The words ‘or else’ were never actually included in the orders, but every Russian officer developed a genius for reading between the lines. False economy, particularly in respect of casualties, was never a factor behind the decisions arrived at by the Soviet Command. If a target was of sufficient importance, then forty tanks and two hundred and fifty men were utterly expendable to capture or destroy it.
Frankfurt was that important. The column, while formidable on any battlefield, was totally inadequate for taking a city, but the panic their appearance on the streets would cause, before they could be mopped up, would be catastrophic.
‘That’s what we want. Put us down there.’ The chopper sank to a fast bouncy landing in a field not far from the stone bridge. Revell had the door open before it settled, and was shouting instructions even as he jumped out.
‘Cohen, get us air-support. Tell them we’ll have a backed-up armoured column for them in… in forty minutes. Sergeant, I want explosives under that bridge, enough to bring down most of the span. Any mines we have left go on the far bank. Concentrate them at the most likely locations armour might use to cross.’
‘What about the bus?’ The pilot had come out of the Chinook, and approached Revell as he assisted in the unloading of the stores. ‘Hang on here until we’re finished, then you can lift us to that farm over there.’ Revell indicated an extensive sprawl of barns and sheds, surrounding a shuttered four-storey house fifteen hundred yards away. ‘That’s fine by me, just don’t leave it too late. If we’re in the air when the Ruskies show, then we won’t be for long.’ He turned to go back in, then paused. ‘You need any help?’
‘Every bit we can get. Take these over to the bridge.’
‘OK.’ The pilot held out his arms and accepted the load of explosives and fuses. ‘Matter of fact, I’ll be glad when the last of this ordinance is off my old bus. Since I came over, I’ve mostly been hauling vehicle spares, it was beginning to get kinda boring. Now I reckon I’m looking forward to the stink of axle grease again.’
The co-pilot was not as pleased to be roped in to help with the portering. The sweat that poured from him, as he lugged the charges to where Libby was setting them against the underside of the single arch, had little to do with the effort involved. His peace of mind wasn’t helped by Dooley who, seeing his nervousness, cut a thin slice from a block of plastic explosive and put a match to it right in front of him.
‘Save the party tricks and get on with it,’ was the only rebuke offered by Hyde, as the co-pilot made a peculiar strangled noise and backed away, to turn and run clutching the seat of his pants to the nearest ditch.
Libby had rested the charges on the ledges of large steel I beams, that had been set into the structure some time in the past to strengthen it. ‘That’s the best I can do without more time to play around.’
‘That’ll do.’ Revell looked over the parapet. ‘They’re not going to see them, and even if they do it doesn’t matter. Either way we slow them down, and they’ll eventually be forced to make a wet crossing and then we get a real crack at them.’
‘I don’t think we’ll be getting many of them with these.’ Hyde tapped his foot against a collection of mines, most of them small anti-personnel types. ‘Even using them in pairs, they’re unlikely to break a track on a T84.’
‘Set them anyway. We may get lucky, and they’ll catch any infantry they send to check the banks.’
‘Trucks coming, Major.’ It was Burke who saw the approaching convoy first. ‘What in hell’s name is going on? The MPs have had enough time to stop all the traffic. How come half a dozen six-wheelers have slipped through?’ Revell walked out into the middle of the road. ‘Clarence, take Kurt and flag them down. Tell them to turn around and get their arses out of here.’
Although he’d said nothing to her, Andrea inevitably tagged along with the sniper. She ignored Kurt’s leer. An afterthought struck the major. It was a long shot, but worth a try. He called out after the trio.
‘Check what loads they’re carrying.’
At only fifteen yards wide, Revell wasn’t sure that the water flowing between the steep banks could really be graced with the title of river. It sure wasn’t the Rhine, but the recent rain had raised its level appreciably, as the flattened weeds along the bank showed. He could only guess at its depth, but it certainly wasn’t more than six feet at best. But that would be enough.
The Russian armoured personnel carriers were amphibious, but the tanks weren’t. They would either have to waste time preparing for deep wading, or find another bridge or ford. The delay might be long enough for an air-strike to be effective. Spaced out along the road and moving fast the column was a difficult target, it would be a different matter if they could be caught waiting to cross. Andrea was suddenly beside him.
‘There is something you should see.’
It was the first time she had spoken to him directly in three days. As usual, her tone and expression were neutral. He followed her to the trucks, wishing that she was wearing the tight jeans in which he’d first seen her.
‘It’s mostly PX stores, Major.’ Clarence waved his hand over the line. ‘There’s even a mobile library, but I thought the one at the end might be of interest.’
When Revell walked down the line, at first glance the last vehicle in the convoy looked no different from any of the others. He couldn’t see what the sniper was getting at. Its cargo area carried only an assortment of roped-down packing cases containing gun spares. Then he saw the two-wheel trailer on the back, and identified the lettering on its container.
‘I think we just hit pay dirt.’ He called out to the driver. ‘Is this ALX in here?’
‘Ain’t it just. I pulled the short straw and had to hitch it to my rig. Why do you think I’m tail end Charlie of this bunch?’
‘Drive it over to the far side of the bridge. The Sergeant will show you where he wants it.’
At Revell’s words the driver switched off his engine and leapt from his cab. ‘Hey, I ain’t no combat soldier, I’m a truck driver. I reckon I’ve been shit on enough by having to tow a trailer full of liquid explosive all the way out here, I’ll be damned if I’m going to start messing about with the goop.’ The driver turned his attention to the other members of the convoy. All five vehicles were executing lumbering three-point turns on the narrow road. His full attention snapped back to the major when he saw the Colt being pointed in his direction.
‘I’ve neither the time nor the patience to argue. Get in, start up, and drive…’
‘You can’t do that…’
‘…where I told you. Now.’ Thrusting the barrel to within an inch of the driver’s chin, Revell looked him straight in the eye. ‘I said now.’ He cocked the 0.45. ‘Soon as we’ve used that part of your load you can be off.’
‘Alright, I’m doing it, see I’m doing it.’ Without further prompting the driver boarded again and, the minute the other trucks had completed their turns and were out of the way, drove across the bridge.
By the time Revell was back on the bridge, Hyde and Dooley had started to spray the liquid explosive on to the far bank. It soaked into the earth immediately, leaving no trace. The largest concentration was used two hundred yards downstream, where turbulence beneath the river’s surface indicated a shallower stretch, and thus a possible fording place. Libby put one of the anti-personnel mines into the centre of each treated patch, to act as a trigger.
‘And when this is done, do we go and hide, like the last time?’ Cradling her M16, Andrea watched the work in progress.
‘What would you like us to do, strap grenades to our bodies and chuck ourselves under their tracks?’ It irritated Revell that, in every one of their brief exchanges, he was invariably forced on to the defensive. ‘Well use what resources we’ve got the best way I know how. Now get back to the chopper, we’re almost through.’ The way she always kept him at a distance just had to be deliberate. Not that he’d ever said anything, made any obvious move; but she instinctively sensed his interest, and was wary, avoided giving him encouragement.