Chapter 320: The Sniper Teams
On the night before the assault, the eastern beach of the "Point A" defensive line lay bathed in sea winds and gentle waves. The moon appeared and disappeared between clouds, casting shifting shadows over the beach and silhouetting the palm trees in fleeting glimpses.
This beach was officially designated as "Position A9" on the Allied maps—"A" for "Point A," and "9" to indicate its sector, part of the defensive line that had been divided into nine sections based on terrain and geography. This system allowed dispatches to be clear and efficient, pinpointing exactly where support or reinforcements were needed.
But the front-line soldiers disliked these letter-and-number combinations, often finding them confusing or difficult to remember. They preferred to give the positions familiar, memorable names.
For instance, there was the "Despair Trench." It earned its name after a desperate Ottoman officer took his own life with a pistol to his temple when the French forces overran the line.
Another was called "Snail Trench," also known as Position A3, which had labyrinthine, spiraling trenches that reminded the soldiers of a snail shell.
Position A9 had a simpler nickname: the "Sand Trench." True to its name, the soil there was sandy, making it nearly impossible to build stable trenches. Digging a trench in sand was easy enough, but the walls would collapse under their own weight, providing almost no protection for the soldiers inside.
The 105th Infantry Regiment eventually found a solution by stacking sandbags and constructing gabions on the surface, piling sand around them to create a trench that blended into the beach, effectively camouflaging the line.
At around 8 p.m., a special unit arrived at the Sand Trench: most were French soldiers, some were corporals, and others were captains. But their commander was an Australian lieutenant. This was Billy Shen's newly-formed sniper company.
Once they reached the line, Shen quietly gathered his three platoon leaders and gave his orders:
"This is where we'll be stationed. Tonight's mission is to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and establish sniper positions. Second platoon will work with the French soldiers; third platoon will join the Australian forces. First platoon will act as reserves, ready to provide support. You'll need to familiarize yourselves with both front-facing positions. Any questions?"
A captain raised his hand. "Lieutenant, why aren't we issuing each person a rifle? Are we short on weapons?"
This was one of Shen's rules—observers carried only a pistol, binoculars, and grenades, but no rifle.
A few of the other platoon leaders chuckled. They were skeptical of this new Australian officer.
Shen answered firmly, "Observers don't need rifles. A rifle would only slow them down and make them a target."
The captain opened his mouth to say more, but Shen cut him off: "If you disagree, you're welcome to withdraw from the mission. I won't hold it against you."
The captain immediately fell silent. "All right," he said reluctantly. "I'll do it your way, Lieutenant, but that doesn't mean I agree with your approach."
Shen smiled to himself, confident the captain would understand after he'd tried it.
Shen had tested Charles's idea with a fellow soldier before deploying. He'd chosen Sergeant Idris, the only soldier from the Australian forces who had been supportive and friendly toward him in their previous unit.
At first, Shen worried that Idris might be reluctant to leave his familiar comrades and work alongside the French soldiers. But, to his surprise, Idris agreed right away.
"Thank you, Shen!" Idris said, his eyes shining with excitement. "Of course I'll join you. Fighting under Charles's command? Do you know how many would kill for a chance like this? I'm honored you thought of me!"
Such was the effect of Charles's reputation. Shen smiled, relieved that Idris had accepted without hesitation.
They then spent over an hour practicing and simulating Charles's "two-man team" sniper tactics. Shen was surprised to find that the method worked as Charles had described: the efficiency was far greater than having two soldiers firing independently.
"The only downside is that we lack a weapon suited for the observer," Shen said, unhooking Idris's rifle from his shoulder. "You can't bring this—it'll just slow you down."
"No, I have to bring it," Idris argued. "This is a battlefield, Shen. I can't go unarmed."
It was counterintuitive. Since their first day of training, soldiers had been taught to treat their rifle as they would a spouse—never to leave it behind, even in sleep.
But now Shen was asking him to abandon it.
Shen responded calmly, "Think about it. You're the observer—what use is a rifle to you?"
Idris paused, realizing Shen was right. As an observer, he would spend most of his time using binoculars to locate targets. If Shen fell in combat, Idris could simply take up Shen's rifle.
Shen added, "The rifle will only hinder you and might expose us. It's taller than your head when it's on your shoulder. The enemy will see the barrel and know there's a head to aim for just below it."
Idris nodded, but then hesitated. "But I can't go entirely unarmed, can I? What if the enemy charges us?"
Shen thought for a moment. "Take a pistol, Sergeant, and carry a few extra grenades. If it comes to close combat, grenades might be more useful than a rifle."
He muttered to himself, "Actually, what we really need is a short-range weapon with more firepower."
Had Charles heard this, he'd have been impressed with Shen's tactical insight. During WWII, sniper teams often equipped observers with submachine guns—perfect complements to a sniper rifle. The sniper rifle offered range and precision but lacked rapid-fire capability. When enemies advanced en masse, it was vulnerable.
A submachine gun, while short-ranged, provided rapid, continuous fire, giving the sniper team a fighting chance to cover their retreat.
But for now, such weapons were still just ideas—waiting for Charles to invent them.
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