Part 12 (1/2)

The aide left. Happy to do so.Hoffman leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. So, he thought. We are once 146.

more fighting the world, as. .h.i.tler-G.o.d rest his glorious soul-did so many years ago. They are fools to fight us. Fools! This plan that I am now carrying out was fully planned years before I was born. Victory was a.s.sured me by the very blood that runs through my veins. I cannot fail.

That is not only unthinkable, it is impossible.

He thought for a long time, wrote out a message, then rose and walked to his communications building. ”Order all commanders to halt their advance immediately. We must prepare for a major a.s.sault against us.” He handed the message to the radioman. ”This will explain everything. Send this in code to all commanders. Immediately.”

”Yes, sir.”

Corrie sat for a moment, trying to make some sense out of the communiquejust radioed to her from communications central. It just didn't make any sense. Finally, she handed her headset to another Rebel and walked into Ben's office, a room just off what had once been a den in the old home.

”Makes no sense, General,” she said.

Ben rubbed eyes weary from hours of staring at maps. ”What doesn't, Corrie?”

”We just decoded this. Hoffman has ordered an immediate halt to all advances. He has instructed his troops to prepare for a major counteroffensive by the Rebels.”

Ben looked at her for a few seconds, then shook his head in confusion and disbelief. ”Would you repeat that, Corrie.”

” 'Rebels being re-enforced by five divisions of troops 147.

unfriendly to our goals. Preparing to launch major counteroffensive against us on all fronts. Stand or die. Heil Hitler.' It's from the headquarters of Field Marshal Jesus Hoffman.”

”Do they know something we don't, Corrie?”

She shrugged her shoulders as the rest of Ben's team gathered around.

”Do you suppose Ike or some of the other commanders sent out false information?”

”Not without first clearing it with me. I do not understand this at all.”

”All our batt comms are requesting orders,” Corrie said. ”What do I tell them?”

Ben leaned back in his chair and smiled. ”Tell them to mount up. We attack!”

148Chapter Thirteen The Rebels punched at Hoffman's lines from all directions, using mortars, rockets, and light arms. Every Rebel who could carry a rifle took part. It was. .h.i.t hard and run like h.e.l.l. They didn't really inflict a lot of physical damage, since the majority of Rebels had moved north of I-20, but the psychological effects on the Black-s.h.i.+rts was significant.

”We have repulsed the first wave!” Generals Schleyer, Maihofer, and Schmidt proudly radioed to Hoffman. ”Our casualties are very light.”

But General von Hanstein wasn't buying any of it. He didn't believe Ben had five divisions coming to his aid. He didn't believe there were five solid divisions of troops anywhere in the world except for the troops they were already fighting.

He sent a patrol north of his position to check it out. They reported seeing only very small bands of Rebels. They guessed they were Rebels-they couldn't be sure since those they spotted were in no regular uniform. None of those they saw showed any inclination to stand and fight. They requested permission to pursue and engage.

149.

”Negative,” General von Hanstein quickly nixed that. ”Return to base.”

He got Field Marshall Hoffman's HQ. ”This is a ruse, sir,” he informed Hoffman. ”I don't know what Raines is doing, but he does not have five divisions of additional troops. It's some sort of trick.”

”Nonsense!” Hoffman snapped. ”I shouldn't have to remind you that our intelligence is the finest in the world. They have been on top of this situation since the first transmission. You are wrong, General von Hanstein.”

Von Hanstein held his temper and his tongue. He had always been of the opinion that Field Marshal Hoffman's intelligence people would have difficulty finding their own a.s.ses with both hands and a seeing eye dog.

But he knew better than to argue with Hoffman.

”Yes, sir,” von Hanstein said. ”As you say, sir.” Von Hanstein walked outside and stood for a moment. ”Ben Raines is up to something,” he muttered. ”I know you're up to something, Ben Raines. But what?”

Ben didn't know himself until he stood facing a map. Then he started smiling.

”We're in trouble,” Cooper whispered to Jersey. ”The general's grinning.”

Ben turned around. He smiled at his team. ”I have a plan,” he said, then started laughing.

”GSG 9 people are in camp,” Corrie said. ”And Ike's on the horn and he's hot.”

”Go, Shark,” Ben keyed the mic.

”G.o.dd.a.m.nit, Eagle!” Ike roared. ”You're supposed to be north of I-20 by now.”

”GSG 9 people rolling up, sir,” Jersey called, looking out the window.”They look pretty d.a.m.n tough to me.”

150.

”They are,” Ben said. ”Shark, we're been delayed some. We'll be packed and on the road within the hour. That's a promise.” Ben was careful not to tell him in what direction they'd be heading, however.

”That's good, Eagle,” Ike said. ”General von Hanstein is not fifteen miles from your location.”

Ben grinned. ”That is a fact, Ike. Yes, indeed. That is a fact. Eagle out.” He stepped outside and shook hands with a smiling Colonel Lenz of the German GSG 9.

The two men spoke for a moment and Colonel Lenz laughed. ”Everyone said you had more than your share of courage, General Raines,” he said. ”This proves them correct. It's a fine plan. Let's do it.”

”You've got some memorizing to do, Colonel,” Ben said. ”We'd best get to it.”

A half hour later, Ben gathered his team around him and laid it all out.

There was just about one minute of silence after Ben had told them what they were going to do. Jersey finally found her voice and summed up the feelings of everyone present. ”Holy s.h.i.+t!”

Von Hanstein finally but reluctantly followed orders and prepared for an offensive from the Rebels, spreading his people out along a line east to west. The easternmost units were side by side with men of the Fifth Division, the westernmost units talking with personnel from Hoffman's First Division. Ben and his Rebels, and Colonel Lenz and his GSG 9 men, all of them now dressed in seized Blacks.h.i.+rt uniforms, with Lenz spearheading, headed south and just drove right up to the first checkpoint on Highway 67 and stopped.

”You there!” Colonel Lenz barked at a guard. ”We're 151.

from General Schleyer's Eighth. We're trying to get to Field Marshal Hoffman's HQ, with a personal message from General Schleyer and this idiot driver of mine took the wrong road. Can you help us?”

”Certainly, sir,” the guard said. ”Just stay on this road for about twenty more miles. You'll come to Highway 87. Turn west and you'll run right into the field marshal's HQ. Have you seen any Rebels, sir?”

”We've seen nothing. I think it's a ruse and so does General Schleyer.

But ...” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. ”We are only soldiers, hey. What can we do?”

”Yes, sir,” the sentry said with a grin. ”I imagine General von Hanstein would be glad to talk to you. He shares your views about this so-called a.s.sault. His CP is only a mile past the intersection. He's pretty thin down there. All our troops have been deployed along this line.”