great gamble, one crapshoot after another. Well, people, it's time to roll the dice again.' Without waiting for a response, Big Al began rattling off his concept for the corps counterattack. 'Effective immediately, the 55th Infantry's 3rd Brigade, with no less than four maneuver battalions, is attached to the 4th Armored Division. That brigade will move due east, cross country if possible, and take up blocking positions at or west of Hunfeld. We'll lose the use of Highway 27 if Hunfeld falls, but we can live with that so long as the autobahn stays open. To do this, the 55th Infantry's 3rd Brigade will link up with the 4th Armored's 3rd Brigade. When and where possible, I want both brigades to conduct local counterattacks to stop or disrupt the German advance. In addition to the 55th Infantry's 3rd Brigade, the commander of the 4th Armored will have priority on the 10th Aviation Brigade's attack helicopter battalions. With a little luck we should be able to check the 2nd Panzer.' Pointing to the symbol that represented the 4th Armored Division's 1st Brigade, still south of Fulda, Big Al continued. 'Our main effort to eliminate the threat posed by the 2nd Panzer will be made by the 1st Brigade. From Fulda, I want that brigade to strike northeast paralleling Highway 27 and head toward Highway 19. Just short of Highway 19, this brigade will turn north and cut behind the 2nd Panzer. Their mission is to tear up the 2nd Panzer's support elements and cause Dorsch to hesitate, maybe even turn around and go after the 1st Brigade. While all this is going on, we continue to push north. It is not my intent to fight a battle of annihilation here. Our goal is to get to the coast, not kill Germans. Now, having said that, I do want to make sure that everyone in this corps understands that does not mean holding back.'
From where they sat, Big Al's staff officers could see the fire in his eyes as he balled his hand up into a fist. Pounding his fist on the map board to emphasize each point of his next announcement, Big Al drove home how he wanted his corps to fight. 'Throughout this operation, I want every commander at every level to move fast, strike true, and hit hard. Our target is the German Army, not the German people. They are to avoid collateral damage whenever possible and heap terror and destruction on the German Army every time it comes to a fight. I want to serve notice to those gentlemen in Berlin that, while we may be running, we're not helpless.' Toning down his enthusiasm, Big Al pointed out that if they succeeded here other German commanders not yet engaged might pause and think twice before striking.
Before turning his attention to the 10th Panzer, Big Al looked at MacHaffry. 'Big Foot, talk to me about the Luftwaffe.'
An F-22 fighter pilot by training, MacHaffry was labeled Big Foot because his six-foot-four frame was supported by feet that required size 13 1/2 double-E boots. Leaning forward in his seat, MacHaffry placed his hands on his knees and looked up at Big Al. 'Although rumors concerning the Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe have yet to be confirmed, the fact is that there is a great deal of confusion at every level. We do know that pilots have refused to fly, sabotage is widespread, and base commanders have denied fuel to squadron commanders on their own base. Although we can expect some air activity, it will be limited.'
After nodding a few times, Big Al turned to the map again and spoke without looking at MacHaffry. 'Is Boomer ready for Operation Whirlwind?'
Boomer, the call sign for Colonel Wilber Smith, commander of the 79th Air Wing that had supported the Tenth Corps in Slovakia, was prepared to use Czech bases for as long as possible to support the Tenth Corps breakout efforts. Whirlwind was the name for what everyone believed would be a one-shot air offensive against selected Luftwaffe bases. The targets of Valkyrie would be those bases and Luftwaffe facilities that posed the greatest threat to the Tenth Corps. Though there was lively debate about whether Whirlwind would cause those in the Luftwaffe who were undecided about the wisdom of opposing the Americans to throw their lot behind Chancellor Ruff's government, it was agreed by every staff officer and pilot of the 79th Wing that they would support the Tenth Corps regardless of consequences. The worst that could happen was that each plane would fly one mission and then be interned by the Czech government upon its return. The best, the removal of the stain on the Air Force's name as a result of the capitulation at Sembach.
