Deep Behind Enemy Lines, page 31
Bill radioed Captain McBride in Kuching with a current sitrep update.
‘Good morning Sir, Vulture calling.
‘Good morning Vulture, go ahead.’
‘The Sandstone operation has been a tactical success at Cabjnet, but we are continuing to monitor the situation in the event of any follow up by the enemy.’
‘That’s indeed good news. I’m sure Eagle will bring me up to speed with exact details shortly. Give it another twenty-four hours and if all clear, prepare to return here. I’ll have information for you concerning further operations.’
‘Will do. I’ll advise you when we’re ready for recovery,’ responded Bill.
At 1300 hours, as Bill and Darren lay in their observation positions scanning the general area, there was the crack and muzzle flash of a rifle as a bullet whistled through the bush just above their heads.
‘Hello, what have we here? It looks like our position’s been compromised. Can you see where the shot came from?’
Bill scanned the location some 800 yards to their eastern flank. Based on the angle from which the bullet appeared to have been fired, it seemed to be an educated guess from whence it originated.
‘Yep, spotted em.’ Keeping his binoculars trained on a particular spot below them he continued. ‘I see a column of about twenty Indonesians climbing a ridge trail, a location we obviously weren’t aware of or missed when scanning the rock faces. They must’ve been following their main body of troops up the river sometime after last night’s strike.’
‘What’s your ballpark on how long before they reach our location?’
‘At a rough guess, I’d say one to one and a half hours,’ Darren replied.
‘OK there’s to be no return fire from us. We are obviously out-gunned so it’s time to beat a hasty retreat. The Special Forces Rule is no one is to be captured alive during a Sandstone operation. Darren, pack every piece of equipment that can be carried whilst I get on the radio and make some urgent calls. I’ll give you a hand as soon as I’ve done.’
After a couple of calls that weren’t connected due to lack of radio signal coverage (dead spot) and dense jungle screening, the two men hastily filled the rucksack Bergen’s.
‘OK mate, let’s get the hell out of here. Leave all unnecessary items behind,’ ordered Bill calmly, but with a note of urgency in his tone and they headed back to camp. On the way Bill made a quick call to Seth and Tuki to inform them of the new situation, urgent change of plans and to start packing all the important equipment and ancillaries into the lifting net. He next attempted a radio call to Captain McBride that luckily connected this time and updated him, requesting an emergency evacuation from Tebedu and asked if he would inform Major Birtwhistle at the same time. The captain acknowledged and Bill was advised a helicopter would be with them in approximately forty minutes. The transmission ended swiftly for the captain to take immediate action.
Thirty-minutes later, after a rapid return they were back at the village having trekked and jogged swiftly all the way. Timing was of the essence, and they were breathing heavily when they got to the long house.
‘Everything ready for winching?’
‘Everything’s ready, Skipper,’ Seth advised.
As Bill was checking everything was OK, the sound of an approaching helicopter could be clearly heard. So they manhandled the netted equipment out to the LZ just as the Whirlwind descended to about thirty feet, where it hovered. The winch man lowered the line and the net was hooked on and raised into the aircraft.
Once the equipment was safely stowed, Bill and the team were winched up one-by-one, waving farewell to the goggled-eyed Dayak villagers who stood spellbound watching the retrieval process. Bill sincerely hoped there would be no reprisals from the Indonesians. But if there was an attempt the villagers would swiftly retaliate with a hail of poisoned arrows. Good! Bill thought, maliciously.
As the Whirlwind rose and gained height, several Indonesian soldiers appeared in a clearing close to the village and opened fire at the chopper. Thankfully, it was out of range just in the nick of time, and all aboard let out huge sighs of relief. However, had the enemy been armed with ground-to-air missiles it would have been a very different story!
