The Fall Of America: Fatal Encounters Part 23

A junior sergeant, who'd been the leader the day before, asked, "How many men are at this house, sir?"

"They have no idea how many are in the house; the images would be blocked by the building, but if they saw one clearly, there will be more inside. The aircraft cannot see inside buildings or other structures well and my guess would be less than ten men. Most of the cells we have run into have between six and ten men, right?"

"h.e.l.l, I have no idea, sir. I have yet to see a partisan, but I know they are good with mines and b.o.o.by-traps."

"You will see some this morning, Sergeant, and that's a promise. Get the men up and moving. I want them to eat and be ready to leave in less than an hour."

"Yes, sir." The Sergeant replied and began waking his men.

A little more than an hour later, the Lieutenant called the helicopter crew and asked them to stand by as they carried out the a.s.sault on the house. He was informed by the pilot that he had enough fuel to remain overhead, and another aircraft was to join him at sunrise. Dyomin grinned, because two choppers almost guaranteed success.

"Move the men toward the house, Sergeant, and make sure you place a man with good eyes on point. I want him to watch for mines or b.o.o.by-traps. If he sees anything unusual, he is to stop and wait for me to evaluate the situation."

"Understood, sir. Private Antipin, you have point and Private Zverev, I want you to bring up our rear. I want both of you to remember to keep your distance as we move, and Antipin, stay alert or we will be shipping your body home to momma. Let us move, people, but watch your s.p.a.cing as we travel."

Grunts and groans were heard as the men donned their heavy packs and moved in behind Private Antipin. Since they were not on a trail, the point man encountered no mines or traps, but he moved slowly through the woods. He held a compa.s.s in his left hand and tried his best to maintain the heading given to him by the Junior Sergeant. Just as dawn was breaking, he spotted the house and came to a stop.

He observed the building and other than smoke coming from the place, he saw nothing. He looked for guards, saw none and then reported to the Lieutenant.

Antipin and Dyomin moved forward, both held their guns at the ready, because the situation looked too easy. Both men scanned the countryside, saw nothing out of place, and then they returned to the group.

Dyomin contacted the chopper and was informed there were now two aircraft on station. He informed the pilot that he intended to attack the house within a few minutes and once the attack was in progress, he was to a.s.sist if needed.

"I want Private Zverev to move before the rest of us. He will move to the window and toss a grenade inside. As soon as the grenade explodes I want all of us to enter and do the job quickly. However, I want the Sergeant and Antipin to move to the rear of the building to make sure none slip out the back. It's a two level home, so we will have to clear both floors."

"When do we move, sir?" The Sergeant asked.

"Now, but I will give you ten minutes to get into position." Dyomin looked at his watch and said, "On the hour the attack will start. Any questions?"

"Are we to remain at the rear at all times during the attack?" The Sergeant asked.

"Yes, do not move from your position until we have cleared the house and one of us waves you in."

The Sergeant nodded and then said, "Come with me, Antipin."

While they waited, Dyomin said, "Once the grenade explodes, Zverev, you kick the door in and we will enter."

He has me doing many things in this attack, and I wonder if it is because he trusts me or if I am expendable? the Private thought as he pulled a RGO grenade from his pack. He should have Krayev walk to the window and fire two or three 43 MM grenades from the GM-94, if all he wants is dead Americans. h.e.l.l, the grenade launcher can fire three rounds fast too, he thought and then cursed his luck for having so little rank.

"Let us move, it is time." Dyomin said and started forward. Zverev hurried to the front of the men and he'd just moved to the window when something struck him hard in the middle of his chest. He dropped the grenade and fell to his knees, as the sound of a single shot was heard. After a split-second, he fell forward, landing with his face in the mud. If this is death, he thought, it is not so bad. His world slowly turned to different shades of gray, until he was surrounded by darkness.

Dyomin glanced at Zverev and picking up the grenade the man dropped, he pulled the pin and tossed it through the window. Two more loud rifle shots were heard and a man dropped each time. The grenade exploded, sending smoke and dust from the broken window. Screams were heard inside the house and then the Sergeant and Antipin were heard firing at the rear. Someone kicked the door open and they began to enter.

Rifles started barking the minute they entered and seeing movement to his left, Dyomin twisted and saw an American with a pistol. Out of reflex, the Russian fired and saw the man knocked back against the wall, his body quivering as he fell to the floor.

The men began to yell as they cleared the house room-by-room.

Once the lower floor was cleared, the Lieutenant yelled, "Next floor, let us go!"

The first man on the stairs, unknowingly, pulled a thin line forward a few inches with his right foot, and the staircase exploded into flames. Dyomin's world instantly turned black.

Dyomin lay on the floor dazed and it was a few minutes before he was able to move. He sat up, looked around and saw most of his men were uninjured. With the Lieutenant down, most of the men were unsure what to do next. Blood ran down his arm, but he slowly stood and said, "Pull all bodies out of the house now!"

