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As mentioned above
11 Troop is R Squadron's Interface Troop and is organised in the same
way as the other interface troops in 22 and 24 SAS. At
full strength, which it rarely is, 11 Troop has 16 soldiers. These are
divided into four patrols each of four men. Each patrol has people designated
as a commander, not always the highest ranked soldier, a signaller and
a medic. However these specialisations usually relate to who carries what
kit and most troopers possess these, and other, skills to varying degrees.
These patrols are generally known by their callsigns - which are usually
in the R3Ø series, i.e. Romeo Three One (R31), but change frequently.
The key to the SAS
system is flexibility. The four man patrol is the basic building block
and standard operating unit. However these can be combined to provide
an eight man patrol should extra manpower be required for a certain mission,
or indeed the whole troop can mass should operations require it. Similarly
the Squadron, composed of four such troops, can mix and match at a higher
level.
The troop should
ideally contain and officer, a Captain and three senior NCOs, either Colour
Sergeants or Sergeants, although the officer is sometimes replaced by
a CSgt or WOII. It should be noted that the officer is not necessarily
in actual (rather than on paper) command of the troop, the officer is
there to learn and be assessed as to their suitability for further employment
in the unit. The remainder of the personnel are either junior NCOs or
Troopers, unlike many other nations' special forces, soldiers joining
the SAS must loose their rank and revert to Trooper. Consequently many
troopers are highly experienced soldiers.
In 2300 before deploying
to Aurore the unit had a strength of 14 soldiers including one officer
and two exchange soldiers - one from America and one from Alicia. The
troop also had a number of soldiers who had transferred across from the
Wellonese 25 SAS, part of a policy to bolster 24 SAS which had fallen
well below strength in the previous years. As a result the unit has a
cosmopolitan make-up common to 24 SAS but unusual in the Earth based 22
SAS.
Eleven Troop, like
all British SAS units, has a great deal of flexibility over the choice
of equipment it uses. In the last decade the classic, highly reliable
7.5mm CSR-8 has been largely replaced by the modern German SK-19 as the
assault weapon of choice within the 24 SAS Sabre Squadrons, although some
retain the older weapon or other weapons. In addition the versatile Vickers-Rockwell
Mk.5 machine gun, usually with the Short Barrel & Grenade Launcher
adaptation is popular in the troop. A variety of other weapons including
sniper rifles, heavy weapons and missiles are also available for use.
The unit has a variety of Quads and the new Hawker Hover Rover 500 in
its vehicle fleet.
Training
Troopers in the unit
have undergone a wide range of training prior to entering the Troop. All
will have the basic military skills learnt with their parent corps and
regiments and many will be highly trained in conventional military skills.
Subsequently they will have learnt the basic SAS skills and operating
procedures during the final stages of Selection. All will then undergo
two months of accelerated freefall and orbital drop training as a 'wind
down' after the stress of Selection.
Once assigned to
a Sabre Squadron they will undergo on-the-job training known as Continuation.
They will be tutored by experienced soldiers within the unit as well as
being sent off on cadres run either by squadron personnel or by friendly
garrisons or colonial militaries. (On BCV for example, demolitions courses
were undertaken with HQ Royal Engineers New Africa.) It usually takes
a minimum of two years before the trooper is accepted as being fully effective
in the squadron.
R Sqn in general
and Eleven Troop in particular undergo frequent unit training. As part
of the duties of the resident squadron on New Africa R Squadron is tasked
to maintain a counter-terrorist QRF to protect UK interests and back-up
the British New Africa Police PATU. This is a role that is given to one
troop at a time but results in all of the squadron maintaining their entrance
and close quarter battle skills at every opportunity. In addition the
squadron practises its skills in jungle patrolling in the rain forests
of the continent as well as mobility skills on the Grasslands. Eleven
Troop also conducts several parachute and orbital drops a year as part
of the process of keeping its insertion skills up to scratch.
In recent years the
Squadron has trained alongside the small SBS detachment assigned to HMS
Unseen in littoral operations. Prior to their deployment to Aurore
Eleven Troop was trained by a team from P Squadron on Auroran conditions.
They also went to the French Continent to attend their recently established
anti-Kafer warfare battle school and train with French SF due to deploy
to Aurore in the same time-frame.
Personalities
'Personality?
Captain la-di-dah f****** Carlton!? I've seen no f****** sign of one…'
Sergeant
Carl Dent
Captain Alistair
Carlton
Ally Carlton is a
member of the British upper classes, although born and raised in mid-Wales
this origin is almost undetectable. His education is as impeccable as
his accent, being schooled at Eton and Oxford University. However his
academic studies took second place to his sporting and social interests,
and although he achieved a rugby 'blue' he gained only a mediocre degree.
This dilatory attitude, especially when compared with his high achieving
siblings, brought him into conflict with his patrician father. Consequently
he ran away to join the Foreign Legion but after a mere four weeks his
family tracked him down and managed to get his contract torn up.
On his return he
was pushed towards a career in the British Army and after attending Sandhurst,
where he finally excelled, was commissioned into the 4th Battalion Royal
Green Jackets. As a junior subaltern in the Rifles he found his true calling
in life, mastering the intricacies of service with an infantry battalion.
After a stint commanding the battalion's recce platoon he decided to attempt
Selection, which he passed with a poor pass at the first attempt. Once
he had completed his training he was assigned to No.11 Troop.
Carlton is a competent
conventional officer, with a flair for junior command and an ability to
train a platoon to the highest levels. However within the special forces
environment he has proved less adept and he has yet to gain the confidence
of his fellow members of the troop. This has increased his levels of dissatisfaction
and he has begun to look forward to his return to his parent battalion.
Corporal Dave
Rush
Dave Rush was born
in Otago in New Zealand but at the age of 10 emigrated to Alicia with
his parents. The differences in Alician and New Zealand society made a
big impression on the youthful Rush and he became a difficult adolescent
in spite of being academically gifted. He trained as a fisherman working
the Ramadenthian Archipelago, but soon tired of the lifestyle and enlisted,
serving with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Alicia. He served
two tours in the troubled Archipelago earning recognition for his soldiering
and leadership skills with promotion to Lance Corporal.
He left the ADF after
a three year stint and used his accumulated wages to travel to the core
away from Beowulf. He spent a year and a half in his native New Zealand,
serving for part of the time as a volunteer soldier before travelling
across to Tirane. In Wellon his money, and his tolerance of low paying
bar jobs, ran out and he joined the Wellon Army, serving with the Royal
Wellon Regiment. The skills he had learnt in the ADF soon marked him out
amongst his peers and he swiftly rose to the rank of Corporal.
He served a tour
on attachment to the Royal Southern Regiment in the Southern Archipelago,
passed his Mountain Leader's cadre and had been promoted to Sergeant at
the age of 29. He was persuaded to attempt Selection which he passed with
ease at the first attempt, joining the mountain troop in B Squadron 25
(Wellon) SAS. A personality clash with the Squadron Commander caused Rush
to take advantage of an exchange posting with 24 SAS. After four years
of service he has transferred to the British Army to remain with 24 SAS,
whose frontier soldiering has finally satisfied much of his wonderlust.
Corporal Rush is
immensely physically fit and continues to enjoy mountain climbing when
he can. His success as a soldier is due to two factors, his relaxed, common
sense outlook on life, combined with the rigid self-discipline and tactical
nous learnt in the hard school of the ADF's infantry. His job in the patrol
is to prevent the newly assigned Troop Commander from making too many
mistakes. He has two children by a New Middlesex business woman who only
just tolerates his long absences, although her attempts to make him settle
down have been noticeably unsuccessful.
Trooper John
Owens
John Owens was born
and bred in urban Sheffield, at the southern tip of the West Riding Metroplex.
He was a poor performer and attendee at school, having numerous brushes
with the police over petty crimes. At 16 at the urging of his family he
joined an Army College scheme which provided military and vocational training,
until he could transfer to the Army proper at 18 when he joined the 1st
Bn of the Yorkshire Regiment.
In 1 YORKS Owens
quickly gravitated to the Support Company, serving with both with Recce
and Mortars as a member of an MFC party. However Owens had little desire
for rank, indeed he went out of his way to avoid it and found his advancement
into jobs he found 'interesting' stymied. Instead of trying to fight the
system within the battalion he attempted Selection and passed at his second
attempt after an injury forced his to leave the first course. He was first
assigned to D Squadron of 22 SAS before moving on to 24 SAS, allegedly
after a tour with the ISW.
Owens still has little
desire for rank but is one of the more accomplished soldiers in the Troop
having attended a whole raft of courses. Owens is competent with most
weapons systems, vehicles, demolitions, communications and is a reasonable
medic. Of medium height and wiry build Owens is a quiet, thoughtful soldier.
In recent years he has married a New African woman with whom he has a
genuinely close relationship.
Trooper Rob
'Mark' Anthony
'Mark' Anthony is
the youngest member of the unit at 22. London born he joined the Army
as a boy soldier at 18 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the Royal
Green Jackets. Although very fit, he was an accomplished junior footballer,
he lacked maturity and found himself on the receiving end of not a few
beatings. However these did not dampen his enthusiasm for soldiering which
he had a fair talent. As a result of a bet he applied for Selection and
to the surprise of many in his old battalion he passed with some ease.
