by W. R. Benton
A few minutes later the group joined me and then Willy asked, "Now, what was that about a tank?"
Tom looked as serious as death as he said, "I saw a tank by the river. I'm no tank expert, but it looked like a T-90S to me. I know the damned thing had two machine guns on top."
"Chill a little. I didn't hear a tank."
"The crew was working on the tracks when I saw it. They had a long link of track in front on the left side. It looked like the track had come loose and continued rolling until they stopped."
"They're not a real threat right now, but might have some things Colonel Parker would want to get his hands on."
"Willy, that thing has a huge gun, and I saw two machine guns."
"The gun is a 125mm smooth-bore gun and the guns on top were a 7.62mm machine gun and a 12.7mm air defense gun. The crew is made up of three men, a commander, gunner and driver."
"Had at least ten men there and I know they weren't all crew."
"Most likely the others were left for security as the crew repairs the tank." Willy replied.
"What now? Do we take the tank or go around?" I asked, really hoping he'd not say what I expected.
"We take the tank, but only on our terms."
CHAPTER 21
Willy handed a grenade to me and one to Tom. I felt my heart beating hard in my chest and wondered if the others could hear it pounding. I had a Claymore in my pack, but it'd be like throwing rocks against a tank, or so I thought. Kate was positioned on a slight hill behind us where she could snipe, if need be, and the others were lined up in the grasses as close to the tank as we dared go as a group. I looked at my watch, and it was 0500, time to start the show. I looked at Dolly and commanded, "Stay." I knew she'd be there when I returned, if I returned.
We lowered ourselves to the ground and slowly started crawling forward. About half way to the huge vehicle, I spotted a guard leaned against the rear of the tank, and touched Tom on the arm. He nodded, so I knew he'd seen the man. Earlier in the day, just before dusk, we'd watched the Russians eat and then the crew went inside the tank, while the rest moved to holes they'd dug in a rough circle around the tank. I'd spotted a machine gun pit along with an assistant gunner or ammo carrier, but all the other holes had just one man. I'd seen a few sandbags thrown around, but I don't think any of them seriously thought they'd be attacked.
My shotgun was in my left hand, and in my right I carried an old United States Marine Corp Ka-Bar knife that I'd had for twenty years. My father had owned it before me and used it in Vietnam. Suddenly Tom stopped moving, touched me and pointed off to his left. I knew he wanted me to kill the man in the hole to our left, while he moved forward.
I moved with caution toward the lone occupant, except a few minutes later I heard his soft snores and relaxed a little. I quit moving less than two feet from his hole and waited. As soon as the clouds moved a bit more and blocked the moon, I'd strike hard. I saw the faint outline of his head and shoulders and noticed his head was hanging to the side as he slept.
As the clouds moved, I waited with every nerve on edge, because the slightest noise or smell, and I could very well die within the next few minutes. Then, just as the moon slid behind the clouds, I sprang forward and placed my left hand over the Russian's mouth and slid the sharp blade of my knife over his throat as I held his head back. His body twisted and turned, but I held him firmly in place as blood spurted into the air. I heard a few muffled Russian words behind my hand, but then it changed to choking, until his body went limp a few minutes later. I felt blood running down my left arm and a coppery smell filled the night air.
As I turned to move toward the tank once more, I saw the silhouette of Tom moving for the guard at the rear of the big vehicle. Then, as I watched, the shadows mixed and became one. Crawling to the tracks of the tank, I waited, praying Tom had taken his man out. Okay, I thought as I saw the outline of Tom's boonie hat against the sky, let's get this over with. This thing sure has a strong odor of diesel. Hell, they might have a fuel leak too.
When he neared me, he smiled to let me know he was okay. Motioning with his thumb, he let me know he was ready to deliver our eggs. We both climbed on top of the tank and I was happy to find the hatches open, because if they'd been closed we'd made a wasted trip. Willy assured me that most tankers didn't button up at night if they could help it and wanted the fresh air. He claimed with the smells of oils, fuels and men passing gas, a closed up tank turned foul pretty quickly. I suspected with men circling them, they had a false sense of security.
