“We have to meet up with them,” Kat said to the others. “Quiet as you can, on me. Go!” She slipped out of the woods, running in a crouch. Covering a hundred yards, she slowed down as they neared the gully. A couple of the Resistance crew turned to her, nodding their heads though it was clear she spooked them.
Still got the touch then. The thought cheered Kat somewhat, even as she worked to catch her breath. “Did you get the towers?”
“They’re clear,” Jakub said.
Kat nodded. “Good show.” She pulled out her field glasses before crawling to the top of their cover, peering at the camp. Another security fence stood a good two hundred yards beyond the first gate and covered by six guards, a Panzer tank, a half-track, and a couple control towers.
The SS stacked the odds in their favor, but they left the outer perimeter lightly guarded. They didn’t expect trouble. The remote area, the natural obstacles around them, these things all worked together to make the Wolf’s Lair a difficult target. The question they likely asked was who presented a credible threat?
We do, Kat thought.
The situation still bothered her. Why did they have the tanks, to appease Hitler’s paranoia? Did it make him feel better to believe these weapons protected him? If a man used girls to check his food, nothing should have been a surprise. After all, this was a person who had no qualms declaring war on half the world.
“Sam,” Kat muttered without taking her eyes off the camp. “We need those tanks and in working order. How can we take them?”
“Shouldn’t be difficult.” Sam leaned up with his field glasses, taking a look. “Tanks are hot and uncomfortable. The crew won’t be sitting in them when there’s no obvious threat. If the tank crews climb out for air, then we can eliminate them. Better still, when they switch crews, the new lads won’t jump right in.”
“What do you suggest at that point?”
“There’ll be a number of targets, so calling them would be good.” Kelly hummed. “Once they’re down, we board the tanks, and they’re yours. Do you think they could take down the control towers?”
“Top marks,” Kat replied. “Absolutely.”
“Then yes, that will most definitely work.”
Kat turned to Jakub. “How do you want to orchestrate this? We have to get through the front gate to get to the tanks before we can claim them. The silenced weapons might take out the crews, but we won’t have long before the towers get curious. I think a minute, tops.”
“Taking the first gate is no problem, and it does not appear to be locked.” Jakub gestured with his chin. “When they let the bus through, they didn’t even flip a latch. It just slid to the left. When the tank crews are ready to change, you do your part… we take the front… rush in and use your minute wisely.”
“Hmm.” Kat frowned. She wished they had a cleaner plan, but she worked with worse in the past. “How many men do you think we’re up against?”
Jakub shrugged. “A few hundred people here total.”
“A few hundred?” Kat stared at him with wide eyes. “Soldiers?”
“No, no.” Jakub shook his head emphatically. “Not at all. Most are civilians. The RSD protects Hitler. Shouldn’t be more than a hundred of them on duty.”
“What do we do with the civilians?” Dore asked. “What’s the plan there?”
“We’ll blow a hole in the rear fence,” Kat replied. “They can escape into the woods.” She imagined hundreds of regular people inside, cooks, food tasters, cleaners, and maybe even family members all panicking once the action started. This situation wasn’t a simple case of attacking a military target.
They had non-combatants to worry about, which escalated the risk considerably. Don’t think about it! Kat thought. We can’t let that slow us down. She drew a deep breath. “Alright, standby for the tank crews to change. Jakub, get your men in position. This is going to be tight, so stay focused. I don’t have to remind you. We get one shot at this.”
Another bus showed up. The soldiers allowed it in without a second look. They were getting sloppy as the morning went on, confident in their defenses and location. Tank hatches popped open. The crews crawled out just as several men in the same uniform for each tank arrived. They started chatting it up, going over the duty change.
“This is it,” Kat rasped. “This is the moment! As soon as the other crews leave, we go!”
Anticipation built. Jakub’s men lifted their weapons, taking aim. Kat nodded to her people. Each of them called a target. They’d be the ones pulling the action this time, the soldiers of the Resistance and her unit. This is a first, Kat thought. I’m usually the one opening fire first.
The thought made her smirk, reminding her of medieval studies. Lords and Generals directed those battles with flags from a distance, observing the action for maximum efficiency. She wouldn’t be quite that detached, but at least the start of this particular raid made her feel more like a Military Commander than ever before.
The relieved crews departed, waving to their buddies. The others lazily hung around the tanks, talking with the nearby guards. They had a good night’s sleep and had a lot of energy, far too much to spend sitting inside a hot, stationary vehicle. Kat watched the others through her field glasses, willing them to hurry up.
If those guys start getting into the tanks, we’ll have to go, regardless. The old tank crews might come back, but by then, the Resistance would already be inside claiming the tanks. This is where patience collides with a need to hurry. Depending on how we proceed, a false start could make this an impossible fight.
The last of the old tank crews disappeared around a corner. Kat drew a breath, preparing herself for the moment when they would go loud. She counted back from three in her head, envisioning victory. The situation played out in her mind precisely how they planned.
There will be no screw-ups. Kat held her hand high, listening to the sounds of the surrounding forest. Birds chattered noisily above her, totally oblivious to the carnage about to be unleashed. A guard laughed somewhere in the compound.
