The pilot nearly brought his aircraft in unharmed. Almost, but not quite, he put it down too hard and wiped the undercarriage off on touchdown. The Hawk slid on its belly down the runway, the ambulance and crash truck driving recklessly to keep up with it. As it came to a halt and started to burn, the crash truck had its foam hose ready and doused the wreck. It took only a few seconds to get the pilot out of the cockpit and even less time for the ambulance paramedic to make his decision. “Get him to the infirmary. Now!”
“No, wait.” Maen's voice was weak but urgent. “'Laum Mwuak, the Japanese are attacking it, Ground troops. They're holding up there but they need help. Get help to them.”
The word spread faster than possible and the aircrew waiting by their planes stared at the control tower, waiting for the signal. It came just as fast as it took a man to run up the control tower steps and speak to the Squadron commander. A red flare arcing into the sky. “Get ready for immediate take off.” Then, there was a sound like a barrage of gunfire as the ground crews started closing the hatches and access points on the waiting Ostrichs.
“First flight, get to Laum Mwuak. Identify the positions held by our people and give them support. Can't tell you exactly what to do, you'll know when you get there. Second Flight. The Japanese have crossed the border in strength. There's a regiment of the 9th Division moving up to block the enemy's advance. Contact the 9ths forward controllers, set up a cab rank using Channel Five and support them. Whatever they need. The other Ostrich squadron will be joining you. As for fighter cover.” There was a derisive laugh from the Ostrich crews, their Australian-built ground attack aircraft were almost 70 miles an hour faster than the Hawk 75N fighters that were supposed to cover them. “Escort yourselves. The fighters will be on free chase. Now GO!”
The ground crews were already turning the propellers by hand, distributing the oil that would have built up in the lower cylinders overnight. Before they could fire the starters, another biplane came in, swinging neatly into line and touching down on the runway. A Corsair. It taxied off the runway and its crew leapt from the aircraft, frantically looking for somebody to report to. The Squadron leader grabbed the pilot.
“You, I need a full report of what's happening, everything you've seen. At once. We've got to get word to Bangkok and to First Army Headquarters. Do you know how to fly an Ostrich?”
Flying Officer Suan took a careful look at the hulking beasts starting to taxi out onto the runway and shook his head. They were from a different age and he'd never before realized just how obsolete his old Corsair was.
“Time to learn” said the Squadron Leader. The rest of his words were drowned out as more R-2800s joined the roaring flightline and the first Ostriches started their take-off runs down the runway.
First Army Circle Headquarters, Ban Masdit, Recovered Provinces, Thailand
Despite the early hour and the new air conditioning system, General Songkitti was sweating. The picture from the front was threatening, worse than that; it looked like there was a military catastrophe in the making. There were reports of at least two Japanese infantry divisions and three independent regiments crossing the Mekong. No sightings of tanks yet and the Japanese weren't committing their aircraft. Trying to keep this on the level of a border incident he guessed. They'd penetrate to the watershed boundary they'd claimed was the correct line of the border then the follow up forces would go through the breach and spread sideways. Ten years ago, there would have been wild talk of an expanding torrent through a hole in the front, loose in the rear areas, destroying everything in its path. Nobody believed that rubbish any more. Reality was bad enough. Then the phone rang and Songkitti picked it up, listening for a few minutes. He acknowledged the caller and hung up again.
“Good news Sir?” His aide's voice was tentative, perhaps afraid that if somebody mentioned good news, it would vanish.
“Supreme's on the ball. They're sending the Second Cavalry to reinforce us. Second Army will be turning one of its divisions through 180 degrees and taking over the Laotian frontier so we can pull the 11th Infantry down. That gives us two leg infantry divisions and a motorized division to fight with. The lead elements of the Second will be here tomorrow evening, we can have the 11th disengaged and down twelve to 24 hours later. The bad news is the intelligence people think there could be six more infantry divisions and four independent tank brigades waiting behind the Mekong. Apparently they went missing from Manchuria a few months ago and now, it looks like they've turned up here.”
There was a gentle tap on the door and the clerk put his head around. “Lieutenant Sirisoon to see you sir.”
Songkitti looked dourly at the female officer. “What do you want?”
“Sir, my desk is clear; all my present assignments are completed. In view of the current emergency, what are your orders?”
“Go back to your desk, hide under it if you like, that's probably a good idea, and keep out of the way.”
Songkitti turned back to the map and stared again at the developing threat. The sparse information coming in suggested that the Japanese advance was shaped like a kidney, two lobes, parting at about 30 degrees. Fair bet one division in each lobe. They were splitting at a place called Laum Mwuak, there was an airfield there and the town was a minorly important road and rail junction. Nobody had heard from the airfield but the map was suggesting it was still holding out. Then..... Songkitti was suddenly aware Sirisoon was still waiting in front of his desk. “] told you to leave. Do you want me to have you dragged out by your hair?”
Sirisoon's eyes widened at the insult. Songkitti was an urbane and courteous man, for him to be so openly rude indicated how critical this situation was. “Sir, the Army recruited women officers so we could take over rear area jobs and free up men for the front. Let me do my job sir and make available another male officer for the front line.”
Songkitti was just about to explode and say something unforgivable when his aide cut in. “Sir, we've got a pool of replacement infantry here, the ones we've been using to guard truck convoys. They're going to be badly needed but we can't send them up without an officer taking charge of them on the way. Perfect job I would have thought.”
“Yes. Sirisoon, this is the situation. We're moving 2nd regiment, 9th infantry division up to here, to block this lobe of the Japanese advance. They're assembling now. That's a regiment taking on an entire Japanese division. Once they engage, the 29th is going to be chewed up, they'll need every replacement rifleman they can get. The Sergeants are organizing the unattached replacements into scratch platoons. There's one in the supply unit ready to go.
“Take command of it, take it up to the 29th assembly area here. Once the commander of the 29th releases you, return and take another platoon up.” Songkitti scribbled orders onto his pad and handed them over. Sirisoon grabbed them and fled before he could change his mind.
In her office, Sirisoon grabbed her telephone and called the motor pool. “Sergeant, I need four trucks and a jeep outside the supply unit in ten minutes........None available? Sergeant, my next task is to reconcile your equipment inventory against your requisitions. If I get my trucks, that job won't be started for weeks. !f I don't, it'll start the moment I hang up and I will be in a very bad temper. Tin sure neither of us want me to be reconciling your inventories and supply vouchers while in a bad temper......I thought not.........That's right, one jeep, four trucks, ten minutes. Thank you Sergeant.” Sirisoon grinned to herself, that was an application of logistics her instructors had never thought of.