went into combat in a wild, reckless manner, giving no quarter and asking none in a series of bloody campaigns in which the legionarios earned a well-deserved reputation for cruelty and brutality.
Astray backed up his military philosophy and aims by risking his own life, insisting on personally leading his troops in battle. Consequently, he suffered three serious wounds in the process: the first in the leg; the second in the left arm, which had to be amputated; and the third in the face, which cost him his right eye.
He eventually was promoted to general de brigades, participating in the Spanish Civil War with his former subordinate Francisco Franco, who would rule Spain from 1939 to 1975. General Milian Astray, an extremist of right-wing causes, supported Nazi Germany during World War II.
He died of a heart attack in 1954, but his spirit lived on through successive generations of the Legion Extranjero. Now Generalisimo Jose Maria de Castillo y Plato saw to it that same elan had become the driving force in the modern Falange seeking to conquer the Gran Chaco.
.
1400 HOURS LOCAL
IT took the Piaggio turbojet four trips to transport Bandera 2 and all unit gear from their garrison in the north down to Campamento Astray. When the final ammo box and ration carton was off-loaded and carried to the new unit's recently constructed barracks, the commander, Comandante Gustavo Cappuzzo, formerly of the Argentine Marines, formed up his men and marched them to join Bandera 1 in a special formation on the small parade ground.
The generalisimo marched to the front of the two units and took the salutes of Comandantes Toledo and Cappuzzo. After giving the men permission to assume the more comfortable position of at ease, Castillo spoke to them in a loud voice.
'You have been brought together to meet a challenge thrown at us by an unidentified enemy who is skulking throughout the Gran Chaco. Their origins, numbers and exact weaponry are unknown, but that does not make them phantoms. They are foreigners, perhaps wretched mercenaries, sent in a desperate attempt to stop the Falangist Revolution. Thus, the Dictadura Fascista de Falangia faces its first serious threat from persons who wish to crush this new world order. Many officers and noncommissioned officers of the armed forces of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile have grown disgusted with the leftist softness of their countries. Consequently, these professional commanders and their subordinates stand with us, giving us support in personnel and materiel that allows us to grow stronger almost daily. There will also be volunteers from the civilian populations of South America as well as Spain, France, Portugal and Germany joining us soon. All these are good men who have recognized the growing threat within the insidious incursions of socialism and other fanatical philosophies of radical left politics.'
Castillo began pacing back and forth, gazing at the banderas. They were not as large a force as an infantry company--totaling only ninety-two troops--but they were dedicated, professional soldiers ready to fight for the Falangist cause. He liked what he saw. This collective ferocity made up for the lack of numbers.
'You are being formed into a Grupo de Batalla--a battle group--of almost a hundred men,' the generalisimo continued. 'This grupo will be organized as current missions dictate. You will be broken down into rifle squads and machine gun crews along with special commando raiding teams. Additionally, a pair of Spanish Model L 60- millimeter mortars have been added to our arsenal.'
A murmur of approval rumbled through the ranks.
Castillo smiled. 'And, for the icing on the ca also receiving an EC-635 light utility helicopter that has been lately liberated from the Argentine Army. It will be invaluable for reconnaissance and the transport of troops and equipment. We expect much more growth in our capabilities of transport and support fire for infantry units.' He turned, looking out at the side of the formation. 'TenienteComnel Busch! Front and center, marche!'
Jeronimo Busch paraded onto the scene,going to the direct front of the generalisimo. After performing a faultless, snappy salute, he barked, 'I report for duty, mi generalisimo.' Busch made an about-face movement to face the two banderas.
'Teniente-Coronel Busch is hereby promoted to the rank of coronel,' Castillo announced. 'He will assume the direct field command of the Grupo de Batalla.'
Busch marched two steps forward, as Castillo moved back to give him center stage. The Chilean paratrooper's voice boomed even louder than that of the supreme leader's.
'Buenas tardes, soldados de fascismo! I am honored to have been chosen to serve as your commanding officer during active campaigning. We shall fight together to firmly establish the nation of Falangia in a great first step toward establishing the global dominance of fascism. The glory will be great and the fight difficult. I do not promise you an easy time. What I do promise you is sweat, tears, blood and unending combat. You will know hunger and exhaustion as demands are placed upon you that will stretch your spiritual and physical strengths to the ultimate limits of human endurance. I expect each and every one of you to live by the creed of the soldado Falangista! You must be brave! You must have the spirit of camaraderie! You must always go toward the sound of firing and seek out combat! You must make instant obedience a religion as you use the archangel Michael as your spiritual guide and mentor! Be brave and ferocious; fast and nimble; as tough as steel; and as alert as a hunting eagle! Our common destiny will be to have the generalisimo lead us to the magnificence and splendor of vanquishing the enemies of the way of life to which we are all dedicated.'
Even as Busch made another about-face to turn toward Castillo, the two banderas broke into spontaneous cheers, ready for a fight.
.
THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE OA
8 DECEMBER
0945 HOURS LOCAL
THE SEAL detachment moved twenty kilometers to the east along the Rio Ancho before coming to a halt. It had taken almost twenty-four hours of slow travel while they poled the piraguas as silently as possible with the raider craft tied on the sterns. Two men per boat labored at the task, changing off every . Hour on the hour. The new scout team of Garth Redhawk and Chad Murchison each took a side of the river, moving a kilometer ahead of the main group in the dual role of security and reconnaissance.
Now the detachment was set up on both banks of the waterway while Frank Gomez monitored the Shadowfire radio. As soon as the transmission they waited for came over the headphones, he called over to Lieutenant Wild Bill Brannigan.
'Sir! The chopper is on the way in.'
'All right,' Brannigan said. He took up his binoculars and scanned the western horizon. Within minutes the bright red of the Petroleo Colmo Dauphin helicopter came into view, flying directly toward the site. It approached rapidly, then slowed as it began to descend. When it was directly over the detachment, Senior Chief Buford Dawkins signaled it in for a landing. It came down to gentle contact with the grass.
The cargo door slid open, and Alfredo jumped out. 'Goodies!'
The SEALS went to the aircraft, and Paul Cinzento and Wes Ferguson jumped in and immediately began passing out the bundles of supplies to the others. Ammunition and rations made up the bulk of the cargo, but one unidentified bundle tightly wrapped was also included. Alfredo noticed everyone looking at it. 'Camouflage coverings,' he said, identifying it. 'I figured you guys would need extra if you were going to be hiding stuff all over the OA. There're also some individual capes you can throw over yourselves to hide in the grass. They're just the right motley color to allow you to blend in with your surroundings. I brought enough for everyone:'
Brannigan unbuckled the straps and opened it up. He pulled one of the coverings out and checked it over. 'Lightweight and compact,' he remarked approvingly as he rolled it into a tight bundle to see how it would fit into a rucksack.
'I figured you would need 'ern,' Alfredo said. 'The concealment on this savannah is as scarce as tenderness in a sergeant major's heart:'
Brannigan laughed. 'I've been wondering about you, Alfredo. I don't want to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but you've had military service, haven't you?'
'I'm ex--Army Special Forces,' Alfredo said, relenting. 'Actually I was one of those mean sergeant majors before I retired.'
'My confidence in you has blossomed, ex--Sergeant Major,' Brannigan said.
'I have faith in you guys too,' Alfredo said, moving toward the chopper. 'Well! If you need anything else, let me know. You call. I haul. That's all.' He waved as he got aboard the aircraft. The rotors kicked up, then the
