The Rat Bastards #4 by Len Levinson

Author:Len Levinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Piccadilly

Chapter Nine

BEFORE DAWN THE Twenty-third Infantry Regiment moved in a skirmish line toward the Japanese positions. The jungle smelled of gunpowder and burned trees, and the moon was obscured by a thick cloud layer. Holding their rifles at port arms and carrying full field packs, they made their way up the hill to get into position to attack as soon as it got light.

The recon platoon was still with Captain Orr’s Company G, and Captain Orr limped behind the skirmish line, his thigh bulging with bandages, but he still had a lot of fight left in him and wouldn’t let anybody else lead his company.

Bannon was in the middle of the recon platoon, and he swore that he was going to cut out all the bullshit and not let his personal feelings get the best of him anymore. His men were depending on him and he couldn’t let them down. Butsko had never worried about anything except the next battle, and that’s the way Bannon was going to be from then on.

When they were halfway up the hill, they came under observation by the lookouts posted by Major Uchikoshi. The lookouts returned to the forward bunkers and reported the presence of the GIs. Minutes later the machine guns opened fire on the Americans, who hit the dirt.

“Keep moving on your bellies!” Captain Orr shouted.

The GIs crawled up the hill, hearing the chatter of the machine guns. The veterans among them could sense that the Japanese bullets weren’t even coming close. The GIs crawled through shell craters and underneath trees knocked over by the previous day’s barrage. The floor of the jungle was alive with rats and mice whose homes were destroyed, and they squeaked with fear as they ran away from the Americans.

Bannon looked ahead, trying to see the muzzle blasts of the machine guns, but the jungle was too thick and the machine guns too far away. In the darkness the skirmish lines became confused, as companies lost touch with each other and some companies moved more quickly than the others.

In his bunker Major Uchikoshi dressed in the darkness, his stomach cramped with hunger, as the machine guns fired in the distance. He hadn’t expected the Americans to attack at night and knew they would be searching for the muzzle blasts of his machine guns, which would be easier to spot in the darkness. He made the quick decision to send riflemen out to stall the American advance so the machine guns could stop firing. He figured the machine guns probably weren’t doing much good anyway.

He issued the order to Captain Yatsu, who transmitted it to the appropriate bunkers. Several minutes later the machine guns stopped firing, and the riflemen crept out of their bunkers and moved forward to engage the Americans. They were to take no risks and steadily give ground until daylight, when they would return to their bunkers for the real battle.

Bannon and the recon platoon were crawling up Hill Thirty-one when the Japanese machine guns stopped firing.

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