“They are still very much on alert. As agreed, all troops have returned to barracks, but men and equipment have been dispersed around the barracks in case the Soviets change their mind and bomb the hell out of them.”
“Food?”
“Berlin has significant reserves, Prime Minister. Up to six months at least.”
“So there is no let-up from the Soviets… ”
“None,” responded General Hamilton. “On the contrary, they seem even more determined to take West Germany. The use of chemical weapons supports that.”
“Then we must fight them. I must speak with the NATO ministers. We meet back here in four hours.”
Chapter 37
From a distance, it could have been mistaken for any tented military complex. As you got closer, the sights, sounds and smells told a different story. Erected under a thin screen of trees, the dressing station was well laid out and organised. But the line of bagged bodies and the cries from some of the wounded and the almost manic, yet purposeful, actions of the soldiers manning it were indicative that their workload was high. The five treatment bays were in full swing, as were the two surgical teams. Capable of dealing with 450 casualties in twenty-four hours, they were currently having to manage twice that number, many of them civilians, children who had been brought to the station by desperate parents. Many of the German civilians were suffering from the effects of being exposed to chemical agents used by the Soviet army to target airfields and logistical depots of the NATO forces. The military personnel reluctantly turned away as many as they could, telling them they must use their own hospitals, even though they too were overflowing. On occasion, they relented.
Two vehicles from the evacuation troop, a 432 ambulance and a 1 Ton Land rover pulled up close to a treatment bay. The stretcher cases were quickly taken off for triage. A Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) medic completed the triage quickly, needing to know the state of each casualty so she could allocate them to the correct treatment station. The Land rover then sped off to the Chemical Decontamination Cell (CDC). Two further stretchers were slid out from the top and bottom rack on the rear right-hand side. Both were quickly carried into the first section of the tent where absorbent powder, bleach and slurry were used to remove any remnants of contamination before they removed the casualties’ clothing. Even as the two soldiers were being decontaminated, another 432 pulled up alongside, more casualties from the front. The surgical teams, some of them with doctors from the Territorial Army, had already had a long night and a long day.
As the Soviet Western TVD continued its thrust west, respite was not on the horizon.
About the Author
A qualified parachutist, Harvey Black served with British Army Intelligence for over ten years. His experience ranges from covert surveillance in Northern Ireland to operating in Communist East Berlin during the Cold War where he feared for his life after being dragged from his car by KGB soldiers. Since then he has lived a more sedate life in the private sector as a director for an international company and now enjoys the pleasures of writing. Harvey is married with four children. For more from Harvey, visit his website at www.harveyblackauthor.org.