The Black Effect (Cold War) (27 page)

“Oh God,” groaned Oleg. “We’re finished.”

“Get a grip, Danshov,” snapped Trusov. “This is good news.”

“Good news?” asked the stunned officer.

“They have just thrown the last of their air force at us. If they have had to use their converted training aircraft, it means they have done it out of desperation. Keep those pontoons working. We must have nearly a company of tanks across by now.”

He climbed the tank and met with Barsukov reloading the red-hot machine gun.

“Well done, Barsukov, you will be rewarded for that.”

“I don’t think I hit anything, sir.”

“But you tried.” Trusov grabbed the radio transmitter. “Two-Two-Zero-Alpha, Two-Two-Zero. Over.”

“Are you OK, sir? That last attack was right over the top of you,” blurted Major Chadov.

“Yes, yes. Now listen, damn you. Get both the PMP units up here now. One to go to Sector one, the other to Sector three. They need to hurry. We have a breathing space, but it’s short.”

“Understood, sir. Over.”

“Also, I want the rest of my regiment across now. All of them. All GSPs and PMP pontoons are to be allocated to my tanks. Got that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Right, see to it. Out.”

“One-Zero, this is Six-Two-Zero. Over.”

“Go ahead, Pavel, we’ve been waiting for your call. What’s the situation? Over.”

Pushkin. He recognised the voice of his old commander, now the Chief of Staff. “We have secured a bridgehead. Am sending the last of my tanks over now. The PMPs are being brought forward. Once my tanks are across, I will send the independent regiment either by ferry or the bridge if complete. Now is the time to commit. Over.”

“How deep is the bridgehead?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? We can’t commit without a secure bridgehead.”

“Now is the time, sir. It’s now or never.”

There was a delay before he got a response.

“Colonel Trusov, you think we should commit all now?”

“Yes, sir. They have thrown the last of their air force at us. It will be at least an hour before they can turn around and hit us again. The troops on the ground are still reeling. With my regiment across, the independent tank regiment following and two bridges laid, our committed unit will succeed. Over.”

Trusov took a deep breath. Once the PMP battalion arrived, he knew that he could get a PMP-bridge, capable of carrying tanks across, up and ready in less than an hour. If he and the other tank regiment could continue to push the enemy back, 12th Guards Tank Division, the OMG, fresh, fully fuelled and armed, with masses of support behind them, could break through.

“Pavel.”

“Yes, sir.”

“They have been released. Make sure you have a route across. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Out.”

Trusov put the handset down. He’d done it now. If he didn’t hold the bridgehead, or the bridges weren’t laid, he would end up with the elements of a division stranded on the east bank, and elements of a division on the western bank with nowhere to go. Easy pickings for the next airstrike.

Ch
apter 33

12
00 8 JULY 1984. COMBAT TEAM BRAVO (+). GRONAU, WEST GERMANY.

THE BLACK EFFECT +8 HOURS.

“Two-Two-Alpha, this is Bravo-Zero. Over.”

“Two-Two-Alpha, go ahead. Over.”

“
They have broken through to your north. Elements pushing south to cut you off. Pull back now, I repeat, pull back now! Acknowledge! Over.
”

“Roger that. All call signs, I repeat, all call signs?”

“
Yes, all Two-Two call signs. Make it fast, Alex. They want to blow the bridge, and it’s only your forces preventing them. Make it a quick dash. Out.
”

“Corporal Patterson, we’re getting out of here. Tell Mackinson that, when we move, it’s quick and there is no stopping. Nothing gets in our way. Got that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“All Two-Two call signs, this is Two-Two-Alpha. Withdraw immediately, I repeat, withdraw immediately. Acknowledge. Over.”

Each call sign responded in turn; the sound of battle could be heard in the background.

“Roger, all Two-Two call signs. Make it fast. No stopping. Two-Two-Alpha signing off. Out.”

“Target,” yelled Patsy. “Tango-Eight-Zero, 2,000 metres. Sabot.”

“Up,” confirmed Ellis once he had loaded the sabot round.

“On. Fire.”

The breech shot back.

“It’s a hit,” confirmed Alex as he tapped the switch for the smoke grenades. The remaining launcher rearmed. Smoke trails shot out from the Chieftain tank and, out to the front, it was immediately blocked off from view by a growing cloud of smoke.

