107: Chapter 104 Fao Peninsula

February 19, 10 PM, Ahvaz.

Reza sat alone in his office.

On the desk lay a map of the Fao Peninsula, a cup of cold black tea, and that deep blue notebook.

He flipped open the notebook and saw the lines he had written before—Pump Station, siege, corridor, Tehran, general mobilization, countdown. Every step had been taken, and every step had been right.

Now, only the final step remained.

On the newest page, he wrote:

"Tomorrow, attack Fao. Not for the Pump Station, not for the oil, but for Iran, for my father, and for all those who didn't believe in me."

He closed the notebook and walked out of the office.

In the corridor, Karimi was doing a final equipment check with the signalman.

"Your Highness, all communication channels have been tested. The encrypted lines are normal, the backup channels are normal, and the satellite phones are also normal."

"Good. Go rest for two hours. Wake me up at 2 AM."

"Aren't you going to rest first?"

"I can't sleep."

Karimi looked at him, wanting to say something, but in the end, he just nodded.

February 20, 2 AM, Ahvaz.

Karimi knocked on Reza's door right on time.

"Your Highness, it's time."

Reza opened his eyes. He hadn't actually slept; he had just been lying in the dark, mentally rehearsing every step of tomorrow's plan over and over again.

He stood up, washed his face, put on a bulletproof vest, and donned his helmet.

As he walked out of the room, Hassan sent a final message from the Fao Peninsula: "Four Anti-aircraft guns locked on. Awaiting the signal to attack."

Reza glanced at his watch: 2:15 AM.

"Tell Hassan to open fire at exactly 4 AM."

"Understood."

He walked into the operations room.

Large maps of the Fao Peninsula and Basra hung on the walls, various communication equipment sat on the tables, and over a dozen staff officers were already in position.

"All units, report your positions."

The signalman began calling out.

"3rd Brigade, in position. Standing by at the river crossing point."

"2nd Division, in position. Awaiting orders to cross the river."

"1st Division, in position. Defensive lines deployed."

"Artillery Regiment, in position. All guns aimed at targets."

After listening, Reza took a deep breath.

"It is now 2:30 AM. One hour and thirty minutes until the attack."

He watched the clock on the wall, the second hand ticking forward notch by notch.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down.

3:45 AM, Ahvaz.

"Your Highness, a message from Hassan—'Four Anti-aircraft guns aimed. Opening fire in fifteen minutes.'"

"Reply—'Understood. Open fire in fifteen minutes, simultaneously.'"

3:50 AM.

"Your Highness, a message from Rezai—'River crossing units are ready. Awaiting orders to cross.'"

"Reply—'Begin crossing in ten minutes.'"

3:55 AM.

Reza stood up, walked to the communication console, and picked up the microphone.

"All units, this is General Headquarters. This is Reza Pahlavi. It is now 3:55 AM. The attack begins in five minutes."

He paused for a moment.

"This is no ordinary battle. This is the campaign that will decide the fate of Iran. If we win, we take back what belongs to us. If we lose, we have nothing."

"I believe in you. I believe in every one of you."

"Now, let's go win this war."

He put down the microphone and looked at the clock on the wall.

3:59 AM.

The second hand moved toward 12.

Exactly 4 AM.

"Open fire."

February 20, 1981, 4 AM, Fao Peninsula.

Four RPGs were fired simultaneously.

Hassan's men opened fire on the four Anti-aircraft guns around the Brigade Headquarters from four directions at once. At a distance of eight hundred meters, the flight time of an RPG was about three seconds.

Three seconds later, all four Anti-aircraft guns were hit.

Two were hit directly, causing ammunition to cook off and flames to soar. One was hit by shrapnel, its barrel deformed and rendered useless. Although the last one wasn't hit directly, the operators were killed by the blast, and the gun position was thrown into chaos.

"Withdraw!" Hassan shouted over the radio.

Twelve men rushed out from their hiding spots, sprinting through the darkness toward the marshlands north of the Brigade Headquarters. Behind them, the sound of Iraqi gunfire crackled like popping beans, but their shots were aimless—unable to see targets in the dark, they could only spray bullets in a general direction.

Hassan ran at the very back, glancing back as he ran.

All the lights in the Brigade Headquarters building were on. Iraqi soldiers rushed out of the building, some shouting, some firing, and some calling for reinforcements over the radio.

"The chaos has begun," Hassan thought. "Now it's up to Rezai."

4:05 AM, Shatt al-Arab East Bank.

Rezai stood on the riverbank, looking at the opposite shore through binoculars.

The Iraqi response was slower than expected. It wasn't until five full minutes after the Anti-aircraft guns were blown up that alarms sounded on the opposite bank. Searchlights flickered on, sweeping back and forth across the river, but since Hassan's men had opened fire at the Brigade Headquarters rather than from the river, the searchlights were pointed in the wrong direction.

"Cross the river!" Rezai ordered.

Sixty rubber boats hit the water simultaneously, each carrying twelve men. With equipment, the total weight exceeded one ton. The engines of the rubber boats let out a low roar on the river; it would take four minutes to cross the eight-hundred-meter-wide expanse.

For the first two minutes, there was no reaction from the Iraqis.

In the third minute, Iraqi mortars began to fire. Shells landed on the river, sending up plumes of water over ten meters high. One rubber boat was hit directly, and all twelve men fell into the water.

"Don't stop! Keep moving!" Rezai shouted over the radio.

In the fourth minute, the first wave of rubber boats reached the shore.

Revolutionary Guard soldiers jumped from the boats, wading through waist-deep water as they charged the shore with their guns leveled. There were only about thirty Iraqis at the first line of defense on the bank; having just been awakened by the Anti-aircraft gun explosions, they hadn't even had time to enter their positions before being caught off guard by the charging Iranians.

In five minutes, the first line of defense was breached.

4:15 AM, Ahvaz.

Reza listened to the reports from various units in the operations room.

"The first wave of the 3rd Brigade has landed. The first line of defense has been breached. Casualties: 23 killed, 41 wounded. Two Iraqi Anti-aircraft guns destroyed, one captured."

"The 2nd Division has begun crossing. All units are expected to be across in forty minutes."

"Hassan's team has withdrawn and is moving toward the rendezvous point. No casualties."

"The Artillery Regiment has completed the first round of fire coverage. Twelve Iraqi bunkers destroyed, three artillery positions suppressed."

After listening, Reza said, "Tell Rezai to speed up. We must take the central part of the peninsula before dawn."