Fifth Platoon

The Fifth Platoon, Royal Anglian Regiment was an infantry platoon deployed in the Battle of Earth. It was commanded at first by Sergeant-Major Arthur Benton, but was taken over by Corporal Graham Smith after the former's death.

Resistance
Prior to the Battle of London, the Royal Anglians joined other British and Alliance units retreating from the major population centres to the Scottish Highlands. During this time, they suffered heavy attrition, and were reinforced by officers and NCOs from previously destroyed formations.

By the time of the Battle of London, the regiment had been moved south again to the city of Bedford, where Alliance forces under Admiral Anderson were gathering.

The Advance through London
Under Sergeant-Major Benton's command, Fifth Platoon advanced through Harrow into northern London. During this advance they took heavy casulties and ended up dispersed. Sometime later, the Sergeant-Major allegedly went catatonic and was killed by husks. The remains of the platoon formed up at FOB Westminster, and Corporal Smith took command.

The platoon then joined other Alliance troops under the command of Lieutenant James Vega, forcing their way across the Thames and through south London towards the Citadel Beam in Brixton. They suffered casulties from a Reaper-Destroyer but arrived at ridge before the beam unharmed.

Holding the Line
After the near-failure of the 2nd Light Armoured Brigade to force the Citadel Beam, Task Force Hammer was put on the defensive, covering the Beam for Commander Shepard and his team. With assistance of the STG and a platoon of artillery, Fifth Platoon held a forward phase line before falling back to the crest of the ridge, where Hammer made it's last stand.

Despite assistance from heavy tanks, the platoon was nearly overrun by Reaper forces. It was saved by the firing of the Crucible and the ensuing destruction of all Reaper forces.

After the War
The Royal Anglian Regiment was disbanded after the war due to it's catastrophic losses. Several of the unit's soldiers joined the Coldstreams, a new unit (based around the traditional British regiment) sent on operations against Cerberus remnants.