A/N: So in this piece, I did a bit of experimentation on setups and diverted from the normal path of refering to the US military when writing the Osean military. Bradley platoons normally have, or at least had, one LT, who led from a Bradley, and one senior NCO, who led the infantry.
McCluff's Marauders
May 3, 1995
Rural Ustio
Second Lieutenant Melina Rodriguez looked up as the truck stop passed by, still a mostly smoldering wreck. The remains of a Leopard 2 had been left to hang a sign, she remembered, that stated the boxy MBT was now property of 3-12 Infantry. The other Leopard that'd been at the place was also gone; Rodriguez remembered how relived everyone had been they hadn't hit the fuel tanks during the brief battle.
"You know, did anyone ever stop to check if there were Twinkies in there?" the man next to the driver asked in a serious voice.
"No sir." The driver replied with a chuckle.
Melina frowned; why did people think he was funny? At all? He just pointed out nonsensical things and whatnot and used it to get a cheap giggle.
"No laugh out of you, Rodriguez?" McCluff asked, glancing back.
"I don't like Twinkies." She simply replied.
Second Lieutenant Alexander McCluff was the commander of the infantry platoon her Bradley IFVs carried. In the new Osean Army Joint Mechanized Warfare Command System (OAJMWCS or JMWCS), the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) platoon had a lieutenant, and the infantry platoon with it had a lieutenant. Apparently it was supposed to make them more potent, giving such a unit an officer who knew how to lead armored vehicles and one that knew how to lead infantry. Neither cared either way, but Melina had a certain distaste for slim, always-smiling McCluff. He was like that horny jock in highschool, charming women at his pleasure, except he was also a smart one and a good enough infantryman to avoid discharge.
Alex had always thought of the short, cat-eyed Melina as something of a rose. Pretty and to be admired, but surrounded by thorns and untouchable. She drove hard and made it clear she was the academic type of soldier, beating you by playing the book and adjusting as needed. He looked out the window towards the hills that flanked both sides of Route 171. He'd been stuck between those hills since the last days of April. The guys in the Abrams had been especially vocal about how it confined them. As a straight-leg, he was all too happy to be still running wild and free.
The Corporal driving the light truck turned left off the frontage road towards the command post of Bravo Company, placed near some trees and thickets They exited the vehicle, both slinging their M16A2s as they stood up straight. Alex gave his thanks to the driver and looked at Melina.
"Seriously Rodriguez, I don't get what you've got against me. I hit on you once, my men like me, and I've never gotten in trouble." He said. She glared at him.
"That's something you don't get to know." She said firmly. He frowned at the unclear answer, put didn't press the subject.
"Welp, just hope it doesn't bite us in the ass someday." He shrugged.
The two walked into the Company commander's tent around the same time as the other two Bradley platoon leaders. Captain Audrey Vash, a tall woman with a tough-sounding country accent and short brunette hair that was always in a ponytail. She was standing in front of a map, collecting her thoughts. The officers stood at attention when she turned and saluted.
"Okay, take a seat everyone." She ordered.
The map was centered on a town called Semitis, with various symbols representing elements of the 12th Infantry Division, and what was determined to be the Belkan 41st Panzergrenadiers. To the far north, Ustio's sole heliborne division, the 89th Mobile Assault Division, had an objective north of them.
"We'll be taking this vital crossroads at Semitis and destroying or pushing the enemy forces in it north into the clutches of the 89th. Our Company will make up the primary infantry element for the attack, and we'll have heavy air and artillery support. Our attack will be two pronged, moving around this hill that splits the two directions for the highway. Scouts have been prepping the area for us since our last clash two days ago. They've be calling in strikes, but he Belkans have recently moved in more AA and the air remains contested at times." She began. One of her aides handed out information packets.
Melina looked through what she'd been provided. Her eyes caught their air support: F-16s under the callsign Screech 3. The artillery was the usual callsign: Musketman. A glance at the map showed she was to position herself in some trees along the southwest edge, between third and fourth platoons. They would have the advantage of high ground to support the infantry pressing through the town, and a favorable and concealed position from which to direct fire support. The only problem was that they could be force against the slopes of the surrounding hills.
