O'hara's Choice - Leon Uris [98]
This was the first and only moment of Zach’s life that included serenity.
. . . close your eyes and rest, Lieutenant, but let us stay clear of dangerous places.
They had gone full circle. The wall he had built against Amanda Kerr was eroding even as he made love to Lilly Villiard.
Alone at night in his quarters, the ache for Amanda returned, punctuated by every sounding of the ship’s bell and the mournful foghorn.
• 29 •
FOLLOW ME!
Ten Days Later—under the Eucalyptus Tree
The day of reckoning had come upon Ben Boone sooner than he expected. A draft of the protocol with the British was initialed by Rear Admiral Richard X. Maple.
Ben had hoped for more time so “Random Study Sixteen” would be further advanced. It held the core reasons for a Marine takeover of the Amnesty Islands’ garrison.
Maple was the key man to sell the idea to the commanding officer of the navy, Admiral Langenfeld. If Maple could get the boss aboard, the secretary of the navy and the president would certainly agree.
Zach was ordered to quickly draw up a list of preliminary conclusions from “Random Sixteen.” Telling the flat-out truth as they saw it at this early stage was apt to ruffle the dander of many of the top brass.
The major had hoped the Corps would get the islands first, then come along with “Random Sixteen.”
The opposite was happening. And there were still those, led by Commodore Harkleroad, who wanted to put the Corps out of business.
Ben stopped under the eucalyptus tree, midway on the daily exercise run, dug into his kit, and reread Zach’s initial thoughts. He shuddered.
Zach ran up the path to him, took a towel he’d left in a crook of the tree trunk, and wiped the sweat off.
“I didn’t realize when you came out of AMP I was getting the new von Clausewitz.”
Zach was exhausted. He had worked most of the night through and started the day on three hours’ sleep.
“I knew it,” Zach muttered.
“ ‘Conclusion,’” Ben read:
‘Naval gunfire used as artillery in advance of a Marine assault has severe limitations. Guns of warships are designed to fire flat projectiles against enemy naval vessels. A missile running parallel to the water cannot give the offensive artillery support required to move troops inland (as can a land-based howitzer cannon, which arches its shots) . . .
‘Naval gunfire can force an enemy on the beach to retreat temporarily, but fire must cease once the Marines reach the waterline, otherwise ship guns could be firing too close to landing troops.’
“ ‘Conclusion,’” Ben said:
‘The navy must turn over command and control of the landing force to the landing force . . .
‘A beachhead is a place of tremendous activity, landing troops and supplies, beaching landing boats, gathering the wounded, etc. . . .
‘At the present time, communications—blinkers, semaphore, flags, flares, message boats—are too slow and cumbersome to allow prompt reaction to conditions on the beach.’
“ ‘Therefore,’ says von Clausewitz, ‘until a system of hardwiring from ship to shore or a system of voice projection over space is developed, closer integration of the sea force and the land force is not possible.’
“ ‘Conclusion,’ and it’s a honey: ‘The navy must turn over command and control to the Marines, at the waterline.’
“Shit,” Ben said. “Those people would use tom-toms and carrier pigeons for communications before they’d turn over command and control to us.”
“You forgot smoke signals,” Zach said.
“Let’s see. ‘Conclusion,’ here we go:
‘From the waterline, the Marine force will seize territory inland and hold it till relieved. This could be the second or even the third day.
‘Therefore: A Marine must carry sufficient ammo to fight with for three days. The present single-shot, heavy-caliber 45-millimeter ammunition is not suitable for an assault . . .
‘Assault Marines should be armed with a five-round bolt-action thirty-caliber rifle of the highest accuracy; namely, the Krag Jorgensen already issued to the army . . .
‘Moreover, every Marine