He has been assigned to R Squadron where he is undertaking Continuation
training.
Anthony is a small,
stocky bundle of energy who genuinely exasperates the other members of
the Troop. In fact if he doesn't reign in some of his more youthful excesses
he will find himself RTU'd from the unit in the not too distant future.
John Owens is attempting to teach and calm the young rifleman and is having
some success with the former if not the latter. Anthony's nickname comes
from his conviction that he is irresistible to the opposite sex and his
attempts to prove it on the dance floors of the French Arm at every opportunity.
Colour Sergeant
Andy Harris
Andy Harris is approaching
the end of his service with the SAS after 20 years in its ranks. Born
in rural Buckinghamshire Harris is highly educated having studied Geography
at Manchester University where he also joined the OTC. After graduating
Harris decided to enlist and serve a short stint in the Army before looking
for a more permanent job. Although he could have joined any regiment or
corps in the army he decided to join one of its toughest units, the Parachute
Regiment. His service with 2 PARA saw him reach the rank of Corporal in
almost record time at the same time as studying for a Masters Degree.
Encouraged to attempt selection he succeeded at the second attempt and
was assigned to P Squadron.
Harris quickly established
himself as a leading personality within the squadron, mixing an easy competence
with a relaxed and natural style of leadership. Even as a trooper he would
be given command of a patrol over the heads of higher ranked soldiers
and officers. He became a leading light of extended duration long range
patrolling and was recommended for commissioning by a succession of officers,
an option which he repeatedly turned down. Harris also was in demand for
a number of 'special tasks' undertaken under the auspices of various intelligence
agencies such as FSG and RSNIS. He was transferred across to R Squadron
to command 11 Troop on the accidental death of its previous Boss. A position
he has held until the arrival of Captain Carlton, who is under Harris'
tutelage.
Although not as young
as he used to be, Harris is still very fit. Tall and well muscled he has
quite an impressive presence although it is his operational efficiency,
common sense and sound planning that gained his troopers' respect. Harris
has only two years left to serve with the SAS, however it is believed
that he will eventually be commissioned into the New African Defence Force
to help develop the Dominion's special operations capability. Harris is
twice divorced and has three children, two on earth and one on New Africa.
Corporal James
'Lofty' Rai
'Lofty' Rai, he only
just tops 5'2'', was born to a military family at Narvik Garrison in Wellon
where his father was an instructor at the North Albion Infantry Training
Centre. However he soon left Narvik to live with his extended family in
the High Pendragon mountains and contact with his parents was relatively
infrequent. An excellent pupil at school he went on to study History at
Churchill College, University of Cameron where he joined the 4th Battalion,
New Scots Rifles as a volunteer soldier during his studies. On graduation
he transferred to the crack Mountain Regiment where his father had just
become RSM, the third member of the family to hold that position.
Driven by his desire
not to let his family or his heritage down he successfully passed the
Mountain Regiment's fearsome basic training. He excelled in the high mountain
work, reaching Mountain Instructor level inside five years and spent a
year leading a Mountain Rescue team with the regiment's second battalion.
Whilst most of his service was with the arctic and mountain roled 1st
Bn he also served on Earth on attachment with the Royal Marines in Terra's
Arctic and Antarctic regions. Back on Wellon he began to feel the pressure
of being a 'big fish in a small pond' as at the time several members of
his family held senior positions in his regiment. To escape and make his
own mark he attempted Selection and joined 25 SAS.
Lofty continued to
prove that he was a fine soldier, quickly cementing his place in the Regiment
and mastering the intricacies of special forces soldiering. He was one
of a batch of Wellon SAS troopers who transferred across to 24 SAS in
the early days of 2300. He is an accomplished demolitionist and heavy
weapons man.
Trooper Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong
Titch Armstrong is
another of the Romeo Three Zero's former Paratroopers. A hulking, heavily
built 6'3'' tall Armstrong was born in Nottingham in the East Midlands
of England. A trouble maker in his younger years he bounced between schools,
and he joined the army as a boy soldier primarily to shock his middle
class parents. His service in the Parachute Regiment was initially very
good, but he started to question and cross authority soon after being
assigned to 6 PARA based on BCV. Although an excellent field soldier he
never missed an opportunity to goad his superiors, spending a two month
stint in the New Aldershot 'Glasshouse'. He was eventually palmed off
to the battalion's Assault Pioneers to keep him out of the hair of the
rifle companies.
Two years later he
was encouraged by his platoon commander to attempt Selection, which he
passed with ease. His attitude has changed remarkably since arriving with
R Squadron and he has become much more constructive although still can't
pass up an opportunity to buck the system, especially when working with
regular officers from any nation. Nevertheless he is becoming a key member
of the troop, although the opposition of Carl Dent has prevented him being
promoted. He is an aggressive, competent soldier.
Trooper Eric
Woolf
Eric Woolf is a recent
addition to the troop, having just passed Selection. He is unusual in
the unit as he is from the Royal Marines. Woolf's family is from Bristol
and is an impoverished part of the Woolf & Son Trading concern. Eric
was a model student and sportsman, being both a sailor and rugby player
as well as a keen member of several community projects. He gravitated
to the military fairly late in life, joining up at 26. He passed his Black
Commando course with good marks, served in a rifle company in 37 Commando
before attempting the Red Commando course. Unfortunately he washed out
of the course at the mid-way stage.
After being RTE'd
he had trouble settling back into standard Commando routine and was attached
instead to 3 Cdo Bde's Recce Sqn. On the advice of some friends he decided
to volunteer for SAS (rather than SBS or Patrols) Selection as the chances
of colonial deployments were higher. He passed Selection and having undertaken
Drop training was assigned to 11 Troop after Continuation. He has settled
well into the troop despite the constant, mostly good humoured, ribbing
about his Royal Marines background. Woolf is a mature soldier, although
relatively inexperienced in special operations he is a fine infanteer.
Sergeant Carl
Dent
Carl Dent is a constant
irritant in the running of the Troop. He suffers no fools, leaves no relationship
untested and refuses to compromise on any issue however minor. He is also
an exceptional operator with many years of experience and his few friends
are ferociously loyal to him (including R Sqn's OC) and protect him. Dent
was born to an impoverished single mother in the run down suburb of Keighley
in the West Yorkshire Metroplex. Constantly in trouble in one form or
another, he enjoyed brutal contact sports and was an indifferent student,
yet when tested was remarkably intelligent.
His first contact
with the military was with the TA's 8 PARA which he joined at the age
of 17 and was a member of the 1st Airborne Brigade's Pathfinders before
the year was out. He transferred to the regulars as soon as he passed
his previously failed exams. He progressed rapidly through the system,
training as a recce operator, sniper instructor and Pathfinder. However
he never learned to polish the rough edges off his personality and was
twice transferred between battalions after altercations with higher ranking
soldiers.
At 27 he applied
for Selection and sailed through it, being very well prepared and in the
ten years since then he has risen to the rank of Sergeant in spite of
several reprimands. He has worked with several specialist cells within
22 SAS before being transferred to 24 SAS. He also had a stint training
the Flemish Army's Commandotroepen, allegedly including missions inside
the French southern suburbs of Brussels. Dent is stocky, heavily muscled,
tattooed and shaven headed. His soldiering skills are unquestioned, and
capable of immense patience when on operations. When out of action he
delights in taunting and irritating his colleagues.
Sergeant First
Class Paul Maurice 'Mo' Jimenez
Mo Jimenez is a senior
American NCO on secondment to 24 SAS, a member of the highly secretive
Echo Force and a veteran of the Rangers and Green Berets. A native of
New York section of the Megalopolis Jimenez is a tall, softly spoken man.
Well educated and well travelled in his youth he drifted into the military,
partly for the access to further education benefits, but swiftly discovered
he had a real talent for soldiering. From his relatively relaxed position
in a military intelligence unit on the border with Mexico he volunteered
for the Rangers. He then moved onto the 1st Special Forces Group working
out on the American Arm, specialising in data intrusion techniques and
being engaged on proactive anti-Piracy operations. He was then head-hunted
for Echo Force.
After several years
of service Jimenez was chosen to be one of the Echo operators in a two
year exchange with the British SAS. Initially assigned to the core based
22 SAS he was offered the unusual opportunity to work with 24 SAS and
was assigned to R Squadron in time for their deployment to Aurore.
Jimenez is tall and
unusually lanky for an Echo operator (who are usually more burly), he
is relaxed, well read and very competent. Some of the more aggressive
members of the troop had difficulty coming to terms with this cultured
soldier although he has struck up and unlikely friendship with Carl Dent.
He has proved an excellent member of the team and has blended completely
into the unit especially as he usually wears British uniform. He is highly
trained in data, communications and medical skills he is also a deceptively
good hand to hand fighter.
Trooper
Sheridan 'Jock' Butler
'Jock' Butler has
been with the unit for the last couple of years and has just finished
establishing himself. A native of the Irish garrison town of the Curragh,
his nickname came from his objections over initially being known as 'Paddy',
naturally the troop respected his wishes and started calling him Jock
instead. Butler is a careerist, the son of a Colonel of the Connaught
Rangers he followed his father into the regiment at 20 where he learnt
the basics. After two years he applied for Selection intending to do a
tour with special forces before applying for commission with the Connaughts.