“Back, back, back. Mackinson, get us out of here.”

1200 8 JULY 1984. COMBAT TEAM ALPHA/ROYAL GREEN JACKETS BATTLEGROUP. MARIENAU, WEST GERMANY.

THE BLACK EFFECT +8 HOURS.

“
One-One-Alpha, this is Zero-Alpha. Over.
”

“One-One-Alpha, go ahead. Over.”

“
How are you holding up? Over.
”

Russell watched as the 432 he had sent to pick up the Bundeswehr soldiers sped behind his position, the Kanonenjagdpanzer following close behind.

“About to move to our secondary positions. Over.”

“
Roger that. You have to hold your location. I repeat, you have to hold your location. Acknowledge. Over.
”

“What’s happening? Over.” A slight nervousness in his voice.

“
The line is moving back. Friendlies will be passing through your location. Over.
”

“Understood. Over.”

“
You have to hold, Dean. If you don’t, friendlies will be trapped. Do you understand?
”

“We’ll hold, sir.”

“Good lad. Zero-Alpha. Out.”

“You get the gist of that, Colour?”

“I did, sir. I’ll round up the boys then and we can get set up again. At least we’ve still got the box-heads with us. Sir?”

“Sorry, Colour. Yes, they will be needed. Let’s go.”

Cha
pter 34

123
0 8 JULY 1984. 62 GUARDS TANK REGIMENT. SOUTH OF SCHULENBURG, WEST GERMANY.

THE BLACK EFFECT +8.5 HOURS.

Major Chadov pressed the wad of bandages against Colonel Trusov’s upper arm, the sleeve of his tank coverall wet with blood. Trusov constantly pushed him away as he sat in the back of the MTLB, his damaged T-80K parked alongside, his two crewmen surveying the damage. They were lucky to have got out alive, a strike by a Milan missile hitting the glacis low, below the protective array of ERA blocks, but low enough that the chamfer at the front end took the force of the explosion, reducing the missile’s effectiveness. Trusov, who had been standing up in the turret, directing soldiers around the PMP bridge, had been hit by a hot piece of metal that had cut a deep gouge in his upper arm. Kokorev and Barsukov, although badly shaken and partly deaf, had survived.

“The first of Colonel Kharzin’s tanks are crossing now, sir.” Informed Chadov.

Trusov looked back along the length of the accordion-like pontoons, now supporting Colonel Kharzin’s 48th Guards Tank Regiment as they crossed to prepare for the next assault on the battered British forces. Tank after tank clattered off the ramp at the end, a cloud of smoke as they accelerated up the gentle slope, powering forwards to do battle with the slowly withdrawing British force. Two pontoon bridges, 500 metres apart, had been quickly laid, the engineers building them at the rate of seven metres per minute; an ingenious system where the truck carrying the pontoons braked at the water’s edge, causing the large pontoons to slide into the water. The pontoons opened automatically and, once turned around ninety degrees by the powerboats in the water, were quickly connected, section by section, forming a continuous strip of floating roadway. While the remainder of Trusov’s regiment and the surviving tanks of the independent tank regiment continued an almost suicidal battle to push the enemy further and further back, the tanks of 12GTD were crossing the pontoon bridge at twenty-five kilometres an hour. The second bridge had been destroyed, but there were so many surface-to-air missile defence systems in place now, further attacks on this bridge had failed and proven costly to British, US and West German pilots. A second pontoon bridging company was already en route.

C
hapter 35

1
300 8 JULY 1984. 1 BRITISH CORPS ALTERNATE HEADQUARTERS, DEEP IN A BUNKER-COMPLEX, WEST OF MONCHENGLADBACH.

THE BLACK EFFECT +9 HOURS.

Although well lit, the room in the concrete bunker felt cold and dark. Even when occupied, a musty smell seemed to hang in the air. A small group sat around a large metal table covered with a layer of hessian and topped with a map of the 1 BR Corps area of operations. The plastic-coated map had various tokens on it, representing the numerous British units now deployed to stem the Warsaw Pact forces pushing west. In attendance were Lieutenant-Colonel Stevens, SO1 G2 Intelligence, Major Colin Archer, the SO2 G2 Intelligence, Major Bill Castle, SO2 G3 Operations, Major-General Clifford Renshaw, Deputy Commander of 1 British Corps, and the Commander of 1 BR Corps himself, Lieutenant-General Sir Edmund Cutler. The General also had his aide, Captain Mallen, with him.

