Page 54 - Mercian Eagle 2012

52
the open ground near the Americans. Company HQ was destroyed, no survivors. The tanks were all gone, 5 Platoon had been smashed and I was unsure of the state of 6 Platoon. I got on the radio and called for whatever forces we had left to rally near my location. Hopefully we would be able to catch the next wave of enemy forces as they tried to move towards the City. The replies I received on the radio were not encouraging. Both 5 and 6 platoon had only a few men left and hardly any Warriors. The Company had been decimated by those bloody tanks. My current position could have been defended by a company, not by the slack handful of men we had left. I identified a better area near the American HQ, perhaps we would be of use there, and ordered any survivors to make best speed to that location. Maybe I could cobble together some sort of force.
The platoon mounted up and pushed north. We didn’t move more then 100m when out of a hedge row a T80 appeared not 60m away. I flicked the switch and fired off my vehicles smoke grenades showering the area in front with White Phosphorous. The Warriors turned and screamed across the open ground trying to make it to the safety of the nearest wood line. We threw handheld smoke grenades behind us as
we made the dash, attempting to obscure ourselves from the enemy. Warriors are
no match for T80s. More and more tanks were appearing out of the gap. I made it to the wood line but the other two Warriors; 11 and 13 commanded by LCpls Hall and Hill, had not made it. They had both taken multiple hits from the tanks and lay twisted and burning, the sections had attempted to fight to the wood line under Cpl Brownjohn. But they were cut down by machine fire. There were no survivors.
My lone vehicle pushed through the thick woods. A Leopard 2 startled us, pointing its main gun at us from behind a tree. However, as our wits returned I realised that it was destroyed, its crew lay dead around it. We edged closer to the front of the woods. A BMP appeared and fired a shot at us, a glancing blow. If only my blasted 30mm worked! Unable to fight, I decided
The Dreaded Leopard 2 Tank
flight was the best option. My gunner and I threw our last two smoke grenades at the vehicle. He was so close that one landed on the back of enemy BMP, causing the crew much confusion. The other obscured the front of the wood line. The Warrior reversed, but the wood was so tight there was no where to go. I banged the back bins off a tree, if Sgt Hughes was still alive he would have given me a telling off for that one. Maybe I’d see him soon. With no where to go but forward, we launched through the smoke at the enemy BMP. We passed him by a few meters, too close to get a shot off and dived into the next wood line, screaming as fast as possible through the trees.
After things had calmed down a little, I radioed for 6 Platoon and discovered the survivors were several hundred meters away from my position. I edged the wagon through the woods and found them behind a large scrape in the ground. 2Lt Smith had set up an anti-vehicle ambush and was engaging any vehicles that were silly enough to use the track close to the wood line. Even as Smithy and I talked about our next move we heard the sound of large tracks and a shout of
still in the fight. He seemed to appreciate the extra manpower. He said that he had only 60 shooters (fighting troops) with which to retake the City. Retake the City!? How did we loose it? The enemy had surrounded the City on three sides and forced the defenders back. He only had a small foothold which had been secured by the aggressive actions of Cpl Robertson and his 12 men. Another Warrior, C/S 21 had also made it however he had taken
a strike to the turret which also made his weapon systems inoperable. The plan
was to retake the City and defend it until the next day. As I walked away I realised
I didn’t know which Squadron I had linked up with. I asked, he replied that this was
all of them. The entire American Regiment, equivalent to one of our Brigades had been reduced to 60 shooters, including the 20 or so British of B Company. Not good. As we got ready to move into the City a lone BMP stumbled upon the perimeter, it was quickly destroyed, but the enemy definitely knew we were here. The boys mounted up in
the American Strykers and pushed into the City. A lot of the enemy had already been destroyed, mostly due to the actions of
‘T80!’ from the men.
They fired AT4s at the
vehicles and quickly
destroyed them.
Staying in that location,
no matter how good it
was, was suicide. The
enemy would soon
realise we were a threat
and bring his forces down on us. The City was only 2km away. I got on the radio and told all survivors to rally towards The City. We were now behind enemy lines and that was the only place that was guaranteed to have American forces.
The forested route to the American
force had taken us through 8km. We approached the American perimeter and an AT4 winged passed my head. Luckily they realised we were the Brits before they got a second shot off. These guys were jumpy, that wasn’t a good sign. I found the American First Sgt and explained we were
Cpl Robertson and his guys working side by side with an American section to clear the main street. After the battle Cpl Robertson was awarded the ‘Hero of Battle’ by the American Generals.
A lot of the enemy had already been destroyed...
the enemy or friendly relief forces. way we were still in The Game...
Either
In the early hours a and American Special
group of Romanian
Forces stumbled towards the City and
set off one of our trip flares. Luckily the blokes didn’t cut them down immediately. It turned out they were to conduct a strike on a suspect house. Why they didn’t come through the front door I don’t know. After that kerfuffle was dealt with, we
again settled down in the ruined houses overlooking the train station and waited for the morning, n¥g who would get to us first,
THE MERCIAN EAGLE