After the Last War: Chapter 1

[Bernard Woolley]

D+100

*

0306 hours GMT, 31st July. P'yonggang-ŭp, Kangwon Province, PDRK.
P'yŏnggang railway station was burning, as was much of the rest of the town of P'yŏnggang-ŭp. Units of the regular KPA Ground Force and Worker-Peasant Red Guards militia were fiercely resisting the advance of the US 25th Infantry Division (Light). The division, along with the rest of II ROK Corps, had pushed north across the DMZ as part of a general advance by the Combined Forces Command, something that the arrival of further American reinforcements had allowed for. While an armour heavy force had punched its way across the western part of the DMZ, after cutting-off and destroying North Korean forces still in the ROK, a largely light infantry force was mounting a limited advance in the east to pin enemy forces in place.
The 25th Infantry Division had undergone a reorganisation for this task. It's 2nd Brigade (Motorised) had been detached to join 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division as part of a task force dubbed 'Task Force Taylor'. The 29th Infantry Brigade of the Hawaii Army National Guard had taken its place as the third brigade of the division. [1]

*

1st Lieutenant David Hathaway Jr ducked as a North Korean grenade exploded rather too close for comfort. His 3rd Platoon, part of A Company, 1/27 Light Infantry, had been given the task of leading the company's assault on enemy forces dug in around the remains of the railway station. Even after artillery and mortar preparation, fierce resistance had pinned Hathaway's platoon down at its start-line. A pair of M8 AGS had just arrived to provide support to A Company, with one of them giving 3 Platoon direct support. The tank rolled forward, spraying the North Korean positions with machine-gun fire and the occasional 105mm HEP round.

“Let's go! Advance!” Hathaway yelled.

As 3 Platoon advanced forward, 1 Platoon manoeuvred against the enemy's right flank. Meanwhile, 2 Platoon was held in reserve, although its weapons squad helped to provide fire support to the other platoons. The company's mortar section put down a smoke screen in front of the enemy position.

The M8 crunched through the North Korean positions, helping to suppress their fire. As 1 and 3 Platoons assaulted the enemy, the Buford halted to engage some more distant targets. With the two leading platoons having broken into the enemy's defences, Captain D’agostini committed 2 Platoon and the second M8 to widen the gap and let battalion know that he was close to achieving a breakthrough. For the moment 1st Lieutenant Hathaway was unaware of what was going on beyond the world of his platoon. He was sheltering behind the now disabled first M8, holding field dressing to the chest of his RTO with one hand, while trying to get through to company to report the progress of his advance, the radio handset in his other hand.

“Goddamn it!” He exclaimed on realising that the bullet that had hit the RTO had also gone through the radio.
“He's gone, LT!” Staff Sergeant Hammond, the platoon sergeant said, as he dropped down beside Hathaway. “I got through to company via the F.O's radio. They know where we are.”
“What are our orders?”
“We've to push forward to Phase Line Gold, then hold and cover 2 Platoon while they pass through us.”
“Got it, though I hope the Captain has told the Norks!” Hathaway replied. “They don't seem to keen on giving up Phase Line Gold.” He paused to take a deep breath. “Well, let's get on with it.”

0415 hours GMT. Burnham Camp, Burnham, New Zealand.
The woman known as 'Cath' braced herself before pulling the trigger of the Sten gun. She fired a short burst, a few of the rounds hitting the target, but most of them going over the top to strike the berm at the end of the range.

“No, Cath, you're letting the barrel climb. Keep it down when you are firing.” Sergeant James 'Jim' Wallace said. “Unless you plan to plan to be an AA gunner!”

Wallace was instructing the newer members of B Company, Christchurch Battalion (Canterbury and West Coast Regiment), New Zealand Home Guard in the fine art of musketry. As one of the smaller women, he had arranged for 'Cath' to be trained on the Sten gun, rather than the Lee-Enfield No.4 rifle.

“Safe the weapon and let me show you.”
“Right, Sergeant.”

Wallace took the offered Sten gun, checked for himself that it was safe before making it ready and taking up a firing stance. He took aim and fired; the Sten barrel tried to climb, so he pulled down on it, counteracting the upward pull of the weapon. Wallace fired a couple of additional short bursts to make his point, before making the Sten safe and handing it back to 'Cath'.

“You've still got some rounds left, so have another go. Remember to check the Sten is safe, don't assume I've done it.”
“Got it, Sergeant.”

