The Boys in Blue Ch. 18

He felt Jim nudge him, and then whisper, "there coming," indicating the end of the track were it appeared from the hills to the east and Pakistan. It took several minutes before Robert's binoculars could focus on the specks that were travelling slowly across the desert floor trying to avoid making too much dust.

Seven Toyota 15 cwt trucks came into view, as they drew closer he could see three Taliban riding in the back of each truck, all the trucks appeared to be quite new he realised. When the trucks reached the mouth of the gorge, they swung round and reversed into the deep shadows of the gorge disappearing from view.

"More coming," he heard Jim whisper. Slowly four more Trucks appeared unlike the first set these just contained a driver and appeared to be much older. When they had disappeared from view into the gorge, the men on the peaks started to make their way down to the gorge.

"We had better get ready," Jim said, "it's going to kick off today."

Robert set up the Radio resetting it for A10.

"Wild Boar- 1 to Wild Boar -2 are you receiving over."

"Wild Boar -2 to Wild Boar- 1 receiving you 5 by 5 over."

"Wild Boar-1 to Wild Boar -2 be advised a lazar reflector is placed 7 miles from end of the track. Deploy to station, I say again, deploy to station over."

"Wild Boar- 2 to Wild Boar -1 deploying, good luck, Wild Boar -2 out."

Robert reset the frequency to Opps. "Wild Boar- 1 to Sierra Bravo- 5 are you receiving over". Steve's voice came in over the radio; Robert quickly explained about the eleven trucks that had arrived, and that the A10s would be on station in twenty-five minutes.

He knew that Tim would hug the desert floor on his approach with the other A10.

He switched off the radio but left it set up, he noticed that Walt was removing a L115A3 sniper rifle from its canvas case and was checking it.

"Where's the other team?" Robert asked Jim. Jim indicated a point 300 meters away and slightly lower than them. "When your aircraft begin the attack they'll move back here as quickly as they can, then we have to hold this position until the cavalry arrive." he said with a humorous chuckle.

Robert noticed that the others were removing magazines from their packs along with grenades and placing them close at hand; he followed suit.

He glanced at his cheap Casio watch that he wore on missions, Tim should be deployed in five minutes he realised, and he changed the radio frequency over to the A10's radio, and left it in standby.

Seven minutes later Tim announced that he and Wild Boar- 7 were on station; Bill was with him Robert realised.

Bert was talking into the mike of the team's radio; he turned to Jim, "four of the bases up North are under attack their screaming for air support."

Robert could imagine that Tornadoes would be scrambling from Kandahar, whilst the Apache's from Bastion would be doing the same. The Taliban observers would have noticed the A10s taking off and assumed that they were returning to Camp Bastion. It's just a matter of waiting now he thought. Jim had mentioned that the reflector had been set up pointing to a cluster of rocks about two thirds of the way along the track.

"Something is moving down there," Bert murmured his eyes glued to his binoculars.

Shadowy figures were coming out of the gorge, "their climbing," he announced. After forty minutes, the figures reappeared on the crests again scanning the sky to the West and North.

Robert toggled the radio, "Wild Boar -1 to Wild Boar -2 and -7 stand by," he received the affirmative from Tim. He heard the click, click as Walt loaded a cartridge into the rifles breach.

"Their moving," Jim whispered the last four trucks were moving from the shadows of the gorge picking up speed. "Hold fire" he heard Jim say into his throat mike. "Crafty bastards those trucks are a decoy there empty," he said. They watched as the trucks tore across the desert floor, disappearing from view.

Robert glanced at his watch; they had been on station over three hours fuel would be getting short. The men on the crests were still scanning the skies, he saw one speak into the cell phone; he switched the binoculars to the gorge; the trucks were coming out. He heard Jim say into his throat mike, "remember the one with the cell phone first."

The trucks were clear of the shadows and picking up speed, heavily laden.

"Take them out," Jim ordered, Robert heard the phut-followed seconds later by another phut from Walt's rifle. He keyed the transmit button "Wild Boar- 2 and -7 Go, Go, Go."