Six gate guards… twelve tank crewmen… five roving soldiers… two control towers. They weren’t vacant but the soldiers standing up there weren’t in their line of sight. We’ll deal with them in a moment. Her heart pounded in her chest as she brought her hand down. That simple gesture began the operation.
Jakub’s men opened fire, cutting down the gate guards. Through the field glasses, the scene looked particularly gruesome. Blood coated the ground, limbs twisted in unnatural angles. Dore and Stewart went next with Capetti and Kelly joining in. Their silenced weapons whisper-popped as the tank crews joined the soldiers in death.
Four of the Resistance dashed forward, racing to the first checkpoint. Kat’s heart pounded in her chest as they made their approach, leaping over the bodies. They threw the gate open, waving at their comrades to join them.
Kat nodded to her people. Dore winked at her before leading the way with Kelly. The two of them leaped from cover, sprinting for their destination. The Resistance men made it to the tanks, climbing aboard like a bunch of enthusiastic ants. They disappeared inside just as her two people made the front gate.
The engine roared to life. Kat held her breath as the turrets rotated. She shifted her attention to Dore. He paused just inside the gate, dropping to his knee while raising his weapon. She moved her glasses to mark what he saw. The roaming patrol! The soldiers hadn’t noticed the bodies yet, but they were on their way.
One of the NAZIs gestured ahead, pointing at the tank. Whatever they thought, didn’t matter. Kelly and Dore opened up, unleashing a quick flurry of suppressed pops that she only barely heard at such a distance. Two of the five targets hopped backward, puffs of
red mist bursting from their backs. The others dropped abruptly, alive one second, dead the next.
The two Commandos continued their advance, dipping inside the gatehouse. They each emerged a moment later. One was Dore, and he carried a Panzerschreck, aiming it at one of the watchtowers.
Kat moved her glasses to each of the targets, noting the guards peeking out to see what happened. One of them started shouting, pointing at the bodies, but it was too late. A huff of thrust sounded as Dore pulled the trigger, sending a rocket directly into the floor of the left guard tower.
The resulting explosion rumbled the ground as far as two hundred yards away as a plume of black smoke appeared in an instant. That would be a signal for miles around, but no one would be able to respond before they made their escape, neither ally nor axis. The remote area ensured the right kind of privacy for a Commando attack.
Dore swung around with the Panzerschreck. Kelly spent a quick second loading a rocket into it. Kelly made sure he was in safe proximity to the backblast, then gave Dore a tap on the shoulder. Dore receiving the ready signal from Kelly, fired the rocket a moment later. One of the guards leaped from the right guard tower half a second before it became little more than slag. The German soldier landed, rolling on his side while nursing his leg. Dore hustled over and kicked him in the face, knocking him unconscious as chaos fell over the compound.
One of the tanks the Resistance fighters commandeered fired next, the report echoing for miles around. That blast knocked out the inner compound gate, opening it up for their forces to charge in. An alarm went off, blaring with all the intensity of an air-raid siren. Shouts sounded within the base as the tank jolted forward, the engine revving while the tracks began spinning.
Dore and Kelly followed it in. Kat gave the rest of them the go order. Machine gun fire erupted off to the left, but she figured it had to be only for show, guards desperate to prove they were doing something. That wouldn’t last. Even as the tank crashed through the final barrier, she knew the defenders would meet them momentarily.
A half-track pulled out, the heavy gun on top swiveling toward the tank. It wasn’t fast enough as another Resistance tank turned their turret on the vehicle. The distinctive boom of the shell discharging lasted for only a moment before its target was tossed in the air, thrown onto its side in a mess of molten steel and fire.
German soldiers appeared now from both directions, discharging their MP40s at the tanks. Dore and Kelly remained close behind one of the tanks, firing their weapons at the enemies. Kat and the rest of her team closed fast, rapidly coming within range to help.
The tanks fired again. One, taking down a small building. Another, turning a wooden barracks into millions of splinters. Kat cursed under her breath. I hope the civilians have moved. She turned to Stewart. “We have to be sure the non-combatants are getting out of here! Those Resistance guys are having way too much fun with their new toys.”
“Fun watching them work though,” Stewart replied. He aimed, firing a quick three-round burst off to the right. “I think the civilians are just going to have to take care of themselves. We’re a little busy watching out for our own arses without worrying about theirs.”
Kat took a moment to fire her weapon, dropping into a crouch as she continued to run. She didn’t hit anyone, but the near-miss drove the enemy soldiers to seek cover. They were shouting at one another, mostly profanity in German. At least they’ll keep their heads down for a minute.
Stewart sighed, shaking his head. “Let’s meet up at the bunker.” He dashed away, moving towards a tank, then diagonally away towards the bunker.
Kat reached Dore and Kelly. “One of you get up there and tell these guys to leave the buildings alone! Give the civvies a chance to escape.”
“Those Polish chaps are a bit zealous,” Kelly replied, “but I’ll do what I can.” He rushed forward, hoisting himself onto one of the tanks. Gunfire plunked against the armor, causing tiny sparks to fly near his boots.
