Field Recce Report by FatBird Anthony
It was a pre-dawn recce for one of the key night missions of Operation NightHawk 2010 - The Coastal Melody Run. 30min before first light, Team FatBird assembled 3 long-range recce elements at The Nest. A quick mission briefing later, the 3 recce teams proceeded along the Eastern Corridor at a steady pace. The Sundown Marathon will be running through this area of operations where we were supposed to recce.
As it was supposed to be a small mission, the signature of the elements were deliberately kept low, as the movement on foot were done with relative silence and in individual units. I broke away after 2km to move deeper into the objective. After 10km of 5:25min/km pace, I went onto SEAHORSE axis (Coastal Road), a 8km minor road running parallel to the major Coastal Road (a 4-lane, dual carriageway metal road with fast-moving mobile columns on both sides). The sun was already beating down on us, but with a cool breeze blowing in our direction, it made for a more comfortable advance along the 'mentally-draining' axis.
It was interesting passing a metal bridge, solid enough for the passing of iron ponies, but not large enough for vehicles. The weather was getting hot, and the mobile hydration I was carrying was depleting fast....I had to reach CP UNICORN 1 before hydration runs out. The front elements were maintaining the 5:25min/km pace, but were conservative with the adavance. 1km to the CP were Traffic Police blocks and security defences for the air rehearsals taking place in the nearby air base. After fording the passage of line, we finally reached UNICORN 1, 17km from start point. I took 1 sachet of Power Rations, topped up with H2O, and proceeded back.
SEAHORSE axis was a good metal road which provided nice shade from the harsh elements. The civilian runway on the right was a hive of activity with forces and logistics being brought in for operations support. I met the YELLOW recce team at CP 16km. They signalled for a passage through, and we gave the thumbs up and ack. YELLOW stayed behind to act as escorts for returning recce elements. It was another 7km back along SEAHORSE, before I had a signal from friendly forces to proceed. 3 iron ponies with escorts gave the clear signal....after a quick round of authentication, I proceeded on to return back to base.
The weather was a killer this morning. I had to make a number of top-up stops for refuel. The tank was running low as I proceeded to maintain the 5:25min/km pace in order to complete the 34km mission within regulation. Along the way, I reflected upon SEAHORSE axis, and how it would be like to travel along in the night. It was not long before I hit the Eastern Corridor, and 9km remained. With the low fuel tank, I tried to conserve by slowing down the pace. I decided then that we would not recce for FORD axis, as that would mean stretching the resources. With my slower pace, some of the training elements moved ahead, although with an ack before they sped up.
I focused on sustaining the pace, and with 500m to go, I could see the Training Commander welcoming us back. I was so happy to return to base (The Nest) in one piece, and with the route of the Coastal Melody Run more or less secured. Soon, the other recce teams arrived as well, all with their respective missions accomplished. After a quick de-brief and re-hydration, the final recce element BRAVO returned with a smile. BRAVO had too much fuel topped up at one of the civilian bases, and was carrying a heavy load on the run. Nonetheless, she was glad to hear that we will not be proceeding to do FORD.
As my team had a sub-task to do by noon, we bade farewell to the rest of the recce teams and headed to our team base, most satisfied with having accomplished the recce mission. Coastal Melody will be challenging with the rather long and flat axes we would have to travel along, as well as the lack of support points along the way. It would be important for all participants of Operation NightHawk to be prepared with sufficient rations and hydration for that mission.
When Dusk Cometh, The NightHawks Emerge!
Recce Element ALPHA
Distance: 34km__Time: 3hr2min__Pace: 5:23min/km
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