"The company will hit the village's with a left hook. Look for the ZSUs positioned near this school and destroy them if you can; we want to have clear skies for our F-16s providing air support. If y'all can spot them, we'll get the battery of Paladins supporting us to knock em out. Other than that, expect to be met by mechanized infantry supported by whatever Leos retreated from the truck stop."
"Understood ma'am. Will we have any of our Abrams from the battalion rolling in?" Alex asked.
"To a certain degree; they don't want to risk ambush in the city." She replied.
What recon images that could be provided in the short time before this battle were given out for review. The town was centered on a large Gothic-style church, where the two major roads met in a traffic circle. The rest of the places, mostly homes, were almost completely identical. The school was near the western series of hills. What Leopards they did know about were watching both roads equally, but the ZSUs were nowhere to be seen. Melina had to question why the ZSUs hadn't been spotted and destroyed, but she didn't bring up the issue once it was determined that it could be a risk to the civvies. The infantry leaders had the more extensive job of sweep through the buildings to make it safe for the AFVs. They would proceed as far as they could, then bring up the Bradleys. It all seemed very simple, and it was not too different from the villages they'd cleared in the vast plains on northwest Sapin. The difference was the surrounding terrain.
The briefing that morning was shorter than usual, with things being on the smaller scale today. The platoon leaders were carried back to their positions in HUMVEEs again. Most of the company had made its home on the side of the road opposite the HQ, where they could space out more. The four M2A2 Bradleys of 2nd Platoon sat near the road in an arc, facing north towards the Belkan lines. The soldiers had broken down any of the tarps or hasty defensive positions and were holding a temporary perimeter until their commanders arrived. As he got out of the back of the HUMVEE, Alex whistled loudly to the enlisted men doing their thing.
"All Rover 2 Squad leaders, on me!" He shouted…
"Retriever 6 to all victors, your signal is Climax. I repeat, signal is Climax."
Melina looked at her station and keyed her CVC helmet mike.
"Understood Retriever 6, Retriever 2 is on the move." She replied. The woman switched to the internal channel.
"Choplin, move em out."
Then back to her platoon's frequency.
"Retriever 2 Actual to all Victors, move forward in echelon left. Watch your sectors." She ordered.
In the back of her Platoon Sergeant's track, Alex felt the machine lurch forward. The Bradleys moved up, keeping the pace with their platoon lead. Fourth platoon was on the other side of the highway, smacking away and crushing the foliage. Melina watched as her machines overtook a low, shallow drainage ditch, throwing up brown water and mud from a recent rain shower over the front of her IFV. In the back, the troops chattered sporadically to pass the time. She paid little attention to anything they said as the road bent to the right, turret aimed at the highway in case anything came at them. Their true target was the line of trees to the left, where they would disgorge their infantry. Branches snapped out of the way and small trees and brush were pushed over. Alex checked the magazine in his M16A2 again and made sure the weapon was properly charged. He looked back at the men in the track as they sat ready to exit. The plan was the same as always, and the thick wooding would help cover the men as the exited. He'd been tempted to have his men camouflage their faces, but they would be in the town so quickly it wouldn't matter. As the man tried to think of what else he needed, he felt the M2 lurch to a stop.
"Go go go! Infantry lead the way!" He shouted.
The troops charged down the back ramp, the Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) gunner and AT4 infantryman first. The SAW gunner covered the troops as the deployed to the right of the IFV in the tall grass. Alex's Radio Telephone Operator (RTO), Corporal Robert Schultz, took cover behind a bush next to him. The man immediately withdrew some binoculars from his gear and observed the town's outskirts. The Bradleys had placed them before a steep slope that led to a construction materials store yard. It was sandwiched between a vacant lot on the left and a small officer building on the right. They had to have been heard approaching, Alex thought; the M2 was not a quiet machine.