"Ours and the Americans?" Someone asked.

"All, and do it now."

A few short minutes later, ten dead Americans and two Russians lay beside Zverev. One of the dead was Private Krayev, the GM-94 man.

Pointing at a private near him, Dyomin said, "Go through the house and move to the Sergeant. Let him know the second floor has not been cleared, but I will have the helicopter destroy this building."

"What now, sir?"

"Take the bodies and move them into the woods. Then we will have the aircraft destroy this house."

A lone figure stood near the upper rear window of the house and watched as a lone Russian moved into the woods. A couple of minutes later, two other Russians joined the man and they all moved toward the front of the farm house. As soon as all three men were gone, the woman opened the window and threw out a rope. She then lowered herself to the ground and made her way toward the woods. Once in the woods, she'd try to link up with their guard, who was a sniper in a huge oak about a hundred and fifty yards away.

Colonel Vetrov listened closely as Lieutenant Dyomin explained his attack and the results. They'd found five more American bodies once the house was brought under fire by the helicopters, so the attack looked like a great success for the Russians. There were fifteen dead partisans and only three Russian dead.

"You have done well, Lieutenant, and I think your career will go far, but we have only started to clean house, or so to speak. Much more must be done before we can say we control this area, but you have done well. I want many small teams, just like yours, out in the field, with overhead support from either jets or helicopters. I think by working together, we can soon train others to use your tactics in the whole state."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, get a shower, some hot food and a little rest. At 0400 in the morning I want you to lead your group back into the field. Well done, Lieutenant, and you will find a fresh bottle of vodka in your quarters."

"Sir?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"How many teams will be out at once, I mean in the morning, when I leave?"

"A dozen will be inserted at different compa.s.s points before dawn."

"How many aircraft will be overhead? My concern is having sufficient air cover for all the teams."

"That is a problem for the operations officer and his executive. However, keep in mind, our biggest problem now is not aircraft but fuel. The last few tanker cars were destroyed by the Americans. I do know we will have enough aircraft in the sky to support two fights on the ground at once, if that makes you feel any better."

"It does, sir. My concern is protecting my men in the event we start a fight with a much larger group."

"I understand, but the past shows the Americans in small groups. They usually hit and then run, so your biggest problem may be finding anyone to fight with, not running into a larger force. Any other questions?"

"No, sir."

"Dismissed and the best of luck tomorrow, Lieutenant."

CHAPTER 23.

John and Top sat at a table in the kitchen and listened to Cheryl and Esom explain the attack on their house. Esom, not much of a talker, allowed the woman to explain most of the story and nodded at times. She then held up the GM-94 and said, "I found this on the ground floor once the Russians left and just before I was sent out. Harold told me to get out and find you, which I did, but soon after the house came under attack by a chopper using cannons. I could hear screams from inside the house and I wasn't even close."

"Cannons are devastating to anything they fire on, and will make short work on a building." Top said and then took a sip of his coffee.

"It d.a.m.ned sure didn't take it long to tear that farmhouse to h.e.l.l and back." Esom said.

"No, I guess it didn't. Listen, you two get some food in you and sleep. I'm sorry about what happened to Harold and the rest, but we're at war and these things happen."

As soon as the two left the room, John said, "Looks like the Russians have finally got organized." He pulled Dolly's head to his lap.

"One attack doesn't mean much, but I suspect they'll soon be out in force, knocking on doors. So, let's beef up our security around this place, plant a few surprises and have Barbara get a warning out to the other cells. Now, we both know we can't contact everyone, but we'll do our best, and hope it's good enough. w.i.l.l.y will just love the fact the Russians are now on the offensive, because this way they'll bring the fight to him."

w.i.l.l.y Williams had lost even more weight than the last time John had seen him and his thin face broke into a smile after Top told all he knew about the Russians. He thought for a few minutes and then said, "Ring each house with mines, b.o.o.by-traps, and I want a good shot in a tree keeping watch during the day. Now, I'll remain here, but we're going to stir up a hornets nest, because we're going after the Russians."

"While they'll think they're on the attack, we'll turn the table, huh?" Tom asked.

"I want toe-poppers, punji spikes, and b.o.o.by-trap wires across streams, but under water. I want empty houses fixed so if someone opens the door, a trap with three stakes on it will swing down and injure those entering. The traps are simple to make, and I'll draw out some diagrams of the surprises this morning. However, to protect our folks, mark each house the same way and then pa.s.s the marking on to me. If we see the marking, we'll enter by another door."

"Another good door trap is to mount an anti-personnel mine at the same level as the doork.n.o.b, so when the door swings full open, it contacts the mine mounted on the wall, and the resulting explosion takes a few folks out of the picture." John added.

