.
They’d arrived at ALPHA’s base camp just before midnight. Dunford counted the patrol in to ensure everyone had made it.
While Lennie’s 2i/c and Corporal Henare looked after the redistribution of equipment and ammunition, Shirazi, Lennie, Dunford and Lennie’s ETAC hunkered down inside a small CP formed under a small rock overhang closed off to the outside with two groundsheets. Rather than risking even a red light, they continued to use their NVG to review Lennie’s assault plan. Shirazi handed him the air photo that he and Dunford had been using for planning purposes, and Lennie marked on it the route to the ORV; the route from the ORV to the rel P; and the two routes from the rel P: one to the VP for his assault force and the second to the SP for Dunford’s support force. He also marked a suggested alternate rally point in the event that the mission and the ORV and base camp became compromised and they had to regroup elsewhere. Shirazi asked a few questions about the latter, and since Lennie had seen it and vouched for its defensibility, he accepted it.
Within the hour they had set out. They had left all their rucks behind except for some with the support group for extra ammunition and a few empty ones with the assault group for hauling out any captured equipment or documents.
They progressed slowly and deliberately, making use of every contour the ground had to offer. Just short of the ORV they halted, and while Shirazi and Corporal Henare went forward to secure the ORV, Dunford closed the patrol up and took up an all-around defence.
Once the ORV was secured, Henare was left behind for security while Shirazi went back and brought the rest of the patrol forward. Dunford counted them out. At the ORV the patrol again formed into its defensive perimeter and conducted a listening halt to ensure that there was no activity in their area.
When Shirazi was satisfied he brought together his recce party: Dunford, Lennie, the ETAC and a JTF-2 assaulter and two Kiwis for security. The remainder of the patrol was left under the command of the remaining JTF-2 brick commander.
The recce party proceeded to the rel P where the ETAC called the circling Spectre for an update. The Spectre confirmed that it had eyes on their patrol, which had set out IR strobe markers, and the target, and confirmed minimal activity in each of the three AQ section positions—activity that was consistent with a single sentry being up at each one.
The ETAC and one of the Kiwis were left for security at the rel P while the rest of the party proceeded to travel in an arc toward the northeast side of the nearest AQ defensive position. At a rock outcrop about one hundred and fifty meters away Shirazi confirmed that they had a suitable VP and set the JTF-2 assaulter out as a security element watching south and east. They collectively scanned the area and identified the enemy trenches and the cave complex with its sanger defenses. The ground sloped up to the west—their right—as they looked at the enemy position. Also just visible from there was the AQ’s reserve position on the ridge’s crest and, further northeast along the ridge, another outcrop that would form the Kiwis support position.
Shirazi and Lennie discussed the route that the assault force would take from here, first through the northernmost section position and then into the sanger and cave complex. They discussed where the assault group would have to set out flanking security as it progressed to and into the cave and how they would withdraw once the mission was accomplished.
Once agreement was reached they left the assaulter behind to watch the flanks and withdrew back to the rel P where once again they checked in with the Spectre. It confirmed no change in the enemy situation and that they had marked the VP as a friendly forces location on their systems.
They carefully made their way on to the support position. Travel here was more difficult because of the state of the scree which was even more crumbly than before. Every step disturbed the stone. When weight was put down on a foot, shards of shale would snap under the pressure. Every step sounded like the snap, crackle and pop of a box of Rice Krispies. At first, every ten paces they halted and listened. As they grew more confident they would go for thirty before stopping. The wind continued to blow steadily: fortunately it was a westerly wind blowing the sounds from the enemy to them and from them away into the darkness below.
By 0100 hrs they had achieved getting into the support position just below the crest. They stayed low amongst the boulders to avoid being silhouetted against the very faint glow of the skyline. This time the remaining Kiwi was set out as security crawling to the crest to watch west and south.
Lennie pointed out the depth AQ section position which sat up on the crest line to their southwest again about one hundred and fifty meters away. There was no sign of any sentry. Below them they could make out a small shelf in the slope on which they could see both of the forward AQ positions: the first two hundred meters to their southeast, the second four hundred meters to their south. The CP and its sanger was not visible from here being hidden by the slope.
The height of this position made it obvious that it would be fairly easy to support the assault force going in, but equally it showed problems with fully neutralizing both the depth position and any counterattack force coming across the crest from the south with GPMG fire alone. The AQ’s depth position, if not fully taken out by the Spectre, could shoot into the assault force. They would need a contingency plan to keep the Spectre on that position during the assault and a further one where the Kiwis might have to take the position out with CarlG fire.
Leaving the security elements at each of the VP, SP and rel P, Shirazi, Lennie, Dunford and the ETAC returned to the ORV where the first three gave final confirmatory orders to their troops while the ETAC made final arrangements with the supporting Spectre.