"Энди Макнаб. Немедленная операция (engl) " - читать интересную книгу автора

bill at the end of the week. We found the SSM had loaded the prices by 200
percent.
The four MFCs came down with us in the wagons and set themselves up
with Martini parasols, iceboxes, and masses of food among the mortars and
the piles of ammunition. We learned how to cover a whole area with pinpoint
accuracy, coordinating illuminating mortars with high explosive so that at
night the MFC could see what was going on.
It took a lot of coordination; the fuses had to be set so that as one
was going out the other was blowing up. By the end of two weeks we were the
Eric Bristows of the mortar world.
John announced a five-day squadron exercise with the 110s and mortars
to practice live firing "advance to contact." Mobility Troop drove forward
with their 110s and motorbikes, moving tactically across the ground.
The procedure was basically the same as rifle company firing and
maneuvering, but without the firing. A couple of vehicles moved up into the
high ground and got into a position from where they could use their guns to
cover the next lot moving on the low ground. Everything was coordinated by
the squadron commander.
We came into an area where we couldn't be seen and there was lots of
dead ground. The squadron waited and sent out a couple of motorbikes on
recces. They moved around trying to find routes, trying to find possible
attack points-and the enemy. Vehicles stopped and sent foot patrols into the
high ground. it was all about dominating the ground.
Behind the squadron commander were the mortar crews; while all this
activity was going on, we were just sitting in the back of the wagon
drinking tea and in Nosh's case picking his nose. The mortar fire
controllers were up front with the lead elements of the squadron; as soon as
any attack came, they could start calling down the mortar fire and we would
swing into action. As they moved forward, they were doing their own tactical
appreciation and giving prominent areas identification marks.
The forward elements were bang onto the enemy. I heard firing, then on
the net came "Contact, contact.
Wait out."
As soon as we heard it, we jumped out of our vehicles and started
getting the mortars rigged up. We knew the direction of advance; we knew
where the troops were.
We pointed the mortars in that general direction, waiting for precise
coordinates.
Our job was to get the maximum amount of fire down on the enemy, to
suppress their fire, make sure they didn't go anywhere, and kill as many as
possible. Then, when the rest fought through the position, there'd be hardly
anybody left to resist.
The vehicles were maneuvering, trying to get their heavy machine guns
to bear on the enemy position. Not everybody was engaged in the firefight;
some were held back in reserve in case we started losing people at the
front. The squadron commander was giving orders on the net, telling
different troops what he wanted them to do. The principles hadn't changed
since the Charge of the Light Brigade.
While the firefight was going on, people were maneuvering, under cover
from our fire and the physical terrain, into positions close to the enemy.