Team Yankee: a novel of World War III (41 page)

The battalion was again dispersed over as wide an area as possible so as to reduce its vulnerability to a nuclear attack. Team Yankee stayed in reserve. Once the Team was in its position, it settled in and prepared for another day. Foxholes were dug, camouflage placed, fighting and hide positions improved, platoon fire plans prepared, and numerous other tasks accomplished. By noon, they were ready and went to half-manning.

When Bannon was satisfied that all was in

order, he lay down in the first sergeant's PC and went to sleep.

At 1700 hours, First Sergeant Harrert woke him to tell him that he was wanted at the battalion CP immediately. As Bannon stumbled around, still half-asleep, he asked if the first sergeant knew what was up. The first sergeant replied negative. The S-3 wouldn't tell him.

The only message was to get up to the CP ASAP.

His feeling of dread dispersed as soon as he walked into the farmhouse where the CP was located. Everyone was going around the room shaking each other's hands as if it was an alumni reunion. Bannon went up to Frank Wilson and asked what was going on.

"Haven't you been told? The Soviets have declared a cease-fire effective midnight tonight.

They're throwing in the towel. It's over." He stood there for a moment. Just like that, the war was over. It was too good to be true. Something had to be wrong. "You mean they are surrendering? Now? Without our even touching the Soviet Union?" "Something like that. We don't have all the details yet but from what we heard, the Soviet leadership has changed and they want an immediate end to the war."

The colonel entered the room followed by the S-3 and the battalion XO. The XO called the meeting to order. Colonel Hill went over the information he had and what he thought. He tried hard to be cautious and keep from becoming carried away by commenting that the cease-fire wasn't in effect yet and that things could change rapidly. But he, like the commanders and staff assembled, was optimistic and overjoyed with the prospect of peace. He was followed by Ken Damato, the S-2, who gave a brief summary on the current enemy situation and pointed out some of the dangers they had to guard against once the cease-fire was in effect. The biggest one was from sabotage and espionage from line crossers and the local populace. They were, he reminded them, still in Communist East Germany. Major Shell followed and explained the rules of engagement that were to be placed into effect once the cease-fire became official. Warsaw Pact forces were not to come any closer to NATO positions than 1000 meters. If they continued to advance, they were to be engaged. All NATO soldiers had the right to protect themselves and return fire if fired upon. Effective at midnight, NATO forces were not to move any farther than the front line trace they had achieved as of that time. The NATO commander had ordered that all operations currently in progress were to continue until then. Communications with any Warsaw Pact forces were forbidden unless permission was obtained. The S-3

finished by saying that copies of the rules of engagement for distribution down to platoon level would be ready soon. The colonel finished the meeting by cautioning everyone against becoming too optimistic and especially against letting down their guard. They were still at war and the cease-fire could fail at any moment.

The sun was beginning to settle in the west as Bannon rolled back to the Team's area. At his back the sky was alive with brilliant reds and purples. The beauty of the lush green German landscape, unfolding before him, coupled with the spectacle of the setting sun and the quiet early night air lifted Bannonfs spirit to a height that he had not experienced in months. The driver knew the way back, leaving him free to reflect on the joy of the moment. It was over.

His worst nightmare was over and he had survived. There would be a tomorrow and he would see it. With nothing more weighty on

his mind than such thoughts, he relaxed and enjoyed the beauty of the countryside he had not seen before.

The leadership of Team Yankee was waiting at the Team CP when he came rolling in. They had become accustomed to his returning from battalion with grim news or word of a new mission. They had become practiced at remaining calm while their commander explained how the Team was about to risk the lives of its men to execute its new orders. This time, like all the times before, they expected no less.

They were taken aback, therefore, when Bannon approached with a smile on his face. Bob Uleski, sensing that

something was afoot, turned to the first sergeant. "Well, Sergeant, either it's good news or the pressure has gotten to him and the Old Man has finally slipped the track."

As hard as he tried, Bannon couldn't downplay his joy as the colonel had. After all they had been through, be couldn't hold back. "Men, unless we receive information to the contrary, effective midnight tonight, a cease-fire will take effect along the entire front. Unless something terrible happens, the war is over."

