Gnjilane Outskrits

Couple of months earlier, outskirts of Gnjilane, battle group “Butterfly”, sector A3, first days of operation “Kosovo Sunrise”

“What a f. is going on in here?! Where the hell is second battalion? Sit on the radio and get me Captain Boric at once!”

“Yes Major, I will give my best.”

Grozni was obviously very angry. From the south 69th Armored Battalion was supposed to enter Gnjilane and push enemy forces to the north, relieve Ghost Battalion of the enemy pressure. Albanian 29th Tank Battalion was pressing on the flanks of Grozni group, who had objective to stop possible enemy reinforcements from Pristina. It was such a mess that he had lost his favorite cigarette pack when Albanian Type-59 fired shell to the tree right above him.
“Anything yet?”

“Nothing yet sir.”

“Sons of a bitches, dammit. God dammit!”

“Sir, it’s not my fault. Damn radio waves, someone is blocking us!”

“What?”

“They are blocking us, I can bet sir!”

“Give me tank platoon. At once!”

“Yes sir, just a sec. Grozni-Punkt, calling Grozni Kid 1, can you read me, over…”

“What’s going on?”

“I am getting only static’s sir, nothing yet.”

“Keep trying, I am going over there. Tell them I am going over there!”

“If command calls?”

“Send them to hell, with all my blessings and respects!”

He threw out driver of some jeep who was chewing the bacon and onion. He gave it to the full speed and soon he was avoiding craters and smoldering wrecks on the road. He was speaking to himself, something very quiet and very vulgar. When he turned on the first road bend he erected his handgun, Berretta M9 and put it to the lap.

On the next road band he has seen the full extent of close armor combat. Albanian well dug in tanks were shooting over the vineyard to the Serbian tanks, all messed up in mud pits. He was so furious, seeing his iron first stuck up in very nasty mud. It was only a second he used to duck into the ditch before shell blast away his command vehicle. With cursing swarming out of his mouth he has managed to follow the ditch and reach his tank platoon.

“What a hell is going on in here?”

“Major Grozni, sir. We are stuck.”

“How do you mean stuck soldier?”

“We have received order from the HQ to attack the enemy tank platoon through this ditch when we got stuck in the mud.”

“Are tanks operable, can they go out?”

“Sir, they can sir. But we have to go back and Albanian tanks are covering that part. What should we do?”

“Get in the tanks. Who is the fastest guy in here?”

“I believe private Radan, sir.”

“Get him over here at once.”

“Yes sir, right away…Radan…RA-DAAAN!”

“Major Grozni, Lieutenant Stojic reporting sir!”

“Oh, Stojke, just a guy I needed. Who the hell gave you the order to move through this death trap?”

“Sir, we have received order from the Brigade HQ, they…”

“Have you received order from me?”

“Sir, but I…”

“Have you received order from ME!”

“Sir, no sir.”

“Then why did you do this stupid thing, huh? Why have you risked my iron fist in the mud holes?!”

“Sir, HQ have…”

“You take orders directly from me lieutenant, is that clear!? Only from me and no one else!”

“Sir, Major, private Radan reporting as per ordered!”

“Listen me up son. You are the fastest guy around here right?”

“Sir, yes sir, I won Belgrade marathon in 2011.”

“Ok, get some smoke bombs. Come over here. You see those two big bushes on no mans land?”

“Sir, yes sir.”

“You must take those some bombs, run over there and throw them left and right. We can’t wait until the night; enemy air force will come and tear us apart. Make a smoke screen; we will cover you until you reach the point. All of you not part of the tank platoon take your weapons and get ready to provide covering fire. Can you do this Radan? I won’t persuade you to do so; it’s same as running towards the machinegun.”

“Sir, I can do it sir. Just please suppress that tank on the far right, it looks like the others are a bit blinded by the sun. That tank is the only one firing machineguns.”

“Alright, go get smoke grenades. Take your positions men; target is tank on the far right.”

“I have smoke bombs sir.”

“Alright, get ready…when we start fire you run like hell. We will cover you until you reach the bushes. Soldiers, sound off readiness!”

“Ready left!”

“Ready right sir!”

“Alright…steady…aim, covering fire!!!”

As soon as the infantry platoon started fire Radan got out of the ditch and started to sprint toward the bushes. Albanian machinegunner got pinned down but still tried to take down Radan. As bullets started whistling around him Radan went zigzagging on the field, running like a fury. When he reached bushes it took him couple of seconds to arm and throw smoke bombs. They exploded left and right, puffing thick smoke and covering the sights of Albanian tank platoon.

“Alright, he did a job. I will get him a medal for this. Tank platoon, listen up. Mount the tanks. They can’t see us now! Mount up and pull out to the back. Stojke, where are you going?!”

“To command lead tank, sir.”

“Stop, I will take your place. You stay here, take the radio and report to the HQ what you see.”

“Sir, I am sorry if I was…”

“Shut your yap. You did what you thought was right, learned new lesson. Stay here and get to the HQ.”

Albanian tank platoon commander Azem Halimi was watching the smoke from his command tank. He knew this smoke is buying some time of the Serbian platoon, but the question was: what’s next move? Will this enemy platoon retreat? Or shall they attack well positioned Albanian tanks. He wanted to contact his HQ when the event caught his attention.