This time when 'Cath' fired, she pulled down on the receiver to counteract the rise. Although on her third burst she 'forgot', letting the barrel drift up again, before 'over-correcting', and getting it right with her last burst. Like her husband, 'Dave', she had been given extensive weapons training before coming to New Zealand, including the PPS-43 and PP-91 sub-machine guns. However, neither wanted it to be obvious that they already knew how to shoot.

“You're getting it, Cath.” Sergeant Wallace said, encouragingly. “Keep it up, you've got plenty of ammo to practise with and we've got the range for another hour. I'll check back on you shortly.”

'Cath' changed the magazine on her Sten while Wallace walked down the line checking on other Home Guards. She got down into a prone position, which she always found easier to fire from and started to fire short, controlled bursts into the target.

*

“How did you get on today, love?” Cath asked her 'husband', 'Dave', once both were home.
“Pretty well, thanks, Cath.” He replied. “Got some good range time with a Lee-Enfield and a Bren gun. Spotted you there didn't I?”

'Cath' nodded.

“Yup; Sergeant Wallace was instructing a few of us girls in the fine art of shooting the Sten gun. I did my best to act the part of a newbie who got better by the end of the day. You get up to anything else?”
“I observed some of my fellow Home Guards training, along with the Territorials instructing some National Servicemen. Both seem to be getting on well, plus the worst shortages of weapons and equipment seem to have been solved. I think we will need to revise our estimates of the effectiveness of both in our next reports.”
“Any news on more modern weapons?”

'Dave' shook his head.

“Not yet, at least not for the Home Guard around here. The Territorial and conscript soldiers were using F88s, though I saw a few of the former armed with old SLRs and some Sterlings.”
“Well, that's something at least.” 'Cath' observed.
“I'm not so sure, Cath.” 'Dave' replied. “The Home Guards have gotten pretty good with the weapons they have. A 303 will kill you as dead as 5.56, or 7.62.”

0601 hours GMT. Melsdorf, northern Schleswig-Holstein, FRG.
It was time for 5th Battalion (V), The Gloucestershire Regiment to take its turn in the front-line trenches. The battalion's job was security for the H.Q of the UK Mobile Force, but the job it was taking on was best suited to light infantry, so every such unit needed to perform a rotation. The unit the Glosters were relieving, 1st Battalion, 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, would take over their H.Q security duties. While 5 Glosters was a light infantry battalion, it had been provided with a number of Saxon APCs and 4-tonner lorries, and it was these vehicles that transported the battalion battle group to where it would enter the trench system.

*

“Right you lot, remember to grab all your kit and don't straggle. Anything you leave behind in the vehicles is going to stay there until we're relieved.” Acting Sergeant Lucy Hargreaves told the men and women of her platoon as they debussed from their vehicles.

When Sergeant Sergeant Steven ‘Timmy’ Mallet had been posted to the rebuilding 1st Battalion, Hargreaves, as the most experienced NCO, had been chosen to replace him. At least for the moment. At twenty-three, Hargreaves was young for a platoon sergeant, but there was precedent in previous wars for younger soldiers to be promoted.

“Platoon is present and correct, Sir.” Hargreaves reported to the platoon commander.
“Nice work, Sergeant.” Lieutenant Marshal replied. “Carry on.”

*

The West German infantry battalion that had initially held this sector had done a very thorough job of turning what had started as a collection of foxholes, shell-scrapes and slit trenches into a sophisticated network of trenches. They had installed shelters made from pre-cast concrete sections, to which the British had added a number of different pre-fabricated and improvised structures. [2] Beyond the front-line trenches belts of concertina wire had been laid along with concrete 'dragon's teeth' anti-tank obstacles. A narrow 'No-Man's Land' separated the NATO defences from similar structures constructed by the Soviets and East Germans.
In the final briefing before entering the trench network, the Glosters had been reminded that they needed to carry out regular maintenance and keep everything as clean as possible. They had also been reminded that although there was a cease-fire in place, they were not to expose themselves to enemy observation. As it was quite possible that some Pact sniper could 'accidentally' shoot them.

*

Sergeant Hargreaves exchanged a few words with the platoon sergeant of the outgoing Gurkha unit. He let her know that his men had spotted what looked like a couple of anti-tank guns, either T-12s, or MT-12s, in the sector opposite them.

“We've got them plotted exactly. You have a map?” The Gurkha sergeant said.
“Got it here.” Hargreaves replied, pulling out the map from one of her pouches.

The Gurkha took the offered map and drew a couple of symbols on it before handing it back.

“I'm sure your platoon commander and Mortar Fire Controller has this, but just in case.” He said.
“Thanks, appreciate it. We could do with something similar to be honest.”

The Gurkha chuckled.

