1200 06 AUG 2000
==============
It
had been nearly two weeks. Two weeks ago the team had buried their
comrade in arms, friend, brother Schmitty. Following the destruction
of the Fifth, the team had held up west of Kalisz as the division
died. When the fighting had died down and the frantic calls on the
radio had ceased, the team had reluctantly decided to leave their
hiding position east of Kalisz and attempt to break out toward the
south. Soviet and Polish troops still patrolled the countryside but
maybe fate would smile on the team and they would slip through the
noose.
What
followed was a week of hectic travels interspersed with quick, brutal
combats. They had met bandits, primitives and stragglers. Soviet
patrols had been encountered and defeated, new friends gained and
some lost. Villages had been freed of oppression and deals made with
some unsavory characters. Somehow the team had made it through,
finally arriving at Dobrodzień, where once again they were among
friends.
Similar
experiences had also been had by the troops of B Troop, 1/116th ACR.
They had fought and killed, traveled and fled before returning to
their cantonment in Dobrodzień. Here they meant to stay, as did the
team. A lot of thing were in short supply, including manpower. That
problem was about to be addressed.
After
a week in which the team had the opportunity to heal and rest, they
had been called to a briefing. Although nothing really out of the
ordinary, the atmosphere felt different this time. A general air of
desperation mixed with a glimmer of hope filled the room as the flip
charts were carried in, covered with worn cavalry guidons. Now it was
time to learn the details of the mission that they were being asked
to execute. Time to learn what fate had in store for them.
Captain
Elizabeth Warren, commander of B-Troop entered, followed my Major Ed
Harris, the team's commander as all present in the room stood at
attention. Both took their places at the front of the room before
being joined by impressive bulk of First Sergeant John Blue Elk, the
First Sergeant of B-Troop.
Major
Harris had the rank but it was Captain Warren’s cantonment. An
agreement had been reached whereby the overall command of the
cantonment fell to Captain Warren and Major Harris had direct command
of the team. Each worked hard at supporting the other and the
agreement had worked so far and both agreed that no one would be
served well with a direct conflict about the chain of command.
Top
Blue Elk flipped up the first guidon, revealing a map of central
Poland including Kalisz. A slight but noticeable shiver went through
the group. They had recently escaped from that hellhole and had no
great need to return any time soon. No horses left in the world were
going to drag them north ever again. As with many things in the
world, they were wrong about that too.
After
giving the team a few minutes to let the shock sink in, she addressed
the team: “Judging by the look on your
faces, I can probably safely assume that everyone is familiar with
the area of operations for this mission. That being the case, I will
skip all the BS and get down to the meat of the mission. We
have received word from various merchants travelling in from the
north, that a large group of POWs from the 5th
are being held in an improvised camp near the old train station in
Zdunska Wola. Your mission is to infiltrate the WP lines, find the
prisoners and effect their rescue before acquiring local transport
and bringing them back to our cantonment.”
The
room remained silent. Everyone understood that they needed to rescue
their comrades in arms but they were being asked to throw themselves
again into the thick of things. No one relished the return to the
north, regardless of the reason. Before any voices could be raised in
opposition to the plan, Harris addressed the team: “It
is a hard mission, I have to admit, but those guys are our guys and
they need our help. The last report mentioned that many were in
terrible condition and some had died already due to exposure. They
will all literally die without our help.
We
will travel north in Can-Can using captured Russian uniforms as
disguises. We have also managed to acquire written orders stating
that we are searching for stragglers from the 5th. They
should be enough to get us through any casual inspections or
roadblocks we encounter.
Our
primary mission is the rescue of NATO POWs. Our secondary mission is
to cripple the enemy logistical formations in order to slow any
possible pursuit. Weapons use is at our discretion with the only
stipulation being that if we do engage enemy units, no survivors may
leave the encounter. If one survivor remains it will endanger our
cover. If we fight, we kill them all, regardless of the situation.”
The
room was quiet before but as Harris finished, it became as silent as
an unopened tomb. For the most part, the team had never been that
bloodthirsty before. They had given quarter and expected the same
from the enemy. This mission was different and each team member would
have to decide how they would deal with their own personal ghosts
later.
Harris
continued, “Potato will draw the uniform
of a Soviet Captain and will be ‘in charge’ in all encounters
with the enemy that require negotiation. Wally will draw a Polish
lieutenant’s uniform and will be Potato’s Polish liaison officer.
The rest will draw Russian infantry field uniforms.
Once
we leave the general vicinity of the cantonment we are on our own. We
cannot call anyone for backup and we will be travelling fast and we
will try to avoid enemy encounters where we can.
Captain
Warren has provided us with ammunition for the PK and we will draw
medical supplies and engineering materials from our cache.
We
kick off tomorrow at 0600. Any questions?”
The
last part was purely rhetorical. The mission was simple and the fact
that they would be going it alone was nothing new to the team. Same,
same, as always.
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