He has his career completely mapped out and aims to one day command a
battalion at the very least.
Butler comes in for
much abuse from his fellow troopers because of this, although their alternate
nickname of 'The General' secretly pleases him. On joining the troop he
was assigned to Carl Dent's patrol and has remained there ever since.
Initially there were some spectacular arguments and the occasional fist
fight between the two but the relationship has now settled down, with
Butler learning much from his patrol commander. Butler is well spoken,
usually even tempered and very much a ladies man with a clutch of New
Aldershot girls on the go at any one time.
Sergeant Edward
O'Neill
Eddie O'Neill is
one of the troop seniors, but one who allows his actions to do his talking.
Although born in Glasgow he grew up on the banks of the Moray Firth. His
somewhat idyllic childhood was marked by a certain benign neglect from
his parents which fostered an already existent sense of self-reliance
in the young Scot. O'Neill was an indifferent pupil and was steered towards
vocational courses in game-keeping and forestry. After a year of travelling
following his graduation he chose a military career, joining the Gordon
Highlanders. O'Neill enjoyed his early years in the regiment in a rifle
company and then in the patrols company as the unit served with one of
the Light Brigades. However the Gordons then re-roled to the armoured
infantry role and O'Neill found himself in the mortar platoon which was
much less to his liking.
His attempt to get
out of battalion through Selection was quickly successful and he was posted
first to A Squadron. He was eventually transferred to R Squadron as part
of a cadre from 22 SAS sent out to aid the raising of the Alician SAS,
initially in Mobility Troop. O'Neill is quiet to the point of silence,
but is an effective leader, trainer and an excellent special forces soldier.
Tall, well built and good looking, the epitome of the strong and silent
type, O'Neill is still unmarried but is rarely short of female company
on R&R.
Corporal Daffyd
Morgan
Daff Morgan is yet
another member of the Parachute Regiment in the troop's ranks. He was
born in the South Wales town of Swansea and joined the Army College scheme
to get a better education than would be available if he stayed at home.
From there he moved onto the Paras, reaching battalion after twice breaking
his leg during training at the Depot. Morgan was quickly marked out for
his field craft and marksmanship, becoming his section's sharpshooter.
He then went on to serve in the Sniper Section, then with Anti-Tanks before
qualifying as a Sniper Instructor.
He decided to attempt
Selection when his battalion was about to rotate back to Earth from BCV,
partly to further himself and partly to stay with his partner, resident
on BCV. Even at 30 he found Selection relatively easy and was attached
to R Sqn, where he has spent the last five years rising to the rank of
Corporal. Morgan is a softly spoken, wiry man of medium height, his long
experience of the army has given him the knowledge to be able to manipulate
his way through it systems with little difficulty. He works well in a
team with Eddie O'Neill, usually doing the Scot's talking for him. Morgan
is notable for his intense concentration when on operations, he is meticulous
and rarely takes short cuts.
Corporal John
'JT' Taylor
John Taylor, usually
known as JT, is on secondment to R Sqn from the Alician SAS as part of
a program to widen the skill base in that new regiment. Taylor was actually
born in the UK city of Bristol but emigrated as a child to Alicia with
his family who became homesteaders in the central Ramadenthine Archipelago.
Taylor's first job was with a harvester crew but he soon joined the Alician
Maritime Regiment in response the then current wave of piracy on-going
in the islands. He served with both battalions until transferring to the
crack Brigade Patrol Group, with whom he soldiered for three years until
the creation of the Alician SAS of whom he was a founder member.
Taylor is highly
experienced in the littoral counter-insurgency operations undertaken by
the Alician Defence Force as well as more covert maritime operations undertaken
by the BPG and Alician SAS. He has had some difficulty in settling into
R Squadron, due to his intensity and perceived lack of sense of humour.
Nevertheless his superb skills in night operations are recognised along
with his exemplary professionalism and his patrol mates are trying to
tutor him in the value of more subtle special forces soldiering. Taylor
has a wife at home on Alicia to whom he is devoted. He shares the common
Alician prejudice against the French, which has the potential to cause
problems in the future.
Operations
Sgt O'Neill's
patrol, call-sign Charlie Three Three, was operating on the far left of
the 2 PARA recce screen during their sweep through OA Isabelle. On the
third day it unexpectedly contacted a strong Kafer force in a wadi. The
patrol immediately attacked, killing and injuring numerous Kafers before
initiating a fighting withdrawal. During this sharp action Cpl Morgan
was hit in the leg, rendering him immobile, yet he continued to fight
on covering the retirement of his comrades. After 15 minutes he was captured,
after falling unconscious due to blood loss.
Sgt O'Neill's
callsign was soon joined by another patrol under Sgt Dent and a mobile
recce callsign from 2 PARA's C Company. O'Neill organised a counter-attack
through the Kafer position during which 2 paratroopers were killed, with
Pte Butler and three paratroopers injured. This sharp, vicious action
threw back the Kafers from their ridge top position and recovered Cpl
Morgan who had been brutalised and mutilated by his captors.
The small
party led by Sgts O'Neill and Dent held their ground in the face of repeated
Kafer assaults whilst SFC Jimenez USA (attached) and a 2 PARA CMT treated
the injured and dying. The situation was precarious and the party were
saved from being overwhelmed by the excellent fire support provided first
by 2 PARA's mortars and then by French artillery and air support. Further
callsigns from C Coy reinforced the position but the Pathfinder Platoon
party refused to retire, continuing to fight and direct artillery fire
whilst 2 PARA's A Coy assaulted the Kafers from the flank forcing them
to retreat.
…
Extract
from after-action citation by Capt Carlton,
DTG
Classified, Aurore, Eta Bootis System
Aurore
I
can say in hindsight that I enjoyed our deployment to Aurore. Sure it
wasn't real special forces soldiering and
the paras f***** us around a bit but it was certainly testing. We did
a pretty good job all things considered and we got a bit of kudos out
of it. At the end of the day though it was fun.. I hate to admit it but
it was. Aurore wasn't one of our worlds, wasn't our home. We had nothing
at stake, it was just a test of our skills.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
United Kingdom Special
Forces had been deployed on Aurore since 2298 when a troop from P Sqn
was training with the Tanstaaflian Paramilitary Militia and was caught
up in the first Kafer offensive. This troop played a key role in stymieing
a Kafer thrust at the Battle of Plateau as well as providing the defenders
with a much needed deep recce capability. However the small size of the
team limited its effect and they were soon engaged in training the Rural
Police in long range patrolling. This role was formalised after the human
counter-attack in the British Army Training Team Tanstaafl or BAT3
manned usually by the SAS, SPS or other specialists.
However in 2300 a
decision was taken to deploy a ground combat force of battle group size
to fight under the auspices of the French. The 2nd Battalion of the Parachute
Regiment was chosen for this task and it was decided to send a special
forces presence with the Battle Group. Its role was to provide the 2 PARA
BG with integral SF support without having to call on resources from BAT3,
although this was not strictly a strategic task it was one given to 11
Troop. To preserve some degree of security the unit was disguised as a
Brigade Pathfinder unit on attachment to C (Patrols) Company, it consequently
wore Parachute Regiment insignia. (Although a photo of Tpr Woolf shows
him wearing a RM capbadge on his red beret.)
11 Troop arrived
on Aurore with 2 PARA's advance party on the HMS Hollis in late
October 2300 and initially based out of the prefabricated Camp Frost on
the outskirts of the Cité d' Aurore. The troop was given a series
of briefings by the 2e GRUFUMARCO, the French special operations force
currently on-planet and as it was already acclimatised deployed into the
first 2 PARA Operational Area - OA Michelle. Michelle was
an agricultural area and had been swept numerous times by French troops
but continued to be a site of low level infiltration from the nearby broadtop
forests.
The troop deployed
in its entirety to Michelle, working alongside scouts from the
local Vedette battalion. They provided a patrolling presence near the
most vulnerable farms, establishing OPs to cover key areas but were initially
unsuccessful in locating Kafer forces and were reinforced by patrols from
2 PARA's C Company as the battalion finished its shake-out and deployed
to the OA. This increased footprint was more successful, locating a remnant
band in a wooded valley. The troop was used to provide OP coverage of
the Kafers' movements prior to company level sweeps of the valley which
provided the battle group with its first kills.
Operations continued
in Michelle but with the troop increasingly outspoken about being
used in a tactical role. In response CO 2 PARA Lt.Col Dance, deployed
the troop to work exclusively to work with local troops and militia to
generate intelligence about Kafer movements. In early-December the troop
was withdrawn from Michelle to conduct reconnaissance in remote
OA Marie where a company sized Kafer force had been located by
callsigns from the Commando de Montfort and slated for destruction by
a combined force including elements of 2 PARA, III/13e DBLE and I/4e REI.
The operation was completely successful thanks in part to prior work by
the troop and their 2e GRUFUMARCO colleagues.
