Chapter 61

"Bloody hell."

Ronnie had found words but the normally garrulous Max was stunned into silence. Their commanding officer had held back his troops saying that they would go in as a second wave. He had listened to General Markov and had ignored the general assigned to the area where they had been posted.

They were moving into the field of battle and were seeing the casualties. The men had been expecting to find injured and dead around the rebels' defences and on the inside. They were one hundred yards from the fence around the oil field. The people lying on the ground around them were in the uniform of the OWG army.

Orders to advance were being changed to orders to assist the wounded. There was a medical corps in attendance, but they were not prepared for this amount of carnage. Ordinary soldiers were being hastily instructed in how to compress wounds, apply a tourniquet, bandage and offer comfort.

Max and Ronnie were pointed towards the stretchers and then instructed to grab one and follow a doctor. Rapid assessments were made and they were told who to scoop up and deliver to the medical tents. The badly injured were the first to be carried away. Some were able to walk by themselves. Some were dead.

"These men have been shot. I thought the rebels didn't have many guns. We are too far away for them to hit anything even if they did fire." Ronnie was confused.

Max had seen the look on their officer's face. He knew that two other generals were directing forces on their flanks. Everyone had joined the fight at the same moment and as guns were fired all the soldiers had joined in. These injuries had not been inflicted by the rebels they had been caused by their own army.

"I think that they were shot by our men." Ronnie looked shocked. "It was by mistake. Too many men running in and firing at the same time." Max explained.

"That was why we were held back."

"Yes Ron. We are bloody lucky to be alive. Our officer defied orders and saved us."

The rest of the day was spent assisting the medical team. Their work was harrowing as they heard the screams of the wounded and looked on as the doctors did their work. The worst thing was stepping over the bodies of those who had died as they removed the men who needed treatment. They took a break before the grim task of retrieving the corpses.

Each man was taken away and placed in a designated area. As a body was located the stretcher bearers would glance at the face to see if it was someone that they knew. Rolling over a corpse and seeing someone familiar was a horrific thing. Max and Ronnie did their work in silence.

They were aware of the battle, such as it was. After the frantic attack there had been little action. The rebels had capitulated or run away with only a few making a stand. The enemy had been rounded up and were being lined up in rows. A large number had already been killed. The soldiers had taken out their anger and frustration on them.

As Max and Ronnie bent over to lift another body onto their stretcher gun fire rang out. They reacted by dropping low and grabbing their guns. It was not however a counterattack. Those that had surrendered or been caught were being executed.

"That's not right." Ronnie said.

"No, it's not." Max shook his head and returned his attention to their gruesome job.

At the end of a long day they sat in the mess with members of their unit. The soldiers were subdued with the only sound coming from low murmured conversation. The talk was about the debacle of the battle. They were mostly in agreement about where the blame for the reckless attack and subsequent damage lay.

The other generals had retreated to their luxurious camp away from the men. They were hastily getting their stories straight and inventing a report to send to Nicholas Salter and the OWG. It would be unlikely that there would be repercussions but it was best to be prepared just in case.

General Markov would take not part in their cover up. He headed for the mess where the majority of the army was gathered. The men got to their feet when he arrived, but he waved them down again. He moved amongst them asking questions and hearing reports of what had happened in the field.

"What was your role today private?"

Ronnie was a little stunned to be addressed by a general. "We assisted the medics sir."

"We removed the dead bodies." Max added.

The general patted them on the shoulder. "I am extremely sorry that you had to do that."

They were asked about their unit and when they told him the general knew who their officer was. He remarked that he was a good man and Max and Ronnie nodded vigorously at that. They were thanked for their time and Markov moved on.

"That is a proper general." Max said.

"Yep." Ronnie was back to being monosyllabic.

They were alive and unharmed and their luck held out for a bit longer. They were going home. Many of the other soldiers would stay to work on access to the oil field and to put up the necessary buildings. Getting out of the jungle was a very good result. It was a great day when they walked up the gangplank onto the ship which would take them back to Britain.

Having beaten the enemy, the soldiers looked forward to returning home or to their former postings. This did not happen straight away. They were a handy labour force and were put to work clearing forests and building the infrastructure necessary to access the area. This did not go down well.

The Military Times was the light in their dark lives. As the soldiers read the messages and the adventures of Super Sergeant, they could forget their troubles for a short time. The heat, illness and hard work faded into the background as they talked about the news and speculated how the superhero would get out of his latest fix.

George had found his true vocation. He loved drawing the cartoons, but he was also coming up with the stories as well. The first few had been planned with Dan. Once he got the idea, he was off and running. He still had to do his day job, but Ryan had ensured that he got paid for his work on Super Sergeant. It meant that he could live a better life, even though he was still stuck in the labour zone.

The newspaper was always checked by a civil servant, but the whole enterprise had been a success. The stage had been set ready for the day when Dan and his friends had the evidence they needed. They hoped that they would be able to print pictures and articles which would lead to the downfall of Nicholas Salter and his inner cabinet.

General Markov was horrified by the plan which was put forward. He could see exactly what would happen and made his views clear. Salter had spoken and action must be taken. The three voted against the voice of reason and the battle was joined.

The colonels and lieutenants could only follow orders. The corporals and the sergeants passed the message on. The soldiers were the ones who faced the consequences of their superiors' orders. As they rushed in from every direction many of the bullets found people on their own side.

The ramifications of the action were horrifically apparent after the battle. General Markov did not have to utter the words "I told you so." He watched as the other generals scrabbled to cover their arses. Although he had been disregarded, he still felt complicit. He left them to write the report of the victory. At no point did any of them admit their shortcomings.

Markov thought about going in person to speak to Salter and the inner cabinet. They ought to know how ineffectual and reckless his generals had been. He didn't though. He would be marked out as a troublemaker and his career would be curtailed. He wanted to stay in position to protect the troops as much as he possibly could.

News of the debacle in South America filtered down through the army. Ryan became aware of the campaign and the mistakes that had been made. He heard about how Markov had fought for a proper, sane battle plan and had been overruled. He made it his business to seek out this real soldier and have a word with him.

Dan was with Derek Frobisher when Ryan called at his house. He was excited and the three of them sat around the dining table eager to hear what had happened. Ryan told the story of the travesty of the South America campaign. Ryan spoke of Markov and his opposition to the, ridiculous, plans. He said that he had met Markov and had a conversation with him. They had a general on their side.