Epilogue.

Nothing terrible did go wrong. The cease-fire held. Over the next few days the Team stayed in place, maintaining its vigilance and preparing for a possible continuation of hostilities.

While they were careful not to let their guard down, life began to improve. Regular hot meals became available, as did mail service. The men began to catch up on their personal needs, from bathing to clean laundry. Even the weather improved as they moved from the heat of summer into the cool days of early September.

It was during the first week of September that the division was replaced by a National Guard unit recently arrived from the States. The job of disarming the Soviets went to them and other units. Division was temporarily moved back into West Germany, where it received some replacements of equipment and personnel. By then the Soviet regime that had started the war was dismantled, and the chances of a new war were nonexistent.

With the crisis over, the Army bureaucrats began to reassert themselves. Those people who had lived in government quarters in Germany before the war were being sent back to conduct an inventory of their property, if it were still there, and to prepare a claim for any damages. The decision as to whether personal property that survived would be sent back to the States or families brought back to Germany hadn't been made yet.

It was strange returning to the military community the battalion had left a little over a month earlier. So much had changed. The community looked the same, empty of people but otherwise unchanged. The MP who escorted Bannon's group verified their names and quarters' addresses before letting each of them into their quarters. Bannon, like most of the others, had lost his keys somewhere along the way.

When he walked into his quarters, Bannon was overcome by a feeling of relief and joy. For the first time, he knew that it was all over. The horrors, though they would never be forgotten, were now relegated to the past. He looked around the quarters. Everything was as it had been when he had left. He was home.

He picked up the family album and sat on the sofa, just as he had that night in early August.

As he leafed through it, he realized how much he missed his family. Looking at the pictures of his children, he was secure in the knowledge that they had a future free of the fears both he and his wife had grown up with. Again, Americans had been called on to pay for their freedom. And again, they had met the challenge, paid the price, and prevailed. Bannon prayed this would be the last time. But he knew better.

NATO MILITARY SYMBOLS

SIZE OF UNIT

Yl1!- UNITDESIGNATION

TYPE OF UNIT

UNIT SIZE UNIT TYPE

PLATOONC-ABHOR or TANK COI1PANI

IIECNANIEED INFANTRY

n

ARtlORED CAVALRY BATTALION

nil TASK FORCEI-ARTILLERY, SELF PROPELLED

III RMHEMENGINEER

BRIGADE

XX DIVISIONINFANTRY, STRAIGNT LEO

XXX CORPS

XXXX ARMYARTILLERY, TOYED

XXXXX ARMY GROUP ARKY AVIATION

AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY

UNITS VITN A BORDER

ARE VARSAV PACT

Glossary.

A-10: A U.S. Air Force jet designed specifically to provide close air support to ground forces.

AH 1: The designation of the Cobra attack helicopter. There are several versions, and armaments range from 7.62mm miniguns up to TOW antitank guided missiles. The TOW

provides the main punch of the Cobra.

AK: Short for AK47 or AK74 rifle, the standard assault rifle of the Soviet infantryman.

Armed Forces Network: The official radio and television network of the U.S. Armed Forces, serving American military forces deployed overseas.

Assembly Area: A location normally behind friendly lines where a unit closes into a tight circle in order to rest, rearm, and prepare for further operations.

Autobahn: The German equivalent to our interstate highway system, the autobahns, in fact, inspired and acted as a model for our interstate highway system.

Auxiliary Radio Receiver: Sometimes referred to as the AUX, it is simply a radio receiver, unable to transmit. Command vehicles normally carry a radio that can receive and transmit set to the radio frequency of the commander's unit and an auxiliary radio set to the radio frequency of his commanding officer.

Basic Load: A prescribed number of rounds or amount of supply carried by a combat vehicle or individual soldier.

BBC: British Broadcasting system.