The troop was given
3 days R&R before being temporarily attached under the command of
the French corps commander. 2 PARA was being rotated into the airborne
rapid reaction role and the CO felt he would have little need of his 'pathfinders'
consequently he offered them to supplement the French SF effort. Initial
taskings were on the fringes of human controlled territory where hardy
colonists were returning to their farms in the face of Kafer raids. The
troop was involved again with the Commando de Montfort and organised local
militias, surveillance and patrolling schemes. They were then assigned
to supplement the Commando Kieffer on two deep recce missions deep in
the 'Bled'.
The troop returned
to 2 PARA in mid-February to find the battle group resting and re-training
after a busy period on quick-reaction duties that had seen the battalion
make its first combat jumps for centuries. Although the troop was stood
down it is understood that it undertook several small scale covert missions
for the BAT3 Int Team. At the end of February 2 PARA was stood-to
for duties in OA Isabelle a hard-core area just north of the Gouffre.
The troop was again deployed early, operating with recce elements from
2 PARA and French battalions preparing the battlefield. They were also
involved in liaising with Tanstaaflian forces on the other side of the
Gouffre with whom BAT3 callsigns had deployed.
Operations in Isabelle
were tied into a general offensive on both sides of the Gouffre and involved
two months of increasingly high temp operations. The troop took part in
several direct action missions including two long duration explosive ambushes.
Isabelle proved an immensely challenging area of operations, especially
with the Kafers retreating into the natural cave complexes. Here the troop
took its first serious casualties with Cpl Morgan and Tpr Butler injured
in a close fought firefight, later C/Sgt Harris was also rendered hors-de-combat.
Cpl Morgan had to be repatriated to BCV for further treatment but the
other two were soon returned to duty.
By the end of April
the campaign was wound down in Isabelle and the troop was returned
to BCV with the advance party of 2 PARA on HMS Speakman in mid-May
2301. The troop had worked hard at a high tempo and were anticipating
a long period of leave. It was not to be.
Vogelheim
I wasn't there
when Dave Rush died, I was watching a newly raised French militia battalion
run through its initial exercises. I did see his body however. It is amazing
how injuries caused by tumbling down a mountain can look like 9mm APHE
bullet wounds.
Passage
deleted from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' by the
Ministry of Defence
June saw the notorious
Kafer Invasion begin with the obliteration of the German colony at Hochbaden
with the loss of millions of lives. Aurore was cut off and Dunkelheim
threatened. As part of the British response the small SPS force at Vogelheim
supporting the peacekeeping mission in the Franco-German colony of Adlerhorst
was given other duties. To replace them in what was foreseen as an easy
posting 11 Troop was dispatched to the Vogelheim system, arriving in mid-June.
The men of R3Ø
were understandably not amused at such a tasking so soon after returning
from Aurore. This was not helped by some logistics bungles that left them
without key equipment which had to be subsequently acquired by 'other
measures'. The mission of the troop was to: provide SF support to the
resident British battalion, (BRITBAT - based around the 1st Queen's Own
(Seaforth) Highlanders), survey the key sites of the colony in terms of
defence or counter-attack, and if needed to prepare the colony for guerrilla
warfare against an occupying power.
On arrival they found
the peacekeepers hastily re-organising to meet a potential threat from
the Kafers. The CO of BRITBAT Lt.Col Drysdale had little time to spare
for the new arrivals, consequently the Troop set to in rectifying their
equipment deficiencies and sniffing out the situation on Adlerhorst. It
quickly became obvious that both sides were beginning to ignore the arms
limitations imposed by the Treaty of Darwin and began to gear up armament
factories. In conjunction with RSNIS operatives the troop quickly discovered
that hard-liners on both sides were making plans to exploit the situation.
At the start of July,
the peacekeepers were re-organised into the Joint Vogelheim Brigade, which
combined with French and German military and paramilitary forces would
provide the colony with a strong defence force. Lt.Col Drysdale passed
operational control of the troop to the commander of the JVB on its formation.
Only days after this
Kafer warships entered the system and were engaged by the multinational
fleet and rebuffed. However as the fighting commenced in space anti-Reunification
elements of the newly mobilised Neumark Landwehr launched a military coup
against the German colonial government. Rather than pitch German regular
troops against the militia the government instead agreed to let the multinational
forces deal with the situation. Lead elements of the JVB moved into the
capital under the pretext of a an emergency defence exercise, and the
fiery American paratrooper Colonel James G Vernon met with the conspirators
with 11 Troop providing close protection.
The outcome was that
the coup failed bloodlessly and the leaders resigned and were deported
to the French colony. Vernon subsequently tasked 11 Troop as liaison officers,
monitoring the training of the Landwehr and Milice forces on world. This
would allow him to keep an eye on the most volatile elements which could
destabilise the defence of the colony whilst allowing the fig-leaf of
providing an SF training team with counter-Kafer combat experience.
In the following
months it became obvious to the troop that both sides were using the military
build up to prepare for the situation after the Kafers were defeated,
but for the time most were playing fair in preparation for the defence
of the colony. There were however several French-backed covert cells of
extremists operating in the German colony whose aim was to precipitate
military action. RSNIS operatives were involved in tracking these and
a small team from the troop under C/Sgt Harris was detached for clandestine
operations under RSNIS auspices.
It was at this time
that the Troop suffered the tragic death of Cpl Dave Rush through a mountaineering
accident in the backwoods of the colony. He was a very popular member
of the unit and his death was commemorated in the usual style. He was
buried in the small Commonwealth War Graves cemetery near the Adlerhorst
spaceport. Some slightly better news was the return of Cpl Morgan from
convalescence in New Africa, although his new Pentapod grown eyes invited
much comment.
In September the
worst of the crisis at Vogelheim seemed to have passed with the arrival
of a strong fleet under the command of Admiral Rochemont. However a series
of abortive efforts to relieve Aurore launched from Vogelheim were thrown
back and counter-offensives launched. Late in October Rochemont requested
the help of the JVB for a special task.
Dunkelheim
The noise of the
Vickers guns was immense in the close confines of the wadi. We rapped
out short aimed bursts of 7.5mm fire into the billowing smoke behind us.
Heavy 12mm bullets from a machine gun post the Canadians had retaken thudded
overhead, keeping the bugs off the open ground. The smoke and debris from
the detonation of the stores had cut visibility right down, rendering
the optics mostly useless. Thankfully we'd practised using this fall back
route so many times we knew it blindfolded.
Lofty had
shown up last at the ERV, lugging a pack of ammo and was now running our
little rearguard action with John and myself. Everyone else was manhandling
the wounded along the route. The three of us each had a VR5 SBGL and we
could generate a massive volume of fire in these tight confines. It was
only a matter of time before one of their leaders realised we were running
for it and they came after us in earnest. Lofty was loving it: 'like the
Spartans at Thermopylae eh?'.
'I bloody
hope not,' I told him.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
The German colony
world of Dunkelheim had been occupied by the Kafers in June 2301 with
minimal fighting, but in August news of an active resitance movement called
Widerstand arrived at Vogelheim. The next month elements of the German
Kolonial Sonderverband 2 were infiltrated on world. In October more German
SF followed along with parts of the mercenary Avante-Guarde and a team
from I/2e REP. The results achieved by the Widerstand and by SF direct
action increased dramatically and Rochemont, with support from commanders
on Vogelheim and BCV, wanted to reinforce success. As a result more of
I/2e REP and a composite force from the JVB was to be infiltrated on world.
The JVB team were to be assigned to a rural district in the colony's backwoods.
Known as Équipe
Raven or Team Raven, the force was built around 11 Troop, the only
immediately available force, reinforced by volunteers from the rest of
the Brigade. 5 members of the SASR came from AUSBAT whilst 6 soldiers
with SSF experience stepped out of the ranks of CANBAT. USBAT provided
a specialist communications team but was loath to part with any of its
specialist pathfinder personnel so a squad of 8 was found from the US
Marines' 4th Raider Company attached to the fleet. A KS2 NCO was attached
to the team for liaison purposes.
This 35 strong team
was quickly rushed into a week of pre-deployment training and briefings
aimed at moulding this disparate force together. There were some problems
with the varying levels of training, the Australians fitted in quickly
but the Canadians were somewhat rusty having been serving in conventional
units. Perhaps most problematical were the attached Raiders who were conventional
shock troops rather than SF operators. Supplies and vehicles for a three
month stay were obtained and prepared for deployment, included were a
stock of new Vermat assault rifles, designed to fire Kafer standard ammunition.
Équipe
Raven embarked on the privateer Kingfisher in 8th November,
to find a team of Royal Marines from 30 Commando also aboard. They arrived
at DM +36 2393 soon after, with a squadron of warships in escort as a
diversionary part of Rochemont's 2nd Relief Expedition. The insertions
took place on the night of the 12th following attacks on Kafer sentinels
with personnel being landed by a Raven lander of 1205 NIS and equipment
lobbed in by capsule. It was to the immense surprise of the team that
they were met on the LZ by an outbound unit of P Squadron. After a swift
exchange of greetings and an introduction to a local Widerstand leader
the P Sqn troopers loaded onto the Raven and extracted.
