Chp. 17: The Bridge to Caranda
January 24, 2005
Near the 458-22 Interchange
The thumping of helicopter blades alerted Jamie to a new attack brewing. His men and the local militia reacted automatically, scrambling for cover and psyching themselves up. Their defensive position had grown stronger, and now it included Javelin anti-tank missiles, M2 Brownings, and even a pair of NTW-20s the militia had acquired. Jamie looked up and grabbed one of the two AT4s he had nearby, if only to feel some comfort. He checked his watch; the last update they'd gotten about a Quick-Reaction Force had been 20 minutes ago. They were supposed to be enroute.
"Bravo 1-1 to Bravo 2-1, do you have an eye on those helis?" He radioed.
"Negative Bravo 1-1, but I think they're coming from the north. Maybe the northeast." Connors replied.
Jamie crawled from his fighting hole on one of the bridge's slopes and peered that way through his scope. After a second of searching the low clouds, he spotted the briefest speck of black against the gray. He relayed it to the militia's single radioman, and settled into a firing position. One of the Browning teams swiveled their gun in the same direction as him, just as two shapes appeared over the trees in the distance.
"Hinds incoming! Northwest of the bridge!" He called.
The gunships spaced out and fired a dozen rockets each at the defenders. Jamie drew back from the top of the slope as explosions roared all around. The machine gun returned fire, joined by another on the opposite side of the bridge. Jamie came back up, AT4 in hand, and shouldered it as the Hinds were about to pass over. Despite the fact that he was practically alone, he belted out "backblast clear" and sent the rocket flying towards the nearest attack helicopter. He ducked down as soon as it was away; he could feel the rush of air as the Hind tried to fire back with its Yak-B. The loader for the Browning raised his M4 and fired at the Hind as it pulled away.
"You get any hits?" Jamie barked.
"Think I put a few in him, sir!" The gunner yelled.
The Hind banked left and came around so a door gunner could join the action. He was met by militiamen down at the foot of the slope with surprising accuracy. Jamie raised his M4 and aimed at the troop hatch, where a man with an M84 was trying to outshoot all the people on the ground. After a second or two, the Hind accelerated away to the east. The Browning gunner swiveled his gun as far as he could to follow. Jamie hurried over to help move the tripod into a more stable position, then hurried across the road to check for casualties.
"Does anyone have any Stingers or Javelins ready?" He radioed.
"Got one ready, sir!" Foley replied.
"Engage at will, Bravo 2-3."
Jamie looked down the slope, and all he saw were a few charred remains that'd been some of his allies and their weapons. He looked back for the other Hind as it dropped flares. A large gash appeared as he looked away, accompanied by the echoing of one of the NTWs. He looked towards the other Hind as it was coming around, looking to mop up the positions it'd hit. Off to his left, a missile raced up and into the sky. The Hind broke to the right, dropping flares to compensate for its lower speed. Foley's Stinger cut inside the turn and smashed the front cockpit in. Jamie had to keep himself from throwing up a fist in victory, especially as a second pair of Hinds swept in from the southwest. Another one of the M2s met them with a steady stream of fire, until the attack helicopters fired back with another rocket salvo. They continued on past Jamie without paying him any mind. One of the militia fired an M80 Zolja at the two helicopters, but missed. The two helis split, still drawing fire from heavy weapons below. With none moving to attack, Jamie used the chance to hurry to the Browning team.
"Move your gun down to the bottom of the slope with my troop. We're gonna start forming a defensive line against whatever comes next." He commanded.
The men acknowledged with hesitation. Jamie kept them covered until they were safely in Connors's hands. Several militia had come to his position, trying to get a clear shot at the enemy helicopters. Jamie stayed hunkered down as he tried to coordinate with the others. Most of their reinforcements had set up in the woods to the northwest to watch the highway. One or two Javelins raced up towards the attack helicopters; one even seemed to put a good scratch in a helicopter's tail. The Hinds were circling around once more, though; Jamie moved back to his original position and grabbed his second AT4. One of the militia shouldered another M80 as a helicopter came in for another attack. Those around him opened fire with their rifles and machine guns, and Jamie joined in. The Hind broke off its attack from the sheer volume of shooting and ascended as fast as it could. Immediately, the militia moved on to reoccupy the suppressed positions and remove casualties.
Another Javelin raced towards a Hind as it dove towards the bridge and its defenders. It exploded above the helicopter, and the Erusean aircraft rose up and out of its attack run. Jamie watched it go and slowly rose to check the sky for other threats. With a longer pause at hand, he moved down to his troop's positions. He'd positioned them to take advantage of the overhead cover, with two pairs oriented towards the nearby woods. He caught Foley as the man was hurrying back to Connors's position.
