obstacles that had to be negotiated. The first was a railroad embankment that ran across their front. Going over it wasn't the problem. All the tracks could do that. The problem was that it required the Team to slow down. It would break up the formation momentarily, and as the tracks went over it, their soft underbellies would be exposed to direct fire. If they were going to be hit, this is where Bannon expected it. The first track came up and began to go over. Bannon held his breath as he watched the PC crest the embankment, hang there for a moment fully exposed, then drop down to the other side. Two more PCs followed and dropped down to the other side. Nothing happened. The PCs rolled on. Perhaps the Russians were waiting for the tanks. Perhaps they wanted to let the PCs go over and let the embankment separate the Team before firing.
Then it was 66's turn. Ortelli slowed 66 until it made contact with the embankment. As soon as the tracks bit into the embankment, he gunned the engine, and 66 began to rise up. Folk, by instinct, depressed the gun to keep it level with the far horizon. Bannon grabbed the commander's override, ready to elevate the gun once they were on the other side. If he didn't, the depressed gun would dig itself into the ground as 66 went down the other side. As the tank crested the embankment and started down, Ortelli switched from accelerator to brake, and Bannon jerked the commander's override back, elevating the gun. Folk kept fighting for control of the gun but didn't get it back until 66 was level again. He then reoriented the gun and continued his search for targets.
As 66 continued forward, Bannon turned in the cupola and watched the rest of the Team come over the embankment two at a time. Satisfied that they were not going to be hit there, he turned back to the front and eyed the next obstacle, a stream that, like the railroad embankment, ran perpendicular to their direction of travel. The first PC was already down in the stream and halfway across when he turned around. The stream was small and shallow but years of erosion had created a ditch some twenty meters wide with embankments a meter high. Ortelli eased 66 down into the streambed, crossed and began to climb the far bank. They were halfway up when the shit hit the fan.
Several flashes from Objective LOG were followed almost instantly by a thud and the appearance of a column of dirt in front of 66. 'REVERSE! REVERSE! GET BACK IN THE DITCH!' The sudden change in direction threw everyone on 66 forward. Bannon reached for the smoke grenade dischargers and fired a volley. The six grenades launched and shrouded 66 in a curtain of white smoke as the tank settled back down in the streambed.
Grabbing the radio switch on the side of his CVC, Bannon keyed the Team net. 'ALL BRAVO 3 ROMEO ELEMENTS — DEPLOY INTO LINE IN THE STREAMBED-BREAK-ZULU 77-BRING YOUR PEOPLE BACK-THIS IS ROMEO 25-OUT.'
Commanders are paid to make decisions. Sometimes, there is ample time to consider all the angles, to analyze the situation, develop several courses of action, compare each, and then decide which alternative is best. Then there are occasions when there is no time for all that-occasions when the commander must see, decide and act in almost the same instant. This was one of those times.
'GUNNER, STAND BY TO ENGAGE.'
Bannon looked to his right and saw the FIST track halted next to his. The 2nd Platoon was entering the streambed and pulling up. He turned to his left and saw two of the PCs plop back into the streambed. They had also fired their grenade launchers. He turned back to the front. The smoke was beginning to dissipate. Off to the front left about fifty meters from 66, a PC was stopped in the open and on fire. There was a burning man hanging from the troop door in the back of the vehicle. Bright flames spilled out of the door and the hatches on top. The 66 had been exceedingly lucky. The PC hadn't been.
The turret of 66 suddenly jerked to the right as Folk yelled out an acquisition report without bothering to key the intercom. 'ENEMY TANK-TWELVE O'CLOCK.'
'GUNNER-SABOT-TANK.' Bannon dropped down to view through the commander's extension. He couldn't see the target.
'UP! ' 'FIRE!'
'ON THE WAAAY!'
Tank 66 rocked back as the main gun went off. The view to the front was obstructed by the muzzle blast and dust it created.
Folk yelled out his sensing of the round he had fired. 'TARGET!'
Bannon put his eye up to the extension and confirmed Folk's sensing. The enemy tank he had not seen before was now clearly visible as it burned. But he had a Team to run. He had no time to play tank commander right now. He had to let Folk search for his own targets and engage them when he found them. 'CEASE FIRE-FIRE AND ADJUST.'
