She and Sergeant Yawd walked away from the soldiers. “Sergeant, I don't have to say it do I?”
“No, Ell-tee. I let it slide. My fault. No excuses.”
“Check around the barns, there may be some leather polish for the animal harnesses.” The animals wouldn't need it, that was for certain. Tong Klao had owned three water buffalo. All were in the barns, dead, bayoneted and shot by the Japanese. “If so, get the inside of those pouches polished. If not, store the ammunition in them without the box. The rounds will rattle but at least they won't get stuck again. Meanwhile, I'll be away for a few minutes.”
“Sure thing Ell-tee. Pak, over here. Go with our Ell-tee.” “Sergeant, that's...”
“Ell-tee, it'll be the same for everybody. Its night and the Japanese own the night. We've got a nice tight perimeter and we're ok inside it but as sure as death and taxes, there are Japanese infantry prowling around out there. Looking for people they can lift for tactical intelligence. Nobody goes anywhere alone. Not me not you. Nobody.”
Sirisoon nodded and sought a patch of ground away from the bulk of the unit. Her business finished, she rejoined the platoon just as the pickets watching the road to the rear of Tong Klao sounded an alarm. A few seconds later she saw why. There was a truck convoy coming up the road, lights out. She'd placed two of her three RPG-2s covering that road; the third was covering the forward arc. Now, both of those RPGs would be trained on the trucks. To her relief they were the unmistakable shape of American six-by-sixes. Thai Army. Replacements. Then a chilling thought struck her, there might also be her replacement on board.
The trucks pulled into her perimeter, the machine guns and RPGs still covering them. Figures started jumping out, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty five. Her heart leapt upwards, no officers. Precious few NCOs as well and those she could see were corporals. Another cheerful thing, she recognized the stubby 60 millimeter mortars and counted at least three more MG34 machine guns.
“Lieutenant. We need to talk.” It was the company commander she'd met earlier that morning.
“Sir.” They didn't exchange salutes, no point in making a sniper's job easier.
“Some bad news for you. We're getting reinforcements and replacements but we're desperately short of officers and NCOs. The few we're getting have to go to units that lost theirs. I'm going to have to ask you to stay out here a white longer. I know you're admin but you did a fine job this afternoon. Good news is I've brought you your replacements. I can take out your wounded and you'll be up to strength.
“In addition, I'm augmenting your unit. Some of the replacements we got included three machine gun crews, I've giving them to you and I'm also giving you one of my mortar sections, two 60mm mortar crews, detached from the company mortar battery. I don't know how you want to organize the additions, as a second weapons section, whatever. I'm boosting you for another reason as well. I want you to take point again tomorrow.”
“Again Sir?”
“Yes, again. Look, I'll be honest. Today we put you out as point because you were expendable. A newbie replacement unit. Tomorrow, I want you out there because this unit has proved itself. You've proved yourself. General Chaovalit and General Songkitti have been told of your action this afternoon. I can tell you this; you and your platoon have been Mentioned in the Dispatches. Tomorrow is going to be critical and I want the best I've got out there.”
“Thank you Sir. Thank you very much.”
“Don't thank me, after tomorrow you might not be feeling so grateful. You're holed up here for the night?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Wise move. The Japanese are too good at night fighting for us to chance anything. The whole division is hunkering down for the night; we'll start moving at dawn. I want you to push along this road here.” The Company Commander got out a map covered with lines. “This is your map for tomorrow. See the phase lines? Its critical, say again critical, you do not charge past them. Get to each line, radio in and hold until you get permission to move to the next. I can't stress this strongly enough. Do not pass a phase line without getting clearance. Do you understand?”
“Yes Sir. Phased advance holding at each phase line until given clearance to move further.”
“Good. As far as I know, you'll be engaging part of the same battalion you chewed on today. Our guess is they'll have tank support tomorrow. You won't. Nor will anybody else. We haven't got any tanks to support you with. By the way I hear you captured a sword and a battle flag?”
Sirisoon grinned and pulled the sword out from its scabbard over her back, handing it to the Company Commander hilt first. He looked at it and whistled. “'It's a beauty. You want me to take care of it for you? I'll send it to General Songkitti for safe keeping. Sergeant Major? My pad please.” The Sergeant Major handed him an order pad. The Company commander wrote out a quick description of the sword and scabbard and signed it. “Here, this will act as your receipt. Kick off, 0500 tomorrow. And well done Lieutenant.”
The trucks pulled out, leaving her watching the road while the new arrivals milled around. “Sergeant Yawd?”
“Yes Ell-tee?”
“Assign the replacements; bring first section up to strength as top priority and then the rest. We have some reinforcements, including three extra machine gun crews. I want one assigned to each of our rifle sections, reorganize each section as two gun teams, an MG34 crew and four riflemen each. One grenade launcher to each team. We'll add our new mortars to the weapons section. Get the men as rested as possible. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I want everybody up and in defense positions at 0330.” She dropped her voice, “We're kicking off at dawn, 0500. If I was the Japanese commander out there, I'd guess that and try a pre-dawn spoiling attack. If he gets that idea, let's have a nice surprise waiting for him. I'll take first watch.” Sergeant Yawd cleared his throat. “Sergeant?”
“Ell-tee, Guard tonight is Sergeant's work. You get some sleep. We'll wake you if anything starts.”
Ostrich Djiap-One, over the Mekong River, Thai/Japanese Indochina Border
The Japanese engineers had used the night well. The wide, sluggish, muddy Mekong River already had two bridges across it at this point and there were probably others lower down. That was somebody else's business. The six Ostriches under Flight Lieutenant Phol Thongpricha had these as their target. First three aircraft would hit the bridge on the left; the others would hit the bridge on the right. With a little luck they'd get some of the armor the Japanese were reported to be bringing over the river.
“Take them down!” Djiap-One made a wing-over and started its long dive on the bridges below. He'd elected to make his approach along the length of the bridge, using the freshly-cut scar of the road as a marker and, hopefully planting the bombs and rockets along the bridge. It was a gamble but a calculated one. The errors in bombing were much more often those of range rather than deflection, a lengthwise run would mean multiple hits and massive damage. A crosswise run meant fewer hits, even at best. And there was always a chance of hitting the engineers as well.....
The big Ostrich started lurching as black puffs appeared all around it. Probably 75mms at a guess, Type 88s or Type 4s most likely. Probably the former, overnight the two divisions that had crossed the Mekong had been identified as the 143rd and 324th Infantry divisions, both Manchurian Army outfits. That meant they'd seen little fighting in China and the Japanese Army didn't send units replacements. They ran a unit into the ground then rebuilt it. So these divisions would be up to or beyond paper strength. The Japanese didn't re-equip units either. When a division was formed or rebuilt, it got what the factories were producing, for good or ill, and that was it. So the un-attrited Manchurian Divisions would have a lot of men and equipment but little of it would be new. So probably Type 4s.