The 104th Counter-Toy Battalion was instituted in January of 2007, by Colonel Jimmy Sabra and Sergeant Stephen Martian, as a private citizen's militia with the aim of defending the free world from the menace posed by rogue toys. After the First Toy War of 2004-2005, and the ongoing Second Toy War, only one body had the strength to combat this insidious menace. And so the 104th was born.

History

Early History

Due to the secretive nature of the 104th's work, many details about its operations may never be known. Its first known major success was at the Battle of MacNamara in the spring of 2007 just as toy forces were closing in on the coalition's capital. The devastating effect that this battle had on toy leadership cannot be overstated. In the aftermath of MacNamara, Col. Sabra and Sgt. Martian chose to allow public knowledge of their unit, in the hopes that its effectiveness would be a powerful morale weapon against the toys. They were absolutely correct. Many media reports sprang up of successes enjoyed by the 104th - even though Col. Sabra denies the 104th's participation in at least half of the battles in question, and there is no reason to believe that he would lie.
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Initial Successes

In the summer of 2007, the 104th enjoyed back-to-back successes that reversed the momentum of the entire Second Toy War. At Plymouth, Col. Sabra and his elite corps came up against a massive assault led by toy commanders Major West and Major East. Sabra and his men dug in along the high ground, fending off brutal flanking attacks while buying time before reinforcements could come. When Sabra got word that the reinforcements were blocked along a road ten miles away, he ordered one squad, led by Sgt. Stephen Martian, out of their trenches to meet the toys' next flank attack head-on. Surprised by the unexpected resistance, the toys broke and fled from the field. Col. Sabra estimated the loss of 50 to 100 toys, at the cost of one man wounded. At the Battle of Evanston, Col. Sabra and Sgt. Martian artfully hid their men in the woods near a river, ambushing a toy division as it marched along a sunken road while attempting to outflank coalition forces. Unable to locate their attackers in the dense foliage, many toys fired blindly into the trees, causing bullets to ricochet back into their own men. Out of the hundreds of toys who entered Evanston Forest, only a few dozen escaped unhurt. Independent observers estimate over a hundred toys killed, upwards of two hundred wounded, and perhaps another hundred captured.
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The Battle of Princeton Ridge

By mid-September 2007, the Toy High Command had gotten word of the 104th's exploits, and had made their annihilation a major tactical and strategic goal. Col. Sabra and his men were holding position on high ground near Princeton Ridge when a large contingent of toys arrived, hoping to flush them out and cause them to flee. Sabra waited until the toys were within thirty yards before ordering a devastating volley, which pushed the toys back to a tree line a quarter-mile away and resulted in the death of Major West. Major East, undeterred, ordered a counterattack, and battle raged fiercely for several minutes before Major East too was cut down. Captain Cow assumed leadership in the absence of higher-ranking officers and, reinforced by a platoon of dinosaur toys, led his toys on one final suicidal charge. Though they nearly reached the 104th's front line, it was in vain; all the toys perished, except for a few dinosaurs, which managed to escape. Confronted with the loss of their three highest-ranking officers, the Toy High Command had no choice but to call off the hunt for Sabra and his men until suitable reinforcements could be found.
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Future Operations

All details of future operations of the 104th are classified by order of Col. Sabra. However, rumors are circulating that the Toy High Command has called in its highest-ranking officer, General Robot, as well as a smaller contingent of officers, with the goal of tracking down the 104th for good. It stands to reason that more battles will occur in the closing months of 2007. One should also note that the High Command's preoccupation with the 104th has allowed coalition forces to gain a substantial advantage over toy forces in all major theaters of battle. Perhaps the Second Toy War will draw to a close before Christmas of 2007.<br><br>

Units

The 104th CTB is a battalion-strength unit. As a civilian partisan militia unit, albeit an elite one, organization is loose and malleable. The current divisions are as follows:

Commanding Staff Officer: Colonel Jimmy Sabra

Squad 1 (appx. strength: 20 men)
Commanding officer: Sergeant Stephen Martian

Squad 2 (appx. strength: 12 men)
Commanding officer: Sergeant Julian Collins

General information

Unlike many military units, the 104th does not have any standarized weaponry other than a common caliber; all their weapons are chambered for the .22LR rifle round. Col. Sabra uses a semiautomatic Ruger 10/22; Sgt. Martian employs a bolt-action Remington 341, and Sgt. Collins uses a bolt-action Savage Mk2. As it is independent of any military or command structure, the 104th undertakes operations only when it desires, at times and places of its own choosing. Some have argued that this freedom is the only real cause of its victories; others contend that the 104th's success in operations is a testament to Col. Sabra's genius in choosing the proper occasions to do battle.

Popular culture

Although Sabra discourages the practice, several news channels have segments dedicated to news of the 104th's latest movements and battles. Rumor has it that action figures are even being produced of the leaders of the 104th - one can only hope that these action figures do not join the side of the toys in their current war, lest Sabra have to fight a plastic version of himself.

Notes

See also

External links