"Foley, take Paulson, Wilcox and Davison and cover the opposite side of the underpass. Connors, move your team further out and center on the Browning team." He ordered.
Jamie followed Foley and the others down the highway and ducked behind some bushes. He peeked over it, towards one of the foxholes the militia had dug, and hurried to that. It was empty, save for a broken Rk 95 and some red stains on the dirt. He distracted himself by checking his ammo and making sure his pouches were accessible. He set aside his AT4 as the other operators deployed in whatever holes they could get. Wilcox simply set up in the drainage ditch next to the highway. Two Javelin teams attached to Yorke's troop moved to positions among some tall grass.
"Bravo this is Delta 1-1, we've got a visual on vehicles approaching from the north. Count at least eight T-62s, unknown number of APCs behind them. Estimate they're about 300 meters from my position." One of 4 Squadron's troop commanders reported.
That kind of tank meant naval infantry; capable soldiers, Jamie thought.
"Copy that, Delta 1-1…Echo 1-1, what's it like in your sector?" Yorke asked.
"Those Hinds are retreating, but we've got several Hips moving to the east of the bridge." The other Captain added.
"Alpha is in contact with air support. We'll have them concentrate on those blokes first." Yorke said.
The odds were a bit too stacked, Jamie thought, even for a veteran like himself. He picked part of the line and declared it his nonetheless. For an eternity, the battle was out of his reach. He watched the Erusean armor rolling across the field, getting picked off one-by-one at the hands of Javelins. They were enveloped in a cloud of smoke at nearly the same time. Jamie focused where the last tank he'd spotted had been and waited. The scene became very reminiscent of the days of trench warfare, and someplace in his mind Jamie could've sworn he heard a voice screaming "over the top, lads". The militiamen yelled at the Eruseans, taunting them and ordering them to leave their homeland. Jamie had found that it was just something they did. Despite the lack of any immediate threat, the Browning team started putting bursts into the shroud. Random screams echoed across the field; more things Jamie simply ignored. Finally, figures emerged from the smoke, teeth bared like wild animals. Jamie simply raised his M4 and opened fire at the nearest Erusean.
Everyone around him joined the second he pulled the trigger. The grumbling and squeaking of Erusean armor drew closer and closer, and Jamie was certain there were more than eight tanks supporting the attack. He crouched down a bit more and moved closer to his rocket launcher. When he spotted an M84 being brought forward, he curled a finger around the trigger on his M203. The 40mm HE blew the gunner back and sent a few of his comrades to the ground. Jamie didn't bother with reloading immediately as he went back to firing his rifle. Grass swayed and shook as bullets cut through the air at high speed. Connors, the Browning and another militiaman with an M84 swept left and right, trying to force the Erusean advance to a halt.
"Reloading!" Foley yelled.
Jamie reached for a 40mm round with one hand as the other kept pulling the trigger back in short bursts. He slid the fresh shot into the launcher as his magazine went dry. He echoed Foley's call and stopped only to fire another grenade into the Erusean line.
"Frag out!" A militiaman yelled.
Foley also came up with a round from his M203, and a quick burst from the hip. The Eruseans were still advancing, and starting to zero in on the defenders. Jamie went to his radio.
"Alpha, we could use some help defending the right flank." He exhaled.
"Copy that Bravo, I'm moving two patrols to your left. Check fire in the direction of the highway. Pop smoke if possible." Yorke replied.
"Copy…pop smoke! Pop smoke! MGs, keep up the suppressing fire!" Jamie replied, switching to his command without hesitation.
He hunkered down and took one of the two smoke grenades he had. With Connors and the other heavy weapons spraying all the bullets they could, he tossed a smoke grenade to the left. He crawled back up and caught an Erusean soldier trying to sneak up to him. Yorke's reinforcements pushed through the tunnel under the bridge and spread to open up a new field of fire on the Eruseans. It was enough to force the Erusean infantry back, and behind the remaining T-62s. Jamie hugged the dirt as one of the tanks raked his firing line with its coaxial machine gun. As it came back, it fired on the militia further up the slope. Its wingman fired into the SAS's attack, and the one on the left fired at Yorke's men. Jamie hunkered down as dirt and shrapnel rained down on his men. The concussion kept him pinned to the ground, and the Erusean infantry surged forward again.
Yorke and his men took advantage of their position to slow them down. All Jamie could do for a minute was poke his M4 over the lip of the hole and fire blindly. When he arose, he found he was almost face-to-face with the enemy soldiers. Davison fired a round from his M203 and took the chance to move over to his commander's fighting position.
"Air support is inbound, sir! Captain Yorke's directing them to hit the enemy's rear." He explained over the chaos.
"Good, any word on those helicopter troops?" Jamie replied as he pulled out his next magazine.