Kat and the others opened fire, providing cover by unloading their clips into the advancing soldiers. Several bodies hit the ground while others fled. Some guards took shelter in another building. Glass from the windows burst outward as they started shooting from the hardened space.
“Okay, they can shoot that building!” Kat yelled, moving to the opposite side of one of the tanks for cover. The tanks turrets swung around to face the building Kat was pointing to. The tank fired, and microseconds later, an explosion and fire so great, it literally brought the roof of the building crashing down. If the explosion hadn’t killed the soldiers inside, the ensuing tons of debris falling on them certainly did the job.
“Whoa!” Capetti called out, drawing her attention to their left as a German soldier hoisted his Panzerschreck, aiming at the tank.
“I’ve got him!” Capetti fired his MP40, a quick succession of five rounds. They danced up the target’s leg, making him arch his back. The rocket fired as he hit the ground, blasting the wall of another building.
The stone crumbled, the roof caved in. People spilled out, screaming with their hands over their heads. They dashed for the gates, seemingly unarmed. Kat watched for half a moment before turning her attention back to the other side where so many soldiers had taken refuge.
In all the carnage, it was hard to hear the plunking gunfire as it bounced off the surface of the tank Kat was behind. The percussive tap happened so fast. It seemed like the engine might be making the sound. Kelly crawled into the tank as the turret swung around, opening fire.
The blast caught the target in the corner, caving in half the wall. Even without a direct hit, the damage proved catastrophic. A couple of soldiers stumbled out, several more were crushed. Kat and Capetti finished off the stragglers, taking them down with bursts of submachine gun fire.
Stewart came out with a line of people, gesturing wildly towards the gate. Those people ran for their lives. Their heads bowed as they sprinted. Many of them screamed, the cries of the genuinely panicked. There had to be more, but at least they made a dent in that number, saved a lot of unnecessary casualties.
Kat shouted at Capetti. Something whistled by her head, and she dropped to a crouch and yelled, “Sniper! Eyes up!”
“Over there!” Capetti called back. “Four o’clock East! I saw light flash from a scope.”
Kat turned to Stewart. “Get down!” She screamed the words with such conviction, her throat instantly burned. “Cover, Stewart! Take bloody cover! Now!”
A piece of the concrete bounced near Stewart’s foot, and he dashed away from his current position, moving behind the building he’d just come out of. Capetti clicked his tongue beside her, suddenly dropping as a shot ricocheted off the tank’s armor inches from where his head had been.
“That was close!” Capetti cursed. “I almost had shot.”
“I’ve got it,” Kat edged her way around to the front of the tank, poking her head up for just a moment before ducking. When no shot came, she took another few steps before rising with her weapon aimed. Following Capetti’s directions, she opened fire. Someone twitched at the destination, giving her a target.
Got you, bastard. Kat adjusted, pulling the trigger again. Arms twitched, a quick spray of blood hovered in the air, before the corpse went still. “Sniper down!” She shouted. “We have to keep moving! Maintain this momentum! Let’s go! Go! Go!”
Fires all around them broke out, not only from the molten vehicle but the buildings and even the trees beyond the perimeter. As the flames licked the sky, thick smoke coated the area, tiny orange particles drifting on the breeze along with sooty ash. Moving through it made Kat’s eyes sting, her lungs ache.
Stewart joined her near the tank just in time for it to discharge another round. He winced fro
m the concussion from the tanks cannon before shouting at her. His voice sounded like white noise when competing with gunfire and explosions. He gestured three times ahead of the tank, drawing Kat’s attention to their objective.
The bunker. Kat narrowed her eyes, admiring the monstrous dark structure’s fortified glory. No windows, only doors, and three of them had already been blown out.
“We’ve got them on the run on the left flank!” Stewart continued speaking to her. The ringing in her ears died down enough to make out what he had to say. “Those Resistance chaps seriously have it out for them. They’re making sure they don’t double back on us to cause trouble.”
Another half-track caught their attention, moving up beside the bunker. Kat recognized it as a Stummel with a 75mm gun mounted on the universal rack. It wasn’t powerful enough to destroy the tank, but it would cause some catastrophic damage, potentially killing the people inside.
“That thing has to go!” Kat slapped the side of the tank with her palm, but they couldn’t possibly hear her. She turned to Kelly who remained on the tank, waving at him as she continued. “Get down! This thing’s a bloody target! Quick!”
Kelly jumped from the tank, dashing toward a building on their left. He sprinted, moving toward several crates lined up against a smoldering wall.
Dore followed suit, though he veered in the direction of the half-track. He drew two grenades, popping the pins with his thumbs. The Germans swiveled about, fixing their aim on the tank.
Kat and Capetti put some distance between themselves and the vehicles, hurrying toward a large pile of rubble. It would act as reasonable cover from the small arms fire, though if they didn’t take care of the Stummel, they’d be in a lot of trouble, especially if it wiped out the tank.
The enemy vehicle lined up. Dore threw his grenades, one after another. The Scotsman dove to his right, landing on his stomach. He put his arms over his head.
Kat and Die Wolfsschanze Page 25