“Oh, you'll see, Sergeant. You'll see.” He said, before bidding her good bye and heading off down the communications trench.

*

“You're kidding me!” Hargreaves said a few minutes later having discovered what the Gurkha sergeant was talking about.

Positioned in a well protected firing position in the platoon's front-line trench was a weapon that Hargreaves had only read about. She remembered from her time in West Berlin that the British garrison there was supposed to still have them in reserve storage, but had not actually seen any deployed. A second similar firing position with a sister of the weapon she was looking at was a short distance away.

“Should be able to hit those Russkie AT guns with these if we need to, Sergeant.” Corporal John ‘Double J’ Jarvis observed.
“If we can get them working!” Hargreaves replied. “At least the Gurkhas left us with a manual. Well, Double J, unless the Boss objects, I'm giving your section the job of getting to know how these work. Don't think we'll be able to arrange any practise shoots, though.”
“I think I'll have some fun with it, Sergeant.” Jarvis said. “I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to old weapons.”

Hargreaves handed the manual over to Jarvis.

“Well, knock yourself out. Just don't go firing off any rounds at our neighbours, or anything!”

The Sergeant continued on with her inspection of the platoon's sector, making her way forward to one of the Observation Posts. It seemed a little surreal to see the high-rise flats of Mettenhof, a housing estate full of 1960s and 1970s buildings in the near distance. The tallest, known as the 'White Giant', was 25 floors high. The East Germans had planted what must have been one of the largest DDR flags on top of the 'White Giant' and had placed spot-lights under it, so it could be seen at night. The West Germans had not bothered to respond to this act, not wanting to give the Warsaw Pact a great aiming point for artillery, or suggest that they were inadequate in the trouser department.

0815 hours. Near Crail, Fife, Scotland.
The gloss black Squirrel HT.1 helicopter circled the former RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw) twice before landing on a former dispersal near the old control tower. The old airfield, one of the best preserved Second World War era airfields in the UK, was just over twenty kilometres 'as the crow flies' from RAF Leuchars. Its close proximity to an operational station, plus its excellent preservation had meant that, as with the former RAF East Fortune, it had been designated an Emergency Landing Ground. Although, in the case of Crail, no resources had been available to make it an operational ELG. That was now all changing. [3]

While the runways at Crail had survived, being used as the basis of a raceway, the remaining buildings had been given over to light industry and agriculture. Although, a few, like the control tower and torpedo trainer, had become derelict. The RAF had used emergency powers to requisition the airfield and technical site.

Air Commodore John Forbes-Hamilton stepped down from the helicopter once its rotor-blades had stopped turning and strode towards a waiting RAF officer. Both men exchanged salutes.

“Good morning, Sir. Welcome to Crail Airfield.” Squadron Leader Mark Plant said.
“Good morning, Squadron Leader Plant.” Forbes-Hamilton replied. “I saw on the flight in that your team seems to be pretty well done here. Good work.”
“Thank you, Sir. Turned out to be easier than we first thought. The runways, for example, are in far better condition than we expected. The raceway people have done a good job in maintaining the bits we use. We did have to some repairs, which kept the engineers from 277 ADR Squadron busy. One of the first major tasks was removing all the tyre barriers that made up part of the raceway. Tyres came in handy, though.”
“How so?” The Air Commodore wondered.

Plant smiled before answering.

“They make an excellent material to construct ad hoc buildings from. Our small fire station, for example, has tyre walls, with sandbags and earth piled up against them. Though we did have to pile earth up inside the tyres to keep them stable. Also, when shredded, they can be used to fill holes. We have also used many of the existing buildings, including refurbishing some of the disused ones. We left the original control tower alone and brought in a mobile one. It seemed a shame to mess with such a historic building.”
“Are the runways operational?” Forbes-Hamilton wanted to know.

Plant nodded.

“We can take aircraft now. We have extended runway 07/25, by adding some Pierced Steel Planking at the western end. Did the same with 12/30 at its northern end and 03/21 at its south-west end. Used more PSP to extend the parking areas. You can also see that we have the temporary aircraft shelters up.
“Interesting aside is that we were worried about the runways being too short. Turns out that a Tonka...I mean a Tornado could have used the runways without any extension.”
“Better safe than sorry.” Forbes-Hamilton observed. “Out of interest, could an aircraft like, say, a Jetstream, Dominie, or 146 use the airfield?”
“Umm, a Jetstream, or Dominie absolutely. A 146 would need to use the extensions to land and get airborne. I'd also recommend that a 146 only use runway 07/25. Of course, a Hercules, or Atlas could use the runways no bother. However, a Globemaster would probably be too heavy. Of course, I imagine the people who might be using the smaller aircraft are looking for somewhere closer to Troywood than Leuchars. It's a ten minute drive after all. I mean, you'd probably want to use a helicopter if you were arriving at Leuchars, and its where everybody expects you to arrive.”