The team quickly
re-organised finding most of its transport and around half of the dead-dropped
supplies. Following their Widerstand contact they were led to a wadi LUP
several kilometres from a nearby town. After liaising with the leadership,
a task made easier by P Sqn's earlier activities, it was agreed that Équipe
Raven would train the local Widerstand in small scale ambushes, raiding
and recce techniques as well as conduct their own operations. However
all activities likely to prompt a Kafer response would have to be cleared
with the Widerstand leadership first.
The team was reorganised
into a number of groupings, the HQ under Capt Carlton with the liaison
NCO and US comms team was R3Ø. Three, four man British SAS teams
under C/Sgt Harris, Sgt Dent and Sgt O'Neill were R31, R32 and R33. The
5 Australian SASR troopers and 6 Canadians formed their own teams as R34
and R35. Lastly the American Marine Raider squad would provide a fire
support and QRF element as R36.
Training of the Widerstand
was at first a low level activity due to the small numbers of Widerstand
members being pushed through the system. What resulted was a very high
pupil to teacher ratio and teams excellently trained in their given tasks.
The remainder of the Équipe were engaged in recce tasks,
establishing caches and LUPs as well as linking up with neighbouring Widerstand
and SF organisations. The sector the were operating in was a relatively
remote and quite one but had a Kafer strong point within 175km.
The first direct
actions engaged in by the team were undertaken by R33 and R34 accompanying
Widerstand teams ambushing Kafer patrols. Notable from the observation
of these first actions was the relative crudity of the Widerstand methods
due to their lack of equipment. The usual modus operandi was to lay a
large culvert bomb on likely enemy routes and detonate it by command wire.
Sometimes a killing group would be included to finish off any survivors.
However these were relatively easy to counter-attack and R34 in particular
once became involved in a very fierce firefight.
In response the team
began to refine the Widerstand's ambush tactics over the course of a few
weeks. This saw a response in larger and more mobile Kafer columns operating
in company strength utilising dispersed platoon sized units. An initial
attempt by the Widerstand to ambush such a column nearly resulted in disaster
and only the intervention of mobile anti-armour teams from R36 and R31
led by C/Sgt Harris prevented the complete destruction of the Widerstand
force. As it was Sgt Dent and Tpr Anthony were seriously injured and the
wind knocked out of the local Widerstand.
The next attempt
on a Kafer column followed two weeks later after sophisticated reconnaissance
by the team. The plan made use of Fokker smart anti-tank mines, light
mortars, map-predicted machine gun fire and Green Hunter AVMs but relied
primarily on the high mobility of light ACV vehicles. The action started
as a perfect anti-armour ambush and then degenerated into a 5 hour long
game of cat and mouse which ended with the Kafers returning to base. Loosing
5 killed, including 2 from the US Marine Raiders of R36, several injured
and three vehicles lost to the destruction of 7 Kafer AFVs and numerous
soldiers killed. The joint action, known later as the Battle of the Yellow
Brick Road, was a great success and a boost to morale.
The counter saw the
Kafers flood the area with troops and build a small base close to Langemarke,
the main town in the region. This severely hampered the team's activities
as Kafers not only scoured the wadis but the presence of troops close
to Langemarke hampered the ability of reserve Widerstand fighters to reinforce
the regular cadres co-located with the team. The Kafers in the wadis were
highly vulnerable to ambush but occasionally surprised team members, notably
when two Canadians from R35 went missing during a vicious firefight on
the 23rd of January. Counter attacks from other members of the team reinforced
by R34 and R36 were unable to recover the bodies and a further Marine
from R36 was killed in the fighting. The mutilated bodies were later seen
above the gates of the new Kafer base. The response was quick as with
the aid of a 30 Commando team a captured Crawler packed with explosives
was remotely driven up to the base and detonated, causing severe casualties.
The inevitable happened
at dawn on the 27th of January after the Kafers took dozens of hostages
from Langemarke in the aftermath of the bombing. Three Kafer bands assaulted
the team's main base quickly overwhelming the perimeter sentries and flooding
into the wadis. The team, less R32 and R34 out on patrol, was nearly overwhelmed
but small groups quickly rallied into knots of resistance and began to
fight out of the trap. The toll fell heaviest on the Widerstand fighters,
but the team also took serious casualties.
The HQ was overrun
and grenaded but the survivors were rescued thanks to the Marine Raiders
of R36 who launched a desperate counter attack. Sgt O'Neill of R33 was
badly injured, loosing an arm and leg as he set off one of the supply
dumps' emergency demolitions. Trooper Woolf was seen fighting with a group
of Widerstand fighters deep in the complex and was never seen again. The
Widerstand later reported he had been injured then nearly taken by the
Kafers but detonated his own grenades to avoid capture. The main body
of the team evacuated down a wadi covered by a hard fought rearguard action
by Cpl Rai with Troopers Owen and Armstrong.
The team had paid
the price for conducting increasingly conventional rather than special
forces style operations. At the emergency RV following the return of R32
and R32 the force mustered only 9 Eleven Troop men, 5 Australians, 3 Canadians
and 5 Americans and many of these were seriously injured. The Widerstand
were even worse hit and with the loss of much equipment operations in
the Langemarke area were abandoned as the team withdrew to lick its wounds
and recover.
The decision to withdraw
the team was taken on the 4th of February and the team, complete with
its wounded, were uplifted by a 1205 NIS Manticore from the privateer
Rillfisher on the 9th of February and moved to Vogelheim.
Vogelheim
We were in shit
state and no mistake. The first week back on Adlerhorst we had a proper
Troop debrief with both ourselves and the rest of the team. Most of us
were patched up and suffering, the only one who wasn't there was Eddie
who would never return to us, but the aggression was still there. We pointed
fingers at each other, voices were raised and we certainly were close
to a mass brawl on several occasions. However we decided there and then
we'd never work like that again. We'd become too cocky, too conventional
and we’d just had our arses kicked big time. Things would change.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
On their return to
Vogelheim the team was somewhat left to its own devices and it was only
by C/Sgt Harris' efforts that any debriefs and post action reports were
compiled. The Joint Vogelheim Brigade was preparing to embark for off-world
operations whilst Rochemont's fleet was elsewhere. Indeed only the small
UKSF cell and the Germans seemed even remotely interested. With little
need for Équipe Raven the team was disbanded. As it stood
11 Troop was seriously under strength and with most UKSF assets concentrating
on the fighting on Beta Canum replacements were hard to come by.
In response Carlton
and Harris tried to hang onto some of their JVB colleagues. After a short
but heated administrative battle they managed to retain three of the old
team members and acquire a German mercenary, a veteran of Dunkelheim,
with prior service with the Royal German Legion. Vic Aston and Gordon
Antoniuk from 3 RCR, John Isles of the SASR and Hans Dieter Knaust, late
of the Avante-Guarde, all proved excellent recruits to 11 Troop's ranks.
The remainder of
February saw the troop licking its injuries and enjoying R&R on Adlerhorst,
but they were soon back into the training regime. One of the major problems
was the lack of equipment having abandoned most of their heavy kit on
Dunkelheim. The Troop's small arms were now predominantly Vermats, SK19s
and VR5s, and with the arrival of the newVermat Mk.2 fewer SK19s were
being carried. The troop managed to acquire a number of light ACVs from
a variety of sources but heavy weapons were harder to come by.
The troop had little
to do except train and listen to an increasing amount of bad news from
the front as world after world fell to the Kafers. The assault on Beta
Canum was especially distressing as all of the troop's members had friends
and family on that world.
Then in mid-March
Rochemont ambushed the Kafers above Joi in the 64 Ursae Majoris system
and landed the Joint Vogelheim Brigade and special forces contingents
as a follow up force. To replace the committed troops 11 Troop was stood
to and embarked on a French auxiliary cruiser and married up with the
3e Division de Débarquement. The troop was to operate alongside
the 2e Compangnie of the I/1e RPIMa as a token British element in support
of a mission to liberate the key colony world of Beta Canum-4. They were
re-equipped with French AGL-12 ACVs, Martel and Blindicide missiles to
ease the logistics burden. Most important was the attachment of a MSIF
forward observation team to bring in orbital fire support.
French
Continent, Beta Canum - 4
I definitely liked
being a liberator. We swept through village after village being feted
by the locals, kissed by the women and having bottles of wine pushed into
our hands. We were out on the flank of the Légion Paras and were
seeing little action but could hear the forward recce screen from I/1e
RPIMa calling in strike after strike on Kafer concentrations. It looked
like the Admiral's plan to use orbital fire power to blast a way to Premiere
was working. The country was rising up and the Kafers couldn't put together
a coherent defence that could check the combined might of the Légion,
US Marines and Rochemont's Fleet. I could see the campaign being over
in a week, tops. It looked as though the space power theorists just might
have been right after all.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
11 Troop was deployed
onto the surface of Beta Canum on the French Continent in the early hours
of 4th of April 2302 by two Zénith class landers from
the French battleship Richelieu. Comprising 15 soldiers and three
MSIF forward observers with six ASL-12 light ACVs it was a tight load
for the two Rapide Descente landers and disembarkation was slow. Thankfully
there was no opposition and by first light the troop had fanned out in
a wide screen covering an area 100km south of the main Landing Zones where
the 1e Brigade d' Intervention and US Marines were landing.
