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stood facing the road. A stocky man, who looked like an NCO of the rifle platoon, was beckoning. Tomita immediately ran to him.
    The man said, “We’ve set our first line over this wasteland, just where the grass fades out. You see? Ondaw isn’t so far. You can see a bank over there, can’t you? Set your machine gun under the bank. Engli will probably come along this road. When they come out from the corner of that woods, sweep them away. We’ll take your fire as a signal, and catch them in a crossfire.”
    “Covering the left first line? OK, I’ve got it. Leave it to us. Where’re the attached machine guns, then?” asked Tomita.
    “You mean HMG? Heavy machine guns?”
    “Yeah, what else?”
    “Yours is the only heavy machine gun we have here,” stated the stocky man.
    “What?”
    Still suspicious, they went into the dreary field and advanced further, as they had been told. The vanguard came into view when they reached the bank. Soldiers were deployed along a breastwork made in haste. According to a sergeant major commanding there, their firepower was merely two-squad strength with no mortar support. It was much less than expected. And, they could find no heavy machine gun but their own. The vanguard only had two light machine guns and a grenade discharger, apart from rifles. Second Platoon, the attached HMG to
    Sixth Company, should take part in that kind of action. No one knew why their Fifth Platoon had been sent instead.
    The sergeant major thanked them over and over. On the other side, all of Tomita Squad turned pale when they heard that the enemy moving southward was one-battalion strength. The whole strength of Ramree Garrison was merely one battalion. A simple calculation told them that the vanguard must take on an opponent eighteen times larger. Kasuga understood why the sergeant major was so thankful for even one machine gun.
    The sergeant major did not want to intimidate the HMG guys, who had
    kindly come to strengthen his forces. He humored them, saying, “I heard engineers had destroyed all the bridges in the village and had laid mines between Ondaw and Gonchwein. So those damned tanks can’t come here. That’s good, because we don’t have any armor-piercing mines here right now.” And with that the sergeant major returned to his position hurriedly.
    “Has the platoon commander cheated us, Sarge?” Hirono said abruptly.
    Tomita made a sour face. “Yeah, I think so. That stinker probably fawned on the company commander. He might recommend making us the sacrifice. It’s one of that grinder’s daily point-scorings.”
    Tomita Squad set the machine gun at the very left wing of the first line. A clearing offered a good view in front of them, and they could see defoliated woods beyond that. Kasuga pointed the gun at the hem of the woods, into where the left-curving defile vanished. Then a rifleman squatting right next to them cried out. “Enemy sighted in front!”
    But Kasuga couldn’t see beyond the corner because some tree trunks blocked his view. He released the safety on the gun by twisting the trigger button. He scrutinized the woods carefully and felt his eyes throb with pain, thanks to the tension of facing a real battle. Before long, his aching eyes captured some moving figures on the road through the woods. They were British soldiers. Though each man held a rifle at the ready, they were all standing upright. Nobody was crouch-ing or deploying. They came straight toward them in a close formation. Kasuga didn’t know whether they were brave or stupid. Tomita whispered while peering through his binoculars. “Don’t shoot yet. Those trunks are in the way. Wait until they finish rounding the corner.”
    Suddenly the shrill crack of rifle fire shattered the quiet. Somebody at the right wing must have been unable to tolerate the tension any longer.
    “What a mess! A damned greenhorn shot without asking. Haven’t they been told to wait for a sweep of HMG?” Tomita gritted his teeth with