Forbes-Hamilton cleared his throat meaningfully.

“Well, yes, I guess you would, were anyone to need to reach Troywood. Not that I think anyone would need to.”

Troywood was the name the RAF had used for the nearby Regional Government Headquarters when it had been a ROTOR radar station. Crail Airfield was indeed somewhat closer to the bunker than RAF Leuchars.

“The first Tornado is due to land in a few minutes, Sir.” Plant said, quickly changing the subject.
“That's good news, Squadron Leader. Let's watch it from the control tower.”

*

'Don't screw this up. Don't screw this up.' Wing Commander Sarah Stapleton said to herself as she lined the Tornado F.3 up for final approach.

“You got this, Boss.” Squadron Leader George Wilkinson said from the rear cockpit, as if he sensed Stepleton was nervous.
“The Stash is watching us, George. Don't want to mess this up!” She replied. “We want to be remembered as the first jet to use Crail for the right reasons!” She added, chuckling. “Crail Tower, this is Gamecock One One, I have sight of the airfield, requesting permission to land, over.”
“Gamecock One One, Crail Tower. I have you in sight. Wind is from the north-east, twelve knots. Use runway 07, over.”
“Roger that, Crail Tower, beginning final approach. Gamecock One One off and listening.”

Having studied the airfield chart, Stapleton knew that she had been directed to use the longest runway. Which had been further lengthened, although since the Tornado F.3 generally used around 370 meters when landing, she would not need to use the PSP extensions.

*

Forbes-Hamilton and Plant watched from the mobile control tower, which had been positioned close to the airfield's disused control tower, as the Tornado F.3 made its final approach. As soon as it touched down the thrust reverser buckets deployed, the engine notes briefly increasing as the Tornado slowed down to a speed at which the wheel brakes could take over.

“Nice landing.” Forbes-Hamilton observed. “When was the last time a fixed wing RAF aircraft landed here?”
“Late Fifties, I think, Sir.” Plant replied. “Would have been a University Air Squadron Chipmunk. Bit different to a Tornado!”
“You can say that again!”

The Tornado was directed to a parking place where it was refuelled. The aircraft taxied back to the runway and took off a short time later.

“Well, Squadron Leader, I would say that counts as a success. Well done to you and your team.
“Now, we need to have a wee chat about security. What are your thoughts?”
“There's only one road in and out, Sir, which we can police very effectively.” Plant said. “The old pillboxes survive and my team has refurbished them and identified a few places where we can add Yarnold Sangars to beef up security. I suppose, theoretically, an enemy could land on the coast, but the terrain isn't ideal for that. What is really needed is manpower; I don't really have enough bodies to both run the airfield as an ELG and guard it. We're also open to air attack if the enemy spots were using Crail.”
“Well, I should be able to solve both problems for you. At least partially.” Forbes-Hamilton replied. “We've received our first group of National Servicemen at Leuchars, only twenty of them, but it does mean I can spare some additional personnel to send to you to help provide security. Moreover, the Regiment has just stood up a couple of independent flights in Scotland equipped with Bofors 40/70. I'm giving one of the flights to you. Best I can give you for the moment, but better than nothing.”
“Yes, Sir.” Plant agreed. “In the meantime, I will look at mounting machine-guns on AA mounts. Again, better then nothing.”

Forbes-Hamilton checked his watch.

“I need to be going, Squadron Leader. Have an 'important' meeting at ten. Keep up the good work.”
“Thank you, Sir.”

Plant watched as the Squirrel HT.1 took off and turned away to the north-west. He had appreciated the visit, but now he had some real work to do.

0918 hours GMT. Near Hämeenlinna, Finland.
Yliluutnantti Ilari ‘Timo’ Mäkinen watched with interest from the top of the turret of his new tank as a nearby infantry unit trained with XA-180 wheeled APCs. One of the platoon commanders seemed especially enthusiastic when given a chance to drive the vehicle. Very much 'driving it like they stole it'. Mäkinen smiled and turned back to his own task.
His battalion was in the process of converting from the T-72FM2 to the Swedish manufactured Stridsvagn 121B. Thirty-five of the tanks had been delivered to the Finnish Army so far, enough to re-equip one battalion, with a few spare for training purposes. The biggest difference, other than the tank having superior electronics and optical equipment to the T-72, was that it had a four-man, rather than a three-man crew. That had meant that a reorganisation of the battalion had been necessary. Thankfully, there were enough reservists who had served on T-54s and T-55s, who could join the battalion to help join new recruits on the intricacies and duties of a loader. Mäkinen had also very quickly discovered that a human loader was far more useful than an autoloader when it came to things like tank maintenance and cooking food. Having an extra pair of eyes in the field also came in very handy. On the range, once his new loader had mastered his task, Mäkinen had been surprised to discover that a 19 year old with strong arms could maintain a higher rate of fire than a machine.

