“Hit those, the pillars, not the armour.”
His men began firing on the tanks and IFVs in the water, and the Scimitars turrets rotated, steadied and the cannons began firing three round bursts, the 30mm shells visible as they arced over the intervening space to impact on the brickwork.
It was working, the combined fire chewed away the brick of a pillar before moving to the next until the remaining ones were no longer capable of holding up the steel girders of the building and it started to sag, slowly at first and then with then as momentum took over the remaining pillars collapsed and a great pall of dust hung over the ruin.
The Corporal-of- Horse laughed aloud but then someone gave the world a shake, some giant shook the earth so that the ground and the sky rotated before Jim’s eyes, and when it stopped someone was screaming in agony. Blood caught the light as it fountained upwards, bright red arterial crimson, and with something of a shock Lt Col Popham realised that both the screams and the blood were his.
It took some time and considerable expense to realign the ‘smart’ photo reconnaissance satellite. Its memory had several thousand shapes programed into it which, if seen, would trigger an automatic response. It was merely facial recognition software that included those things a human photo recce analyst spends hours looking for. From faces to firearms, tattoos to tanks and car number plates to carrier combat groups; it watched for them all as it orbited the planet because Kondor-138 would not ‘sleep’ between passes over the contested Spratly Islands. Wide awake, it remained alert for chance encounters.
CHAPTER SIX
The long voyage to Australia, and Operation Matins, ended as the first Ro-Ro entered Moreton Bay and discharged its vehicles at the docks. Having arrived via the longer, more scenic, route, and thereby avoiding the prying eyes of Chinese intelligence, the convoys had crossed from the Atlantic to the Pacific during a night passage through the sparsely populated lands bisected by the Beagle Channel at South America’s tip.
Tank transporters and heavy plant low loaders supplemented the railways in transporting the European forces and equipment into New South Wales, the final 350 miles of a 14000 mile journey from one battlefield to another.
Far south of the discharging convoys a tricky military maneouvre was being carried out by several units. A relief in place is an ideal moment for an enemy to catch two units while neither is fully deployed for defence. Deception plans and artillery barrages are tested methods of keeping the enemy too busy to cotton on to what is occurring under his nose. This night however it was being done stealthily and if the PLAN 1st Marines twigged what was going on they may well assume it was a rotation of companies, a frequent occurrence on the defence line in NSW.
Brigadier General Patrick Reed, 1st Guards Infantry Brigade, shook hands with Humphrey McGregor, commanding The Highland Brigade, and relinquished the Guards positions. Humphrey, his staff and the COs of the Cameron Highlanders, Argylls, London Scottish and Royal Scots Greys had arrived three days before to see the ground, touch base with the other elements and thereby ensure a smooth transition.
The Guardsmen, the Blackhorse and the small Queen Elizabeth’s Combat Team moved back to just east of Bowral, to a location at the foot of Mt Gibraltar, a large rock which may possibly bear a resemblance to ‘The Rock’ ten thousand miles away but no one knows for sure, owing to the many thousands of trees that bedeck it, unlike its namesake of course. On arrival, a parting of the ways took place with the M1A1’s of the Blackhorse Cavalry, RTR and RGJ returning to their parent units.
Further south, 8th Infantry Brigade moved to a staging area near the town of Nelligan beside the Clyde where the CO of the Wessex summoned Sgt Baz Cotter and a number of other men to the cluster of 9x9s that made up battalion headquarters. The CO pinned an MM on his Baz’s chest, awarded for his part commanding the defence of the autobahn junction at Brunswick, and hand him the symbols of his new status, second lieutenants pips.
“Oddly enough.” the CO stated conversationally. “The convoys sailed with everything to fight a war but nothing to denote rank so I hope you don’t mind these being second-hand.”
Baz accepted the low profile fabric tab.
“Could I ask whose they were before, sir?”
“Your predecessor.” the CO said. “But don’t worry; they seem to have washed out well.”
Open-Season on second lieutenants only ended when they became first lieutenants.
The CO was still smiling evilly at the expression on the face of the newest member of the officer’s mess as he moved on to the next soldier receiving an award.
The centre of Bowral had an old world feel about it, in Australian terms. Most of the shop facades seemed to visitors to be suffering a crisis of identity as some buildings seemed typically English, whilst the remainder would not have gone amiss in some Wild West boom town, with the exception that they were built of brick, and the bricklaying had a distinctly English style. Modern Australia is unique unto itself, but the Empire Theatre in Bong Bong Street was of the same design and appearance of many 1920’s or 30’s built cinemas in rural English towns. The café next door was pure Dodge City however.
With the Australian 1st MP Battalion providing the security around the theatre the army borrowed it for the day, but despite the posters and advertising hoardings it was Pat Reed who was appearing in Cinema 1, not ‘Finding Nemo’.
“ROOM!”
Being ‘The Guards,’ rank was no barrier to being called to their feet or to sit to attention just as they had done as Sandhurst cadets on Day 1, or as a common ‘Crow’ at the Guards Depot, Pirbright, as was the case with the Welsh Guards CO who had played a bugle and side drum, with less than average skill, in the 1WG Corps of Drums before realising that obtaining a Queens Commission beat working for a living.
Pat Reed strode to the front of the theatre and nodded to the Brigade Major.
“Carry on, please.”
“SIT…easy!”
All the battalions COs and there Ops Officers were present, likewise the Life Guards, Hussars, Royal Signals, RA, REME, RE, RAF rep, AAC, Royal Loggies and the liaison officers from their hosts and from the 5th US Mechanised Division. The RTR Troop and Lt McMarn’s platoon of Royal Green Jackets had rejoined their regimental formations, which were attached to the Australian Army along with the rest of the UK’s 8th Infantry Brigade.
“Gents, with the arrival of our vehicles we are now once more 1st Guards Mechanised Brigade of 1st Guards Mechanised Division. 2nd Guards Mechanised, the Scots with the Grenadiers 1st and 2nd battalions in their FV-432 upgrades, are across the way at Burradoo. As the Guardsmen here are all aware, it has been a very long time since so many units of the Household Division have fought together.” He smiled at his audience. “A word of warning though for any that do not know me well, do not get too comfy with the ‘mechanised’ title, you are likely to have more blisters on your feet than your arse.”
The tankers of the Kings Royal Hussars and the Life Guards looked quite smug at their infantry cousins discomfort.
“And now as time is short, I will not hang about.” Pat addressed the assembly with those preparatory words.
“Pens at the ready, fingers on buzzers…here we go”
Upon the cinema screen was projected a map of the PTO, pacific theatre of operations.
“As of 0900hrs this morning the Philippine islands of Cebu and Mactan were officially liberated following the surrender of the Chinese 86th Mechanised and its attached odds and sods. So it is exceedingly difficult for the PRC to reinforce their 1st Army Corps here by air or sea. I have seen the necessary tanker plan that would be required to bring a single enemy fighter to Australia, and it is reassuring, to us, that it is unlikely to happen. The air assets they have here will not be reinforced” He looked at all the faces and saw at least one furrowed brow.