The men had their orders. Two of his squads would move down the slope through the lot and two more would move through the yard. He gave the order and led his men out of the woods and down towards the latter and establish positions to cover those moving across the open space. The brown-haired man consciously kept his balance as he descended down the unwelcoming terrain. As he was near the bottom, he heard a crack of a sniper rifle. The bullet landed somewhere away from him.
"Sniper!" One of the riflemen shouted.
Alex, Robert in tow, ran to a pile of gravel and took cover behind it as more cracks broke the air. He switched his M16 to three-round burst and raised the weapon to fire in the direction of the sharpshooter. From his position the low-rise office of the yard let them see the buildings further inside. One building, a TV studio, would be pretty good to spot those ZSUs. He decided to concentrate his efforts on that structure and take it. He motioned for his RTO to request they find the sniper when a Bradley back behind them fired its M242 Bushmaster. He looked forward and saw gray smoke blooming up.
"Retriever says were clear, sir." The corporal said.
The lieutenant nodded and looked back towards the smoke. He left the gravel behind and ran to the office, joining a grenadier and two riflemen.
"Private, what kind of grenade to have in the 203?" He asked.
"Standard HE, sir." He reported
"Good, we're gonna take the TV station, so get ready to put it in a window in case the place is occupied." He said.
The men with him nodded and followed the lieutenant as he rounded the corner. The building stretched several dozen feet down and opened to a parking lot. The infantry spilled out near some delivery trucks without serious resistance. Alex heard a G3 respond to their appearance, only to be met by an M249's chatter a mailbox across the way was punctured and a body collapsed behind hit. Another figure stood up to retreat to a store's entrance, only to be hit by the squads as they established firing positions. Alex threw a look across the street as the fire temporarily died down. He pulled back behind cover and checked his maps.
"Sergeant Pelot!" He shouted, beckoning the man.
Sure enough the short trooper with dark skin and an intense look came o his position. He pointed to his map.
"Take your squad and secure this building's rooftop; we're gonna use it to assault into the TV station. Grab Sergeant Manson and tell him to go with you to strongpoint it. I'll take the rest of the platoon and attack from the front." He ordered.
Pelot nodded and ran off. Alex got in contact with Sergeants Hizuki and Crayford and got their squads moving down the street. As they moved, fire came from the TV station as expected, and more from down the street. Alex ducked into an alley with some men. He checked his magazine and looked at his men with him. Again his mind went into action. Similar to the fighting during the Aslani Civil War, they used the alley as their fighting position, popping out to fire at the Belkans, albeit in a more professional manner. He used the SAW gunner he had with him to keep suppressive fire up until a very ominous sound reached his ears. He looked down the street to see a Leopard 2 rolling in. The man ordered his subordinates into cover, yelling for the others to do the same across the street. At roughly the same time, a 120mm shell flew down the street and impacted against one of the shops not too far behind McCluff. He motioned for his RTO and nearly tore the telephone piece off the device.
"Retriever 2 Actual, this is Rover 2 Actual, we're under fire from a single Leo 2 here, need some kind of support! Can you nail em with your TOWs or have you managed to knock out the Zeuses for our Fast Air yet?" He shouted as another round blew away the second story of a building across the street.
"Standby Rover 2, we're doing what we can." Melina replied coolly.
For once Alex was tempted to call her a bitch for that tone. He got she didn't like him, but standby for what? They were supposed to be supporting the infantry as they advanced. He backed against the wall as the Leopard stopped and settled into its place down the street, content with its superior position he guessed. The lieutenant looked up and saw there were fire escapes to the roofs, but none of the men with him carried AT4 anti-tank rockets. However from her position, Melina wasn't leaving her infantry leader out to dry. In fact she was helping 4th platoon's leader verify the location of the other two ZSUs. Two had been spotted near the school, and another two near the northern edge of town.