Tom glanced at me as I pulled my grenade from my shirt pocket and pulled the pin, holding the handle tightly. He held up three fingers and I knew when the last one dropped, so did my grenade. Like me, he'd already pulled the pin on his grenade, holding the handle closed in his left hand. We wanted to deliver our surprises at the same time. He lowered the first finger, then the second and finally the third, I simply let the grenade fall from my hand into the tank.
It landed with a loud clunk, followed a second later by a second almost identical sound. I heard one of the crew ask a question and then heard a loud command of some sort. The drivers hatch opened and a man started out when the explosion occurred, throwing the screaming man into the air. We both jumped from the tank, just as flames shot from the open hatches and screams sounded. I prayed the men in the foxholes had no idea who we were and thought we were members of the tanks crew running to escape the flames.
As soon as the explosion filled the darkness with light, I heard one, two, then a third controlled shot from the hill Kate was positioned on. I kept running toward the trees and heard the sounds of Willy and the others firing. Large clumps of dirt jumped from the grass in front of me and it took me a second to realize it was from the machine gun. I began to run in a zig-zag pattern to avoid bullets.
I reached the trees in safety and Tom was hot on my heels. We move to the right and approached Willy and the rest of the crew. The Russians no longer returned our fire and I watched for movement, but saw nothing. Willy gave us a thumb up when we neared.
The tank blew at that moment, throwing the turret high into the air as the ammo and fuel exploded. The light from the explosion was so bright, I could see the individual trees across the field, well over two hundred yards away. I saw a head pop up and look around, heard Kate fire, saw the man partially raise up and then fall back half out of his hole. The light was intense, as was the heat from the fire, so we waited.
"Skinner, run back to Kate and ask her if she's any trapped down there or how many she thinks still live. Be sure to ask her about the damned machine gun!" Willy ordered.
Skinner took off and returned a few minutes later out of breath. Once his breathing was under control he said, "She thinks the crew on the machine gun crew are dead and the only one yet alive is on the other side of the tank, on the far side."
Willy looked at his watch, then glanced at the sky and said, "It'll be daylight in about ten minutes. We'll approach the tank and kill any survivors. Then, go over all the clothing and take everything you can from the pockets. Take any maps, papers, or personal letters you find, take it all. Pick up the weapons, ammo, and anything else we can use. Any questions?"
There were none, so we waited.
Just as the sun peeked over the tree behind us, Willy said, "Let's get this done and then continue our mission." We moved forward as a group.
I heard Sandra's shotgun fire once, followed by a penetrating scream and then the Russian machine gun opened up! I saw Vickie go down and Skinners head explode as I dove for the ground. I fired at the gun, pumped in a fresh shell and fired again. Suddenly it grew quiet.
"Cover me," Willy yelled, and ran at the machine gun. Once at the hole, he fired four rounds from his sawed-off shotgun into the Russians. I stood on unsteady legs and looked around. Sandra was moving toward Vickie and Tom was checking Skinner. Me, I joined Willy and we made our rounds, shooting into men at each of the holes we found.
When we returned, Sandra met my eyes a
nd said, "Vickie has a sucking chest wound and it doesn't look good. Skinner is as dead as he'll ever get and half his head is missing."
"Well, this idea was pretty damned stupid, huh? I get two people killed, blow a tank to hell and back when I didn't want to that. I wanted the communications in this tank, because we need it! I don't understand how this happened. Sonofabitch, I lost two people and gained not a damned thing!"
Tom lowered his head and said, "I poked holes in the bottom of the gas cans at the rear and sides of the tank before we threw the grenades inside. I did the job right after I killed my guard. I never thought of anything other than the fire that would "
"Enough. The fuel used on these tanks is diesel and it's not as dangerous as gasoline, but when you poked the cans, the fuel had time to run into every nick and corner of the tank. I wondered what had caused all the fire, and now I know. Now, everyone start searching the bodies and gathering up weapons."
