'Hold it!' a pessimistic gang member named Pancho DiPietro called out. 'Do they expect us to fight those guys with our bare hands?'
'They are going to give us weapons,' Pullini said, noting the instant expressions of happy surprise on his men's faces. 'We will have Spanish Mauser rifles that hold five bullets.'
'No es bueno!' Coletti said. 'That isn't good! I am familiar with those Mausers. Those are real old rifles that are seven-millimeter. They are bolt action, and that means you got to work the bolt for each shot you make. And five bullets are not very many.'
'Beggars can't be choosers,' Pullini pronounced. 'And they'll be good for providing food and protection on our way out of this cursed place.'
A shrill warning whistle came from one of the lookouts. Everyone shut up and glanced toward the gate. A group of Falangists pushing a cart had just arrived. They had a crate with a small cardboard box sitting on top of it. The sargento yelled for six men to come forward. Pullini instantly picked out a half-dozen men who trotted over to see what was wanted. It took only a moment for the crate and box to be transferred from the cart to their hands. They carried them back, placing the load down in front of the gang leader.
One of the men, who had a stolen claw hammer, went to his tent to get it. Pullini opened the cardboard box on top, noting it had canvas bundles in it. When he unwrapped one of them, he found a rifle-cleaning kit complete with solvent, patches, oil and a ramrod. By that time the owner of the hammer was back. He immediately began taking off the top of the wooden container. Pullini looked inside and saw two dozen old rifles covered with a thick coating of Cosmoline.
'Are there any bullets in there, jefe?' Bagni asked. Pullini shook his head. 'No. But we're going to have a hell of a job cleaning up those rifles for use.'
Coletti looked toward the gate. 'I notice we're still locked down.'
under his desk and retrieved the rucksack he kept hidden there. He opened the main flap and pulled out the carefully arranged manila folders holding the documents he had sorted so precisely. He even had them neatly titled in his precise handwriting. All the floppy disks were stored in side pockets, concealed within socks and underwear.
He looked at each folder, counting them to make sure nothing was missing: 'Roster of the Ejercito Falangista,' 'Operations Orders,' 'Radio Call Signs,' 'List of Operatives and Locations' 'Intelligence Reports,' 'Minutes of Staff Meetings,' and finally 'Lists of Properties Stolen from the Armed Forces of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.' After carefully arranging them to avoid smudging or bending any, he placed a pair of uniform trousers and jacket on top to hide them from casual viewing. Next he checked his web gear that was hanging on the wall. He had never worn it because of his overwhelming staff duties, but it was ready for field work.
Ignacio stepped from his area and walked through the connecting tunnel to the office of Generalisimo Castillo. He rapped on the frame, waited for permission to enter, then walked in. 'Mi generalisimo, I wish to respectfully request permission to go on the attack against the bandidos.'
Castillo suppressed a laugh. 'No me digas--really, Ignacio. Do you crave action?'
'Yes, mi generalisimo,' Ignacio said.
'I am surprised by this unusual show of bravado,' Castillo said. 'But why do you suddenly wish to put yourself in harm's way?'
'I have heard some of the men speaking of me, mi generalisimo,' Ignacio said. 'They laugh at me, saying I am a coward. I am humiliated by this. I thought perhaps if I just went out on an operation they would think more of me. I promise I would stay out of the way, mi generalisimo!'
Castillo was thoughtful for a moment. 'I tell you what I will do, Ignacio. I will allow you to go, but I want you to stay with the fire support line. They will be the mortars and machine guns. I will place them on the south side of the mountain, and they will advance just far enough to bring the bandidos within range. Their mission will be to contain the enemy while the other lines make the actual attack.'
'Yes, mi generalisimo!' Ignacio replied with apparent enthusiasm. 'That will be fine. Then when we come back, everyone will say how I was in the fight.'
'That's right, Ignacio,' Castillo said in a condescending tone. 'I think I will give you a medal. Would you like that?'
'Oh, yes, mi generalisimo!'
'Very well,' Castillo said. 'You report to Capitan Platas tomorrow morning. Tell him I have given you permission to accompany him during tomorrow's fighting.'
'Muchas gracias, mi generalisimo!' Ignacio exclaimed. He affected a salute, then made a passable about-face movement, marching out of the office and back into the tunnel.
.
THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SELVA VERDE MOUNTAINS
14 JANUARY
0530 HOURS
THE EC-635 and SA-330 helicopters brought in the last lift of twenty-four men from Fuerte Franco. Now the entire attack force of seventy men and twenty-four convicts were assembled and ready to begin the assault on the mountain where the bandidos had holed up. Only twenty Falangists had been left behind in Fuerte Franco. These were men who were sick or recovering from injuries.
Every man in the operation--with the exception of the convicts--was fully briefed and knew what role he and his unit would play in the coming battle. These veterans did not have the bravado and optimism of young, unbloodied rookies. They fully realized the dangers and difficulties of attacking uphill in thick vegetation and were prepa conduct themselves as efficiently and bravely as possible under those conditions.
Generalisimo Castillo was in overall field command for what he hoped would be the last assault against the bandidos. Coronel Jeronimo Busch would take his equipo comando of Punzarron, Chaubere and Muller with him. This was what the Chilean paratrooper liked best. He was the type of soldiering officer who preferred the close-in, dirty and dangerous work in a small team to having overall command of a large force while standing back and directing the battle via radio and occasional helicopter flights. His three handpicked men were dedicated and fearless, perfectly matching their commander's qualities and mannerisms. He had been given carte blanche to do what he wanted during the battle.
Castillo planned on the first line of attack being the twenty-four convicts who would go into action on the east side. A special detachment of submachine gunners under the command of Capitan Pablo Gonzales would follow after them, ready to shoot down any of the criminals who hesitated or tried to run away. The convicts' equipment was basic, consisting of only canteens and ammo bandoleers while the rest of the Falangists carried full combat loads including Spanish M-5 hand grenades.
The second line of attack was under the overall command of Comandante Javier Toledo with Capita,' Francisco Silber. The third line of attack would be led by Comandante Gustavo Cappuzzo and Capital' Roberto Argento. They would move out with the fire support line as a group. When they reached the south side of the bandido position, the machine guns and mortars would drop out to set up their weapons, while the third line of attack moved around to the east side to launch their assault from that direction. Everyone's eyes opened wide at the sight of Ignacio Perez wearing his rucksack and web gear as he joined Capitan Tomas Platas at the fire support line.
The generalisimo sent the larger SA-330 chopper back, keeping the smaller EC-635 for observation flights during the battle. He made a commo check with his line commanders via the RMAM radios. All reported they were ready and in position, and Castillo gave the official order to begin the operation.
'Lanzen el ataque!'
Chapter 16
THE SELVA VERDE MOUNTAINS
FALANGIST FORCE
14 JANUARY
0545 HOURS
THE Argentine convicts were formed into two tight skirmish lines as they began their advance up the mountain toward the enemy on the west side of the battlefield. Each man had been given the opportunity to fire five rounds of his bolt-action Mauser rifle for familiarization. No instruction in proper aiming or the tactical employment
