The Lions of Babylon: A GuP fanfic (Slow Updates)

Operation Nasr part 2

With the song having finished and after driving for about fifteen to twenty five minutes, the BMP-1s, the EFS-85 and the M-113 arrive at an old town. According to the sign, they ahve just arrived at Il-Qarem, an abandoned town 100 kilometers away from the Sahrawi capital. That's strange, this town is nowhere in the map of Morocco or Western Sahara. In fact, there's no record of it ever existing. Normally, in this location, there's nothing but sand and maybe a few trees, but that's all. Based on the looks of the buildings though, this looks more like a former military base than a town. If it is, it's definitely a big one, because the Sahrawi army is usually stationed in small barracks about the size of a campsite. Even their tanks and armored vehicles are left out in the open field when stationed somewhere, there are no military hangars.

-'All vehicles stop', says Bachir and the crews obey, stopping their vehicles. Bachir then opens the hatch, lifts the goggles on his Pro-Tec helmet, and after putting on his eyeglasses, he checks out the map. According to the map, this is the area where the battle should be taking part. Not what he expected. He then uses his binoculars to look around the area. It appears to be completely calm. No wind, no birds flying around, nothing. There's not a single sign of life, which worries Bachir. 'According to the map, this is where the main battlefield is supposed to be. Yet there's no sign of Anchovy or her Anzio high school'.

-'Looks like we got here earlier than them', says Raniah through her helmet's intercom. She doesn't seem to be very concerned about the fact though.

-'It would seem so', continues Bachir as he keeps checking on the map.

-'What do you suggest we do?', asks Raniah.

-'According to the map, the opposing forces should be coming from the west of the area', replies Bachir, trying to come up with a plan. 'The gaps between the buildings are too narrow. If we try to use them for cover we'll most liekly get stuck or the entire structure will collapse on top of the vehicles. The Anzio is using CV-33 tankettes, so they can sneak from one side of the city to the other. Our armored vehicles are much slower, so we'll have trouble keeping up'.

-'So what are you suggesting?', asks Raniah again, not being able to think clearly.

-'Trench style warfare is what I'm suggesting', replies Bachir, surprising everyone. Of all the tactices available, he comes up with this? Trench warfare hasn't been used ever since the end of the Iran-Iraq war, and he wants to use it again? But before Raniah can say anything, Bachir continues to speak, expalining the basis behind his tactic. 'We have the firepower and the armor protection, but not the speed. If we form a defensive line around the town, they won't be able to break through'.

-'I guess that makes sense', says Raniah, finally having understood the plan. 'But how are we going to form a successful defensive line? They are about fifteen, we are eleven. That means we are outnumbered by four numbers'.

-'That's where strategy comes into play', replies Bachir while designing the defensive permimiter on the map. 'Yellow One and Two, head to the west of the city and barricade yourselves behind any hills you can find, I'll join you as well. Red Three and four, position yourselves to the south of the city and shield yourselves behind any hills or walls you can find. Yellow Nine and Ten, you are to position yourselves to the east while Yellow Seven and Eight are to be positioned at the south in the exact same manner. Yellow Five is to reinforce the eastern side while Yellow Six is to provide support to the northern defensive line. Rescue One, you are to join the main defense line on the west side and standby to provide fire and rescue support if necessary'.

-'Yes sir', all crews reply through the intercoms of their helmets and spread out, heading towards their designated positions. For modern tank battles, trench style warfare seems rather out of date as mentioned earlier and impractical as well. But Bachir has a rather clever plan. After all, that's how the Iraqi army managed to defeat the Iranian tanks in the real life Operation Nasr in 1980, and the fact that their opponents are just tankettes and light tanks from the 1940s makes this a piece of cake.