Tom lowered his head and said, "Willy, I'm "
"Let it go, buddy. I should have warned you, but didn't. You've been trained to destroy and by God, we've done that! It don't mean nothin', as my daddy used to say."
A half an hour later we gathered by Vickie as Sandra said, "She's tough and is still hanging on. Only I think she's all torn up inside, because the bullet tumbled after hitting bone. The exit wound was near her hip."
Willy pulled his pistol and said, "We can't be held back by someone we don't expect to survive. If I thought this woman had one chance in hell of living, I'd carry her every single step of the way back in my arms. But, I can't risk our lives." He pointed the gun at Vickie's head and squeezed the trigger. Her body jerked once, quivered a few seconds and then stopped moving.
Willy crossed himself and walked toward the woods. As he moved he said, "Let's go, we're going back to the see the colonel." I watched him pick up four AK's and slip the slings over his neck.
Just before I entered the woods, I looked back at the tank. Black oily colored smoke rose high into the sky and the dead littered the field. The smoking turret was fifty yards away, laying on it's side and flames were still coming from the hatches. My attention was distracted as Dolly made her way to me with her tail wagging. I took one more backward glance and looked into Vickie's unseeing but open eyes.
*****
Shortly after entering the woods, Willy took a compass heading and we moved in a new direction. He's wanting to throw anyone who may try to follow us off our real route, I thought. Tom brought up the rear and Willy was on point, so I kept Dolly on a leash beside me as we moved. Sandra and I often took turns with the dog, but I'd had an uneasy feeling about the attack on the tank and felt revenge would be swift. While Dolly would do whatever Sandra told her to do, her response time to me was much shorter.
It was then I saw Willy drop to one knee and bring his fist into the air. He cupped his left hand behind his ear. I listened, but didn't hear anything, but then picked up a high pitched whine and it seemed to be overhead.
"Down, now!" Willy screamed.
I had no idea what in the hell was going on, but I fell to the ground and rolled up next to log. I heard an aircraft pass over us at a high rate of speed and caught a slight glimpse of the silver body. I then heard an explosion and looking behind us, I caught sight of a huge ball of flames rising to the sky napalm! Thank God, we were too far away to feel the heat, but some people had just been burned to death.
Willy moved back to us, pulled out his map, and whispered, "There is a small town on the other side of where we attacked the tank. I suspect the Russians think that's where the attack originated."
Another jet screamed overhead and once it passed us, Tom asked, "No one lives there, do they?"
"I suspect not, but if they did "
The sound of another explosion was heard and, a fireball roared into the sky near the first one.
"If they did, they're dead now. Let's move people, and do the damned job quickly."
We took to the trail once more at a jog, which I hated since I was carrying about sixty pounds of gear and equipment from the Russians. I glanced down at Dolly and she met my eyes and grinned. She was enjoying the run.
Every hour we stopped for ten minutes, until finally, when darkness was about an hour away, Willy moved us back into some stunted cedars surrounded by tall oaks.
Kate, sweating profusely and breathing hard, threw her pack on the ground and bent over trying to get her breath. I flopped to the ground and pulled Dolly close, scratching her ears as I tried to breathe. Sandra sat beside me, winked and then gave me a big smile. I have one hell of a wife. She just jogged about ten miles after attacking a Russian tank, and she smiles, I thought as I smiled back at her.
Whispering Willy said, "Our original mission was to meet a guide in the village the Russians hit with napalm earlier. I doubt our guide stuck around after our fight with the tank, but if he did, Colonel Parker is now short one guide. With no guide, we'll return to camp."
"Do you think the Russians are on our back trail?" Tom asked.
Willy shrugged and replied, "Hard to say, really, because they don't think like we do. I'd say they suspected the attack came from the village and they burned the shit out of it already. No, I think our backside is clear."
Kate reached into her pack, pulled out a set of straight shank climbers, and started attaching them to her legs and boots.