Several miles back from the action, a battery of six M109A5 howitzers sat, weapons poised. Upon getting the coordinates from their command vehicles, the guns were properly adjusted and aimed so the rounds would land where they were intended. The rounds fired would be standard HE shells, more than enough to penetrate the think skin of the AA guns. With a deep shout from the battery commander, the six guns, three for each target, boomed in rapid succession. The Bradley commander known as "Retriever 2 Actual" heard the rounds, but was too busy to watch them impact their targets. Another Bradley would take care of the Leopard pinning down Alex's men while the F-16s were cleared to press north. In the meantime Melina spotted said determined resistance approaching from further in the town. The Belkans had apparently kept much of their heavy equipment back towards the center of town, no doubt to draw the Oseans in. She spotted the shape of a Leopard 2A4 as it rolled out from under an overpass and began to move towards the action. The other that'd fired on the infantry was also in plenty plain sight.
"Gunner identify, Leo 2 at 1 o' clock! Gunner, engage with TOW!" she called.
Next to her, Sgt. Kasper Hue steadied the sights of the BGM-171 Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles on the Leopard rolling down the highway, trying to get a bead on them.
"On the way!" Hue declared.
The left side of the Bradley lit up as one of the TOWs left the launcher. The Leopard 2 stopped and traversed its turret towards 2nd Platoon's tracks, raising its gun barrel just in time to get struck atop the back of turret by the TOW. The machine stopped as its ammo storage was hit; she saw the blow-off panels going into action. Her Platoon sergeant's track fired one of his TOWs, and struck the Leopard on the side of the turret. That seemed to do the tank in. She turned her attention back to the main battle for the TV station.
"Gunner, move your turret towards the station, and prepare to provide fire support to Rover 2." She noted.
Alex silently thanked whoever had bagged the burning Leo 2 down the street and looked around. He motioned for his RTO and again took to the airwaves.
"Rover 2 actual to Rover 2-3 and Rover 2-4, gimmie a SITREP." He transmitted.
"We've secured the position with no resistance, Actual, just waiting on you." Pelot informed him.
Alex acknowledged the capture of the building adjacent to the TV station and got to work on his end. He placed one squad as a block force to absorb further attacks coming from down the street, and split the other into two six-man fireteams to breach. He slapped in a fresh magazine for the attack and coordinated with Pelot, who would send his squad in one fireteam at a time through a window. They had no breaching weapons, not even CS gas. Those were pieces of equipment meant for Rangers, Green Berets, and other Special Forces. Instead they'd use regular smoke, followed by frags, and have the SAW gunners press in first. Alex gave the signal and waited while two M18 smoke grenades were tossed in, followed by two M67s. As they exploded the squads two SAW gunners rushed in, weapons ready. Alex followed several infantrymen in as the fire picked up. Figured they'd want to hold this place.
The reception lobby had been cleared by the grenades, and the gunners had hurried past a door into the main chamber of the place. One was pinned behind an already mostly shattered piece of cubicle wall, not able to get accurate fire out. The other gunner lay on the floor, dead. Alex noted that for a later self-berating. Alex yelled for the teams to disperse to each side, recognizing that the fire was mostly coming from above and forward. He himself ducked into a cubicle and recognized a Belkan trooper standing well in the open. He rolled so his M16 could be brought to bear and fired a burst. The man stumbled back and collapsed.
"Get to cover! Fire upwards!" He shouted.
Alex rolled again so he wasn't lying so awkwardly and targeted other Belkan soldiers above. Then he heard an explosion above. The Belkan fire shifted away from the men down below and up to the level the Belkan s were on, but only briefly. Alex looked up to see the appearance of Osean soldiers; Polet's squad had given them the pincer they needed to seize the building! Again the fire died down and Schultz tapped Alex on the shoulder.
"Captain's on the horn, sir." He said. Alex accepted the phone and heard a few more shots as smaller rooms were cleared.
"Rover 2 Actual, SITREP." His Captain said.
"So far we've met light resistance. My platoon is clearing up the TV station as we speak. I do have casualties, at least one dead." He replied.
"Understood, the tracks will be in the town soon to reinforce. Thunderbolt 3 is moving up from the southeast towards town to try and draw the enemy armor. I'll also see what I can do about your casualties. Good luck." Vash replied.