“They’ve gone and done it, sir, a full-scale chemical strike right across NORTHAG’s and CENTAG’s FLOT. Not only has it disrupted the forward line of our own troops, killing many, but thousands of German civilians have been caught up in the strikes. The German politicians are furious.”

“We knew it was coming, Clifford,” responded General Cutler, his well tanned face at odds with the cold, whitewashed walls. “The Soviets have always trained as if they intended to use chemical weapons in a conventional war, so we shouldn’t be surprised that they’ve done just that. It’s just part of their normal conventional arsenal.” He turned to Bill Castle. “Major Castle, what are the casualty rates looking like for the Corps?”

“Better than we had expected, sir.” He checked the figures in front of him. “We’ve had about 400 killed as a direct consequence of the chemical strikes. That’s including our rear areas and airfields. The airfields and weapons stores have been hit by a powerful, persistent nerve agent. It’s going to take some time to decontaminate those areas.”

“And the Corps area?”

“At least 120 killed so far, sir. And we estimate over 200 wounded. The field hospitals are coping, but with the Soviet’s latest big push still in progress, they now have an influx of standard battle injuries. On top of that, there are hundreds of German civilian casualties and they are swamping the local hospitals and looking to our Field hospitals for aid.”

The General was quiet for a moment before turning to his SO1 G2. “What’s the latest on the Soviet advance?”

Colonel Stevens pointed to the River Leine. “They’ve crossed here, sir, south of Schulenburg. Our forces have pulled back, but they have an airborne regiment right behind them.”

“Just the one?”

“Yes, sir. Immediately behind, that is. A second regiment has also been dropped north-east of Bad-Nenndorf. But the forces across the river are also swinging south, moving forces further south. They clearly intend to threaten Gronau from the north. The Soviet Air Assault Brigade west of Gronau has increased its tempo and is now aggressively attacking Gronau from the south. They are also pushing a battalion here, towards Coppenbrugge.”

“What do we have around Coppenbrugge?”

“Just a beefed up platoon and some German reservists in Marienau.”

“Christ, how have we let that happen?”

“We were lucky to have them, sir. They are part of the Royal Green Jacket’s Battlegroup. 1st Division decided to keep an element of 4 Div in the local area as a reserve.”

“Just as well they did. How are they doing?”

“They’ve repulsed the first attack and are now pulling back into the centre of Coppenbrugge. The Soviets’ intention is to cut Gronau, and our forces there, off.”

“What have we got in that area?” the General asked his deputy.

“22nd Brigade is responsible for Gronau, but the 14/20th are under a lot of pressure. We need to get their forces back across the river and pull everything back to Coppenbrugge.”

“What do you make of the enemy’s intentions in general, Colonel Stevens?”

“I think they’re after these three gaps, sir: here, between the high ground of Deinster and Hanover, the route through Coppenbrugge, where they can push for Bad-Munder, and then Bisperode south-east of Hameln.”

“That would take them across the Weser and head for Osnabruck?”

“Yes, sir. They have the option of going north or south of Osnabruck.”

“Or both.”

“Yes sir.”

“Won’t 3rd Shock Army have run out of steam by then?”

“Undoubtedly, sir, but with 20th Guards Army in the fight, the Soviets will probably go for where we are at our weakest. They would be less than 100 kilometres from the Dutch border. I’m not sure of their intentions to the south, but in the north they’ve made it pretty obvious. An airborne regiment has parachuted close to the Mittleland Kanal, and a second landed by helicopters west of Pattensen here. A bridgehead has been secured on the Leine, and an armoured division is crossing it now. Through one of our Corps Patrol Units, we’ve identified it as the 12th Guards Tank Division, of 3 Shock Army. This has to be an Operational Manoeuvre Group, sir. We believe it has been training for this very role for some years now. Its objective, once across the Leine, is to link up with the regiment at Pattensen, push through to the Mittleland Kanal, linking up with the second airborne regiment, and then crossing over the Weser and getting deep into our lines, sir. Once across, they will go wherever we are at our weakest. They won’t be looking for a fight. That OMG will want to get as far west as possible. Then, of course, we will have their second echelon coming at us. We know 20th Guards Army is on the way and their Military Districts, their 2nd Strategic Echelon, are bound to be moving their forces west.”

