Post by ncsfsgm on Apr 18, 2023 1:08:08 GMT -6
Chapter 208
The BT-67 with Forest Service markings. dropped into the small river valley and landed on the airstrip. Jeremy had called and told Eric he had some things for him.
Eric waited at the hangar as the modified DC-3 turned around and taxied up to him. When the engines shut down, the door opened, and Jeremy was the first one out. The crew chief closed the door and began opening the large cargo door.
“Nice plane,” Eric said as he smiled and shook Jeremy’s hand.
“It comes in handy at times.” Jeremy replied. “I’ve brought you a couple of things that will balance the power around here a bit.” Jeremy said, turning toward the opened aircraft cargo door. Eric waved to Walt, who was sitting on the tractor with fork blades attached. Walt pulled forward and gently picked up the first pallet, then took it into the hangar and sat it down. As he went back to get the other pallets, Jeremy opened a large case and showed Eric his new gift.
“A MK19?” Eric responded.
“Yeah, I’ve got you two of these. Jim Garner, leader of team 5, is an expert with these things. Arnie Richards, with Team 3, is also good. That guy Bruno Armitage is up to no good. He was an aide to Senator Campbell of Illinois and has come down here to start his own kingdom when the SHTF. He’s gathering men and they are scoping out the assets. When things went haywire, he started his move. He’s slowly gaining ground and if he’s not taken out, it’s going to be hard to dislodge him.” Jeremy said.
“How do you know all of this? Eric said. “Not that I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t think I put those two teams in here to keep comfy at night, do you?”
“So, they have been pulling recon.”
“Yep. I’ll leave it to you and Jim to work out a plan, but Armitage and his group need to be taken out.” I’ve got you two MK19s and 6,000 rounds of 40mm HEDP and 3,000 rounds of practice rounds. It should help some.” Jeremy replied.
Eric keyed his radio. “Jim, could you come down to the hangar?”
As the BT-67 took off and turned toward the east, Jim showed up.
“Ah good!” Jim said, seeing the crates.
“What’s the latest on Armitage?” Eric said.
“He’s playing King and his men kingmakers. He tried to take over the gun store, but the store had been emptied. People are grumbling because Armitage’s men are acting like an occupying force.” Jim replied.
“I guess we need to come up with a plan to curtail his activities then.” Eric said.
Jim grinned. I’ve got one in the works now. Give me a day and I can brief you.”
Two nights later, the two teams, Eric, Perry, Sandra, and Naomi gathered at Eric’s dining table for the briefing. Jim gave a brief current activity update of Armitage’s actions and laid out a topographic map, pointing out tentative positions and distances to the target from them.
“What I’d like to do is set up the AGLs (automatic grenade launchers) equipped with M3 Tripods with T&E (Traverse and Elevation) here and here, about 700 meters from the farmhouse and garage. I’d like a couple of snipers here and here; one to stop anyone fleeing back over the bridge and the other stopping anyone fleeing north to the river. Between the alternating plunging fire between the two AGLs, we should have this wrapped up quickly.” Jim said.’
“How many bad guys are we talking about?” Perry asked.
“Max of 20.” Jim replied.
“At 700 meters, the MK19 becomes an area weapon, especially with plunging fire. I can call adjustments from the hay barn located here.” Perry said, pointing to a position on the map.
“That is only 400 meters from the bridge. That’s a good place for a sniper.” Jim said.
Naomi can handle that. That’s a chip shot for her.” Perry replied.
“I can take the other sniper position.” Eric said. “Sandra can be my spotter and security.
“We can start moving the AGLs in tomorrow night and be in position for the attack at 0300 AM the following night when we’ll probably catch them all there.” Jim said. “We’ll have to sweep the objective too.”
“We need to get on this before it turns into a nonstop shitshow and emboldens others.” Eric said.
The next day the plan changed. Eric was to haul one of the MK19s and its ammunition on his boat to Walt’s son’s B&B and wait and put them ashore within meters of where they were to set up, return to Calico bluff and load a Gator and it’s trailer with a MK19 and ammo and drop them off on the west side of the river across from Cresswell Island. Once the AGLs were across the river, Perry and Eric would ferry all others across in time to be in their positions for the 0300 AM attack.
