(no subject)
From her observation spot, Tanya surveyed the area: irregular rolling hills, three rivers running in deep beds, a road going southwards to Austria.
And of course, the Reds. Each end of each bridge was guarded, a large tent, a couple APC's, a dozen soldiers, a couple attack dogs... barbed wire. Not good.
Even worse with the Yak-9's flying patrols above. It all indicated the move south of the Red Army was days, weeks ahead of what the Allied Intelligence believed. And it made her mission even more important: destroy those bridges. With a small sigh, she waited for the next patrol to go away and moved down the slope.
First obstacle was, of course, the guards. If all of them were out, Tanya would not hesitate: she would wade in and have the whole platoon dead before they could react. But things were never that simple.
Her mission was to destroy the bridges, slow down the soviet advance into Austria. With the bridges destroyed, they would have to move a MCV over to the area, set up a temporary base, crank out materiel and supplies, and build up new bridges, strong enough to hold the Mammoth tanks. Maybe up to three weeks of time, three weeks for Austria to prepare, to scatter the army, to make ambushes, to set up traps, to stockpile supplies, and more important, to evacuate civilians.
So, how to get around the troops?
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Obvious answer: dress in black and facepaint, and wait for the night. Late night.
Sneaking down the river, Tanya paused every few minutes to survey the area ahead: amazing enough, there were no patrols near the waterline. Not that she could really blame them, it was cold there. And it would be unhealthy to be on her way.
The woman slid closer to the water, and with a deep breath, moved in, shuddering with the icy temperature. After a moment to let her skin cool a bit, she started along towards the central pillar of the bridge, reaching it without incident. Quickly, Tanya set up three charges at the right spots, arming them with anti-tampering devices, and returned to the water, continuing down the river long enough to sneak out safely.
One done, two more to go. Trying to ignore the cold, Tanya made her way across to the next small river, knowing she had to be done with the planting of charges well before sunrise.
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Six hours later, as the horizon started to change colors in the west, Tanya crested a series of low hills. The bridges and the rivers were out of sight by now, but would soon reappear when the day arrived; she planned to be long gone by then.
Unclipping a small metal box from her belt with her very cold fingers, the woman flipped it open and pressed the single button under the lid. The dark valley behind was lit up in three points, briefly, as the charges detonated, and a second later or so the blasts and the sound of concrete breaking was audible. Deprived of their support, the bridges collapsed into the rivers, breaking apart.
Three extra weeks for Austria to prepare, check. Tanya even allowed herself a brief smile, before a stiff breeze made her teeth chatter with the sting of cold. Now, to find a spot where to dry up and rest, and where to not be found by the reds.
And of course, the Reds. Each end of each bridge was guarded, a large tent, a couple APC's, a dozen soldiers, a couple attack dogs... barbed wire. Not good.
Even worse with the Yak-9's flying patrols above. It all indicated the move south of the Red Army was days, weeks ahead of what the Allied Intelligence believed. And it made her mission even more important: destroy those bridges. With a small sigh, she waited for the next patrol to go away and moved down the slope.
First obstacle was, of course, the guards. If all of them were out, Tanya would not hesitate: she would wade in and have the whole platoon dead before they could react. But things were never that simple.
Her mission was to destroy the bridges, slow down the soviet advance into Austria. With the bridges destroyed, they would have to move a MCV over to the area, set up a temporary base, crank out materiel and supplies, and build up new bridges, strong enough to hold the Mammoth tanks. Maybe up to three weeks of time, three weeks for Austria to prepare, to scatter the army, to make ambushes, to set up traps, to stockpile supplies, and more important, to evacuate civilians.
So, how to get around the troops?
*********************************************************************
Obvious answer: dress in black and facepaint, and wait for the night. Late night.
Sneaking down the river, Tanya paused every few minutes to survey the area ahead: amazing enough, there were no patrols near the waterline. Not that she could really blame them, it was cold there. And it would be unhealthy to be on her way.
The woman slid closer to the water, and with a deep breath, moved in, shuddering with the icy temperature. After a moment to let her skin cool a bit, she started along towards the central pillar of the bridge, reaching it without incident. Quickly, Tanya set up three charges at the right spots, arming them with anti-tampering devices, and returned to the water, continuing down the river long enough to sneak out safely.
One done, two more to go. Trying to ignore the cold, Tanya made her way across to the next small river, knowing she had to be done with the planting of charges well before sunrise.
***********************************************************************
Six hours later, as the horizon started to change colors in the west, Tanya crested a series of low hills. The bridges and the rivers were out of sight by now, but would soon reappear when the day arrived; she planned to be long gone by then.
Unclipping a small metal box from her belt with her very cold fingers, the woman flipped it open and pressed the single button under the lid. The dark valley behind was lit up in three points, briefly, as the charges detonated, and a second later or so the blasts and the sound of concrete breaking was audible. Deprived of their support, the bridges collapsed into the rivers, breaking apart.
Three extra weeks for Austria to prepare, check. Tanya even allowed herself a brief smile, before a stiff breeze made her teeth chatter with the sting of cold. Now, to find a spot where to dry up and rest, and where to not be found by the reds.