This post continues a series of decision-forcing cases. With that in mind, I recommend that, before reading the paragraphs that follow, you read (or, better yet, work through) the previous posts in the sequence.
On the morning of 25 October 1944, you employ the 2nd Platoon to support, by indirect fire, the two-battalion attack on the Japanese positions northeast of Berauen. At the same time, you order the 1st Platoon to report to the workshop set up by your four mechanics.
Both the repairs and the attack go well. Thus, by the middle of the morning, you anticipate that the 1st Platoon will soon be ready for action. At the same time, the commanding officer of RCT 17 informs you of a plan to explore the road that runs north from Burauen. (This road connects Burauen to Dugami, the next objective of RCT 17.)
To carry out this reconnaissance, RCT 17 forms a task force that consists of:
one company (C Company) of the 1st Battalion of the 17th Infantry
one platoon of your company (Cannon Company, 17th Infantry)
three light tanks of the 767th Tank Battalion
The task force steps off at noon, led by its five armored vehicles and a platoon or so of riflemen serving as ‘tank riders.’
Whenever the task force ran into resistance, the riflemen jumped off of the tanks, returned fire, and assisted the howitzers to find targets.
Using this technique, the task force advanced three miles. In doing so, it discovered that the road was free of mines and that a bridge on the road between Burauen and Dugami had been destroyed. Without suffering the loss of a single American, it also managed to kill forty-nine Japanese soldiers.
On the afternoon of 25 October 1944, the 3rd Battalion of the 17th Infantry, and, along with it, the 3rd Platoon of Cannon Company, rejoins RCT 17. Thus, for the first time since landing, your company enjoys the services of all six of your howitzers.
The night of 25-26 October 1944 proves much quieter than that of 24-25 October 1944. Thus, while the riflemen on the perimeter had to deal with individual infiltrators, your howitzers, which you had formed into a single six-piece battery, received few calls for fire.
On the morning of 26 October 1944, RCT 17 resumes its advance to the north. For this movement, it forms a column of three battalions. (The 2nd Battalion of the 184th Infantry, which had been cooperating with RCT 17, remains in Burauen.)
The 1st Platoon of Cannon Company marches with the 1st Battalion of the 17th Infantry, which leads the task force. The other two platoons of Cannon Company follow in trace of the 1st Battalion.
Shortly before the advance begins, your first sergeant informs you that all three of the motor mechanics of your company have disappeared. He tells you that the fourth member of the maintenance section, your one gun mechanic, reported that the motor mechanics have returned to the base at Dulag.
Your first sergeant also tells you that the gun mechanic overheard one of the motor mechanics, a soldier who joined cannon company shortly before it landed on Leyte, that he was too valuable to serve on the front lines.
The telephone equipment of RCT 17 has been packed up for the movement, and all radio nets have been reserved for tactical use. Both of your ammunition trucks are fully loaded with ammunition.
What, Captain, is your plan?
Please feel free to use the comments section to propose a solution to this problem. When doing so, please employ a first-person perspective. That is, rather than writing ‘Captain Jensen should’, please begin your response with ‘I would …’
If you are new to decision-forcing cases, you will find much of interest in the following article.
I would send my 1SG to the rear area, or wherever the mechanics went, with an armed escort to retrieve them. He is to place them into custody (military apprehension) and to start the paperwork for formal charges of desertion under the Articles of War. They will remain with the company under guard and will work their assigned duties until they are placed in pretrial confinement (likely after this battle). No one runs away in my unit and no one is too valuable to fight.
So missing mechanics are simple cowardice and malingering.
And here I was chasing the Butler around with a candlestick, looking 👀 for a CLUE 🕵🏻 ©️
Thank you Hermann Wouk. This is a worthy addition to The Winds Of War, War and Remembrance, War and Peace and the collective Star Trek and Star Wars Franchises together. 😉
Amen.