Chapter 109

Maneuver Group One

Having achieved a breakthrough in the Genii forward lines the vehicles of the Maneuver Group found themselves with room to run. Under cover of friendly artillery and air support elements of the 3rd ACR cut deep into territory the Genii had resolutely proclaimed uncontested. With Buford's in the lead Maneuver Group One astride Maneuver Group two, with the third behind in reserve boldly advanced toward the main defensive position of enemy armor in their path.

The full brunt of Tauri air superiority was being brought to bear. 302's loaded down with air to ground ordinance rained down a steady torrent of destruction, while the ACR's own aviation elements hammered Genii forward positions. Utilizing rocket assisted projectiles the 3rd ACR's artillery group hammered enemy positions in the heart of their formation, delivering a body blow. The sight was something Genii military planners had never imagined. Frantic requests for reinforcements filled the now operational Genii radio net.

In the lead Buford the crew was already mentally prepared for the evolution to come. Countless exercises in the armor battle simulator known as SimNet back on Earth was paying off now as it had during the first gulf war.

"Two thousand meters to our stopping point TC" called out the driver.

"Then let's get ready to play ball. Driver, we'll be going into a crash stop once the location is reached. The Bradley's will be advancing to us. We will be activating the smoke generators once we stop" replied the tank commander.

"What flavor would you like today TC" asked the gunner.

"All rounds are Sabot until all enemy vehicles are neutralized" answered the TC.

With the push of a button the one hundred and twenty millimeter main gun was reloaded with the armor penetrating sabot round by the automated reloading mechanism. Inertia swayed the men in the Buford forward as the driver slammed on the breaks bringing the multi-ton tank to a complete stop in a dozen meters. On cue the collection of Buford's activated their smoke generators. Thick white smoke soon filled the air, as the Bradley fighting vehicles stopped beside the Buford's.

Aboard each vehicle temperature sensitive thermal sights were brought online. At the edge of the thin wood line could be seen the multi-colored thermal pictures of the two hundred Genii halftracks. Somewhere behind these vehicles waited the enemy dismounted infantry. Several dozen resounding booms in the distance signaled the destruction of artillery the Genii had counted on to turn the tide of battle. Following the engagement plan each Bradley raised its turret mounted TOW missile magazine. Using the IVIS system each vehicle ensured separate halftracks were targeted with each TOW.

With targets selected each Bradley gunner fired one TOW missile apiece. As each missile was ejected from its launch tube a thin wire trailed out behind it, linking it to its launch vehicle. Three seconds later the main rocket motors of each missile ignited, propelling the each towards its target at one hundred and eighty meters per second. On board each Bradley gunners made minor targeting corrections to bring about the fullest prosecution of each target. Instead of making direct contact their target the TOW was designed to be guided to a point directly above its target before detonating its shaped charge warhead. Most armored vehicles on Earth had much thinner armored plating on the roof than on the body necessitating this modality of attack. As the missiles came into position over the targeted vehicles charges detonated, shattering the lightly armored vehicles below. Before anyone could congratulate the gunner's on their high tech sharp shooting a second round of TOW's streaked toward the enemy battle lines to the same result.

Having received their fire mission the 3rd ACR's artillery kicked into gear. The combined might of the gathered M777 field artillery pieces thundered in the distance. Firing for effect an even assortment of both air and ground burst shells arced through the air. Not to be left out of the equation the MLRS detachment soon jumped into the fray. In moments the wood line was reduced to scorched and pockmarked soil, hardly recognizable as the budding forest it might have one day become.

Joining the cacophony each Buford raised its main gun and fired. As each fin stabilized discarding sabot round exited the barrel its five carbon fiber petal cases peeled away, exposing the depleted uranium sabot dart. Each nine hundred millimeter long sabot screeched towards its target at sixteen hundred meters per second. Striking each halftrack with incredible amounts of kinetic force the depleted uranium darts tore through the vehicles with little effort, leaving each vehicle a torched and smoking ruin. This process would continue until the last Genii vehicle was no more.

Seeing eminent destruction knocking on their door the Genii armor commander ordered his forces forward. Thinking that closing the gap between the two forces would equalize their odd's of survival the one hundred remaining halftracks leaped forward. As they advanced gunners manning the heavy crew served machine guns mounted above the rear troop compartment fired rounds down rage towards the opaque smoke covering their attackers. In a handful of vehicles mortar teams manned their seventy two millimeter mortars bolted to the floor of the troop compartments. With hollow thuds the mortar rounds flew through the air. Most missed their mark, but one round impacted the commander's hatch of one Bradley, setting the vehicle and its crew ablaze. Seeing the explosion the Genii redoubled their efforts to win the battle.

Refusing to toss the initiative that they had seized upon attack away the Buford's kept firing. Opening up with their Bushmaster cannons the Bradley's joined their more heavily armored cousins in the offensive. Lethal ordinance filled the air, crisscrossing over the battlefield before continuing on towards the opposing sides of the conflict.

While incredibly brave the Genii armored charge forward did little to assist the overall tactical picture. Before the remaining halftracks advanced one thousand yards the combined forces of the 3rd ACR's number one and two maneuver groups had shredded them, ending any Genii hopes of an armor victory.

In the shattered wood line artillery continued to rain down. MLRS rockets disgorged their lethal payloads of submunitions. Huddled in their foxholes the dismounted infantry knew what the armor commander had failed to accept; this battle was lost even before it began. Refusing to meet the same fate as his now late commanding officer the Genii infantry commander began screaming into his radio over the same channel used by the Tauri for their psychological operations transmissions his desire to capitulate and surrender. Word of the surrender would take several moments to make it to the combined men of the 3rd ACR but when it did a huge cheer would be heard by those now beaten in the distance.