Brannigan had already chosen the Command Bunker as the initial target of the attack.
But first things first as demanded by protocol and special orders.
Frank Gomez, with a bullhorn hanging on his belt, picked up the sound device and pressed the SPEAK button. 'Attention inside the bunkers,' he said in Spanish. 'Your situation is hopeless. Save your lives and avoid bloodshed. Come out now with your hands up. You will be treated as EPWs under the provisions of the Geneva convention.'
.
THE COMMAND BUNKER
JOSE Maria de Castillo y Plato laughed as soon as the bullhorn address came to an end. 'Those Yanquis must think this is going to be easy for them.'
'Con su permiso, mi generalisimo,' said Coronel Jeronimo Busch. 'I speak excellent English. I have even attended several courses at the United States Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. I request the pleasure of replying to our visitors.'
'Please do the honors, Coronel,' Castillo said.
Busch moved up close to the firing slit and took a deep breath, then shouted, 'Go fuck yourselves!'
.
SEAL DETACHMENT
'I'M going to take that as a no,' Brannigan said. He spoke into the LASH. 'Second Section move forward. First Section lay down covering fire. Now!'
Joe Miskoski immediately put out heavy fire bursts from the SAW, sweeping the muzzle to spray the firing slit from one side to the other. Andy, Guy and Chad crawled forward as that salvo was joined by fusillades from Chief Gunnarson's men.
Dirt and splinters flew off the bunker, but the Falangists returned a heavy staccato of fire bursts that clipped the dirt between the individual SEALs while whipping the air just above their heads. Brannigan ordered the advance stopped. 'Keep the fire on the objective! Make 'em duck their heads! First section move left and hit the next bunker!'
.
THE FIRST ASSAULT SECTION
CHIEF Matt Gunnarson pulled his men around toward the Intelligence Bunker. When they got into position, Bruno Puglisi's SAW spat rounds at the target while the riflemen scampered forward, then threw themselves down in the grass. The section continued to spray heavy volleys, all directed at the viewing slit. The Falangists inside replied with regulated salvos of automatic bursts, trying to get sight pictures of the flitting images of advancing attackers.
.
INTELLIGENCE BUNKER
COMANDANTE Gustavo Cappucco, along with Capitanes Francisco Silber and Tomas Platas, had done their best to return the incoming, but the Americans maintained uncoordinated but steady volleys. The Falangists were driven to the floor as more slugs cracked through the firing slit. The incoming intensified quickly, then Coronel Busch came into the bunker through the tunnel. He went straight to the slit, shoving his submachine gun through and sending long streams of slugs outward.
Cappucco, Silber and Platas got back to their feet to join him. Now all four men had gained the advantage as their combined return fire slowed the attackers down. Platas's skull suddenly exploded out the back in an eruption of bone splinters, blood and brains. He was knocked against the rear wall, sliding down to the floor to an undignified sitting position. Busch turned away, yelling down the tunnel for Capitan Roberto Argento to join them in the bunker.
.
THE SEALS
'FIRST section!' Brannigan ordered into the LASH. 'Renew your assault on the Command Bunker.'
Matt Gunnarson and his guys began advancing on their bellies, pausing to lay down their own covering fire in the slow but steady assault. It was an orchestrated operation in spite of the noisy, blasting chaos over the scene as the men alternated their advances and salvos. Suddenly Paulo Cinzento's head rocked back violently, and he collapsed to his belly. Dave Leibowitz crawled over to check him out. He'd taken a hit just above the left eye, leaving a gaping exit wound. 'Paulo is KIA,' Dave said over the LASH.
The belly-crawling, shoot-and-rush assault continued.
Meanwhile Brannigan made his way around to the other side of the fight, joining the Second Assault Section to check out things at the Intelligence Bunker. He threw himself down beside Senior Chief Dawkins, who kept working the trigger as he spoke. 'Sir, they're firing out of there like there's no tomorrow,' the senior chief said.
'We need those mortars those headquarters pukes didn't want to give us,' Brannigan said angrily.
'It's the same old shit, sir,' Dawkins said. 'Orders is orders.'
Over on the far right of the line, Garth Redhawk was making a rapid belly crawl through some higher grass, moving at an oblique direction from the bunker. After going ten meters, he moved back in the opposite way, continuing on until he reached a corner of the firing slit. The Native American rolled over on his back and pulled a grenade off his combat vest. After a yank on the pin, he went back on his belly and tossed the M-67 through the firing slit. He scurried backward just as the detonation went off, sending a cloud of dust outward.
The section took advantage of this unexpected turn of events, jumping to their feet to charge forward with all weapons aimed at the slit. As soon as they reached the bunker, three more grenades were tossed in. The trio of explosives heralded the end of the defensive emplacement as Cappucco, Silber and Argento died together, their bodies shredded by steel fragments.
.
THE BUNKERS
THE explosions from the grenades sent a deafening concussion and flying metal splinters through the entire bunker complex. Over in the Administrative Bunker, Comandante Javier Toledo was ripped to pieces along with Suboficial Adolfo Punzarron. The only casualty in the Command Bunker was the Frenchman Arnaud Chaubere.
Castillo, Busch and Muller, though knocked down, were able to struggle back to their feet. Choking clouds of dust swirled around the trio of survivors, and blood flowed from their concussion-battered ears.
Castillo wept bitterly and heavily, having drawn into himself. He ignored his two companions as he staggered over to his splintered desk. He kicked a bottom drawer out, then reached in to pull out the special presentation pistol given him by the officers of his old Foreign Legion regiment. It had been given him in recognition of his promotion from teniente-coronel to coronel.
He took the prized Campo-Giro Model 1913 automatic pistol and without hesitation stuck the muzzle in his mouth and pulled the trigger. He fell backward, bouncing off the earthen wall to fall face-first over what was left of the office furniture.
Busch turned to Muller. 'You and I have served for years together as paratroopers. Although in other units we would be separated by rank, as airborne soldiers we are brothers. You must trust what I am going to do. I have a serious purpose, and it will benefit us and the cause we have embraced with all our souls.'
Muller snapped to the position of attention. 'Seguro, mi coronel! I obey without question.'
Busch limped over to the firing slit. He yelled loudly, 'There are only two of us left. We wish to surrender.'
.
OUTSIDE THE BUNKER
THE SEALs watched dispassionately as the two Falangists crawled through the firing slit, then slowly got to their feet with their hands over their heads. Both were covered in dust and the blood of their dead comrades.
The Odd Couple hurried forward and roughly searched them, then pulled their hands down and behind their backs.
Plastic constraints were quickly placed around their wrists. Mike and Dave then each grabbed one by the collar and hauled him over to Brannigan.
The Skipper made no comments as he reached for the handset of the AN/PRC-126 radio to call in the choppers. A few meters away, Bruno Puglisi and Garth Redhawk stood beside Paulo's body as James Bradley checked him over. MA.