Sandra gave me a questioning look so I said, "Climbers, just like a lineman uses to climb poles."
Sandra nodded as Kate said, "I'm going to climb to the top of the highest oak I can find. I'll take my rifle and see if anyone is following us. My scope means I won't need to take binoculars with me."
"Tom, you go with her to provide security as she scopes the area."
A few minutes later they were gone.
I took all our canteens to a small stream, filled each, and returned to camp. I leaned with my back against a tree watching Sandra eating her MRE, which reminded me I was hungry. I'd just pulled my meal out of my pack when I heard a single shot. I started to go to ground when Willy said, "That was a 30.06, and it sounds like Kate found a target."
I then heard two more shots with less than three seconds between them. I opened my meal and began to eat. As I reached for my pack, so I could put the plastic from my meal in it, I heard another shot.
We waited, but Willy seemed cool about it, so I relaxed. I knew he had complete confidence in Kate and while I wanted to trust her, the only ones I really trusted were Tom, Sandra and Dolly. I wasn't sure about Willy yet and while he had his shit together, he sometimes made some strange decisions or forgot to tell us important things, like our attack on the tank and the gas cans. Now I realize a leader can't remember everything, but most of us lacked the training he had and none of us had been a Green Beret or Special Operations. Granted Tom had been a Ranger, but some folks with us had no training at all.
A little after dark, Kate and Tom returned.
"How many were on our back trail?" Willy asked.
"How many shots did you hear?" Kate replied.
"Four."
"I don't miss."
Tom said, "We visited the kill site, and they had a Russian and 3 locals in the group. I brought back the weapons, grenades and foods."
Willy was quiet for a minute, then asked, "Clean kills, Tom?"
"Each was a head shot."
"Eat, and we'll be sleeping back to back tonight."
Morning dawned chilly compared to most mornings and as we loaded up to move, I saw Kate holding an AK47 in her hands. Her sniper rifle was on a sling around her neck. I moved to the trees to relieve myself. I'd just started to pee when I heard a twig snap. Oh, this is just great! Here I stand with my stuff in my hands taking a leak and folks are attempting to sneak up on us, I thought and tried to cut the flow of my urine, but that takes time. A few seconds later I buttoned my jeans and made my way back to camp.
I neared the group and whispered, "Danger."
Everyone went to ground before I di
d, so I felt a bit pissed as I fell to the ground and crawled up beside Sandra. I heard and saw nothing, only I knew that meant little. Dolly was beside us, so why no warning growl?
I looked over then, and spotted movement. However, I watched, hoping to see the movement develop into a man. That didn't happen, but it continued to move parallel to our position, and finally I got a good view. A huge 12 point buck walked into a narrow clearing. I reached behind me, removed the compound bow I'd been packing for months, and made an arrow ready. When the buck lowered his head to eat, I raise to my knees, pulled the bowstring back, and released the arrow.
The arrow struck the buck right behind the foreleg and I knew it was a killing shot. Usually a deer will run a few yards before falling, but this one collapsed. Willy appeared beside me and whispered, "What?"
"Big deer."
"Killed?"
I nodded and pointed, "Check your 12 O'clock position."
"I see it. Quarter the meat, we need to leave."
CHAPTER 22
When we returned to Colonel Parker, he was happy to get the meat, and even happier we'd destroyed the tank.
"By God, they'll think the only group strong enough to have attacked them was the ones with the Chinese backing. I hope, and I'm likely correct, they'll retaliate against the other group."
Top, looking better, but still a bit weak said, "Our dead can't be identified by any markings, so they'll naturally assume it was their biggest enemy."
Willy was standing near the table, and had just shown Parker where the tank had been and the small town we'd seen burned. "One of our dead was a mercy killing."
"No one life is worth the risk of others and we all know that." Parker said bluntly.
"I think your guide got his ass out fast, once he heard the fight." Top said, and then continued, "The town has been empty for years, so I doubt the Russians did much, except burn some places."