At that moment, Job, accompanied by two rookie snipers, lay in the jungle, carefully observing the German troops they had spotted.
"This group of Germans is no small force. I estimate it's about a platoon's worth!" Young sniper William Crane whispered to Job, hiding in the brush.
"Don't alert them, be careful of their lookout posts!" Job replied quietly.
After waiting for a while, the sound of a German officer shouting suddenly broke the silence. His soldiers, laughing and joking, stood up from their hiding spots and followed their officer into the thick jungle.
One of the younger snipers, Lee Zachary, growing anxious, said, "Should we follow them?"
Job shook his head, speaking softly, "Don't make a move yet, something doesn't feel right. Let's wait a bit longer."
Another ten minutes passed, and Crane was beginning to lose patience with Job's cautiousness. "If we don't follow them soon, these Germans will slip away! When the captain asks about it later, it'll be hard to explain!"
"Shut up! Do you think you're invincible? The Germans aren't the amateurs you think they are!" Job snapped, his irritation starting to show.
Job was a seasoned veteran with extensive battlefield experience. Over the time we spent together, I had shared with him some of the risk assessment skills I'd learned in the world I came from. He had grown to embody the calm, composure, and sharp decision-making that are characteristic of an officer.
Just as Crane and Zachary were growing impatient, a rustling sound broke out a hundred meters away in the brush. Several German soldiers stood up, one of whom was carrying a light machine gun. Job's scalp tingled, his mind racing. The Germans were far too skilled for them to have missed that spot.
Had he lost his cool, they would never have noticed the hidden German soldiers in that unassuming spot. If they had charged ahead, the machine gun would've mowed them down.
In jungle warfare, it's not just snipers who are deadly—regular soldiers can be just as lethal.
"Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" One of the German soldiers began imitating the sound of a cuckoo bird. Moments later, the group of Germans who had moved off earlier emerged from the brush!
The German officer spoke rapidly to his men, then lowered his head in thought. After a brief pause, he raised his hand, and the unit immediately began to retreat.
Crane and Zachary exchanged a look, both visibly relieved, their eyes now filled with a deep respect for Job.
Job spoke in a low voice, "Zachary, go back and report the situation to the captain. Be careful not to trigger any of their booby traps. Crane, you're with me."
"Yes, sir!" Both Crane and Zachary nodded quickly.
"What? That's how you encountered the Germans?" the captain asked.
"Yes, sir!" Zachary confirmed.
"Hold the advance!" I immediately ordered, as I mulled over the situation. Although Job and his team had only encountered a platoon of Germans, the terrain and the dense jungle provided ample cover for the enemy. This could mean a much larger enemy presence in the area. In this uncertain situation, advancing recklessly was too dangerous. If we entered the jungle and the Germans harassed us, retreating into the dense cover, we'd be stuck in a deadly loop, and I might be dragged to my death by their constant harassment. The cost of entering the jungle might only result in a small number of Germans killed—far from worth it.
"How many Germans have you spotted in this area?" I asked, looking at Zachary intently.
"Well… around a hundred, I guess," he answered cautiously.
"Are you sure that's accurate? Not just the same group of Germans?" I fixed my gaze on Zachary.
Zachary hesitated, clearly unsure, and didn't give a definitive answer. "We kept our distance from them, so we could only estimate their numbers. To avoid being spotted, we didn't use binoculars, so we couldn't make out their faces clearly."
I couldn't blame them. Using binoculars in the jungle for observation can cause reflections from sunlight, increasing the risk of being spotted by enemy snipers.
Also, the jungle was a complicated environment, and sometimes the opposing forces could be so close that they were just meters apart. Soldiers, wearing camouflage and blending into the environment, often couldn't even recognize their own comrades. In these conditions, misidentifying a fellow soldier was easy, let alone identifying the enemy. And with both sides on edge, every rustle of the leaves could mean death.
As a commander, I had to sift through every piece of intelligence and make decisions based on the bigger picture. If I took every report at face value without analysis, I'd prove unfit to lead.
"Alright, go back. Tell Job to get an accurate count of how many Germans are hiding in this area," I said.
"Report, sir! Captain Turner says they've spotted around a hundred Germans in their area!" came the reply.
"Good! Pass on our intel about the hundred Germans in our area to Captain Turner. Tell him to make sure we don't get too far apart!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Report to Colonel Herbert! We've spotted around a hundred Germans in both my and Captain Turner's sectors. We've halted the advance and sent out additional reconnaissance to verify the numbers. Over and out."
"Good! I'll order Captain Turner to coordinate closely with you. Report anything unusual immediately!" came the response from Herbert.
"Yes, sir!"
Across the skies above Clécy, radio waves were continuously crossing paths, as a steady stream of intelligence flowed back to Colonel Herbert's command post, and he relayed orders to every corner of the front lines.
"Joanner! How far has your recon team advanced?"
"We've reached the outer edge of Area A. Going any further would take us fully into the jungle," Joanner replied, his tone grim.
Before the operation, I had divided the entire Clécy region into areas A, B, C, D, and so on, so I could quickly assess and react to the positions of my forces. This was a basic practice for officers in command.
"Have you engaged with any Germans?"
"No! The Germans don't engage with us. Whenever they spot us, they retreat immediately. To avoid falling into their traps, I ordered the men to proceed cautiously according to the original plan."
"You've done well. How's the coordination with the armored vehicles?"
"I think the Germans have been retreating because they saw the armored vehicles following us."
I nodded. "Don't rely too heavily on them."
"Understood," Joanner replied, making a note.
"Sir, what about air support?" Gibbs asked from the side.
"That's not looking good! According to the weather reports, there's been a massive ocean storm sweeping across Europe, and it's expected to last for several more days. Our pilots have decided to stay in their nests, laying eggs instead of doing their jobs."
"Damn it, even the weather's helping the Germans!" Donovan slammed his fist onto the jeep's map, frustrated.
"Donovan, don't wreck my vehicle!" I said, my tone firm. I had grown especially fond of my Ford jeep, and my officers had noticed. They often joked about it, and I couldn't let them destroy it.
"Sorry, sir!" Donovan quickly withdrew his hand.
"Without artillery support, this isn't good! I've had enough of the Carrington battlefield without fire support!" Winters added, his face a mask of frustration.
"Don't worry, Colonel Herbert's bringing his prized artillery support to assist us!"
"That's good news!"
"However, don't think that artillery will solve everything. It's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Once the Germans scatter, the artillery will lose much of its effectiveness."
"Captain's right!"
"We're about to enter the jungle. All units, start closing the distance! Be extra cautious not to fall into any German traps! I'm sure Job will send us an update soon!"
Job and Crane cautiously moved through the underbrush, with Crane narrowly avoiding several booby traps set by the Germans. The repeated close calls had left both of them drenched in sweat.
"Damn Germans, if I catch them, I'll skin them alive!" Crane huffed, still catching his breath after narrowly escaping one of the traps.
"Shut up! Be careful, there might be more Germans hidden around!" Job scolded the young sniper sharply.
Crane shuddered, his respect for Job growing deeper.He now understood that war was far more brutal than training. In combat, even the smallest mistake could cost you your life.