At 2:00 AM the last of the forces were across the river and on their way to their positions. A first quarter moon allowed then to see clearly with the NODs. Jim signaled the AGLs were ready. Naomi reported there was one guard outside of the farmhouse sitting on the steps smoking. At 03:00 gun one opened up with a six round burst which overshot the farmhouse by 25 meters, followed four seconds later by gun two which was right on target. Perry called in the correction for gun one and both AGLs began hammering the farmhouse and anything around it. Two vehicles caught on fire from leaking fuel tanks Two men came running out of the house only to be cut down by grenade fragments. As each grenade exploded it could be seen in the Night Vision Devices as a bright flash. The house, garage, and the areas around them became one big fireworks display. One of the grenades hit the propane tank and the garage partially collapsed and caught on fire. Several salvos hit the house and it started coming apart. Three men broke out of cover and headed for the bridge and Naomi dropped them, one falling off the edge of the bridge. Perry wasn’t sure whether the man fell into the water or onto the riverbank below. Perry called cease fire to see if anyone moved and the grenades quit falling. Perry and Eric reported there was no movement on the objective, so the assault team began moving forward under the cover of the snipers. Thirty minutes later, it was confirmed there were no survivors at the farmhouse. The AGL teams pulled the bolts from the launchers and left them in place to be recovered at daylight. Walt brought the boats to the bridge, driving one and towing the other, and picked up everyone. They all returned to Eric’s house and Margaret had coffee and breakfast ready for those that wanted it.
At daylight, they returned to the farmhouse with the tractor and backhoe and buried the bodies in a common grave. A couple had to be scooped out of the ashes with the front end loader. Several weapons were recovered, and it looked like the ammo had been burned in the fire.
The word spread around the Calico Rock area, and everyone praised and appreciated the takedown of the crime group. Jeremy flew in and debriefed them and had Eric and Jim write an After Action Report so it could be analyzed lessons learned and tactics disseminated.
“How is the rest of the country holding up?” Eric asked.
“Some areas are good, some not so much. Before the Storm, the Democrats were playing by the Communist playbook.” Jeremy said. “We were playing whack-a-mole with them. If they didn’t go by the rule of our traditional law, we would go by the law of the jungle. They had turned our laws on our heads, and we were just doing the same thing back at them, except we were making it more permanent. The Republicans tried for years to play it nice, but it just made the leftists more daring. It has gone far enough and if we want to get this country back on track, the house needs to be cleaned up and the trash taken out. That goes for either party. It’s a little hard to get to them these days with them being cooped up in the COG bunkers, but when they come out, we’ll play catch up. With the grid down, it’s also hard to get to their assets.”
Perry tracked down Rick Maness and finally located him. Rick had a hidey hole out on his grandfather’s property in the hills and had moved his inventory out there. He was getting ready to open his shop back up again.
“Y’all put an ass whooping on those boys.” Rick said.
“Had too, they were trying to confiscate the guns from the people,”
“I figured they’d start that. That’s why I booked out.”
“Are you interested in the guns they dropped? They’ll need a little cleaning.” Perry said. “They’ve been fired, and I wiped most of any blood off of them but just a little bit will cause them to start rusting.
“Sure. I’ll even pay you back in some of that gold I got from you.” Rick replied.
“Sounds fair.” Perry answered. “I’ll bring them by later.”
A snowstorm came, covering up the destruction on the Armitage farm for a week. Not many of the citizens around Calico Rock ventured down to look at the mess, mainly because they had to walk most places. Kids with dirt bikes became couriers for most of the people. Mostly, everyone stayed home and kept warm. A barter market was set up in the parking lot of the Calico Café. Margaret and Sandra attended with 5-gallon buckets of rolled oats and soup mix. No one could really afford to barter for that much food, so the café owner traded silver coins for the buckets, took them inside and started cooking them up. People quickly traded for bowls of soup and oatmeal with honey drizzled over it.