“Coffee, Boss?” The loader said, offering Mäkinen a steaming mug.
“Thanks, Aarne.” Mäkinen replied, taking the mug. “Hey, this is pretty good.”

Aarne smiled.

“No crew I'm part of is going to drink cheap instant if I can help it, Boss.”
“Good man. Thanks again.”
“Infantry are really giving those Pasis a right going over!” The loader observed, pointing with his own mug.

The sounds of a Valmet diesel engine screaming as it was pushed to the red-line and used all of its 236hp was audible, even at this distance.

“You would think they were trying to break them, or something!” Mäkinen observed.

*

Luutnantti Sana Marin grinned as she turned the XA-180 hard right, keeping the accelerator pedal flat to the floor. Ignoring the protestations of the screaming engine, or the fact that the rev counter had hit the limit. She also ignored complaints by members of her platoon in the troop compartment, who were finding the ride somewhat harsh. After a promising performance as a Junior NCO, the Finnish Army had decided that Marin would make a good junior officer and had assigned her to command a platoon in an infantry battalion of 36 Brigade that was being rebuilt. A cadre of survivors from the start of the war remained, and had been joined by soldiers who had recovered from wounds and new conscripts. In terms of armoured vehicles, the battalion had been issued with second-hand XA-180s from a battalion that now had the newer XA-185. As part of the process every member of the battalion was being taught to drive the vehicles.
For Marin driving the APC was a good way to relive stress and get some anger out of her system. She had already proven that it could overcome pretty much any obstacle if driven aggressively enough. A red light suddenly came on, warning that the abused engine was finally beginning to overhead.

“Damn.” Marin muttered.

She eased off and drove back slowly to the start-line. Marin popped the driver's hatch and climbed out.

“Coolant needs topping up.” She told the Vääpelis, who was the senior instructor. “He's overheating.”
“Ma'am.” The Senior NCO replied, before muttering dark things about junior officers who break perfectly serviceable kit once Marin was out of earshot.

Even if she had heard, Marin would not have cared. As far as she was concerned, it was good to know the limits of a vehicle before taking it into action. She had certainly found the limits of that particular XA-180. As she walked to the mess tent to get a coffee, Marin spotted a couple of unfamiliar vehicles being put through their paces by soldiers in equally unfamiliar uniforms.

“Who are they?” She asked another Luutnantti.
“American National Guardsmen.” The other officer said. “A brigade equipped with their Strykers arrived a few days ago. I guess they are acclimatising to our way of doing things and the terrain.”
“About time they got here.” Marin said, in between sips of coffee. “We've already got Swedes, Norwegians and Danes, so why not Americans.”

1005 hours GMT. Outside Az Zubayr, Basra Governorate, Iraq.
'BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!'

The Iraqi Army might well be on the back-foot, but their artillery was still very active, if not particularly accurate. As part of Coalition efforts to isolate Basra, US Marines from the 4th Marine Division were fighting to capture the small city of Az Zubayr from the south and west, while 1st Australian Division mounted an attack from the east along the western bank of the Basra canal. Once Az Zubayr was secure, the Marines would advance to the north and east of Basra, while the 1st Australian Division would mount an assault crossing of the canal, and advance to the south and east of Basra. The objective being to reach the Shatt Al Arab on both sides of the city from the rest of Iraq.
When the 23rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade had redeployed from southern Africa to the Middle East, the headquarters of the 4th Marine Division, USMCR, had also been deployed to take command of the enlarged US Marine force in the KTO. [4]