The troop fanned
out in two elements with R3Ø under Capt Carlton and Sgt Dent and
R31 under C/Sgt Harris and SFC Jimenez in order to cover the main routes
into the area of the LZ. At just before 1000H SFC Jimenez spotted a column
of Kafer armoured vehicles heading north and orbital support was called
in. At 1015 HMS Ulysses entered an attack orbit dispensing ground
attack munitions almost completely obliterating the column. It was a taste
of things to come as recce teams from I/1e RPIMa, US Marine Force Recon
and 11 Troop located massing Kafers and called in devastating firepower
from orbiting warships. The Kafers could not concentrate their dispersed
forces from their garrison locations in enough strength to push through
to the allied troops.
By the 6th the main
landing force was on the march towards the capital with the Kafers still
on the back foot. The sight of human warships in low orbits and the fiery
trail of kinetic attack weapons did wonders for the morale of the colonists
and the reception given to the troops was euphoric. The troop were similarly
cheered by messages of support from the rest of R Squadron in New Africa.
However on the 10th a Kafer battle fleet returned to the Beta Canum system
and the 'armchair ride' was over. Rochemont was forced from orbit and
enemy ground forces began to mass in effective bodies. Deep in enemy territory
without support the Franco-American commanders knew they were in serious
trouble.
11 Troop continued
to operate on the flanks of the withdrawing force but with the warships
gone they could only call upon the limited artillery that the invaders
had brought with them and they were usually tied up on fire missions with
a higher priority. Moving covertly and without engaging the enemy the
troop was largely safe from the Kafers but without access to regular re-supplies
of anti-tank missiles and mines their effect in direct actions was very
limited. Indeed on the 12th the troop was given instruction to find a
LUP and wait for further orders.
Those orders came
three days later and instructed the troop to identify key supply dumps
and command points for further action. This the troop attempted to do,
placing road watch OPs on key MSRs but in truth the sheer numbers of the
Kafers made the location of a single 'silver bullet' target nigh impossible.
On the night of 16th R3Ø laid Fokker mines on Route Coloniale-6
(MSR CAVERN) a mission repeated by R31 the next night. On the 17th an
order came in for a strike on a Kafer command nexus located in the small
town of Bethuna, however after three days of reconnaissance the mission
was cancelled. Instead the troop was ordered to regroup with the remainder
of R Sqn, which had been flown in from New Africa as part of Op DYNAMO
BEAR to rescue the Franco-American force.
To the north battle
was raging as British, New African and Free French troops, who had seized
a beachhead on the coast on the 16th, linked up with the remnants of Rochemont's
landing force. All along the coast special forces and raiding commandos
had launched assaults to try and tie down Kafer reserves. The reuniting
of 11 Troop with the remainder of the Squadron was an emotional moment
for many but the troop was soon in action providing reconnaissance, surveillance,
heavy weapons support and route-finding for an assault by the Francophone
17 (New African Legion) Commando on a Kafer coastal defensive position.
Other elements of the squadron were responsible for destroying covering
SAM and ASM positions.
The mission was a
success but the commandos took heavy casualties fighting through the centre
of the position, and consequently the withdrawal was slow. Cut off teams
led by Corporal Morgan and Master Corporal Aston became engaged with the
Kafer QRF, destroying their vanguard with AVMs and holding up the follow
up in time for the commandos to re-embark on their transport, a large
militarised ACV. The troop went to ground and re-grouped at an RV far
from the target to receive further instruction. However with DYNAMO BEAR
wrapped up the decision was taken to return the troop to New Africa and
on the night of the 21st they were taken off the French Continent by the
submarine HMS Unseen.
By the 27th, (the
length of this journey has never been accounted for) they were landed
on New Africa and taken back under the wing of R Sqn under the wider aegis
of HQ 24 SAS. At the time Commando operations along the French Continent
coastline were largely over except for Search and Rescue operations in
support of troops forced into E&E. Over on the German Continent Panzerkorps
Beta Canum was caught up in its own withdrawal back to New Africa following
the intervention of Kafer reinforcements. R Sqn was stood too to supplement
other special forces but were not eventually deployed. The Kafer follow-up
of the German retreat seized the New African city of Dockton, which was
abandoned without resistance. A month that had started with such high
hopes had ended in a humiliating defeat and thousands of human casualties.
Southern
Continent, Beta Canum - 4
How stupid had
Rochemont and his Staff been? Believing that 5000 troops, however good
they undoubtedly were, could liberate a world from a 100 000 enemy soldiers.
How stupid were we that for a brief, giddy week we believed it too? On
the bright side we'd operated in a traditional 'green' role, stuck to
the mission and, thankfully, hadn't taken any serious casualties.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
In response to the
disappointments and reverses of April in May the Combined Operations HQ
(ComOps) was formed in New Africa to co-ordinate the military responses
of the remaining human forces. Chaired by the German General Hagemann
it included representatives from France, Germany, America, Britain and
New Africa and was dominated by the Anglophone nations who provided the
bulk of the staff and resources.
Soon after the formation
of ComOps, R Squadron and 11 Troop were assigned to conduct reconnaissance
missions on the Southern Continent which until then had been largely ignored
except for some local missions launched by the NADF Military Region VII
on New Woking. The Squadron moved to the relatively untouched island of
New Woking where it established a rear base. The regional commander agreed
to provide a QRF in support of the Squadron which was found either from
7 Commando or 2nd/7th Battalion, New Africa Regiment. The military region
also had several well trained boat crews who had been operating since
the invasion and were combat experienced having recently deployed on Op
DYNAMO BEAR.
The first units of
R Sqn reached the Southern Continent on the 7th of May and 11 Troop were
landed on the coast by hydrofoil fishing boat on the 10th. They faced
a long cold approach march from the south, laden with supplies and surveillance
devices. By the 12th they were in position in three covert OP positions
in the hills to the south of the city of Adrian. As well as observing
Kafer positions they also mounted recce patrols into the suburbs and were
successful in locating one of four main concentration camps maintained
by the Kafers. Like the other callsigns the 11 Troop teams took great
pains to avoid contact with local civilians following reports that many
had become Quislings and were likely to betray any soldiers to the Kafers.
On the 17th the first
conventional soldiers began to infiltrate onto the Southern Continent,
these soldiers were drawn from three New African Commandos (Nos.6, 7 and
18 (NAL)), the British 2nd Independent Rifle Company and the American
4th Marine Raiders. These were brought forward over the course of two
nights into concealed urban positions. Teams lead by C/Sgt Harris and
Corporal Taylor were responsible for the successful infiltration of some
120 men from 6 Commando into the outskirts of the city. Corporal Taylor's
coolness in particular in bringing some commandos to with 50 meters of
Kafer positions was later recognised with the award of the Military Medal.
Operation FIERCE
LION commenced at last light on the 20th of March with a synchronised
attack launched at all key points within the city's defences. A missile
bombardment from HMS Unseen was responsible for the destruction
of the main Kafer barracks and headquarters, severely disrupting the Kafer
response. A minute later airstrikes from the few remaining human fighter
aircraft based out of New Woking reinforced this disruption, engaged targets
of opportunity and provided defence suppression. Simultaneously the hidden
commandos launched attacks on the concentration camps killing the guards
whilst the US Marine Raiders secured the city airport.
Fifteen minutes after
the launch of the attack transport aircraft carrying the 2nd Light Brigade
crossed the city at low level and began dropping the brigade onto DZ's
marked by the 2nd Independent Rifle Company. The battalions of the brigade,
reinforced with a squadron of light armour from Jameson's Scouts, regrouped
and commenced clearance of the ruined barracks. A confused night of fighting
was marked by numerous firefights and by the dawn the human troops were
re-embarking their aircraft under only limited Kafer pressure. The whole
force and around 1000 volunteers from Adrian were away from the city in
the early afternoon before any effective counterattack could be launched.
11 Troop's role in
FIERCE LION was limited to prior reconnaissance and the provision of OPs,
which along with those manned by other elements of R Squadron provided
real-time intelligence for 2nd Light Brigade. Only one callsign, lead
by C/Sgt Harris was actually in the city during the raid operating alongside
6 Commando. Overall FIERCE LION was an impressive success for ComOps,
providing proof that humanity could launch more than 'pin prick' raids
on the Kafers. More concerning though was the docility of the population
of Adrian and its Quisling tendencies, which had worrying implications
for the campaign to free the occupied people of Beta Canum.
11 Troop was withdrawn
on the 25th after observing the Kafer reaction to the raid. Two troops
from R Squadron were tasked to remain on the Southern Continent and try
to foster an effective resistance movement using equipment cached during
FIERCE LION.