The BT-67 with Forest Service markings. dropped into the small river valley and landed on the airstrip. Jeremy had called and told Eric he had some things for him.
Eric waited at the hangar as the modified DC-3 turned around and taxied up to him. When the engines shut down, the door opened, and Jeremy was the first one out. The crew chief closed the door and began opening the large cargo door.
“Nice plane,” Eric said as he smiled and shook Jeremy’s hand.
“It comes in handy at times.” Jeremy replied. “I’ve brought you a couple of things that will balance the power around here a bit.” Jeremy said, turning toward the opened aircraft cargo door. Eric waved to Walt, who was sitting on the tractor with fork blades attached. Walt pulled forward and gently picked up the first pallet, then took it into the hangar and sat it down. As he went back to get the other pallets, Jeremy opened a large case and showed Eric his new gift.
“A MK19?” Eric responded.
“Yeah, I’ve got you two of these. Jim Garner, leader of team 5, is an expert with these things. Arnie Richards, with Team 3, is also good. That guy Bruno Armitage is up to no good. He was an aide to Senator Campbell of Illinois and has come down here to start his own kingdom when the SHTF. He’s gathering men and they are scoping out the assets. When things went haywire, he started his move. He’s slowly gaining ground and if he’s not taken out, it’s going to be hard to dislodge him.” Jeremy said.
“How do you know all of this? Eric said. “Not that I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t think I put those two teams in here to keep comfy at night, do you?”
“So, they have been pulling recon.”
“Yep. I’ll leave it to you and Jim to work out a plan, but Armitage and his group need to be taken out.” I’ve got you two MK19s and 6,000 rounds of 40mm HEDP and 3,000 rounds of practice rounds. It should help some.” Jeremy replied.
Eric keyed his radio. “Jim, could you come down to the hangar?”
As the BT-67 took off and turned toward the east, Jim showed up.
“Ah good!” Jim said, seeing the crates.
“What’s the latest on Armitage?” Eric said.
“He’s playing King and his men kingmakers. He tried to take over the gun store, but the store had been emptied. People are grumbling because Armitage’s men are acting like an occupying force.” Jim replied.
“I guess we need to come up with a plan to curtail his activities then.” Eric said.
Jim grinned. I’ve got one in the works now. Give me a day and I can brief you.”
Two nights later, the two teams, Eric, Perry, Sandra, and Naomi gathered at Eric’s dining table for the briefing. Jim gave a brief current activity update of Armitage’s actions and laid out a topographic map, pointing out tentative positions and distances to the target from them.
“What I’d like to do is set up the AGLs (automatic grenade launchers) equipped with M3 Tripods with T&E (Traverse and Elevation) here and here, about 700 meters from the farmhouse and garage. I’d like a couple of snipers here and here; one to stop anyone fleeing back over the bridge and the other stopping anyone fleeing north to the river. Between the alternating plunging fire between the two AGLs, we should have this wrapped up quickly.” Jim said.’
“How many bad guys are we talking about?” Perry asked.
“Max of 20.” Jim replied.
“At 700 meters, the MK19 becomes an area weapon, especially with plunging fire. I can call adjustments from the hay barn located here.” Perry said, pointing to a position on the map.
“That is only 400 meters from the bridge. That’s a good place for a sniper.” Jim said.
Naomi can handle that. That’s a chip shot for her.” Perry replied.
“I can take the other sniper position.” Eric said. “Sandra can be my spotter and security.
“We can start moving the AGLs in tomorrow night and be in position for the attack at 0300 AM the following night when we’ll probably catch them all there.” Jim said. “We’ll have to sweep the objective too.”
“We need to get on this before it turns into a nonstop shitshow and emboldens others.” Eric said.
The next day the plan changed. Eric was to haul one of the MK19s and its ammunition on his boat to Walt’s son’s B&B and wait and put them ashore within meters of where they were to set up, return to Calico bluff and load a Gator and it’s trailer with a MK19 and ammo and drop them off on the west side of the river across from Cresswell Island. Once the AGLs were across the river, Perry and Eric would ferry all others across in time to be in their positions for the 0300 AM attack.
