Patriot Dawn: The Resistance Rises by Max Velocity

Author:Max Velocity
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781480139688
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2013-01-08T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The Regime columns paused some five hundred meters after their start points. They were reeling from the initial ambushes and the mortar barrage and they continued with the operational pause in order to regroup. They were evolving to the situation, learning lessons long forgotten in the military education of the officers in charge. They prepared to advance the armored columns with dismounted infantry in support.

There was no question of the Regime pulling back. This was political. The battle group was accompanied by several combat camera teams and the Battle Group Commander had some pet Regime supporting journalists with him. They must push forward at any cost and seize the town from the rebels.

The Battle Group Commander was Lieutenant Colonel Vick Chester, a West Point graduate and career officer. He was a political man and careerist, not without intelligence and military acumen. It was essential for him to succeed here, if he was to make his way in the new Regime and find the advancement that he desired. He was adamant that he would conduct the operation with his own integral assets, and not call for outside support unless he absolutely had to.

The Battle Group had integral mortar and artillery fire support assets. As he gave the orders to prepare to continue the advance, Lt-Col Chester ordered indirect fire ahead of his maneuver elements. The problem for his fire controllers was the lack of an identifiable enemy location.

The Resistance fighters were highly mobile and tended to remain in the cover of buildings as much as they could. The Regime force’s assumption was that any strongholds would be in the town center so they settled for a rolling barrage, starting in front of the columns and creeping up to the town center.

Jack watched the mortar and artillery barrages as they switched from target to target, moving steadily onwards towards his position of observation in the upper windows of an old apartment building. He knew that down on the ground the fighters would be hugging cover and hiding in basements as the high explosives rolled over them.

When contemplating his strategy, Jack had gone for the delaying withdrawal, but had foregone the idea of moving back to strongholds. Partly, they had not had time to effectively construct them, and also he did not want to be fixed in place. His intent was not to hold the town.

Caleb’s platoon was sheltering in their various squads in the basements of several houses. The barrage rolled over them. It was noisy, violent and frightening, but it proved ineffective. Some of the modern houses in the outlying parts of town were so flimsily built that they were literally blown to pieces by the high explosive rounds. It just added to the cover and confusion.

As the barrage passed over top, they redeployed from the basements into fire positions to await the advance of the Regime columns. The Regime infantry started to move, patrolling in formation up the roads, including the side roads. With a roar of engines and belching exhaust smoke, the armored columns rolled forward again.

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