British
Continent, Beta Canum - 4
We drove down
to the assault force perimeter in two Hover Rovers for the Boss to do
a face-to-face with the commander on the ground. We passed through the
perimeter force of lightly armed Paratroopers on the way in. They were
undoubtedly well equipped but they looked callow compared with the hardened
veterans of the Light Division and nervous compared to the fanatical New
African Commandos. They were from 6 PARA, my old battalion, and I wondered
just what I had in common with these seemingly spit-and-polish soldiers
now. In any event they had a lot to learn about fighting Kafers, but we
needed fresh troops to feed into the meat grinder of the counter-offensive
and we needed them fast.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
Flying back to New
Africa the remnants of R Sqn were alerted that the Kafers occupying the
Westmark in the central highlands of New Africa had launched a major force
into the neighbouring Eastmark. This armoured battle group (designated
K51) was making excellent progress and was destroying many towns and villages
on its way. British High Command had already assessed that the raid was
only a mass reprisal operation for FIERCE LION and was loath to commit
the remnants of the New Africa Manoeuvre Force to defeat it. Instead local
light forces and special forces would be sent in to harass and attrite
it before it returned to the Safe Place in the Westmarch.
R Sqn HQ with 11
Troop and 9 (Mobility) Troop (c/s R1Ø) were flown into the Eastmark
on the night of the 26th with fighting at its height in the area. Military
Region V guerrillas, including the famous Westmark Brigade, were completely
outgunned and unable to contain the Kafer armoured column. Reinforcements
included 2nd New African Light Infantry, 3rd/5th New Africa Regiment,
3 Commando and 5 Commando in addition to special forces. Mounted in heavily
armed Hover Rover 500s R Sqn was soon probing the flanks of the Kafer
column through the woods of the Eastmark.
Links with MR V were
patchy due to the dislocation of the MR V HQ by the Kafers over-running
its usual HQ location. Instead Major Andrews, OC R Sqn, tied in with the
commander of the Westmark Brigade who were actively operating against
the southern edge of the Kafer battle group. Unfortunately a coherent
picture of the battle group's operations were hard to pin down, so as
dawn broke Andrews led his men forward to identify the Kafer's locations.
Following up R Squadron were elements of 3 Commando and the Support Commando
of 2 NALI.
Near disaster struck
early when R31 commanded by Sergeant Dent and comprising of two Hover
Rovers were ambushed passing through the hamlet of Pont-i-Celi. The leading
vehicle was destroyed and the driver John Isles killed instantly. A camoflaged
Crawler burst from concealment and followed up the attack with its disembarked
infantry. The injured Sgt Dent and Tpr Butler took cover in a nearby building.
The callsign's second HR commanded by Cpl Morgan moved up but was forced
back by fire from the Crawler's multiple barrelled plasma gun. A further
two Crawlers moved in to the hamlet from the north and although Cpl Morgan
managed to destroy one with a missile shot he was unable to get close
enough to rescue his colleagues.
Inside Pont-i-Celi
Dent and Butler put up a stout defence of the building, killing several
Kafers as they attempted to enter. However plasma fire had set the building
alight and they attempted to make their escape, fighting their way through
a weak point in the defences. Sgt Dent made it to a nearby stream and
broke clear but lost contact with Tpr Butler. Carlton and Harris were
contacted by Cpl Morgan's team and alongside a troop of 3 Commando and
supported by 2 NALI mortars put in a quick attack on the hamlet. Kafer
numbers were few but their resistance was hard fought until the remaining
troops fought clear in the final Crawler. Sgt Dent quickly rejoined and
was evacuated to a field hospital but there was no sign of Butler who
remains listed as Missing in Action.
R31's mishap combined
with other contacts by R1Ø callsigns and information from guerrillas
told Major Andrews that the Kafers were picketing their Main Supply Routes
back to the Westmark with stay behind parties of high quality troops.
He decided that his main effort would be to provide interdiction on these
routes to slow down supplies to the Kafer battle group and prepare for
ambushes when they retreated. Consequently he handed over the task of
harrassing the Kafer stay-behinds to 2 NALI and 3 Cdo and re-tasked his
callsigns. With the aid of guerrilla commanders he identified three MSRs
running from east to west.
By nightfall 11 Troop
had been re-tasked to provide overwatch and reconnaissance on the northern-most
and southern-most MSRs. R31 under C/Sgt Harris to take the north and R3Ø
under Capt Carlton covering the south. R3Ø's infiltration proved
of little difficulty but R31 had to cross two MSRs to reach their area
and had several encounters with Kafer columns moving westwards. Indeed
a nightfall the Battle Group K51 had reached the regional capital Eastwich
and having demolished key buildings and begun fires had started to move
back to the Westmark.
Operations over the
next two days consisted of a combination of duties included establishing
OPs and conducting recces of potential ambush sites for the MR V guerrillas.
All of the SAS personnel were wary of employing lightly-equipped guerrillas
in ambush against armoured forces and although providing Fokker mines,
cautioned against the guerrillas attempting over-ambitious operations
against the Kafers. On many occasions this advice was ignored and casualties
amongst the courageous guerrillas were heavy, especially on the central
MSR carrying most of the traffic. The troop avoided direct action except
on one occasion where a broken down Deathsled was assaulted, the crew
killed and the vehicle successfully booby-trapped killing the recovery
team.
In spite of the actions
taken against it Battle Group K51 returned to the Westmarch on the 30th
at almost 80% of the strength it had left at. This battle group, comprised
of veterans of the Chill Valley campaign had proved itself more than a
match for the light forces opposing it and was a clear threat to the New
African forces. Indeed at this time it was roughly the same size as the
remnants of the 79th Armoured Brigade which contained the only remaining
British heavy armour.
New Africa Command
and MR V HQ decided that plans would need to be laid to tackle any sally
by the Kafers out of the Safe Place in the Westmark and beyond.
Consequently the two troops of R Sqn were joined by a troop from G Squadron
and the so-called 'Eagle Troop' of US Echo Force operators who had been
training with 24 SAS when the invasion hit. The role of R Sqn was to conduct
reconnaissance of the stronghold and the routes too and from the location.
Working hand-in-hand with the Westmark Brigade, especially their elite
Rangers, the Squadron commenced operations on 2nd June. 11 Troop in particular
was responsible for operating in the north of the area.
It was soon obvious
that the Kafer Safe Place was a very strong position, heavily protected
by patrols and surveillance devices. An operation by Eagle Troop liberated
a number of slave labourers who had worked on the project and these were
a great intelligence boon. It transpired that over 5000 human labourers
had been used as labour for the subterranean project under Kafer direction.
The casualty rate amongst which had been horrific and led to Kafer raids
across the Westmark to replenish their workforce. The Safe Place
was capable of holding a full Kafer brigade and included hanger and maintenance
facilities and, most worrying, included an array of missile silos. The
Westmark Brigade had remarked on the volume of Kafer shuttle runs from
orbit.
The likely presence
of ASAT missiles, probably a response to Rochemont's first 'liberation'
would cause immense difficulty to any subsequent human landings. The amount
of conventional combat power to reduce such a Safe Place just didn't
exist. Instead it was planned that special forces would be use to smuggle
a suitcase sized demolition nuke into the complex and destroy it from
within. R Sqn was to effect the plan with R3Ø chosen to infiltrate
the device.
This plan was activated
in the third week of July when news was received from Rochemont's Fleet
that another Liberation attempt was being planned. The intention was for
three brigades to be landed, preferably safely on New Africa and the potential
danger of the Safe Place had to be removed. The infiltration proceeded
successfully after a fearsome approach march and after numerous incidents
the device was placed and the patrol withdrawn. The events of this patrol
form the backbone of several books including parts of General Brooke's
Liberation (written after conversations with Carlton) and Armstrong's
Eleven Troop. Sgt Dent, MCpl Aston and Tpr Owens were killed during
the mission and its aftermath.
Below:
The cover of Armstrong's bestseller 'Eleven Troop'.
In the early hours
of the 31st of June 2302 the nuclear weapon detonated, destroying and
collapsing large parts of the complex. Despite several raids to free human
slave labourers by R Sqn and the Westmark Rangers several hundred people
died in the collapse. The aftermath of the attack saw surviving elements
of Kafer battle group K51 attempting to regroup and breakout. With human
regular troops engaged elsewhere in clearing New Middlesex and in operations
around the free city of Kahl the mopping up again fell upon Military Region
V and the redoubtable Westmark Brigade stiffened by 2 NALI, 2/5 NAR and
3/5 NAR. Once exfiltrated and in spite of their losses R3Ø also
helped out, leading tank stalking teams killing several AFVs and eliminating
Kafer leaders. However several hundred Kafers escaped to the north west,
into what was to become the K-Zone.
The remainder of
July was notable for the massed battles on the German Continent pitting
the survivors of the human garrisons, the remnants of the 1st Liberation
and the newly arrived reinforcements against the Kafer's last main field
army. R3Ø however remained behind on New Africa recovering and
providing a reconnaissance capability to keep an eye on the Kafers on
the British Continent. The bulk of which were massed on the western coast
around the city of Bayview, although scattered units could be found almost
anywhere.
The 2nd Liberation
ground to a halt following the human victory at the 2nd Battle of Uethan
which destroyed the Kafer field army. However large parts of French, German
and British continents remained occupied and after the heavy casualties
at the Battles of Kahl and Uethan the human forces lacked the manpower
to free them. Morale
was high, especially after news of the successful Battle of Beowulf and
the approach of heavy ground reinforcements from Earth. Indeed on the
28th of July the lead elements of II (Commonwealth) Corps, led by the
British but including French, German and multinational troops, were landed
on New Africa south of New Middlesex and were met by R3Ø acting
in a liaison role.