*

“First you two take me to Africa to bake in the Namibian desert and get shot at by Angolans. Now you take me to the Middle East to bake in a new desert and get shot at Iraqis!” Private Mick Belker commented from the gunner's seat of a LAV-25A1. “Did you never consider maybe we'd have been better joining the Guard, or that maybe just being cops was enough?”
“What are you complaining about, Mick?” Corporal John ‘JD’ LaRue replied from the driver's seat. “You said you and Robin could do with the bread when we suggested you enlist with us.”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time and less crazy than some of your schemes, JD.” Belker replied grumpily.
“I'm with you on that, Mick.” Sergeant Neal Washington added. “But keep your chit-chat for later, we've got a job to do.
“Looks like we got some Fedayeen Saddam up ahead. Guys on foot supported by four technicals. ”
“I see 'em, Neal.” LaRue reported.
“Alpha One Echo, Bravo One Echo, I have an approx platoon strength group of Fedayeen supported by four technicals two kicks from my position, over.”
“Roger that, Bravo One Echo.” Their platoon commander replied. “You and Bravo Two Echo hold your position and monitor them for now. If they advance on your position, engage and pull back on us. The 1st of the 23rd is four kicks to you south, over.”
“Acknowledged, Alpha One Echo. Am also taking sporadic, but inaccurate artillery fire. May need to relocate if they get our range, over.”
“Let us know if you have to, Bravo One Echo. Alpha One Echo out.”

The Fedayeen Saddam were slowly advancing on foot towards the two LAV-25s, their technicals apparently covering their flanks. The militia were wearing their distinctive black uniforms, with a few having the 'Darth Vader' style helmets.

“Bravo Two Echo, Bravo One Echo, if they push forward, you take the technicals on the left, I'll take those on the right. We'll then hit the infantry before pulling back, over.”
“Got it, Bravo One Echo.” The commander of the other LAV-25 replied.

Almost as if they had heard the radio conversation the footsoldiers started running towards both American vehicles, while the technicals accelerated out ahead and charged the LAV-25s.

“Take 'em, JD.”
“On the way!”

LaRue had selected low-rate fully automatic on the Bushmaster cannon and fired two short bursts of 25mm HEI-T at the first technical, before switching to the second one and firing two more bursts. Both Iraq vehicles were left burning, their crews dead.

“Good shooting, JD. Direct hits on both.” Washington told him. “Take the infantry now.”
“Got it. On the way!”

This time LaRue selected high-rate fully automatic and started firing longer bursts. He alternated between the cannon and co-axial machine-gun.

“Bravo Two Echo, Bravo One Echo, pull back to our agreed fall-back position. We'll cover you, over.”
“We're moving, Bravo One Echo. We'll let you know when we're in position.”

As the second LAV-25 pulled back. Washington stood up on his seat and manned the M240G by his hatch. He opened fire on the advancing Fedayeen. The survivors did not seem to have been phased by the fact that many of their comrades had already been cut down. It would only be a matter of minutes before those of them armed with RPG-7s would be in range of his LAV.

“Bravo One Echo, Bravo Two Echo, we're in position, over.”
“Go, Mick, go!”

Belker did not have to be told twice. He had already put the LAV-25 into reverse and now stood on the accelerator pedal. The vehicle shot backwards, throwing Washington against the lip of his turret.

“Jesus!” He exclaimed in shock and surprise.

Meanwhile, Belker performed an impressive J-Turn that could not have been done better in a sports car. LaRue traversed the turret to the rear, allowing him and Washington to continue to engage the enemy. Bravo Two Echo was also firing on the Iraqis. More Fedayeen and some additional technicals had joined in the pursuit of the retreating LAV-25s. However, the larger group of Iraqis were suddenly hit by accurate and devastating artillery fire. A pair of AH-1W SuperCobras swept in hitting the survivors with rockets before flying off to service another target.

“Those guys ain't going to need body bags!” LaRue commented.
“You got that right, JD.” Washington agreed. “Can pick up what's left of them with a spoon!”

The lead vehicles of Task-Force 1-23 Marines arrived a few minutes later, taking possession of the battlefield. It was time now for Echo Company, 4th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion to seek out the enemy again. Their LAV-25s pushing ahead of the main Marine force. As they moved off, the M1A1 of D Company, 8th Tank Battalion, engaged some distant Iraqi armoured vehicles, destroying them.

“Just another day at the office.” Washington muttered.
“What's that, Neal?” LaRue wondered.
“Oh, just thinkin', JD, that's all.”