Alex handed his RTO the phone piece and wiped some of the dust from the cubical walls off his face. He ordered Polet's squad to dig into positions facing north towards the crossroads, and to keep AT4s close at hand. He ordered the rest of his platoon to capture other buildings and fortify them for temporary blocking positions. After the M2s were in place, he would select certain squads to come with him and escort the Bradleys to the crossroads. He stopped at the entrance to the TV station as fight was picking back up; he threw a glance down the street to find that a Belkan M113 had apparently run headlong into them, thinking the Leopard was still working, only to get hit by an AT4. He stayed in position and looked down the street towards the Bradleys. The bigger machines had to take it slow, but they had little trouble getting down the slope, using the vacant lot and other wide spaces to enter the town. Melina's track came rolling up first and stopped just past the entrance and the lieutenant. Alex's counterpart opened the back door on the ramp.
"What's the plan?" She asked.
"We'll escort the tracks down to the crossroads with two squads dismounted and keep the other two here as fallbacks in case we get repelled. Captain Vash has an ambulance coming up to get my casualties." He said. She nodded.
"I'll deploy two of my tracks on the far sides of these two buildings until the ambulance arrives, then we'll move." She replied. He nodded.
The settled in for a few minutes and waited while the Belkans down the street were driven out, one of the F-16s even made a pass on some building in the town, the another attack some other target. Alex stuck close to the TV station, where the casualties were brought to the lobby. It was confirmed that a total of eight men had died at this point, with a further three wounded to the point they needed to be taken back. It was a tough call, but the two hardest hit squads would serve as their fallback. At the very least they were dug in, allowing them a better chance to survive any attacks. Melina, in the meantime, was busier making sure her tracks were in good shape. She planned with Alex that if things got bad enough, the infantry would retreat into the M2s and retreat. Alex reluctantly agreed, but also mentioned that they would only do so if they could. Otherwise the infantry would take cover and use air support to clear out their adversaries.
An Osean M113 with a red cross on it arrived to get the losses, letting the line infantry get a move on down the street. Melina's Bradley took the lead, with Alex and one squad behind her. She moved at a slow pace to give them quick cover. Alex himself kept his rifle lowered, but watched the upper stories; the rearward infantry covered upwards with their weapons. They slowed again as the approached the destroyed Leopard 2; Alex started dispersing his men.
"Okay Retriever 2 Actual, we'll need a way around em. I suggest moving to the right, towards 4th Platoon. He radioed via Schultz.
"Understood Rover 2 Actual, moving right."
Alex motioned for part of the squad with him to use the destroyed armor as cover. He moved towards a mailbox on the corner, Schultz in tow As Melina started down the street, there was a sharp whoosh from up the corridor. It became apparent just as the Panzerfaust 3 struck the front of the Bradley, and the second struck near that. Flames arced above the turret of the IFV, forcing him to run to the right towards a parked car that had been half-flattened by Melina's track about thirty seconds ago. With the shout of "ambush!", the firefight got as fierce as it could in seconds as SAWs started the return fire. Their shooting was unrelenting, blasting into the buildings and only pausing to deal with recoil. Alex dropped to a knee every few yards and fired a third of his magazine at the source of enemy fire. He saw a trooper lying on his back, alive but disoriented, and pulled him towards a grenadier as he sent a 40mm round across the street to cover them before switching to his rifle. Inside what was revealed was a bank he set the man near a turned over trash can and shouted for a medic as he reloaded.
Spotting Hizuki, he hailed the man and gave his orders. They would try and get to the upper stories and return fire on the Belkans with part of the squad as they received parts of the other squad. He deployed the other part near the windows, shouting for them to prioritize RPGs above anything else. He also moved with them to get a handle on things. The fire was too heavy to go out there; They had to knock it down and better yet see how many buildings had hostiles in them. The lieutenant kicked over a desk in a window-side office and knelt behind it, aiming out a destroyed window. Across the way he spotted muzzle flashes and bursts of smoke from weapons. He aimed at one of the windows he believed was housing a shooter and switched to single-shot and fired several times. He eased back and looked for another target as the shooting from that window stopped. Upon finding another threat, he promptly fired several more rounds.