The arrival of these
fresh troops in the 3rd Liberation set the seal on the human victory,
enabling humanity to begin to clear and destroy the Kafers in detail.
As well as new formations Battle Casualty Replacements were brought to
New Africa and 11 Troop was reinforced with the addition of five troopers,
two newly Badged regulars and three volunteers from the TA SAS. At the
same time a personality clash caused Hans Dieter Knaust to leave the unit.
The troop was given a week to conduct training and rest before being re-committed
to battle.
Reconstituted, the
troop was sent back to Bayview where preparations were being made to destroy
the last remaining Kafer concentration on the continent. The troop was
infiltrated into the city with the aid of MR 2 guerrillas and the Scouts'
No.2 Squadron. Their role was one of reconnaissance and forward observation
for artillery and orbital strikes. The situation in the ruined city was
very much one of confusion with the nervous Kafers controlling the city
in daylight hours and human guerrillas and troops ruling in the night.
Heavily armed games of cat and mouse continued with isolated outposts
of both sides being overwhelmed in raids and reprisals. Unlike the heavily
occupied New Middlesex only a few thousand human civilians remained as
slave labour after the razing of the city at the end of May.
Led once more by
the Light Division but conducted mostly by fresh British and Commonwealth
troops, the Liberation of Bayview was a slow but steady, painstakingly
undertaken operation against a wily enemy. The troop continued to provide
reconnaissance support, pathfinding and liaison although they also found
time to conduct direct action missions of which sniping was most popular.
By early September the Kafer resistance had collapsed and mopping up was
being conducted with utmost savagery. Many regular units were then re-deployed
to other tasks.
Along with the rest
of R Squadron the troop was withdrawn into reserve around New Aldershot,
the units' pre-War home. This time proved most difficult for the unit
with so many of their friends and partners from the region missing or
dead and many badly scarred by the events of the occupation. Indeed with
many of the units' soldiers dead, the duty of informing wives, partners
and children was an even more challenging and disheartening prospect that
usual. Some members of the troop were happy to settle into a leave period,
others went looking for the war, unofficially accompanying other units.
To an outsider the level of brutalisation amongst the soldiers was obvious.
Nous
Voila
It was a new start.
It was certainly a bad job for us, baby-sitting a bunch of fresh-from-Earth
bootnecks hand out humanitarian aid on Nous Voila. They sugar coated it
by telling us we were the eyes and ears of the Commonwealth Expeditionary
Force and we were to pass on our knowledge to the SBS and Dutch commandos
we had along with us.
On the bright
side Andy Harris was back in charge and Carlton back with his regiment
where he was happiest, and least likely to do us any damage. The real
job was to re-build the troop, learn the lessons of the war and train
the new guys. The Kafers were running to the frontier but I'd no doubt
they'd be back and next time, we'd be waiting for them.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
On the 3rd of October
the troop was stood too again and tasked with deployment to the French
colony world of Nous Voila in the Beta Comae Berencis system. During the
war the predominately French-African colony had been blockaded from orbit
by the Kafers and subjected to routine near genocidal orbital bombardments.
With cities shattered, society began to break down and famine ran rampant,
neo-feudal bandit groups known as Marauders emerged to control
large parts of the colony. The humanitarian situation on Nous Voila was
extremely serious and began to consume large amounts of the available
shipping in the Beta Canum Cluster which became involved in the aid deliveries.
The French military had led the Liberation of the world but an Anglo-Dutch
brigade had been involved in the follow up. Suppression of the various
Marauders was becoming a priority.
To reinforce the
integral UKSF presence on Nous Voila 11 Troop was deployed to the world
on the trooper HMS Queripel, using the designation CEF Liaison
Officers team 1 (CEFLO-1). The troop was now commanded by C/Sgt Harris
following the posting of Capt Carlton back to his battalion. In addition
SFC Mo Jimenez had returned to American forces to pass on his knowledge
and was greatly missed by the team. 'Buck' Antoniuk managed to secure
a transfer an remain with the unit. To bolster the troop one SNCO and
JNCO were transferred across from the Earth-bound A Squadron of 22 SAS.
Within days of arrival the troop was on operations, tracking and eliminating
a band of Marauders.
Operational
Issues
The cramped confines
of the OP stank with fear. One of the Kafer band shambling along the hillside
providing flank protection for the convoy had tripped over a poorly concealed
length of W50 cable. Our screen had lost coverage from that particular
remote. I quickly stowed the gear whilst Lofty looked out up to the crest
of the hill behind his VR-5, Dent was whispering quietly into his radio
to alert the QRF. If we were lucky the Kafers would ignore the cable and
move on. If not they'd come looking and we'd have to go noisy and fight
our war out. Three against forty plus. Not good odds.
Extract
from 'Eleven Troop: The True Story of Romeo Three Zero' - By Mitchell
'Titch' Armstrong DCM, MM
Reconnaissance
Recce missions were
perhaps the most common mission performed by the troop during the campaign.
The ability of small groups of highly trained soldiers to penetrate enemy
territory and gain vital information was to prove itself time and again.
Most of these missions were carried out on occasions when there was no
friendly orbital or air superiority to allow the utilisation of unmanned
recce assets. However even when satellite and drone cover was available
the presence of troops with 'eyes on' a target or MSR and able to make
decisions and instant analysis with local knowledge was important to higher
echelon commanders.
The usual method
of operation for recce missions was for the troop to set up an OP and
observe the target from a distance. Only on a relatively few occasions
were close target reconnaissance tasks of manned positions conducted,
due to the difficulty of infiltrating through Kafer remote sensor perimeters.
An OP would usually be established with remote passive sensors scanning
an area of interest and data being passed back to a concealed, entrenched
hide out of direct sight and manned by a recce team. On other occasions
a manned hide would be established with 'eyes on' the target itself but
this was rare. It was usual for a QRF to be provided to cover the OP,
but this could be positioned many kilometres away.
Establishing an OP
was never an easy job, usually conducted under potential enemy surveillance
and so conducted covertly. OP kits including entrenching devices, camouflage
systems, communications, sensors, and rolls of W50 remote cable, not to
mention rations had to be man-packed into the area. Whilst all remote
sensors and hides had to be laboriously dug in and camouflaged. This was
usually done under the cover of night (to take advantage of the Kafer's
poor night sight) and in the intervals between surveillance satellite
passes. It was usual for a four man team to man an OP for four days before
being relieved by another team, one man being alert at all times to monitor
the sensors. Movement outside the hide was restricted and living inside
one required the soldiers to be on 'hard routine'.
Close target recces
were usually carried out to gain information that couldn't be gathered
by observation alone. These included soil samples, possible RV, cache
and hide locations, route selection, enemy obstacles or positions and
state of the civilian population. The risk of compromise was always much
higher on these missions and a QRF in close attendance to aid extraction.
As noted above the close recce of enemy positions was rarely undertaken
due to their remote sensors
Sometimes the troop
had to conduct so-called 'Recce by Force' tasks in order to rapidly locate
the enemy when there was no time to conduct more thorough, but slower,
operations. These were usually mobile operations using heavily armed HR500's
or Quads and relied upon spotting the enemy before being spotted themselves,
often with the aid of local civilians on military units. This was usually
very dangerous, as shown by the abortive recce efforts in the Eastmark
on the 27th of March 2302 at Pont-i-Celi.
Insurgency
Warfare
The troop was involved
in insurgency operations against superior Kafer forces, usually in concert
with local Resistance movements, especially whilst deployed on Dunkelheim
and whilst in the Westmark. Their role was usually to provide both basic
and advanced training for the guerrilla forces, provide advanced insurgent
techniques and advice as well as leadership and access to military technology.
However on Dunkelheim
the troop became increasingly involved in conducting direct action missions
against the Kafers. Indeed these escalated to several large scale conventional
engagements, which the troop and the Widerstand resistance were unprepared
for the level of the Kafer reaction to. This led to the debacle of the
27th of January 2302 with the over-running of the joint operations base
near Langemarke. Operations in the Westmark were more successful thanks
to the greater strength of the local forces and the concentration of the
troop on task more appropriate to it than conventional operations.
Counterinsurgency
Warfare
11 Troop did conduct
some counterinsurgency missions towards the very end of the campaign,
although these were much less common than insurgency missions. These were
against the Kafer remnants on New Africa in September of 2302 and against
human marauders on Nous Voila the next month. However these operations
were relatively unsophisticated and with limited results, especially when
compared with later operations in New Africa's K-Zone.
Direct Action
11 Troop has gained
its notoriety primarily due to its involvement in direct action missions.
Most notably the destruction of the Kafer Safe Place/Stronghold in the
Westmark of New Africa. However the troop also engaged in a variety of
missions against the Kafers and humans. The most common mission profile
was the ambush; usually utilising explosives, missiles and other heavy
weapons in addition to small arms. The simple Fokker mine was often used
on its own in harassing enemy MSRs.
On several occasions
the troop operated in an entirely conventional manner in a hover-mobile
'super-infantry' role. This began on Dunkelheim | 