***

[1] Divisional order of battle:

25th (US) Infantry Division (Light) (-) (+)
1st Brigade:
- 1-14th Infantry Regiment (Light):
- 1-27th Infantry Regiment (Light):
- 4-27th Infantry Regiment (Light):
3rd Brigade:
- 3-22nd Infantry Regiment (Light):
- 4-22nd Infantry Regiment (Light):
- 4-87th Infantry Regiment (Light):
29th Infantry Brigade (-) – HI NG
- 1-299th Infantry Regiment:
- 2-299th Infantry Regiment:
- 100-442nd Infantry Regiment – USAR
25th ID Combat Aviation Brigade:
- 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment: M8, HMMWV, RAH-66A
-- Troop E, 19th Cavalry Regiment: HMMWV – HI NG
- 1-25th Aviation Regiment (Attack): AH-64D, OH-58D, UH-60L
- 4-25th Aviation Regiment: CH-47D, UH-60L, OH-58D, EH-60L
25th ID Divisional Artillery (+):
- 3-7th Field Artillery Regiment: M119
- 7-8th Field Artillery Regiment: M777
- 2-11th Field Artillery Regiment: M777
- 1-487th Field Artillery Regiment: M198 – HI NG
- 1-8th Field Artillery Regiment: M142 HIMARS
- C Battery, 76th Field Artillery: M44 NLOS
- F Battery, 7th Field Artillery (Target Acquisition):
25th ID Divisional Support Command (+):
- 25th Support Battalion (Forward)
- 29th Support Battalion – HI NG
- 225th Support Battalion (Forward)
- 325th Support Battalion (Forward)
- 725th Support Battalion (Main)
- I Company, 25th Aviation Regiment (AVIM)
5-73rd Armor Regiment: M8
65th Combat Engineer Battalion (+):
-- 227th Engineer Company: – HI NG
-- 881st Engineer Company: – HI NG
1-62nd Air Defense Regiment: Avenger, Stinger MANPAD
125th Military Intelligence Battalion (Combat Electronic Warfare & Intelligence)
125th Signal Battalion:
25th Military Police Company: M1114
71st Chemical Company:

[2] A number of the different types of field fortifications are discussed in detail here. The British Army in TLW has used all of them in one way, or another along the new 'border'.

[3] Information on the former RNAS Crail can be found here. Interestingly, Crail had been selected as the site for the first operational Blue Streak IRBM silos, had the missile become operational.

[4] Orbat of USMC ground forces in the KTO:

4th Marine Division (-)(+) - USMCR
- 4th Reconnaissance Battalion (-)
- 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion: (-) LAV-25, LAV-AT, LAV-AD, LAV-M
- 4th Tank Battalion (-)(+): M1A1
-- D Co./ 8th Tank Battalion: M1A1
- 2/14 Marines: M777
- 3/14 Marines (-): M198
-- J Btry, 4/14th Marines: M109A6
-- P Btry, 5/14th Marines: M142 HIMARS
- 4th Light Armored Transport Battalion: (-)(+) LAV-P
-- A Co./5th Light Armored Transport Battalion: LAV-P
- B Co./4th Assault Amphibian Battalion: AAV-7
- 4th Light Armored Antiaircraft Battalion: (-) LAV-AD
- 4th Combat Engineer Battalion (-)
23rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade
23rd Marine Regiment – USMCR
1/23 Marines
2/23 Marines
2/23 Marines
24th Regimental Landing Team - USMCR
- 1/24 Marines
- 2/24 Marines
- 3/24 Marines
15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
- 2/1 Marines
-- Platoon/C Co./1 LAR: LAV-25, LAV-AT
-- Platoon/D Co./1 Tank Battalion: M1A1
-- Platoon/A Co./3rd AAB: AAVP-7A1
-- F Btry/2/11 Marines: M777
-- Platoon/1st Force Reconnaissance Company:
-- Platoon/C Co./1st Combat Engineer Battalion
- Combat Logistics Battalion 15

- FAST Company Central – Bahrain

More info can be found here.

[Bernard Woolley]

Accompanying Pictures

[jemhouston]

Good call back.

[Bernard Woolley]

Thank you.

[Eaglenine2]

Well the Europe War is on cease fire. The other Wars is still on.

[Bernard Woolley]

I wanted to bookend this chapter with two theatres that are still active. To reflect that while the fighting has only ended in Europe.

[Lordroel]

Wow, did i missed 65 days worth of fighting, still a good update.

[Matt Wiser]

Good start for the next series. BZ as usual, and so to business:

Moving north of the DMZ in Korea... the Norks will, as usual, fight very hard. 25th ID and the ROKs are finding that out.

Lucy Hargraves is now a Sergeant. Not unusual, and not unexpected. Now, what did the Gurkhas leave her unit? A couple of 120-mm recoilless rifles, perhaps?

I see those Kiwi Home Guards are getting their weapons training. A Sten may be old, but if properly preserved and then maintained, it can still kill you. If it can kill you, it ain't obsolete.

Those emergency strips can also be dispersal fields if need be. Even if only a pair of fighters can use it.

Finns getting the Swedish version of the Leo 2. And Marin is now a LT. And good to see the U.S. Army showing up. 29th ID, perhaps?

