Finishing with Uleski, Bannon toyed with the idea of letting the XO go over to 2nd Platoon to check them and pass on the word about the cavalry. It was tempting. But 2nd Platoon was the one platoon he had not seen that morning. It was only proper that an effort should be made to visit them. As with 3rd Platoon, Bannon stopped at each tank, checked on their readiness, and exchanged small talk. When he reached the platoon leader's tank Bannon passed on word about the cavalry and reviewed the Team and platoon plan with him. No sooner had they finished when the hills across the valley erupted in a thunderclap of explosions and flames. The Soviets were committing their second echelon. It would not be long now. Bannon tromped on back to the 66 tank as fast as his floppy chemical overshoes would let him.
The cavalry had not lasted as long as had been expected. The fresh battalions of the Soviet's second attacking echelon broke the worn and severely weakened cavalry like a dry twig. Thirty minutes after the second echelon struck, it was obvious that the covering force battle was over, and it was time for the cavalry to pass through the Team's positions. The lazy, boring late morning and early afternoon gave way to a steady buildup of tension as the cavalry began the process of handing off the battle.
The first elements through were the support elements: medical, maintenance, and supply vehicles. These were followed by artillery units and headquarters elements. The passage was not the neat paradelike processions practiced during training. Vehicles would come down singly, in pairs, sometimes in groups as large as fifteen. Some were dragging damaged vehicles. Some were limping or wobbling along like drunks, all showed some sign of damage. Trucks had their canvas tops shredded. Tracked vehicles that had had gear stowed on the outside now had it scrambled and tossed about on top, with articles of clothing hanging from the sides. There were even a couple of trucks running on tire rims, unable or unwilling to stop to change tires. If there was any semblance of order to the cavalry unit passing through the Team, it was not evident from where Bannon was watching.
During the passage, a scout helicopter, followed by two attack helicopters, came weaving down through the valley from the north. The three slowed to a hover, with the scout across from 66 and an AH IS Cobra attack helicopter on either side.
The OH-58 scout slowly rose until it was just barely peering over the trees on the opposite hill. Its tail-boom moved- slowly left, then right, as it scanned the landscape on the other side of the hill. Like a bird dog alerting, the scout froze, pointing to the northeast. The Cobra on the left rose slowly to treetop level, hovered there for a moment, orienting in the same direction as the scout. With a flash and streak of white smoke, the Cobra let fly a TOW antitank missile. The Cobra remained in place for about fifteen seconds, then dropped down and flew a few hundred meters north to another position, preparing to fire again. The second Cobra rose into position as soon as the first had fired. The second also fired, remained locked on target for about fifteen seconds, and then dropped down and moved to another position just as the first had done. By that time, the first Cobra was ready to pop up from his new position and fire again.
After each Cobra had fired two TOWs, they flew back up the valley behind their scout to find a new firing position.
The thought that the Soviet lead elements were now close enough to be engaged by TOWs from across the valley startled Bannon. That meant that the enemy was now within five kilometers. To add weight to that point, friendly artillery from a unit behind the Team's position came whistling overhead to the east. The adrenalin started to pump. Across the valley the first undamaged cavalry combat vehicles came racing back from the opposite hill. M-l tanks and M-3 Bradley cavalry vehicles, mixed together, their guns to the rear and their orange identification panels flapping as they moved, came rolling through the lanes marked in the Team's minefields and into the village. These vehicles looked worse than those that had preceded them. The ordeal for the cavalry wasn't over yet. As the first vehicles entered the village, the streets erupted into a ball of flames and explosions. The Soviets were firing at least a battalion's worth of artillery against the town. The initial impacts were followed by a steady stream of artillery shells impacting every few seconds. Bannon had no idea of the caliber of rounds they were using nor how many were impacting. Not that he needed to know. Without doubt, the battalion commander was able to see it from his position. Bannon's immediate concern was his first sergeant and the fire team, who were in the village in the middle of all that fire.
"ROMEO 25-THIS IS MIKE 77-SHELLREPOVER." Garger was on the ball. Reporting per the Team SOP, the lieutenant was calling to inform him of the artillery barrage to their front.
Garger hadn't considered that Bannon, from his position, would be able to see the same thing. The fact that he was at least thinking of the SOP and had the presence of mind to report, however, was encouraging.
"ALL BRAVO 3 ROMEO ELEMENTS-THIS IS ROMEO 25-1 CAN OBSERVE THE ACTION AT 179872 — NO NEED TO REPORT THAT."
Bannon let the CVC push-to-talk switch go for a few seconds to frustrate Soviet direction-finding attempts, then started again.
"OCCUPY YOUR FIRING POSITIONS NOW-I SAY AGAIN OCCUPY YOUR FIRING POSITIONS NOW-THE RUSSIANS WILL BE RIGHT BEHIND THOSE PEOPLE COMING THROUGH-ACKNOWLEDGE-OVER. "
The platoons rapidly responded. The tracks to the left and right of 66 cranked up and pulled forward. In their excitement, some of them forgot about their camouflage nets. Bannon watched the 33 tank as the net supports tumbled and the net stretched forward as if it were a large spider web stuck to the tank. Once the stakes were yanked free, the net trailed the tank limply. In a belated plea, Bannon called over the company net to remind the platoons to remember the nets. Then he and Kelp jumped out, dragged theirs in, and jumped back into position.
The battalion net now came to life as the battalion Scout Platoon began to report sighting, then contact with the lead enemy element. As Team Yankee's artillery fire-support team, or FIST, was detached to the Scout Platoon while they were deployed forward, Bannon listened intently, hoping he wouldn't lose that valuable combat asset. The Scout Platoon's mission was to cover the withdrawal of the last of the cavalry, engage the enemy's lead elements in an effort to deceive them as to where the covering force area ended and the main battle area, or MBA, began, and then withdraw through Team Yankee. Their fight was to be short but important. Once they started firing, the battle had passed from the cavalry to the battalion. Though it still had to roll through sporadic artillery fire impacting in the village and up the little valley to the Team's right, the cavalry's battle was over. Team Yankee's first battle was about to begin.
The radio on the Team net came to life as First Sergeant Harrert called, "ROMEO 25-THIS IS ROMEO 97 OVER." He was still in the village and still alive.
"ROMEO 97-THIS IS ROMEO 25-WHAT KIND OF SHAPE ARE YOU IN7-OVER." "THIS IS 97-1 HAVE ONE WHISKEY INDIA APLHA-THE NOVEMBER 8 TANGO ELEMENT HAS COMPLETED PASSAGE-WAITING ON THE TANGO 9 FOXTROT ELEMENT NOW-OVER."
"THIS IS 25-DO YOU NEED THE BANDAID FOR THE CASUALTY7-OVER."
"THIS IS 97-NEGATIVE-HE CAN WAITOVER."
"THIS IS 25-THE TANGO 9 FOXTROT ELEMENT IS NOW IN CONTACT-I EXPECT THEM TO START BACK WITHIN THREE ZERO MIKES-HANG IN THERE-OVER."
"THIS IS 97-WILCO-OVER."
So far everything was working according to plan. In their haste to occupy firing positions, the Team had probably screwed up most of its camouflage nets. But right now, that was the least of Bannon's worries. He continued to listen to the Scout Platoon's fight, now being joined by reports from Team Bravo. Team Bravo, occupying the hill across the small valley from Team Yankee, was under fire from several battalions' worth of Soviet artillery. The initial and frantic report from the Team Bravo commander over the battalion radio net was cut off in mid-sentence. Attempts by the battalion S-3 to reestablish contact with Team Bravo failed. That meant that either its command track had had its antennas blown off or it had been hit.