"Yep, I'd forgotten about that one, and I've seen it done a time or two. Also, don't forget to use a side-closing punji trap, where the trap is mounted on a hinge. When someone steps on it, the hinge causes the iron or wooden stakes to swing up contacting the person's leg. It's like a teeter-totter except it produces pain. Be sure to smear all barbs and stakes with human waste, because severe infections will result to those injured." w.i.l.l.y said, and then asked, "Any other ideas?"

"We have some unexploded bombs and the like, do you want those rigged as well?"

"Use everything we have and even rig boulders, logs, flip snares or anything that can be used to slow them down. I want the Russians scared s.h.i.tless to enter the woods."

John stood and looking at Tom said, "Looks like we've some traps to place."

Four days later, w.i.l.l.y said at the morning meeting, "We lost two more houses before we could get traps in place. The roughest part is the loss of twenty good men and women, who can't be replaced. These were our friends and in some cases, members of our family, and according to the survivors the same routine was used each time."

"A grenade through the front window, door kicked in following the explosion, then a fight for the house. Once the Russians withdraw, an airstrike is called on the cleared building." John said.

Tom shrugged and said, "There really isn't much we can do against that, other than traps and guards."

"I think," w.i.l.l.y said, "over the last few months we've grown complacent, since the Russians have left us pretty much alone. Now that they've come visiting, we're caught with our heads stuck up our rears."

"Most all we know of have been warned." Barbara said, and quickly added, "I know, because I warned them personally."

w.i.l.l.y took a sip of his coffee and then asked, "How are the traps on the roads and trails going?"

"We've barely dented the roads, because there are just too many of them. All the houses have been ringed with traps and mines, but we're still working on streams, trails and logging roads." Tom replied.

"Oh, I know it takes time and I'm not mad about it, just wondering is all. Tell all to keep up the effort and we'll soon own the countryside." w.i.l.l.y said and then asked, "John, are you still interested in something to fight Russian choppers with?"

"I sure am."

"Earlier this week, we were able to get our hands on a few LAWS rockets that should work, except I have no idea how well. I've never heard of anyone using it for anything except tanks. Keep in mind, you'll have to catch a chopper loading or unloading troops to use it, because it's limited to around 3,300 feet, which isn't very high."

"It beats nothing; how fast can we get them into the hands of our cells?"

"We can deliver them quickly, and we can send a short note along that it's to be used only for choppers at low level. How does that sound?" w.i.l.l.y asked.

"Good to me, let's get them out as soon as possible, Barbara." John said as he grinned at the woman.

"Why me?" She asked.

"You're the only one who knows where all the cells are located."

"Good point," w.i.l.l.y said. He thought for a couple of minutes and then spoke again. "John, I want you to go with her, because we need more than one person who knows where all the groups are. If Barbara gets seriously injured or killed, we'll be lost."

"Some of the troops that go with her know, right?" Tom asked.

"No," Barbara said, "I take out different groups when I go in different compa.s.s directions. The main idea is if a man is captured, he only knows so much and can't tell what he doesn't know."

"Makes sense to my old head." Tom said and then smiled.

Two days later, John was in an old shack of a house, handing out a LAW, when a guard ran in and said, "I just saw a chopper fly over us and then it sounded like it's pitch changed once over the trees."

"Have you noticed any other choppers around?" John asked; since it was just barely after dawn, he was surprised.

"A guard reported hearing one last night, when he went for water, but no, not really. It's usually quiet around here."

"I'd suggest you prepare for an attack. If the chopper landed, it's up to no good and you can take that to the bank. It's likely your guard was seen using infrared and this house was marked to check out."

"We're ready, but first they have to get through our mines and b.o.o.by-traps. Once they come for the house, we've a tunnel dug that leads us to the river. We'll be long gone before they enter this place."

"I pray for your sake, you're right. We can stay and help, if you want, Allison."

"No, we're in good shape. I don't intend to fight them anyway, so we'll kill and wound as many as we can and then run."

"It's your choice, but you can't win against aircraft, anyway you look at it."

"They've always used ground troops first, for some strange reason, so I know what to expect. Go on, you two get out now and we'll prepare for our visitors. Frank, see these two through our gap, seal it, and then return."

"What do you mean, seal it?" John asked.

"Once you're clear, he'll place a few quick mines to keep the Russians honest. So once outside, don't try to come back in or you'll ruin your day."

"Let's go," Frank said, "because we don't have much time. I want to get back before the Russians arrive." He picked up his rifle and began to move for the back door. John and Barbara, along with five other men, followed.

Once outside the wire, John thought for a few minutes as they were checking the map and then said, "We're going to hang around long enough to see how this fight goes." Then, pulling a LAW from a pack, he added, "I may get a chance to use one of these."

"Well," Barbara said, "let me know where you'll be, because I d.a.m.ned sure don't want to be behind you when it fires. Have you ever seen the back blast from one of those things?"