There may be a cease-fire in Europe, but as with NK, so with Iraq. CINC-CENT will be glad to have that extra Marine Regiment.

Good work, and bring on the next one!

[Cihatari]

Positioned in a well protected firing position in the platoon's front-line trench was a weapon that Hargreaves had only read about. She remembered from her time in West Berlin that the British garrison there was supposed to still have them in reserve storage, but had not actually seen any deployed.

Would that be the L6 Wombat?

Brilliant choice for people who love to tell everyone in the vicinity where they are from the first shot.

[Bernard Woolley]

Wow, did i missed 65 days worth of fighting, still a good update.

The Prologue did end on D+99, so Chapter 1 is only a 24 hour move forward. Also, thanks very much!

Good start for the next series. BZ as usual, and so to business:

Thank you, appreciated.

Moving north of the DMZ in Korea... the Norks will, as usual, fight very hard. 25th ID and the ROKs are finding that out.

Indeed they will. Although, they no longer have Big Brother keeping them supplied.

Lucy Hargreaves is now a Sergeant. Not unusual, and not unexpected. Now, what did the Gurkhas leave her unit? A couple of 120-mm recoilless rifles, perhaps?

She's had quite the career trajectory from a private who was a pay clerk, to a platoon sergeant. Right now Hargreaves is one of the most combat experienced members of 5 Glosters.

I see those Kiwi Home Guards are getting their weapons training. A Sten may be old, but if properly preserved and then maintained, it can still kill you. If it can kill you, it ain't obsolete.

More of a weapons conversion course for them! A reminder that the Soviets are still active in espionage despite the European ceasefire.

Those emergency strips can also be dispersal fields if need be. Even if only a pair of fighters can use it.

I have visited Crail airfield a good few times over the years and have even been inside the control tower. There used to be a time where you could just drive onto the airfield, park up and wander around. Then the owners of the various small businesses that operate out of some building got a bit funny about people wandering in. Now that it is a raceway, forget wandering about when the whim takes you. Shame really because it is really one of, if not possibly the best preserved WW2 airfields. It has the only example of a torpedo trainer left in the UK that I know of. It should really be in the Fleet Air Arm Museum, but I would guess that moving it would be impractical. From memory, the runways and taxiways were in good condition, with little need of repair.

Finns getting the Swedish version of the Leo 2. And Marin is now a LT. And good to see the U.S. Army showing up. 29th ID, perhaps?

The Finns always wanted the Leo 2, but 'pressure' from Moscow prevented a pre-war buy. From my research, Finnish tank battalions are around 30 tanks strong. So, 35 is enough for one battalion, plus a few spare. 29ID is with CENTAG.

There may be a cease-fire in Europe, but as with NK, so with Iraq. CINC-CENT will be glad to have that extra Marine Regiment.

The extra divisional H.Q and a reorganisation of the USMC forces will also improve effectiveness.

Good work, and bring on the next one!

Thanks and will do!

Would that be the L6 Wombat?

Brilliant choice for people who love to tell everyone in the vicinity where they are from the first shot.

No comment and it depends on where one directs the back-blast.

[Jotun]

Oooookay…so we are still in The Pause(tm), am I reading this right, with the fixed defences on both sides of the demarcation line (referring to your fact file from a few years earlier)?

If so, then I have a few ideas already sprouting. Good.

[Bernard Woolley]

Oooookay…so we are still in The Pause(tm), am I reading this right, with the fixed defences on both sides of the demarcation line (referring to your fact file from a few years earlier)?

We're well into The Pause(tm) at this point. There are trench lines now spreading from the Baltic in the North down to the northern Adriatic in the South. Ditto Thrace and eastern Anatolia. Like the First World War, they started as scattered slit-trenches, fox-holes and shell-scrapes that were deepened and joined together. Barbed wire, anti-tank cubes, dragon's teeth etc. were added later.
As of D+100, the Soviets still occupy some NATO territory, while NATO now occupies parts of the DDR and some of eastern Czechoslovakia.

If so, then I have a few ideas already sprouting. Good.

I look forward to reading them!

[Matt Wiser]

You do mean Western Czechoslovakia....

That does remind me once again: after a CVW-5 update, the Battles of An Nasiriya and Al Khidhr will be covered. CENTCOM will be encountering Soviet ground forces in Iraq, with the political fire to follow. First, I do have to wargame them out. GDW's Sands of War, which covers desert warfare from 1940 to 1991, will be mighty useful.

[Bernard Woolley]

You do mean Western Czechoslovakia....

<Facepalm>