Chapter 320 Sniper Team

On the eve of the attack, the beach at the east end of the "Corner A" defense line was bathed in sea breeze and waves. The looming moon shuttled through the clouds, casting a series of faint silhouettes on the coconut trees.

The official code name of this beach on Allied maps was Position A9.

A stands for "A" corner, and the number 9 divides the defense line into 9 parts according to different terrain and regions. In this way, telegrams can accurately and quickly indicate where the situation is or where reinforcement is needed.

However, the soldiers on the front line hated these names composed of letters and numbers. They did not quite understand their meaning and were easily confused by the double meanings of these codes.

They are more keen to give these positions a familiar and vivid name.

For example, the "despair" position.

The name came from the fact that when French soldiers broke through the defense line, an Ottoman officer committed suicide in despair by putting a pistol to his temple.

There is also the "snail" position.

It was the A3, its trenches crisscrossing and swirling around in a way that was very similar to the stripes on a snail's shell.

The name A9 was simply that, soldiers called it the "sand" trench.

As the name suggests, the soil here has become severely desertified and it is difficult to build a trench.

Perhaps it should not be called "difficult", because digging a trench in the sand is not difficult, but it is a trench that can collapse at any time and it provides little protection for the soldiers.

The soldiers of the 105th Infantry Regiment finally figured out a solution. They first built trenches on the ground with sandbags and bunker baskets, and then flattened the outside with sand, creating a trench that was so invisible from the surface.

(Note: The fort basket is a box-shaped structure made of wood and bamboo, filled with stones and sand to build fortifications, so as to improve the stability and load-bearing capacity of the trench)

At eight o'clock, a special team arrived at the sand trench. Most of them were French soldiers, some were corporals and some were captains, but the company commander was an Australian second lieutenant.

This team is the sniper company led by Shen Billy.

After arriving at the position, Shen Billy lowered his voice and gathered the three platoon leaders around him, and ordered:

"This is the position where we will carry out our mission. Our mission tonight is to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and build a sniper position."

"The second row will cooperate with the French troops, and the third row will cooperate with the Australian troops."

"The first row is the reserve force, ready to reinforce at any time. You need to be familiar with the positions in both directions."

"Any questions?"

A captain raised his hand and said, "Second Lieutenant, why don't we give everyone a rifle? Is there not enough rifles?"

This was Shen Billy's order, and the observers were only equipped with pistols, grenades and binoculars.

The other platoon leaders laughed a little; they did not think highly of the new Australian officer.

Shen Billy answered simply: "Because there is no need for observers to carry rifles. It will only make you busy or expose you to the enemy's gun."

The captain wanted to say something, but Billy Shen pushed back with one sentence: “If you think this is inappropriate, you can choose to quit, and I won’t have any opinion!”

The captain fell silent instantly.

"Okay!" he said, "I will do what you say, Lieutenant, but that doesn't mean I agree with your ideas!"

Billy Shen smiled, he was confident that this guy would know what was going on after trying it.

…

Before that, Billy Shen found an assistant to try the method Xia Er mentioned.

He invited Sergeant Idris of the Australian Army, who was the only person in Shen Billy's original unit who was willing to be friends with him and sympathized with him.

Billy Shen thought of him the first time.

The fact is that at present only Sergeant Idris is suitable to be Shen Billy's observer. The French soldiers will have difficulty in communication with Shen Billy due to the language barrier, which is fatal on the battlefield.

At first, Shen Billy was a little worried that Idris would not agree, after all, this would mean leaving the familiar Australian army and fighting alongside French soldiers.

But to Shen Billy's surprise, when he approached Sergeant Idris about this, the latter immediately agreed.

"Thank you very much, Shen!" Idris' eyes sparkled with excitement: "Of course I am willing, God, this is a battle under the command of Charles, do you know how many people envy you? Thank you very much for remembering me and giving me such a good opportunity!"

This is the charm of Xiaer, Billy Shen smiled lightly, and his hanging heart was completely put down.

Afterwards, the two spent more than an hour studying and simulating what Charles called the "two-person coordinated" sniper tactics.

Shen Billy was surprised to find that the facts were indeed as Xia Er said, and the efficiency was much higher than two people with two guns.

“The only regret is that there is no gun suitable for an observer.” Billy Shen untied the rifle from Idris’s shoulder and raised it: “You can’t carry it with you, it will only become a burden to you.”

“No, I must bring it.” Idris objected strongly: “This is a battlefield, Shen, how can I not bring a gun?”

This goes against common sense.

From the first day they joined the army, their superiors required them to treat their rifles like their wives, inseparable and dependent on them until death, even slept in the same bed.

Now, Shen asked him to drop the gun.

Billy Shen asked calmly: “Think about it, you are my observer, what’s the point of carrying it?”

Idris was stunned. There was really no point since the gun would hardly be used.

The observer would often hold a telescope to look for targets. If Shen was killed in battle, he could immediately take over the rifle from Shen.

Shen Billy added: "It will only inconvenience your movements and may expose you. It is a head higher than your head on your shoulder. When the enemy sees the barrel of the gun, they can guess that there must be a head underneath that is about to be pierced."

Idris nodded, but then shook his head: "But I can't just take nothing with me, right? What if the enemy rushes towards us?"

Billy Shen thought for a moment and replied, “Go get a pistol, Sergeant, and bring a few more grenades. Grenades might be useful in a situation like this.”

Then Billy Shen muttered to himself again: “Actually, we need a pistol more, preferably with some firepower!”

If Xia Er heard this, he would definitely sigh at Billy Shen’s talent in sniping.

During World War II, observers were generally equipped with submachine guns, which perfectly complemented sniper rifles:

The sniper rifle has the advantages of range and accuracy, but its rate of fire is low and its firepower is insufficient. When a group of enemies rush towards the sniper team without fear of life and death, it is often powerless.

Although the submachine gun has a short range and poor accuracy, it has a high rate of fire and strong firepower sustainability, and it can effectively cover the retreat of the sniper team.

But for now, this has to wait for Ciel to invent it!

(End of this chapter)