'We're ready, sir. We know that we'll be able to penetrate German airspace. Whoever has been feeding us the IFF codes for the Luftwaffe is continuing to do so.' IFF, short for identify friend or foe, is an electronic system on every combat aircraft that emits a signal when interrogated by another aircraft or a ground-based air defense system. If the correct response comes back from the aircraft being interrogated, it is considered friendly. If not, it is deemed to be hostile and engaged or tracked. With the Luftwaffe's IFF codes, the aircraft of the 79th Air Wing would be able to make it to their designated targets without interference from the German long-range air defense system. Even when it was discovered that the IFF codes had been compromised, confusion would reign and engagements between opposing aircraft would rely on visual rules of engagement rather than radar alone.
Looking back at MacHaffry, Big Al smiled. 'Okay, get back to Boomer and tell him to stand by. I don't want to push the Germans too far, not until it's really necessary.'
Satisfied that everything that could be done about the Luftwaffe was in hand, the assembled group looked to the portion of the map where the symbols of the 10th Panzer Division sat clustered west of Alsfeld. Prentice, the G-3, pointed out that the 55th Infantry Division, with two brigades and six battalions, was an even match for the 10th Panzer's three brigades and six battalions. Though Big Al agreed, saying that he intended to leave that fight up to the 55th's commander, he also stated that he would suggest a holding action at Alsfeld with one brigade, and a maneuver to the north and west with the other. To assist in this fight, Big Al directed Prentice to issue orders attaching one squadron of the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment to the 55th. The rest of the 14th Armored Cavalry would cover the corps rear and the maneuver by the 4th Armored Division's 1st Brigade.
Finished, Big Al asked if anyone had any questions or comments. Prentice, looking at the map, asked if he thought that the 4th Armored Division's 1st Brigade would be able to cover the distance from Fulda to Highway 19 and still be able to strike north in time to influence the battle. Big Al smiled as he prepared to answer. 'That's Scotty Dixon's brigade you're talking about. If I asked him to secure a bridgehead on the moon, the only question he would ask is what side of the moon we wanted it on.' Then, on a serious note, he looked at the map. 'If anyone can do it, he can.' Unsaid was a follow-on comment that Big Al kept to himself: And if I'm wrong, Scotty's brigade will be wiped out and we fail.
While the general pondered and staff officers scurried about issuing orders to this unit and that, the first casualties arrived at the 553rd Field Hospital just as the sky in the east began to lighten, announcing that another cold gray day was dawning. The appearance of real wounded soldiers whose bodies were torn, twisted, or burned in combat had the same effect on the personnel of the 553rd that news of the first battles had had on the staff of the Tenth Corps. But they hid any outward manifestation of that shock or dread behind the mask of medical professionals. For the task of the men and women of the 553rd Field Hospital was to save those who were suffering from true shock, the shock of physical and psychological trauma caused by what was being called the Battle of the Two Felds.
Working in pre-op, Hilary Cole, like every other nurse in the unit, walked a fine line between maintaining a detached professional attitude when dealing with the broken and traumatized soldiers entrusted to her care and opening her heart to their sufferings. In some cases, where the soldier was unconscious or under heavy sedation, this was easy. Then all she had to do was cut away those parts of the uniform that would interfere with the surgeon's work, remove old dressings, often hastily applied in adverse conditions and contaminated with dirt and mud, and clean the wounds as best she could.
It was when the soldier was conscious and able to talk that Cole had to be on her guard. Often these soldiers had no idea of how seriously they had been injured. They knew they had been hit, and they felt pain. But the shock of the wound, coupled with adrenaline dumped into their system by their bodies, and sedatives administered at battalion aid stations, masked for the most part the severity of- their condition. Inevitably those who could would ask the question that the nurses working in triage and pre-op dreaded, namely, 'How bad is it?'
Having worked in shock-trauma before joining the Army, Cole had seen serious injuries before and had learned to deal with that question. While working as quickly as possible, Cole would try every ploy she knew to change the subject. She'd ask the patient's name, where he came from, what his unit was, anything to take his mind off of his injury and save her from having to lie about it. That was not always possible. One soldier, missing his left foot from the ankle down, would not be put off by Cole's diversions. The more she told him to calm down and relax, the more upset he became. Finally, angry and upset, he began to struggle to sit up as Cole was trying to cut away the blood-soaked field dressings. Stopping what she was doing, Cole turned away from his left leg and leaned over the soldier, taking his face firmly between her hands. Mustering all the calm she could, she looked him in the eye and quietly told him his foot was gone. For a second there was a pause as the horror of her statement struck home. Then he closed his eyes and let himself slump back down as he tried desperately to absorb the reality of