Chapter 320 Sniper Team

On the eve of the attack, the beach at the eastern end of the "A Corner" defense line was bathed in the sea breeze and waves. The looming moon shuttled through the clouds, creating silhouettes of coconut trees.

The official codename of this beach on the Allied map is Position A9.

A represents the "A" angle, and the number 9 divides the defense line into nine blocks according to different terrains and areas. In this way, telegrams can accurately and quickly indicate where there is a situation or where reinforcements are needed.

However, the soldiers on the front line hated these names that were composed of letters and numbers. They didn't quite understand the meaning, and they were easily confused by the double meanings of these code names.

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

For example, the "Despair" position.

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

There are also "snail" positions.

That was A3, with its trenches criss-crossing and spinning around much like the stripes on a "snail" shell.

The name of the A9 is simple, soldiers call it the "sand" trench.

As the name suggests, the soil here has been severely desertified, making it difficult to build a trench.

Perhaps it shouldn't be called "difficult", because it is not difficult to dig a trench in the sand, but it is a trench that can collapse at any time, and it has basically no protective effect on soldiers.

The soldiers of the 105th Infantry Regiment finally figured out a way. They first used sandbags and baskets to build a trench on the ground, and then piled the outside with sand to create a trench that was invisible on the surface. .

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

At eight o'clock, the sand trenches ushered in a special team. 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, gathered the three platoon leaders around him, and ordered:

"This is the position where we will perform our mission. Tonight's task is to familiarize ourselves with the terrain and build a sniper position."

"The second platoon cooperates with the French army, and the third platoon cooperates with the Australian army."

"The first platoon is a reserve team ready for reinforcements at any time. You need to be familiar with the positions in both directions."

"Is there a problem?"

A captain raised his hand: "Second lieutenant, why don't we give everyone a rifle? Are there not enough rifles?"

This is Shen Billy's order. The observers are only equipped with pistols, grenades and binoculars.

The other platoon commanders laughed a little. They were not optimistic about the new Australian commander.

Billy Shen 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 gunfire."

What else the captain wanted to say, Billy Shen said back in one sentence: "If you think this is inappropriate, you can choose to quit, and I won't have any objections!"

The captain fell silent for a moment.

"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 described by Charles.

He invited Sergeant Idris of the Australian Army. Idris was the only person in Shen Billy's original army who was willing to be friends with him and had deep sympathy for him.

Billy Shen thought of him immediately.

The fact is that currently only Sergeant Idris is suitable to be Shen Bili's observer. French soldiers and Shen Bili do not understand the language and will have difficulty in communication, which is fatal on the battlefield.

At first, Billy Shen was a little worried that Idris would not agree. After all, he would have to leave the familiar Australian army to fight with French soldiers.

But what surprised Billy Shen was that when he mentioned this to Sergeant Idris, the latter immediately agreed.

"Thank you very much, Shen!" Idris's eyes flashed with excitement: "Of course I do, God, this is fighting under the command of Charles. Do you know how many people envy you? Thank you very much for remembering me and Gave me such a great opportunity!”

This is the charm of Charles. Billy Shen smiled softly, and his hanging heart was completely relieved.

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

Billy Shen was surprised to find that it was indeed as Charles said, and the efficiency was much higher than two people with two guns.

"The only regret is that there is no gun suitable for observers." Shen Billy took off the rifle from Idris's shoulder and raised it: "You can't carry it, 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 is counterintuitive.

From the first day they joined the army, they were required by their superiors to treat their wives like their wives. They were inseparable from life to death, and even slept together.

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. It was indeed meaningless because there was basically no need for a gun.

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

Shen Billy added: "It will only bring inconvenience to your movements and may expose you. It is one head higher than your head on your shoulder. When the enemy sees the barrel, they can guess that there must be a head to be shot through below."

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

Shen Billy thought for a while and replied: "Go get a pistol, sergeant, and bring a few more grenades. Grenades may be useful in this situation."

Then Shen Billy muttered to himself: "In fact, we need a pistol more, preferably with some firepower!"

If Charles heard this, he would definitely sigh at Shen Billy's talent in sniping.

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

Sniper rifles have advantages in range and accuracy, but they have a low rate of fire and insufficient firepower. When a bunch of enemies rush towards the sniper team regardless of life and death, they are often unable to catch up.

Although submachine guns have a short range and poor accuracy, they have a high rate of fire and strong firepower. They can well cover the retreat of the sniper team.

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