CHAPTER 316: REVISED: CHAPTER 316 SNIPER TEAM

On the eve of the attack, the beach at the eastern end of the "A Corner" defense line was bathed in sea breeze and waves, with the faint moon weaving through the clouds, casting indistinct shadows on the coconut trees.

This beach was officially designated as position A9 on the Allies’ map.

A stands for "A Corner," and the number 9 divides the defense line into 9 sections based on terrain and areas. This way, telegraph messages can accurately and quickly indicate where there is an issue or where reinforcements are needed.

However, the frontline soldiers were very disdainful of such names combined of letters and numbers. They didn’t quite understand the meanings and were often confused by the dual implications of these codes.

They preferred to give these positions familiar and descriptive names.

For instance, "Despair" position.

This name came from an incident when French soldiers breached the defense line, and an Ottoman Empire officer in despair shot himself in the temple.

Then there’s "Snail" position.

That’s A3, with trenches crisscrossing and swirling around resembling the stripes on a snail’s shell.

The name of A9 is simple; soldiers called it "Sand Trench."

As the name implies, the soil here had severely sanded, making it difficult to construct a trench.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be called "difficult," because digging a trench in sandy soil isn’t hard, but it’s a trench that can collapse at any time, providing virtually no protection to the soldiers.

In the end, the soldiers of the 105th Infantry Regiment figured out a way; they first built trenches above ground using sandbags and basket fortifications, then leveled the exterior with sand, forcibly creating a trench that appears not to exist on the surface.

(Note: Basket fortifications are box-shaped structures made of wood or bamboo, filled with stones and sand to enhance the stability and load-bearing capacity of the trench)

At eight o’clock, the Sand Trench welcomed a special unit, with most members being French Soldiers, including Junior Sergeants and Captains, but the company commander was an Australian Lieutenant.

This unit was Shire’s sniper company.

Upon arriving at the position, Shen Bili lowered his voice and gathered the three platoon leaders, issuing orders:

"This is the position where we will carry out our mission. Tonight’s task is to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and establish sniper positions."

"Second platoon will cooperate with the French Army, third platoon will cooperate with the Australian Army."

"First platoon will serve as the reserve, ready to reinforce at any time. You need to familiarize yourselves with positions facing two directions."

"Any questions?"

A captain raised his hand: "Lieutenant, why don’t we equip everyone with a rifle? Is it because we don’t have enough rifles?"

This was Shen Bili’s order; observers were only equipped with pistols, grenades, and binoculars.

Other platoon leaders chuckled, not very optimistic about this new Australian officer.

Shen Bili answered crisply: "Because observers don’t need to carry rifles. They will only make you clumsy or expose you to enemy gunfire."

The captain wanted to say more, but Shen Bili cut him off: "If you think this is unsuitable, you can choose to withdraw. I won’t have any objections!"

The captain instantly fell silent.

"Alright," he said, "I will follow your orders, Lieutenant, but that doesn’t mean I agree with your ideas!"

Shen Bili smiled, confident that the captain would understand after trying it out.

...

Prior to this, Shen Bili had tried out Shire’s method with an assistant.

He had invited Sergeant Idris from the Australian Army, the only person in his former unit willing to befriend and deeply sympathize with him.

Shen Bili thought of him first.

Currently, only Sergeant Idris was suitable to be Shen Bili’s observer, as the French Soldiers had language barriers with Shen Bili that could be fatal on the battlefield.

Initially, Shen Bili worried Idris might not agree, given that this meant leaving the familiar Australian Army to fight alongside the French Soldiers.

But to Shen Bili’s surprise, Idris quickly agreed when approached.

"Thank you very much, Shen!" Idris’ eyes shone with excitement: "Of course I am willing. My God, this is fighting under Shire’s command. Do you know how many people envy you? Thank you for remembering me and giving me this great opportunity!"

This was Shire’s charm, and Shen Bili smiled lightly, his heart finally at ease.

Subsequently, the two spent over an hour studying and simulating Shire’s "two-man coordination" sniper tactics.

Shen Bili was amazed to find that the facts were indeed like Shire had said, the efficiency was much higher than two men, two rifles.

"The only regret is not having an appropriate gun for observers." Shen Bili removed the rifle from Idris’ shoulder and waved it: "You can’t carry it; it will only be a burden."

"No, I must carry it." Idris strongly opposed: "This is the battlefield, Shen. How can I not carry a gun?"

This went against common military knowledge.

From the first day they became soldiers, they were ordered by their officers to treat their rifles like their wives, inseparable and life-dependent, even sleeping with them.

Now, Shen was asking him to leave his rifle.

Shen Bili calmly retorted: "Think about it. You are my observer, what is the point of carrying it?"

Idris was stunned, realizing there was indeed no point, as the rifle was hardly ever needed.

Observers mostly hold binoculars to find targets, and if Shen gets shot in battle, Idris can immediately take up Shen’s rifle.

Shen Bili added: "It will only hinder your movement and possibly expose you. It stands a head taller than your own, and once the enemy sees the barrel, they will guess there’s a head to be shot below it."

Idris nodded but then shook his head: "But, I still can’t go completely unarmed. What if the enemy charges at us?"

Shen Bili pondered and replied: "Take a pistol, Sergeant, and more grenades. In such situations, grenades might be more useful."

Then Shen Bili muttered to himself: "Actually, we need a short gun with some firepower."

If Shire heard this, he would certainly marvel at Shen Bili’s sniper talent.

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

Sniper rifles had range and accuracy advantages but lacked speed and firepower when faced with a rush of fearless enemies.

Submachine guns, although short-ranged and inaccurate, had high-speed and continuous firepower, providing strong cover for sniper team’s retreat.

But for now, this awaited Shire’s invention!