Bringing up Schultz, he was able to ascertain that the other track and a good chunk of the squad behind it had retreated back. Okay, at least they were safe. Now came rescuing Melina and her crew. He decided first he would level that building, and he had the means to. Again his RTO was at his side; the platoon leader ordered that he raise the F-16s orbiting above the fight. The young enlisted man nodded and worked the radio's frequency to the correct one.
"Screech 3, Screech 3, this is Rover 2 Actual, requesting air support! Repeat, we need air support!" Schultz called. The pause before a response was almost nonexistent.
"This is Screech 3-1, flight of four armed with four Paveways and 500 rounds apiece. Be advised we have expended two of the Paveways, however." A voice announced.
"Roger that Screech 3, this is Rover 2, we're requesting air support, we've got a building that's knocked out one of our tracks and has us pinned, over." He radioed.
"Roger that, will you be lasing?"
Schultz looked out at the fighting; the dust was heavy, but they could try.
"We'll try Screech, but we suggest you also laze the target. We are near the TV station…look for the burning M2." Schultz radioed.
"Okay Rover…give us a minute here. Laze if you can." The voice requested.
Inside the turret of her Bradley, Melina was coming to. She'd been knocked unconscious by the blast; the woman tried her CVC radio; the circuits had been damaged too much by the blast. She began checking herself for injuries, and felt something hot tough her hand as she moved it along her stomach. She drew it away with a shout and saw she had a large tear in her tanker coveralls. Whatever was in there, hot and burning, was still in. She began to move about uncomfortable until a piece of shrapnel stuck out. Melina stared until she forced herself to think of something else. Her stomach churned in pain as she tried to ease herself from her seat. Her legs felt like toothpicks holding up a cinderblock, but she managed to get to the floor near the troop compartment before she had to sit down again. She looked over at her gunner, who'd fallen out of his seat. Hue's legs had been badly burned, too. He'd been saved, as had she, by the fire suppression system.
Melina heard a thunderous sound outside, an explosion. She hoped it was close air support backing them up. The firing was very clear outside, far too clear. Melina wanted to sleep, but she was too afraid she wouldn't wake up again. Then, she heard sounds near the back of her IFV. Someone was trying to get in, but one of the crew's M321 Firing Port Weapons was nearby. She tried to hold the M16 variant up to shoot when whoever came in, but failed to raise it properly. Her fear was short-lived, however, when a familiar voice shouted her last name, along with those of her crew.
"Rodriguez! Hue! Anybody?" Alex shouted.
The infantryman swept his eyes about the darkened space and saw her in the light coming in from the open door. He rushed to her side and eased the M321 from her hands.
"Okay Melina, take it easy, We're gonna get you out of here. Someone get that ramp down!" Alex said. She managed part of a nod.
"Alex…my stomach." She managed. He looked down at the shrapnel and tensed, but kept his cool.
"We're not gonna try, alright? Let the medics remove it." He said. She partially nodded again.
One of the troopers who'd followed him called for the ramp to be cleared as he used emergency procedures to lower it. By now the fighting had died down, and the rest of the formation Alex had ordered to advance with him had moved up again, occupying defensive positions to defend the destroyed Bradley. Another M113 ambulance was brought forward as quickly as it could be while Melina and hue were taken out of the Bradley by stretchers carried on the vehicle. Alex felt things got a bit surreal as the scene became more like an accident than the middle of a battle, with the Belkans having backed off again. While Melina's wounds were treated initially, he learned that the spearhead launched by the M1s had gained more attention from the Leopard 2s in the locale. In addition, the other Bradley platoons were pushing in close proximity to them. He stayed in cover near her and her Bradley crew as they were taken out. The driver, Choplin, had sadly been killed by the rockets fired at the vehicle. Alex looked back at Melian as Hue was brought out next to her. Whether she hated his guts or not, she was still the Bradley platoon leader that'd gotten him this far. He hoped she'd make it despite the grim aura surrounding the medics carrying her to the M113 as it arrived.