Forty minutes later they touched down at HQ 99 Gurkha Brigade in Kuching. After disembarking, the team located a suitable flatbed trolley to transport their equipment to the Intelligence Corps secure stores. Tuki left them to go to his own billet and Bill, Seth and Darren made their way to the mess where rooms had been organised for them. Bill decided tomorrow would be soon enough to meet with Captain McBride for debriefing of the concluded operation, and where their next assignment was likely to be. All three needed a good clean up, get some decent food inside them and then hit the sack on much more comfortable beds.
Chapter 53
It was now Sunday 1st March. After breakfast Bill met with McBride to discuss recent events.
‘I’m interested to know just how the enemy managed to locate your observation position. Any thoughts on that?’
‘Well Sir, short of an Iban mole, the only possibility could, of course, have been marauding troops who spotted us from somewhere in the dense surroundings. Not much we could have done in such a situation, but it was valuable that they took a pot-shot at us and exposed their position so we were able to take the necessary evasive action and avoid any form of engagement.’
‘I see. On the question of the Indonesian Raider Battalion having taken the cross-border initiative, I need to report this in more detail,’ he said, and picked up the phone to speak to Lieutenant Colonel Kemple-Scott, put the line on speaker, and voiced his concerns regarding the enemy tactics.
The Colonel replied, ‘I’ll see arrangements are made for a platoon of the Gurkha Parachute Company to go into Tebedu and deal with the incursion as a counter-offensive measure, and drive them back into Kalimantan.’ He thanked the captain for the information and cleared the line.
‘You heard the response, so it looks like a platoon of 99 Parachute Brigade is going to take action.’
‘That’s good news,’ replied Bill.
‘Now, Mr Scraggs, let’s talk about your next operational assignment.
As Indonesia was upping the ante with further incursions and attacks into most divisions of Sarawak, Bill wanted to know what the Intelligence Corps had for them next.’
‘I received a call yesterday from Major Birtwhistle informing me his intelligence source reports an Indonesian unit has built a military base at Long Medan, opposite the Fifth Division, and they’ve been firing mortars at a security forces base. The commander wanted to retaliate, but had to secure authorization from DOBOPS and a pre-emptive strike was delayed until more accurate information about exact enemy locations and movements was obtained. That’s where you and your team come into play, Mr Scraggs.’
‘Am I to understand we’re expected to provide covert surveillance in the Fifth Division, Captain McBride?’
‘Correct. You’re to move out to a selected location and set yourselves up utilising a long house in the village of Bario, which is close to the Long Medan enemy region. You’ll be well positioned to cover activities there.’
Here we go again, an officer trying to tell us how to do our job, Bill thought.
‘When do we leave, what will be our mode of transport and will Tuki go with us?’
‘You’ll leave on Tuesday 3rd March and yes, Tuki will go with you. I’ll make arrangements with OC air movements for an RAF Twin Pioneer to transport you to HQ 51 Gurkha Brigade at Brunei, and from there by Whirlwind helicopter to Bario. As you know, your equipment and ancillaries are still in my secure store ready for collection. I’ll confirm when arrangements and ETD are in place, and give you a final update tomorrow morning.’
‘And our radio communications schedule? Is this to be as our last assignment?’
‘Yes, exactly the same.’
‘Very good, Sir,’ and Bill left the office.
True to his word, next morning McBride called the mess and spoke to Bill.
‘Good morning, Mr Scraggs. Your transport will be at the airstrip tomorrow, ETD to Brunei 0900 hours. I’ve also arranged with 51 Brigade for a Whirlwind to transfer you to Bario, ETA 1545 hours. We’ll keep in touch by secure radio.
‘Understood Sir.’
‘Well done and good luck.’
McBride ended the call and Bill returned to the breakfast room to join his two companions.
Seth offered to chase up the availability of a flatbed trolley and Darren confirmed he would check out the status of the compo rations. It wasn’t the first time since he’d met these two that Bill had a fleeting vision of Bill and Ben, the flowerpot men, and guffawed loudly.
‘What’s the joke Skipper?’ Seth asked.
‘Oh! Nothing, just a déjà vu moment. I think this one could be as long as a month in location, so we’ll need plenty of rations,’ Bill said. He envisaged it could take them well into April.
