Chapter 106

This explosion was followed seconds later by eight other vehicles meeting a similar fate. In the distance the approaching armored behemoths could be seen belching fire and death. Acting on instinct the dismounted Genii infantry opened fire with their automatic weapons, while mortar men began putting rounds downrange towards their attackers. One alert genii soldier cranked the charging handle on his field phone, sending his message down a wire laid through the woods to carry instructions to the field artillery emplacement several miles behind their the battalions position. Hearing the whistling of artillery shells ripping through the air the Genii soldier smiled thinking friendly rounds were closing in on the enemy. Not once in the last seconds of his life did he stop to consider that his attackers had artillery of their own.

In a span of seven seconds seventy two separate one hundred and fifty five millimeter air burst artillery shells exploded above treetop level. Each one hundred and three pound shell was packed with twenty three point eight pounds of high explosive. Each air burst detonation showered the ground below with razor sharp shrapnel, concussive force, heat, and immense noise. Trees were shredded from the top down, adding wood debris to the high speed mix of lethal projectiles traveling around the Genii infantry. Those unlucky enough to be under cover were torn to pieces by shrapnel. Those lucky enough to have been in their protected fighting positions watched in horror as friends were mutilated. The trauma of the event prevented most from noticing the fluids that now leaked out of eardrums ruptured by the vicious blasts.

Near the Buford's angry geysers of churned soil erupted. The Genii artillery coming into play lacked the singular concentration the Tauri had unleashed in their volley. Twenty two Genii field artillery pieces spewed one hundred millimeter shells as fast as their crews could reload. Unsure if the incoming artillery fire was directed by a forward observer the Buford's activated their smoke generators laying down billowy clouds of dense and acrid covering smoke.

Above the fray on the ground below the ground controllers sensors noted the position of the Genii field guns even before the first rounds had landed. This information was quickly cross decked as a flash fire order to the M270 MLRS units nearby. Kicking into gear the networked firing computers on the M270's selected the optimum solution to perform the given tasking. Each vehicle came closed the protective shutters over viewports automatically. This was done to keep the toxic rocket exhaust from entering the crew compartment. Raising the rear mounted rocket module in the front by forty five degree's the module swiveled in the direction of its target. Seconds later each vehicle launched a lone M26 rocket towards its target in a coordinated country battery strike aimed at the enemy artillery pieces. These highly lethal rockets would cover the distance to target in less than forty seconds. Sadly for the Genii each M270 carried eleven more rockets apiece just like those just launched.

The MLRS system was known in the Army as a Grid Square Removal Service, due to the fact that military maps are divided into one kilometer grids, and a single MLRS firing all twelve rockets can blanket a square kilometer with submunitions. Powering through the air the fearsome M26 rockets terminated their ballistic arc as they jettisoned their outer housing. Squib's within the inner body of the rocket fired causing the forceful ejection of six hundred and forty four separate bomblet's per rocket to cascade towards the ground below. On contact with the ground the seven thousand seven hundred and twenty eight fifteen pound bomblet's exploded. This version of counter battery fire didn't involve destroying the actual field artillery pieces themselves so much as it meant shredding their crews thereby rendering the enemy guns silent. The effect was as brutal as it was efficient. To the last man the enemy gun crews were cleaved apart more thoroughly than if a wild animal had attacked them.

While their artillery support lay dead or dying the remaining forty five halftracks attempted to advance towards their attackers. One by one the halftracks fell to the combined firepower of the Buford's, Stryker's, and Bradley's. Sprinting the distance to their target's the Bradley's were ordered to move forward of the tank screen and engage the halftracks. Twenty five millimeter cannon fire ripped through the air as the Bushmaster cannons sprang to live. Spewing a heavy stream of armor piercing rounds traveling at eleven hundred meters per second the Bradley's made short work of the halftracks. Minutes later the open ground leading towards the wood line was a burning pyre of Genii men and equipment. The stench of spent ammunition and burning flesh filled the air.

Seeing the last of their vehicles destroyed the surviving Genii infantry within their fighting positions performed as their training demanded of them. Opening up with their automatic weapons the infantry laid down a hellish torrent of weapons fire. Unfortunately this act was done in vain. The infantry were out of range of all enemy vehicles except the Bradley's nearest the wood line, and sadly their weapons failed to penetrate the Block II armor packages on each fighting vehicle

With an understanding of how events were unfolding and wanting to keep friendly casualties to a minimum the Maneuver Group One commander ordered all vehicles to pull back one kilometer from the wood line and out of the line of fire. The Group commander saw the futility in throwing the infantry his Bradley's and Stryker's carried into the enemy troops fighting from cover. The very last thing he wanted was to expose his dismounts to a meat grinder such as this. Picking up his radio a call was quickly placed to regimental aviation assets nearby.

Several minutes later two hunter killer Comanche/Apache teams arrived on scene. To ease tasking orders each hunter killer teams Apache's operated in their own two ship element, with the Comanche's combining into their own separate two ship element. The two Comanche's started their attack runs firing fourteen two point seven five inch Hydra 70 rockets loaded with white phosphorus warheads apiece into the area containing the clearly discernable fighting positions on the ground below. On detonation the warheads unleashed white hot flaming shards of white phosphorus in all directions. Fires sprang up instantly. Those unlucky enough to have directly come in contact with the shards would soon find that white phosphorus can burn even when submerged in water so their canteen's contents would do little to help. In a panic some of the men below exited their fighting positions trying to escape the horror being unleashed on them.

The first Apache two ship element rolled in as men ran about on the ground in a panic. Showing no mercy the Apache gunner's unleashed rockets of their own. Knowing that enemy dismounted infantry represented a threat to the armored vehicles of the ACR the Apache's were armed to deal with that particular concern. Each Apache carried four separate nineteen rocket launch pods on their stubby wings. These pods were loaded with Hydra rockets, but these rockets were outfitted with antipersonnel warheads. On detonation each of these warheads unleashed one thousand highly lethal one gram flechettes. This thread thin projectiles penetrated flesh, bone, and even metal if within range. Repeating the exercise the send team of Apache's unleashed a duplicate payload of lethal ordinance. Across the leaf strewn floor of what had hours before been a forest lay charred vehicles, shredded and shattered men, and burning debris. Those still alive within their fighting positions faced a gruesome choice. Continue to cower in their foxholes and burn in the forest fire taking hold or exit them and be cut down by the now starting canon fire from the orbiting attack helicopters.

Twenty minutes later the outcome that was already realized became finalized. The shattered wood line was fully engulfed in flames along with anything unfortunate enough to be within its confines. While possible that a handful of Genii infantry may have escaped it was thought unlikely. The first major set piece battle of the war was over and hade not gone nearly as the Genii had planned or anticipated. From the smoke rising in the distance to the east it became evident that Maneuver Group Two had also come into contact with forces of the Genii. Putting thoughts of the lives that they had just ended out of their mind the men of Maneuver Group One now focused on refueling and resupplying.