"They got hit hard, but we might expect a few of them to try and head our way."
"Crazy fools if they do."
One of the T-62s fired another round into the right flank. Jamie heard familiar voices screaming "incoming" before they were cut off by a deafening roar. He ducked down as the center T-62 fired and ended up hitting the bridge. He swapped his rifle for his anti-tank rocket and called for the militia to do the same. He could barely see the outline of a T-62 approaching. He braced, declared the back area clear, and fired at the tank's gun mantle. The rocket struck the tank and penetrated just as two RAF Harriers screamed past overhead, one after the other. They left behind four 240-kilo laser-guided bombs, which seemingly rocked the entire landscape. Jamie stayed up this time while Foley fired a second AT4 at the same tank.
"Alpha 1-1, can you get those Harrers to attack the tanks? They're closing in fast." He radioed. There were a few seconds more than he wanted before he got an answer.
"Sorry Bravo 1-1, they say those tanks are too close for them to safely hit." Yorke replied.
"Well that run they just made was already damn close, don't you think?"
"I'll see what I can do, but if they won't make a run they won't make a run!"
Again, the Erusean attack started to walk back to the safety of their armor. A second tank was hit in the track, then twice in the side and turret. It was enough to push the tanks back, and the Harriers came around for another run. Again they hit the rear area of the Erusean attack, this time with cannon fire. One of Yorke's men caught a surviving T-62 as it tried to back around one of its disabled compatriots. A new pair of harriers, these ones carrying Maverick missiles, pushed in from behind Jamie's position to pile on the hurt. It was almost like a firepower demonstration put on for the public. The Eruseans seemed to just keep coming, though.
"Bravo 1-1 this is Alpha 1-1, Panther reports most of the Erusean APCs have taken up position in the trees east of Delta. They're gonna make a few runs on them, and that might be all they can give for now." Yorke passed along.
"Copy that." Jamie replied.
Jamie threw another grenade to try and push the attack further back. A fresh shroud of gray billowed over the grass as the surviving tanks fired their smoke dischargers. More came as mortar rounds fell on the battle. Then came the explosives, which kept the SAS pinned in place. It was a short, inaccurate barrage, but enough to buy the infantry and armor breathing room. They moved back just enough that it was hard for the ISAF forces to see them. Jamie had weathered enough attacks today, and he wanted this one to end like the others.
"Alpha, are you in a position to push into the enemy force?" He asked.
"Possibly. Still got that one T-62." Yorke replied. Man's gone crazy! He thought.
Jamie kept his radio keyed as he took the handset from Davison's pack.
"We're gonna be stuck here awhile if we don't make a move. I don't have the ammo to go back and forth for hours again. Valkyrie 1-1, what's your status?"
"Ten minutes, Bravo 1; maybe less. Be advised that Panther 31 has spotted more mechanized units to the north."
They really weren't gonna make it, Jamie thought. Seeing as how he was probably going to go down fighting anyways, he renewed his efforts to push the commandos into the smoke.
"Alpha, if you can send someone with an AT4 my way I'll get them a shot at that tank." He said.
"Copy, I'm heading your way." Yorke replied.
The Eruseans again drew back, and Jamie, Foley and Davison switched to their M203s, staying down as the Eruseans countered with their PBG-40s. Jamie spotted a form rushing through the smoke, which revealed itself to be Yorke. He leapt into the hole next to Jamie and Davison and popped up to fire a burst from his M4.
"Where's that other T-62?" He barked.
"Few meters down the line; it's moving up again!" Jamie replied.
Yorke immediately moved on to the next available hole, then behind a bush. He shouldered the weapon, made sure he was clear, and let the rocket do its thing. He hit the tank in the track, which made it veer left. The vehicle came to a halt, but its turret slowly turned towards him. He moved to the foxholes with Jamie's men and hunkered down as the tank fired a round that went high.
"What now, Bravo 1-1?" He asked.
"I'm still of the opinion that we need to push into the smoke." Jamie replied without hesitation.
"Copy…alright, probably our best chance. Move diagonal until our troops link up?"
"Copy…standby to push!"
Jamie checked and found he had three magazines (two in pouches, one in his carbine). His M203 had its last round ready to go, and after that all he had was his P226. In anticipation, a few of the SAS troopers threw fresh smoke grenades to keep the shroud up. Those in reach of the T-62's gun moved in separate directions. Once the smoke had filled out, Jamie drew in a breath and roared as loud as he could.
"Push, push, PUSH!"