Early next morning Seth and Darren joined Bill carrying their personal effects and made their way to the airstrip to meet Tuki for their trip to Brunei.
‘I’ll collect the loaded flatbed trolley from the hangar where I left it yesterday,’ volunteered Seth.
RAF personnel assisted the team to load their supplies into the Twin Pioneer and when on board with seat belts fastened the pilot took off on schedule. It was a relatively short trip to Brunei and as soon as they were back on terra firma, they unloaded everything and Bill organised the transfer to the Whirlwind helicopter. They touched down at Bario at 1545 hours on Wednesday 4th March.
Tuki went to the village Kampong to rustle up a few local tribesmen to assist with unloading and transiting everything to the long house, and as soon as the goods were clear of the helicopter the pilot gave a thumbs-up and lifted into the air for the return trip to Brunei.
At 1100 hours, all was stowed and the radios were up and running. Bill announced, ‘OK guys, let’s get lunch and a brew on the go, then discuss our modus operandi for the next few days. I’ll also give McBride a quick sitrep.’
‘OK, Skipper. I’ll get the kettle on and Darren can see to the food.’ said Seth.
‘I’ll also double check on the equipment.’ responded Darren.
‘And I’ll scout about and see if there are any delicacies around for supper,’ Tuki said in his turn.
‘OK, gents, let’s get to it,’ Bill said.
Lunch over, the time had come to discuss forward plans, and with a broad grin on his face Tuki announced he’d managed to organise a couple of pre-cooked chickens for supper, courtesy the villagers.
‘Excellent, Tuki,’ congratulated Bill.
‘OK, down to some work!’ Bill laid out a map of the local region that included Long Medan, located in enemy territory of Kalimantan. A few minutes later the radio alarmed and Bill picked up the handset.
‘This is Vulture, go ahead,’ said Bill.
‘Intelligence has advised a change of emphasis and plans with additional information. We’re informed there’s a lot of enemy cross-border activity in the vicinity of Long Bawan. You’re therefore to abort your reconnaissance concentration on Long Medan and now prioritise on gaining intelligence about activities in that region of Kalimantan. You need to move your base of operations from Bario to Bakelalan, which is still within our friendly territory and approximately six miles from you and five miles from the Kalimantan border opposite Long Bawan as the crow flies. Do you copy these instructions, Vulture?’
‘Copied and confirmed.’
‘Furthermore, because of the altitude which is approximately 650 feet ASL at Bakelalan and part of the Maligan Highlands, in the interests of securing more accurate information, it may be necessary to have you dropped into Long Bawan by helicopter, well behind the invaders’ lines and encampment. You need to pinpoint their exact position and gather any further relevant intelligence before a counter action is authorised.
It must also be understood you’ll be operating over the border and well inside the enemy territory of Kalimantan. I therefore emphasise the Special Forces Rule stands, no one is to be captured alive during an allied offensive. I believe Major Birtwhistle will secure the necessary authorisation for you to enter the territory.’
‘We understand fully, Sir. We’ll organise the villagers here to help with the move since they’ve got buffalos and carts. As soon as we’re in place, I’ll radio you to discuss the next planned infiltration of Long Bawan,’ concluded Bill.
‘Copy that Vulture. Go ahead and expedite the move.’
‘Wilco. Over and out,’ replied Bill and cut the connection.
‘You heard guys, an immediate change of plans. Tuki, you make your way to Bakelalan and pick out a discreet place where a helicopter can set down. Shouldn’t be a problem for a fit fella like you eh grinned Bill. We’ll get our stuff organised here and I’ll keep the radio close at hand. When you get back you can negotiate village assistance for transporting us to our new location.’
‘OK Sir once we’ve eaten I’ll get going. Shouldn’t take me more than a couple of hours,’ declared Tuki.
‘Excellent. Take a radio in case of any problems, and a H2S side arm won’t go amiss for protection. OK you two take lunch, then we get to work so we’re ready to move.’