The trucks were already five miles away swathed in a dust cloud. "Jim I've given the Para's the go," Bert said from the other radio. Robert glanced at his watch again the Hellfires should be on their way.

His radio crackled '"Wild Boar- 1, Wild Boar- 8 inbound."

Tom must have been on the end of the runway waiting for the go he realised.

The trucks were almost at the rocks when the first Hellfire exploded followed by a second explosion seconds later. The trucks braked some fishtailing others ramming the truck in front, total confusion had over taken the convoy, and then he heard the sound of Rolls Royce engines as Wild Boar 2 began its attack run, 30mm High Explosive Duel Purpose canon shells lanced into the trucks on a sustained burst, shredding the trucks, Tim pulled out of the dive and banked around as Bill's A10 came into the attack releasing rockets into the flaming inferno that had been seven trucks moments earlier. "Jesus Christ," Jim muttered aghast at the carnage that the A10s had inflicted, "Thank god you're on our side."

They all heard the sound of rifle fire together; the other team was making their way over to them, but the Taliban in the gorge had spotted them as they poured out of it. There must be over a hundred Robert realised as they fired wildly at the three-man team. Then Tim and Bill were attacking spewing cannon fire into their ranks pulling up steeply to avoid the cliff face, banking to make another run.

He looked at his watch again it was over four hours since they deployed they must be flying on fumes ha realised. He keyed the transmit button "Wild Boar- 2 and- 7 return to base." "Negative Wild Boar- 1." Tim replied.

Robert forgot radio procedure,

"Tim return to base you must be bingo fuel."

"We'll go when Tom gets here."

'I'm giving you a direct order return to base now."

"Sorry, Robbie my radio must be on the blink I missed that."

He was saved from further comment by a new voice, Tom's.

"Okay, you two piss off; it's my turn to have some fun."

The third A10 came into view; Tom must have pushed the thrust leaver through the gate to have got here Robert realised.

Robert ordered Tom to try and keep the gorge bottled up; about thirty Taliban had survived Tim and Bill's attacks and were now spread out approaching their position in small groups. The three-man team had reached them and had taken up position on the edge of the ledge; Jim pulled down the net, and the four crawled to the edge to join them. The two snipers began to fire picking their targets carefully.

"That's me out," Walt said replacing the sniper rifle with a M16. Robert cocked his rifle the enemy were less than 300 meters away dashing from cover to cover, he realised that his mouth was dry; all they had to do was hold them until the Para's arrived, the question was could they.

Tom had fired his Hellfire's into the mouth of the gorge, but every time he broke of the attack some of the Taliban slipped from the gorge to join the others attacking the soldiers. He managed to make one pass hosing down the rocks were they were concealed with 30mm cannon fire, screams erupting from them, only just managing to avoid the cliff face as he pulled up.

The Taliban began to move with less caution knowing their best chance to avoid the A10's fire was to close with the soldiers making it too dangerous for it to fire. They were only 100 meters away when the soldiers opened up picking their targets.

While Robert knew, he was hopeless with a pistol he was a fair shot with a rifle having spent countless days shooting pheasants on the estate.

He concentrated on a rock where he knew two of the enemy were concealed, they sprinted from cover; he downed them both with three shots. Then looked for another target, the Taliban were attacking with suicidal disregard for their losses such was their fury at losing the opium. Bullets were screaming through the air all around them; he flicked the select to automatic on the M16 some of the soldiers were fixing bayonets to their rifle; he didn't have one, so he drew out the Glock and cocked it, leaving it by his side. He knew that if the worse happened he would use it on himself, the Taliban had a reputation for torture. His mouth was dry; he felt an icy chill down his spine, but his brain still functioned he knew he wouldn't die easily.

They were less than a 15 meters now, any moment their going to charge. The soldiers began hurling their grenades into the rocks where the enemy sort cover, with mixed results.