“And the other two gaps?”

“I’m not so sure about those two, sir. Once they’re across at Gronau, they are likely to push a division up through Coppenbrugge and then to Bad-Munder. As for Hameln, we’re not sure at the moment. But we need to know what the 20th Guards are up to.”

“The CPU can help us with that. Clifford, what do we have covering this gap by Coppenbrugge?”

“Just that reinforced platoon from 4th Armoured Division. We have the remnants of the Battlegroup in the area still.”

“Two Div?”

“The 15th Infantry Brigade, with five battalions, is in position, along with the Queen’s Own Yeomanry recce. Three battalions of the 49th Infantry Brigade are digging in along the Weser. 49th Field Regiment with their FH-70 guns are in position.”

“The rest of the 49th?”

“The last two battalions are en route.”

“Four Div?”

“Apart from the Battlegroup left to act as a reserve, they are currently resting around the area of Petershagen.”

“What about the Territorial battalions?”

“Three have been brought across, sir. Two have been hit quite hard on the way by Soviet interdiction and a Spetsnaz ambush. They have no armour, just soft-skinned trucks.”

The General remained quiet for a moment, clearly running through his options. He would have liked to have his divisional commanders here from the 1st and 3rd Armoured Divisions, but to take them away from their units at this moment in time would be madness.

The 1 BR Corps Commander turned towards his aide. “Make a note. I want a stop line along the Mittleland Kanal. Raven. That will run south towards Hameln. I need to go through the plans with the Brigade commanders before I finalise the stop-line further south. The second one, Magpie, will be the Weser. The 24th Airmobile Brigade will deploy, with the 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and the 1st Battalion King’s Own Royal Border Regiment, south-east of the E-36, from here at Wunstorf to Bad-Nennendorf. I’m going to assign the parachute battalion to the brigade, but we’ll hold them in reserve. I’ll talk through the final dispositions with the Brigade Commander when he gets here. I want a blocking position in that area. We can liaise with 1 German Corps and get them to plug the gap north-west of Hanover. You say they’ll take the weakest route, possibly using 20th Guards. Well, let’s give them a fight in the north of our sector; encourage them to deploy 20th Guards further south. 3rd Division are still pretty intact, so if we can push the Soviets to go up against them, we may hold them up at least. Pull 1st Division back. We need to set up a Stop-Line though, to slow the Soviets down and give the division a chance to regroup. Blackbird will run from…” He tapped the various points on the large map. “Hameln, Bisperode, Coppenbrugge, Eldagsen, Springe, Volksen, Bredenbeck, Gehdren and Seelze.”

“Units sir?” Asked the deputy commander.

“I’ll work out their positions once I get an update on the situation down there. Clifford, I want you to take a heli ride to the front. I need to know the true situation down there. I need to take action before it all falls apart. I want a Brigade from Four Div on alert for moving to plug any gaps. I want 15th and the 49th to be left alone to dig in.”

“I’ll leave as soon as we’ve finished here. What about the Kanal? Who are we going to put there?”

“Those three infantry battalions. Move them there immediately.”

“But, sir. They probably haven’t recovered from their recent attacks, nor had time to orientate themselves.”

“Clifford, none of us have time. We need good defences along the Weser. I need to leave those brigades to get on with their preparations. Find me a good Colonel from Four Div, make him acting Brigadier and put him in command of those troops, but get them on the Kanal”

“Understood, sir.”

The General turned to Major Castle. “How far away is the American Division?”

“Probably two days, sir. Advance elements could be here in twenty-four hours, if pushed.”

“Right, I’ll get NORTHAG to release them to us. We have to put in a counter-attack as soon as possible.”

“Counter-attack, sir?” responded General Renshaw.

“The Soviets will be stretched, and we need to hit them before their 2nd Strategic Echelon gets to the front.” He turned to his aide again. “Start the preparation for a warning order for Four Div. They will be in action again sooner than they think. Oh, and one more thing: release one Helarm to 1st Division, but keep the second one back for the 24th Airmobile Brigade. They may well need it.”

“How will we retaliate, sir?” Major Archer asked the General. “To the chemical strike, I mean.”

“A good question, Major. The answer to that is being discussed by the powers-that-be as we speak. Right, Clifford, you have a Lynx to catch.”