would be just enough time.
5th Malaysian Brigade, South of Seria, 1630 Hours, September 21st, 2008
The movement of the 5th Brigade had gone well, even though the troops were tired, having been on the move continuously since midnight. The retreat out of BSB and the airport had left them angry, eager to get back at the Americans. Now they would have their chance. The line of departure was a dirt road along the lower Belait River, about 5 mi/8 km from the coast. Their plan was to drive into a gap between the production and storage facilities, then fan out along the coast to seize the objectives. Much of the route was covered by jungle, their element. They could win.
By 1635 hours, they were moving forward, infantry leading the light tanks and armored personnel carriers. Suddenly, shell fire began to drop on their heads. At first, it was just a few 155mm rounds. Then, 5-in./127mm high-explosive rounds from ships began to fall. As the infantry went for cover, the armor pushed on ahead. The troops felt safe against air attack in the jungle. The deafening shell fire kept them from hearing the arrival of the Harriers overhead. The Harrier pilots, however, seemed to know exactly where the Malaysians were. The J-Stars had given the Harrier pilots precise GPS coordinates to drop their weapons 'blind' through the jungle canopy. Each aircraft delivered six CBU-87 cluster bombs. Thousands of CEM cluster munitions fell through the top of the foliage, shredding the forward battalions of the 5th Brigade. Tanks and carriers destroyed by the hollow charges of the CEMs became small volcanoes in the darkening jungle. The guns stopped. All that was left was the sound of burning vehicles, exploding ammunition, and the low moans of the dead and dying. As the brigade commander tried to rally the remains of his unit, the desperate radio calls from his command post were identified by an ES-3A Shadow surveillance aircraft, and rapidly triangulated by several of the ships offshore. Within seconds, a fire mission was flashed over the support network, and a pair of TACMS missiles were fired by one of the offshore destroyers. These arched inland, guided by their onboard GPS systems. When the two missiles were directly over the brigade command post, they ejected a load of anti-personnel cluster munitions. In seconds, the command post and most of its vehicles were destroyed, with little left but a scar in the jungle, which would rapidly grow over. The southern prong of the Malaysian counterattack was broken.
Batang Baram River Crossing, Brunei/Malaysia Border, 1645 Hours, September 21st, 2008
The commander of the 2nd Brigade was getting increasingly frustrated trying to push across the Batang Barem River. The Americans had taken the ferry at the mouth of the river and established a series of strong-points across the river from his brigade. The firing had gotten lively, and he had already lost some vehicles to TOW and Javelin missiles. Now the Malaysians were starting to make some headway. They had forced crossings at several points along the far riverbank, and were starting to get whole platoons across. He was late at the planned start line for his attack, and communications with the 5th Brigade had been cut off. But at least his units were finally starting to move. The enemy in front of his brigade seemed to be Marines on foot, with a few tanks and LAVs. Just what his reconnaissance had told him would be there.
Mouth of the Batang Barem River, Brunei/Malaysia Border, 1700 Hours, September 21st, 2008
It had been the kind of mission that his old friends in the Army's armored cavalry would have loved. Bill Hansen had pulled his AAAVs off the line several hours earlier, handing over their defensive positions to leg Marines. He would refuel, rearm, and head back through the oil tanks to the sea. Carrying a company of Marines, his fifteen armored vehicles headed out to sea at full speed on a long, looping arc to the southwest. The sea was calm, and the fifteen vehicles were cutting through the South China Sea at over 30 kt/55 kph, trying to stay out of sight from shore-based observers. Their goal was the mouth of the Batang Barem River, where Marines from the 31st MEU (SOC) already held the north bank. It took less than an hour to reach the goal, and they barely slowed down as they entered the river.
Major Hansen and the AAAVs, moving rapidly up the Batang Barem River, were actually behind the bulk of the 2nd Malaysian Brigade. Cruising at over 20 kt/ 36 kph, they moved to crumple the Malaysians' left flank. About 3 mi/5.5 km upriver from the 2nd Brigade, the fifteen AAAVs slowed down, dropped their tracks, and retracted the bow flaps. Striking the flank of the lead battalion, they penetrated into the unit's rear area, overrunning the command post. They tore through the area and sent the battalion staff running for the hills.
At this point, Hansen broke his AAAVs into five teams, and sent them tearing through the rear of the 2nd Brigade. They shot up command vehicles and trucks with their 25mm cannons, and popped any armored vehicles that got in their way with Javelin missiles. Then, coordinating their maneuver by digital data links, they converged on the command post of the 2nd Malaysian Brigade. It had been less than an hour since they had climbed out of the Batang Barem River and started their headlong dash. They spotted the command staff of the 2nd Malaysian Brigade coming towards them with hands raised. The last effective combat unit of the Malaysian Army in Brunei had just surrendered.
BSB International Airport, 0800 Hours, September 22nd, 2008
The 7th Gurkha Rifles had flown into Brunei on chartered commercial aircraft, and were now taking control of the airport complex from the units of the 82nd Airborne Division. While it was a symbolic handover, the return of the Gurkhas meant a return of order to Brunei. Crown Prince Omar Bolkiah was arriving on one of the Royal Brunei Airlines jets that had been interned in Manila. Escorted most of the way by a pair of F-15C Eagles from the 366th at NAS Cubi Point, the Prince had insisted that the final leg be escorted only by the Marine Harriers that had done so much to liberate his country. He walked down the aircraft steps under the watchful eyes of Colonel Rai, moved to one of the grassy areas, and kneeled to kiss the soil of his liberated home.
In a few days, he would be crowned as the Sultan of Brunei. Surprisingly little damage had been done in the short liberation campaign. His half-brother, pretender to his father's throne, had fled to take up refuge in Saudi Arabia, in the same political leper colony once occupied by criminals like Idi Amin. As for himself, he would take his father's plan for the development of the South China Sea oil fields to the October UN conference. The American ambassador in Manila had returned his father's data slate, recovered from the helicopter crash several weeks earlier. It held the late Sultan's private diary, which contained his notes for the conference. There were also his father's poems and letters, which were to have been given to him at the time of a succession. He had them now, and knew how proud his father had been of him. He intended to make sure that his spirit always would be.
Prime Minister's Residence, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1200 Hours, September 22nd, 2008
The Malaysian Prime Minister was looking into the eyes of his Army Chief of Staff, as well as those of his other ministers. 'Gentlemen,' he said tiredly, 'our forces have failed to retake the oil facilities in Brunei, and I must declare to the people of our Federation that this government has fallen. I just hope that we can get the word out before they come through the door to announce it to us personally. I must resign, and will retire from public life.' With that, he rose and left the room. The Army Chief of Staff wondered if he would even make it home. The crowds were already in the streets, and they had a ugly history of tearing politicians who disappointed them into pieces. Small ones.