Then he heard the sound of mortar fire coming from the valley; the Para's were at the start of the valley he realised. He was down to his last two magazines he'd hit eight that he was sure of, but there was still too many, far too many, although the soldiers were fighting like furies. Bert had been hit in the arm but ignored the blood seeping down his sleeve firing the M16 with one hand. Robert had a rock splinter hit him in the face, and a bullet had glanced of his helmet making his head ring. Blood was rolling down his face. "Choppers," Jim cried, Robert couldn't hear them his head still ringing, but he saw them as they landed, Para's rushing out of them to attack the enemy on their flank whilst others rushed towards the gorge.

The enemy facing them hesitated, then began to fall back, picking up speed as they rushed down the slope.

He laid down the rifle, drawing in air to his parched throat, looking at the heat waves rising from the M16's barrel; he clambered to his feet and retrieved a bottle of water from his pack drinking most of it in one gulp. His hands shook has he held the bottle, splashing some water to the cut on his face. Has the adrenalin slowly seeped from his body; he realised it had been close too close he knew.

Jim was fixing a dressing to Bert's shoulder; he shouted to them, "pick up your gear and lets go," as they made their way down the slope towards the Chinooks he said has they walked, "You know Robbie for a fly boy; you're not half bad." Robert smiled to himself; a comment like that from a seasoned SAS Sergeant was better than any medal.

Back at Kandahar they were debriefed by Steve and Mike their faces radiating the pleasure of the success of the mission, "we've already got your chaps gun camera disk's and with cam-cording that Bert took we should have pretty clear picture of events," Steve said, Robert had been unaware that Bert had been recording. "Most of the enemy have been accounted for," Steve continued, "and there are two or three high profile faces listed in the dead reports, but of more importance we have a laptop found inside one of the caves which hopefully will give us some much needed information of their distribution network. I've no need to tell you Robbie how this is going to upset their war effort, please inform your guys how pleased we are with them," Steve shook his hand followed by Mike.

After he had showered and changed he went down to dispersal, spotting Taff he asked, "How much fuel did Tim and Bill's aircraft hold when they returned," he demanded.

"Oh, about five percent," Taff replied his face bland. He's lying Robert knew; it's a conspiracy there all in it together. He stalked away; Taff watched him go, knowing that Tim and Bill had less than three minutes flying time left when they had landed.

He found them in the mess drinking coke, "In my room now," he said turning on his heel.

They shuffled in their faces serious, when they had shut the door he rounded on them,

"Just what the bloody hell were you playing at out there, you broke radio procedure; you disobeyed a direct order, you took unnecessary risks with your aircraft, what do, you have to say for your selves."

They all looked at one another in surprise at his tone.

"Well in point of fact," Tim began, "you were the one who broke procedure first, and in the second case, we had plenty of fuel left ask Taff he'll tell you."

Robert glared at them; they returned the stare with faces of childish innocence. He couldn't help himself; he began to chuckle that turned into laughter.

"It's true; you are hooligans, and bloody stark staring mad hooligans at that, come on I'll buy you a coke."

The news of the mission broke in the newspapers three days later most of the details were omitted, primarily that Para's had undertaken a mission against the Taliban and had been assisted by RAF A10's. Robert had told Tim to tell the others that if the girls asked, to tell the truth and say he hadn't been flying. They were staying at Kandahar has Dave Dick Bob and Jim had arrived Robert returned to Bastion with Dave, Dick and Bob to begin the hand over. He didn't return to Kandahar until two days before their return to the UK.

Taff had seemed a little glum, when he handed the A10 over to him. He put it down to the reason; he wouldn't be leaving for four more days. He'd changed and was packing some of his gear when there was a knock on the door and Tim walked in.

"All set Tim," he said happily, "ready to razzle and dazzle," he said, he noticed that Tim's face was pale and was looking very serious.

"What's the matter," he asked alarmed.

"Robbie," Tim began in a hesitant voice, "I hate to do this, but it should be me that shows you before you find out someway else." With that, he laid two newspapers on his desk then left.

Robert was puzzled and opened the papers, and then his world fell apart.

To be continued.