Land With No Sun by Ted G. Arthurs

Author:Ted G. Arthurs
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780811741491
Publisher: Stackpole Books

Lieutenant Beartrap

Colonel Johnnie asked me if I wanted to accompany our Alpha Company on an experimental mission, suggested by our general. I was to be an observer and to give him a first-hand account of an interesting combat patrol. As a general rule, U.S. units didn’t move around in the jungle at night, other than each rifle company routinely posting ambush patrols at dusk with the mission of interdicting enemy units at likely avenues of approach to friendly positions. Once they set up, they stayed in position for the night and didn’t move. This patrol was to be different.

Well, I didn’t realize how different. The plan called for an entire rifle company to take off under cover of darkness and to travel a couple of thousand yards through very thick jungle to its destination; a river crossing recently teeming with enemy activity. The unit would catch the enemy unawares by setting up a night ambush and then pouring it to him in broad daylight.

If the enemy hears you coming and sets up his own ambush, he could make it very hot for you. Accordingly, strict stealth and noise and light discipline are the order of the day—or night. One guy lighting a cigarette or coughing could easily do everyone in. It’s serious business and it is one Helluva lot harder to accomplish in that rugged, triple-canopied jungle of the Central Highlands.

All four of our rifle companies were outstanding and Alpha was no exception. Captain Alan and Pap, the First Sergeant, were quite a team and their leaders, like Dave, Lieutenant Numbnuts’ Platoon Sergeant, were all hard to beat, with the exception being Numbnuts himself! But then, how could one dud lieutenant screw up an operation of this magnitude?

Pete landed me in Alpha’s perimeter early in the afternoon and I told Pap that I was going to accompany Dave’s platoon and maybe keep an eye on Lieutenant Numbnuts and he got a big charge out of that one. He definitely needed a keeper. During the afternoon, I wandered from platoon to platoon noting the expert preparation of the young troopers by their ever-vigilant squad and fireteam leaders as they supervised taping of equipment to soundproof the column maintaining stealth and security for the forthcoming event. Adjusting and wrapping rations within rucksacks to prevent un-necessary rattling and that sort of thing culminating with one last cleaning of each weapon completed the preparation phase of the operation.

Dave welcomed me as an additional rifle with his platoon. We talked over old times of years before when I had been first sergeant of what was now our Dog Company and Dave had joined the unit as a buck private. What great times we had. At that time our 4th Bat was still the 1st of the 501st Airborne Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell Kentucky. Then it had been reorganized to become part of the 101st’s 2nd Brigade.

Finally, the 501st had been redesignated in 1966 to become the 4th Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.