BMP: A Soviet fully tracked infantry-fighting vehicle mounting either a 73mm gun or a 25mm cannon in the BMP-2 version, an antitank guided missile, and 7.62mm machine gun. The BMP carries a crew of three and a nine-man infantry squad. The BMP provided the prime motivation for the design and production of the Bradley fighting vehicle.

BTR: A designator identifying any one of several types of Soviet armored personnel carriers from the four-wheeled BTR-152 of World War II vintage to the BTR-70, an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier now being fielded.

BTR-60: A Soviet eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier. This vehicle comes in several versions, from the original, which has an open top, to the BTR-60PB, which is completely enclosed and carries a small turret mounting a 14.5mm and a 7.62mm machine gun. In addition to the personnel carrier version, the BTR-60 serves as a command and control vehicle, close air support vehicle, and other such uses.

Bradley: An armored fighting vehicle that comes in two versions, the M-2 mechanized infantry fighting vehicle version and the M-3 scout version. Both have a two-man turret that mounts a TOW missile launcher, a 25mm chain gun, and a 7.62mm machine gun mounted coaxially with the 25mm gun.

CEOI: Short for communication and electronic operating instructions. The CEOI contains all radio frequencies, radio call signs, signal information, and passwords and countersigns.

CEV: Short for combat engineer vehicle. This vehicle is a specially modified tank that carries a large caliber demolition gun used for reducing obstacles, a dozer blade for digging positions or clearing debris, and a boom and winch.

Chemical Alarm: A small portable device the size of a bread box that samples the air and alerts its users when a chemical agent, gas, is detected.

CINC: Short for commander in chief, the term is pronounced "sink." In this case, it is referring to the four-star general in command of all NATO forces in Europe.

CO: Short for commanding officer.

COAX: Short for coaxially mounted machine gun. This weapon is normally a 7.62mm machine gun mounted next to the main weapon of a fighting vehicle.

Cobra: Nickname of the AH I attack helicopter. The Cobra is also referred to as a "Snake."

Cupola: A small, freely rotating turret on top of a tank turret or personnel carrier that incorporates a hatch, vision blocks, and usually a weapon such as a machine gun.

CVC: Short for combat vehicle crewman's helmet. This helmet provides protection to the tracked vehicle crewman's head as the tank bounces around the countryside. It is also wired to the vehicle's radio and intercom, allowing the crewman to hear what is being broadcast and to broadcast over the radio and intercom.

Division Rear: Military units occupy terrain. The terrain that the unit occupies is called a sector and is normally subdivided into sectors with subordinate units responsible for the sector they occupy. The division rear is that part of the division's sector that is to the rear of the forward-deployed combat brigades. The division rear is normally managed by the division's support command, called DISCOM, and contains most of the noncom-

bat support elements such as supply units, maintenance units, medical units, etc.

DPICM: Short for dual-purpose, improved conventional munitions. This is an artillery round that contains many small submunitions or bomblets that are capable of defeating the thin armor located on top of armored vehicles as well as being effective against personnel and other "soft" targets.

Dragon: A medium antitank guided missile launcher. Manportable, the Dragon is the infantry's medium-range antitank weapon, with a range of 1000 meters.

Executive Officer: The second in command of a unit. In a company, the executive officer, or XO, is a first lieutenant; in a battalion, he is a major. Traditionally the XO is responsible for handling the administrative and logistical matters in the unit.

45: Short for the caliber .45 M 1911 A 1 pistol, the standard side arm for the U.S. Army. This weapon has been in the Army's inventory since 1911.

Field Phone: Simple telephones that are powered either by sound TA-ls or D-cell batteries TA-312s and connected by two-strand wire called WD-1.

Fighting positions: The location or position from which a soldier or fighting vehicle fights.

This position is usually improved to provide protection to the soldier or vehicle and camouflaged to hide the position until the soldier or vehicle fires.

First Sergeant: The senior NCO in a company, normally a master sergeant or E-8. In combat, the First Sergeant assists the executive officer in handling the administrative and logistical needs of the company.

FIST: Short for fire-support team. This team is headed by an artillery lieutenant and coordinates all requests for artillery and mortar fires as well as close air support. The FIST