'ROMEO 25-THIS IS TANGO 77-ON LINE AND READY-OVER.' 2nd Platoon was ready.
'ROGER TANGO 77.' 'ROMEO 25-THIS IS ZULU 77-READY-OVER.'
'ROMEO 25-THIS IS MIKE 77-READY-OVER.' The Mech and 3rd Platoons were ready. 'SPLASH-OVER.' The artillery.
The hill that was Objective LOG appeared to lift up as the artillery impacted. Bits of trees and fountains of dirt rose up above the tree line.
'BRAVO 3 ROMEO ELEMENTS-THIS IS ROMEO 25-MOVE-MOVE-MOVE! LIMA 61-KEEP THE ARTY COMING.' As one, Team Yankee lurched forward. For the second time, 66 moved up over the stream bank.
This time Ortelli had the accelerator to the floor. The tank flopped down on level ground with a bang and took off at a dead run. A line of three tanks and three PCs to the left of 66 were also out of the streambed and charging forward past the burning PC. The tank that had been to the right of 66 was stopped, half hanging out of the streambed. It was burning and shuddering as its on-board ammo blew up. Second Lieutenant McAlister was dead. The rest of the 2nd Platoon was out and rolling further to the right, firing as they moved. Folk yelled out again. 'LOADER-LOAD SABOTTANK!' 'UP! '
'ON THE WAAAY!'
Again 66 shuddered as the main gun fired, recoiled, and spewed out a spent shell casing.
This time the obscuration didn't cling to the tank as 66 rolled through the dust cloud created by the muzzle blast. Bannon turned to see what Folk had been firing at but saw only a column of dirt. He had missed whatever it was. Not that it mattered. Another tank to the left got it. A brilliant flash and a shower of sparks marked the Soviet tank that had been Folk's target.
A quick survey of Objective LOG revealed four burning vehicles of which two were definitely tanks. The other two were partially hidden but emitting billowing clouds of flames and black smoke. Freshly dug dirt was now visible just inside the tree line. There were Soviet infantrymen dug in on the objective. Bannon had no intention of fighting it out with the Soviets on LOG. He did not want to dismount the Mech Platoon in the open. 'BRAVO 3 ROMEO-THIS IS ROMEO 25-THERE ARE DUG-IN TROOPS ON LOGWE WILL CONTINUE TO ATTACK THROUGH-DO NOT DISMOUNT OR STOP ON THE-'
His transmission was cut short by two huge explosions on either side of 66. The tank bucked violently from side to side. He lost his footing and fell to the floor. Kelp reached down to help him as he struggled to climb back up into the commander's cupola. Kelp yelled over the engine noise, 'ARE YOU OK?'
'Yeah. Get ready to man your machine gun!'
'Your face is bleeding.'
Bannon took one hand and touched his face. When he pulled it away there was blood on it.
But it couldn't be too bad. He was still moving and talking. He had to regain control of the tank and the Team. With an effort, he boosted himself up and back into place.
The scene outside was chaos. The explosions that had rocked 66 were from Soviet artillery.
Tank 66 was on the verge of rolling out of the impact area. To the right there were still two tanks moving. One of the 2nd Platoon tanks was several hundred meters to the rear; just sitting there. The FIST track was also gone. To the left there were also two tanks still moving and closing up on 66. The missing 3rd Platoon tank was nowhere to be seen. The Mech Platoon PCs were falling behind and, as a result, were still in the middle of where the Soviet artillery was impacting. Bannon could make out only two PCs bobbing and weaving through the columns of flame and dirt. Seven vehicles. That's all the Team had left.
Seven out of fourteen vehicles.
'TROOPS-TWELVE O'CLOCK! ENGAGING WITH COAX!'
Folk's call pulled Bannon's attention back to the front. They were now within three hundred meters of the objective. Several Soviet infantrymen had popped up to engage them head-on with RPGs. The total stupidity of that was beyond comprehension. They were now being cut down by the machine-gun fire from 66 and the surviving