At 2:00 AM the last of the forces were across the river and on their way to their positions. A first quarter moon allowed then to see clearly with the NODs. Jim signaled the AGLs were ready. Naomi reported there was one guard outside of the farmhouse sitting on the steps smoking. At 03:00 gun one opened up with a six round burst which overshot the farmhouse by 25 meters, followed four seconds later by gun two which was right on target. Perry called in the correction for gun one and both AGLs began hammering the farmhouse and anything around it. Two vehicles caught on fire from leaking fuel tanks Two men came running out of the house only to be cut down by grenade fragments. As each grenade exploded it could be seen in the Night Vision Devices as a bright flash. The house, garage, and the areas around them became one big fireworks display. One of the grenades hit the propane tank and the garage partially collapsed and caught on fire. Several salvos hit the house and it started coming apart. Three men broke out of cover and headed for the bridge and Naomi dropped them, one falling off the edge of the bridge. Perry wasn’t sure whether the man fell into the water or onto the riverbank below. Perry called cease fire to see if anyone moved and the grenades quit falling. Perry and Eric reported there was no movement on the objective, so the assault team began moving forward under the cover of the snipers. Thirty minutes later, it was confirmed there were no survivors at the farmhouse. The AGL teams pulled the bolts from the launchers and left them in place to be recovered at daylight. Walt brought the boats to the bridge, driving one and towing the other, and picked up everyone. They all returned to Eric’s house and Margaret had coffee and breakfast ready for those that wanted it.
At daylight, they returned to the farmhouse with the tractor and backhoe and buried the bodies in a common grave. A couple had to be scooped out of the ashes with the front end loader. Several weapons were recovered, and it looked like the ammo had been burned in the fire.
The word spread around the Calico Rock area, and everyone praised and appreciated the takedown of the crime group. Jeremy flew in and debriefed them and had Eric and Jim write an After Action Report so it could be analyzed lessons learned and tactics disseminated.
“How is the rest of the country holding up?” Eric asked.
“Some areas are good, some not so much. Before the Storm, the Democrats were playing by the Communist playbook.” Jeremy said. “We were playing whack-a-mole with them. If they didn’t go by the rule of our traditional law, we would go by the law of the jungle. They had turned our laws on our heads, and we were just doing the same thing back at them, except we were making it more permanent. The Republicans tried for years to play it nice, but it just made the leftists more daring. It has gone far enough and if we want to get this country back on track, the house needs to be cleaned up and the trash taken out. That goes for either party. It’s a little hard to get to them these days with them being cooped up in the COG bunkers, but when they come out, we’ll play catch up. With the grid down, it’s also hard to get to their assets.”
Perry tracked down Rick Maness and finally located him. Rick had a hidey hole out on his grandfather’s property in the hills and had moved his inventory out there. He was getting ready to open his shop back up again.
“Y’all put an ass whooping on those boys.” Rick said.
“Had too, they were trying to confiscate the guns from the people,”
“I figured they’d start that. That’s why I booked out.”
“Are you interested in the guns they dropped? They’ll need a little cleaning.” Perry said. “They’ve been fired, and I wiped most of any blood off of them but just a little bit will cause them to start rusting.
“Sure. I’ll even pay you back in some of that gold I got from you.” Rick replied.
“Sounds fair.” Perry answered. “I’ll bring them by later.”
A snowstorm came, covering up the destruction on the Armitage farm for a week. Not many of the citizens around Calico Rock ventured down to look at the mess, mainly because they had to walk most places. Kids with dirt bikes became couriers for most of the people. Mostly, everyone stayed home and kept warm. A barter market was set up in the parking lot of the Calico Café. Margaret and Sandra attended with 5-gallon buckets of rolled oats and soup mix. No one could really afford to barter for that much food, so the café owner traded silver coins for the buckets, took them inside and started cooking them up. People quickly traded for bowls of soup and oatmeal with honey drizzled over it.