There was a disjointed battlecry as roughly 20 men emerged from their positions and charged into the gray veil. Jamie leveled his M4 against his hip and jammed the trigger back at the first human forms he saw. A second Erusean bolted to his feet, trying to move back. Jamie fired a second burst into the man, aiming high to hit his face. Davison moved off to the left, trampling over a dead RPG team. The burning wreck of one of the T-62s phased into view, with more Erusean infantry appearing next to it. The closest man stumbled forward in surprise and fell to the ground. Jamie hit the dirt and emptied his magazine into the other three as they stopped to fire back. Foley joined in with his carbine until the two were sure it was clear. Davison appeared atop the tank to help check.
"Are they down?!" Foley called.
"They're down!" Davison replied.
"Keep pushing!" Jamie barked at his subordinates.
Jamie fed his rifle a fresh magazine and hurried forward as the two men went off in separate directions. He came around the T-62, still moving diagonally. Screaming, yelling, and gunfire echoed from every which way.
"Alpha 1, Bravo 1 has moved past the tanks and is continuing on. What's your position?" He radioed.
"Alpha 1 has the leftmost tank in sight. Should be linking up with you at any moment." Yorke replied.
"Copy that, we'll start moving in a straight line."
Jamie relayed the news to make sure it was received and subtly changed his direction. He slowed to a steady jog, scanning the unknown ground for threats. Another burning T-62 came into view, so he slowed and crouched down below the grass. He drew closer and closer, then rose up again to hurry to the tank. He stopped next to its left fender, then moved around to clear the other side. As he passed the rear of the hull, a figure emerged from the grass with a growl. Jamie turned just in time to find the barrel of an M92 carbine in his face. He ducked to the left as the man, a tank crewman, fired a burst. Jamie cried out as he felt a searing pain hit him in the side. The vision in his right eye went white, then dark. On instinct, he lunged forward and reached out for the Erusean. The man fired again; Jamie could feel his gear being tugged violently from the rounds tearing through it. He head-butted the crewman in the torso and let himself fall on top of the man.
"Kolonizator! Prokleti kolonizator!...Ubica!" He gasped as he tried to get Jamie off of him.
Jamie still couldn't see through his right eye, but he was close enough that he almost didn't need to. He tried to bring his M4 to bear, but the man knocked it away. He pushed his hands against Jamie's face to keep him from grabbing his throat. Jamie reached back and felt around for his 226. The Erusean took the chance to push him off. Jamie put his hands out in preparation for the man to pounce. The tanker leapt at him, and Jamie took a swing at him. The Erusean more or less fell into the blow, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Jamie scrambled to his feet, only to get tackled. Again he threw a punch and again it connected. Jamie rolled the man to the left, trying to get back on top. The Erusean decided he wanted to get away from the SAS trooper and try something else. Jamie saw the opportunity and finally got his hand around his sidearm.
He snarled as he drew the weapon and fired it in the general direction of the enemy soldier. One of his shots connected with the man's thigh, sending him onto his back. Jamie got up and stumbled a few steps away, still straining to see out of both eyes. He fired two more shots to make sure the man was down. Almost immediately after, he found himself looking around for friendly faces. The bulk of the shooting had faded into the distance. He started towards his M4, but a sudden and powerful explosion sent him diving into the grass. He poked his head up, then crawled back towards the wrecked tank. He eased under it and leveled the handgun at the unknown ahead. His other hand started searching for his first-aid kit, and he resigned himself to waiting…
"Captain?"
A familiar accent reached his ears, but he stayed where he was. The sound of helicopters had been passing by for the past few minutes, always low and fast. He never got a good look at any of them; it could be their QRF. It could just as easily be more Eruseans.
"Captain? Captain, are you around here?" Connors shouted.
"...Yes, Connors! Can you hear me?" Jamie reluctantly replied.
"Yes sir!"
"Fall in on me."
Jamie bit his lip and started to crawl forward. He moved towards his M4, still lying near the dead Erusean, and picked it up. He also looked around for his patrol cap, but it was nowhere to be found. An item that's been with him since the start of the war, but it could be replaced. He heard footsteps and aimed his weapon towards them. The NCO came jogging through the twilight air. He stopped when he saw the Captain and held up a hand
"It's me, sir! Friendly forces have arrived…thought we'd lost you." He breathed out.
"Takes more than that to kill me. I got hit in the side, partly blinded by a muzzle flash. Still can't see too well, but I got the big wounds covered. What's our status?"
"Eruseans are pulling back, but we've been torn up pretty badly. Lost Wilcox and Foley, and Davison got hit pretty bad."
Jamie let out an exhausted sigh, He pulled out one of his canteens and took a long drink from it.
"Alright, collect the wounded and dead. I'll get on the radio with those friendly helicopters and see about using them for evac. SAS has given all it can give today, so let's get ready for tomorrow." He instructed.
Connor nodded and turned towards the highway. Jamie took another drink, then keyed his radio with a heavy heart.
"Alpha 1…we're combat ineffective. Request evac."