From the rear of the platoon, Duncan commented, 'Well, I can't think of a better way to start the day. You people know the drill. Precombat inspection in twenty minutes. Now hit it.'
There was no need to repeat the command. His men scattered to draw extra ammo, fill canteens and grab their rucksacks.
Throughout the morning the units of the U.S. 2nd Brigade monitored the progress of the battle between the lead Soviet motorized rifle division and the armored cavalry regiment. Once the main Soviet effort had been identified, the corps piled on with everything it could. Working in conjunction with one another, attack helicopters, artillery and Air Force close air support hammered exposed Soviet formations. Artillery, firing counter battery fires, reduced the responsiveness and effectiveness of Soviet artillery. The ground units of the cavalry regiment in front of the attacking Soviet regiments gave way grudgingly, moving back one step at a time, maintaining contact and exacting a toll from the enemy. While the cavalry's victory cost them dearly, by the time they were ready to pass the battle off to the 2nd Brigade the Soviet first-echelon motorized rifle division was incapable of further offensive operations.
The battle moving toward the 3rd of the 4th Armor was well defined.
Reports from the cavalry regiment, intelligence gained from electronic-warfare units and in-flight reports from Air Force pilots returning from strikes against the Soviets provided a clear picture of what was coming. That, some say, is half the battle. Now all the 3rd of the 4th had to do was destroy the enemy.
The Soviets also had their intelligence units gathering information.
They knew what they were getting into and had a plan for dealing with it. MI-28 Havoc attack helicopters moved in advance of the attacking ground formations, seeking targets. Artillery units began to move forward in preparation for the attack in the main battle area. Electronic-warfare units swept through the FM radio spectrum searching for active frequencies, jamming, listening or directing artillery against the transmitter. With grim determination, the second-echelon motorized rifle division moved forward through the shattered remains of the first-echelon division and continued the attack.
The command net of the 3rd of the 4th Armor came alive with reports from the scout platoon. The Soviets were coming forward with two battalions deployed abreast. No doubt there was a third battalion close behind, the second-echelon battalion of the motorized rifle regiment. As with the battle of 9 July, the scouts began to call for artillery against the advancing enemy. The Soviets' artillery joined the fray, striking at suspected locations in advance of their attacking formations and laying down a smokescreen to cover the move of the motorized rifle battalions and confuse the Americans. Unlike the 9 July battle, Soviet jamming and artillery fire appeared to be quite effective.
From his position, Major Dixon watched intently as the Soviets began to close on the first line of barriers. The defending battalion was deployed in a wide valley in the shape of a large W. Each of the companies formed a leg of the W and faced into one of two kill zones, while the scout platoon sat on a small hill at the center tip of the W. Team Alpha, which was tank heavy with one mech and two tank platoons, along with Team Charlie, mech heavy with one tank and two mech platoons, covered the western V of the W. Team Bravo, tank heavy, along with Team Delta, mech heavy, covered the eastern V of the W. If needed, one of the company teams in the center could swing in the opposite direction to assist its sister unit. The tank-heavy company teams on either flank could be used to counterattack if needed.
The leaders of the battalion had positioned themselves where they could control a portion of the battle. The battalion commander was with Team Delta in the east. Dixon was with Team Alpha in the west. The battalion XO was at the battalion TOC, where he would monitor the battle, ensure that reports were being submitted to Brigade, orchestrate fire support, request assistance from Brigade as required and be ready to assume command of the battalion if necessary.
Everyone assumed that the Soviets would send one of the lead battalions on either side of the hill where the scouts were located. Otherwise they would have to close up and go through the kill zones literally hub to hub. Two American companies working together would be more than enough to deal with a single motorized rifle battalion coming at them one at a time.
All seemed to be in order and progressing as the leadership of the 3rd of the 4th Armor had projected until the Soviets were three kilometers from the scout platoon's positions. For a moment, all Soviet artillery fire ceased. This was no surprise. It was assumed that it was being shifted to the next line of targets in advance of the oncoming attack.
In the distance, all Dixon could see was smoke settling in the low areas. From where his tank sat he would be unable to see the Soviets until they entered the hollow of the V being covered by Alpha and Charlie. The battalion commander, on the other side of the battalion's sector, could see only the engagement zones to his immediate front.
Only the scouts were able to see the enemy.
The resumption of artillery was sudden and shocking. The hill where the scouts were located was smothered with fire and dirty columns of sand, rock and smoke thrown up by explosions. To the east, Team Delta's positions were also enveloped by a massive artillery strike.
Multiple-rocket launchers, Dixon thought. Either they know exactly where we are or they're damned lucky. As he watched the artillery continue to churn up the hill in the center and Team Delta's positions, he waited for reports. Nothing came over the net. Nothing to report yet. He waited.
Only slowly did it dawn upon Dixon that something was not right. He looked at his map at the point where he had marked the Soviets' last reported position. Making some quick calculations, he realized that if they had continued to advance at the same pace, the lead Soviet elements would be at the first antitank ditch. Yet there had been no reports. Even Team Bravo, which was not under fire, had not reported.
The crack of tank fire and the putt putt-putt of 25mm. cannon fire drifted over from the east. The two companies in the east were in contact! Dixon keyed the net to call the company commander of Team Bravo. 'Echo Six-zero-this is Tango Two-two. What is your status? Over.' There was no response. Dixon repeated the message.
'Echo Six-zero-this is Tango Twotwo. What is your status? Over.'
Still no answer. He looked down and checked his radio. It appeared to be working. The firing increased in intensity. From where he was, Dixon could see nothing. Next he called 'the battalion XO at the TOC.
'Tango Five-eight-this is Tango Two-two. Do you have contact with Echo Six-zero? Over.' He waited. There was no response. Dixon panicked. He yelled to the loader to switch the squelch setting of the radio to the off position.
Watching the loader do so, he listened for the rushing noise that should have come from the radio. Even with the squelch off, there was no noise.
'Shit! Wilard, disconnect the antenna from the radio.'
The loader looked at the major with a weird look, but complied. Once the antenna was disconnected, the squelch he should have heard before blared in his ear. The Soviets were using silent jamming on the battalion radio net, effectively blocking all communications without the people on the net knowing.
Dixon ordered the loader to reconnect the antenna. Turning to his remote box at his station, Dixon changed the radio frequency to the Team Bravo command net. The radio suddenly sprang to life as Dixon heard platoon leaders reporting status and enemy progress to the Team Bravo commander. He listened for a moment. From the reports, he gathered that the Soviets were moving past Team Bravos positions, headed south. Dixon keyed the radio and called the Team Bravo commander. 'Kilo Sixzero-this is Tango Two-two on your net. What is your status? Over.'
The Team Bravo commander, in a fast and very excited voice, responded, 'This is Kilo Six-zero. The better part of one battalion is currently passing right in front of us. Break. We're beating the shit out of him, but they keep rolling south. Break. I have negative contact with Tango Six-zero or Echo Six-zero. I think they've been overrun. Over.'
That meant the battalion commander was probably gone. Dixon stood up in the turret and looked to the east. He could see nothing. He traversed the turret in that direction and looked through the thermal sight. At a range of four thousand meters he could make out the images of tracked vehicles headed south. The Soviets had broken through.
Going back to the Team Bravo commander, he ordered him to use the alternate battalion command