At 1430 hours Tuki returned to the base looking very pleased with himself.
‘Well, Sir, the news is all good. I found an old disused long house well hidden in the jungle. About fifty yards from it there’s a clearing which we might need to hack back to make larger but, subject to the helicopter tasked, it will certainly be suitable for a LZ,’ said Tuki, with satisfaction.
‘Great, sounds ideal for our needs. Now go and round up some of the villagers with a buffalo cart so we can get our gear loaded and move out ASAP. Offer them a decent ringgit payment for their help,’ said Bill.
‘Will do, Sir.’ Tuki disappeared into the village to get his errand sorted, and after negotiating and organising a team of six villagers with cart they worked together loading up and set off for Bakelalan. It was going to take them about an hour and a half through the jungle, trekking along a track not too often used. Apart from the creaking wheels and the snorting and stamping of buffalo, they heard the calls of birds, in particular that of the great hornbill. Another sound was the orangutans chattering in the surrounding jungle canopy. There was also, of course, the usual click and buzz of myriad insect life.
Tuki eventually led them to the disused long house, which was well camouflaged by the tree canopy and man-high vegetation.
The inside of the house was in a sorry state and, again, Bill asked Tuki to co-opt a few villagers to make it more liveable. He told him to sweeten the request with a few extra ringgits.
Tuki spoke to the lead villager in the local dialect about the clean up and several natives immediately got down to the task. Then, Bill said to Seth and Darren that the gear was to be unloaded ready to be stashed inside.
‘OK Tuki, now show me the clearing where a helicopter can be set down.
‘Follow me Sir. It’s about fifty yards this way,’ and led him through the undergrowth to a small natural clearing about sixty feet in diameter.
‘This looks fine and won’t necessarily need much overgrowth clearing nor surrounding treeline to allow for a helicopter descent. I’ll find out which model will be tasked. A pilot may prefer to hover for safety reasons. We could then rope in and out as necessary, subject to the time the chopper needs to be present.’ Bill was thinking ahead of alternative scenarios.
‘Good, let’s help getting the long house habitable.’
‘A bit of good news for you, Sir. I was able to bring the chickens we bought from the village we were just in, so we should have a good supper this evening.’
‘Ah! well done, Tuki. Remind me to give you a good reference for the hospitality trade when you retire from your army job.’ A broad grin passed between them. ‘You certainly think of everything for our creature comforts.’
When they returned to camp the long house was well and truly cleaned, the Bario villagers and buffalo cart had returned to their kampong, the equipment and stores were packaged neatly into the temporary accommodation and the radios were up and running on standby.
‘Whilst I give a sitrep to Captain McBride, you guys get a fire going and knock up some grub. We’ve got chicken for supper tonight, compliments of Tuki,’ said Bill.
His call to McBride was answered promptly. ‘Evening Vulture. How’re things going there? I trust you’re now at the new location.’
‘Affirmative. All settled here and we await your further instructions regarding our reconnaissance mandate. I have just one question Sir. Can you tell me which helicopter will be tasked on this mission? I want to make sure the landing area we’ve selected is big enough.’
‘When I contact you tomorrow at 0900 hours I’ll give you the information. We’ll communicate with full radio encryption.’
‘Understood. Over and out,’ replied Bill and closed the call.
At 2130 hours, with a night-guard rota organised, the hammocks were slung and they climbed into them. The night settled to the cicadas’ song and men snoring. Their jungle training had instilled in them the practice of always being alert to background noise changes or sudden cessation. This could well be an alarm bell heralding potential danger. Hence night-guard duty. However, this night passed peacefully, without incident.
The next day the team roused at 0600 hours and Tuki, who was the last on rota guard, had the hexamine burning and a brew on the go. After a light breakfast sharp at 0900 hours McBride radioed. Bill answered and the intelligence officer said, ‘go encryption.’ Bill immediately complied. When the call was encryption enabled and synchronised the conversation commenced.
