Taldaan
28-09-2005, 22:05
20km south of Jizan, Saudi Arabia
Sand billowed into the air behind the convoy of trucks as they made their way across the untracked dunes. This was desert country- the land that the Saudi Arabian's ancestors had trekked across, leading their camels laden with their few possessions, constantly living in fear of the oppressive heat and the lack of water. This was the land that European traders had crossed, following the Silk Road, wary of bandits, unused to the desert and its dangers. They too had travelled in great caravans, also laden with possessions and goods.
Today, history was repeating itself. Once again a procession crossed the desert, although this time its purpose was neither trade nor survival. The nomadic desert dwellers and gold-crazed merchants were replaced by armed men, and their mission was one of warfare.
King Muhammad had long lusted after Yemen. The smaller, Southern cousin of Saudi Arabia, it held three advantages. The geographical location of Yemen combined with the larger military of the Saudis would allow control of the Gulf of Aden, allowing the Saudis to control access to the Red Sea. The second was oil: although Saudi Arabia already controlled vast reserves of oil, this would help to affirm their petrochemical dominance, as well as reducing potential competition.
The army was a small one, consisting of only thirty-thousand combat troops plus logistics personnel. What was far more significant was the artillery towed behind the trucks, and it gave a clue as to the strategy of this army. Yemen was not a militaristic nation, and so their army could most likely not defeat the attackers. With the Saudi superiority, and their desire to take the country relatively unharmed, they had devised a plan to force the government of Yemen to surrender. An example would be made, an overwhelming display of power that would convince Yemen that this was a war that they really didn't want to be fighting. The site of this demonstration was to be the capital, Sanaa. The Saudis would simply park their artillery ten kilometres from the city and unleash a withering barrage of shells until the battered and shellshocked enemy gave up. Rains of 210mm shells had that effect on people.
Ahead of the main advance went the vanguard, two-thousand men riding in the new OTR-1 halftracks. With speed and mobility, they would hopefully manage to destroy any resistance piecemeal. They ranged ahead of the main army, clearing a path. The halftracks were proving invaluable in the desert, able to cross the dunes at unprecedented speed.
"We're almost on the border, Sir! No sign of any resistance so far!"
The Commander's radio crackled with static. He thumped his fist against it, achieving nothing more than momentary inner peace.
"Excellent. Continue your advance."
The radio set crackled in what he hoped was an affirmative. He sat back in his chair in the back of the jeep, wondering what would happen next. Large-scale warfare was new to him- he had been selected more for his family connections than anything else. The brother of one of King Muhammad's wives, he was fairly low down the pecking order for jobs like this, but he was more experienced than most of the closer relatives having fought in the unification wars. Still, so far everything was going to plan.
Sand billowed into the air behind the convoy of trucks as they made their way across the untracked dunes. This was desert country- the land that the Saudi Arabian's ancestors had trekked across, leading their camels laden with their few possessions, constantly living in fear of the oppressive heat and the lack of water. This was the land that European traders had crossed, following the Silk Road, wary of bandits, unused to the desert and its dangers. They too had travelled in great caravans, also laden with possessions and goods.
Today, history was repeating itself. Once again a procession crossed the desert, although this time its purpose was neither trade nor survival. The nomadic desert dwellers and gold-crazed merchants were replaced by armed men, and their mission was one of warfare.
King Muhammad had long lusted after Yemen. The smaller, Southern cousin of Saudi Arabia, it held three advantages. The geographical location of Yemen combined with the larger military of the Saudis would allow control of the Gulf of Aden, allowing the Saudis to control access to the Red Sea. The second was oil: although Saudi Arabia already controlled vast reserves of oil, this would help to affirm their petrochemical dominance, as well as reducing potential competition.
The army was a small one, consisting of only thirty-thousand combat troops plus logistics personnel. What was far more significant was the artillery towed behind the trucks, and it gave a clue as to the strategy of this army. Yemen was not a militaristic nation, and so their army could most likely not defeat the attackers. With the Saudi superiority, and their desire to take the country relatively unharmed, they had devised a plan to force the government of Yemen to surrender. An example would be made, an overwhelming display of power that would convince Yemen that this was a war that they really didn't want to be fighting. The site of this demonstration was to be the capital, Sanaa. The Saudis would simply park their artillery ten kilometres from the city and unleash a withering barrage of shells until the battered and shellshocked enemy gave up. Rains of 210mm shells had that effect on people.
Ahead of the main advance went the vanguard, two-thousand men riding in the new OTR-1 halftracks. With speed and mobility, they would hopefully manage to destroy any resistance piecemeal. They ranged ahead of the main army, clearing a path. The halftracks were proving invaluable in the desert, able to cross the dunes at unprecedented speed.
"We're almost on the border, Sir! No sign of any resistance so far!"
The Commander's radio crackled with static. He thumped his fist against it, achieving nothing more than momentary inner peace.
"Excellent. Continue your advance."
The radio set crackled in what he hoped was an affirmative. He sat back in his chair in the back of the jeep, wondering what would happen next. Large-scale warfare was new to him- he had been selected more for his family connections than anything else. The brother of one of King Muhammad's wives, he was fairly low down the pecking order for jobs like this, but he was more experienced than most of the closer relatives having fought in the unification wars. Still, so far everything was going to plan.