by Bob Kranich
No Name Key, (Part 10, Excerpt 19)
In this part, Our two main characters, Manuel, Hector, and their new friend, Enrique, are part of the invasion force. They have been landed on the Cuban Bay of Pigs beach and moved inland. At this point they are supporting the infantry and are about to meet up face to face with a Russian T34 tank.
“Havana!” a voice was heard from the dark of the swamp.
Manuel hollered out, “Advance, and be recognized.”
They saw two dark shapes.
“They're paratroopers,” Hector said.
“Hey guys, over here. What happened? You’re supposed to be up front.”
The two hobbled forward. One had his arm in a sling, tommy gun slung
over his shoulder.
“Are we glad to see you guys!” they said. “They dropped us in the swamp. Way off target. We couldn't find or haven’t seen any of our group.”
“We’re about a mile from the Red Beach, HQ,” Enrique heard the commotion and came over.
“You guys can rest up here,” Enrique suggested.
“We will, but as soon as it gets light, we’ll head up the road,” one paratrooper said.
They all got back in their fox holes and the paratroopers laid down on the ground, and before they knew it they were snoring.
It was early morning. “We’re rested up and it’s getting light enough,” one of the two paratroopers informed them. “So, we’re headed up the road to Havana.”
“OK guys. Good luck,” Hector said.
The two paratroopers disappeared around the bend.
That was when they started to hear firing way to the rear and east.
"It’s started, must be over at Blue Beach,” Enrique said.
From behind them they heard the sound of a couple of engines and the grind of transmissions. A jeep and truck came into view. They pulled up and stopped. It was the commander from the Red Beach.
“Looks good, men! We’re going forward. Hold this place. We may need you.”
Off they went in a shower of gravel and sand. The truck was loaded with a bunch of Battalion 2 guys. They all waved.
“They didn’t look very happy. I guess they had a hard time on the beach,” Sam remarked.
Back at the Red Beach they could hear the diving whine of planes and the exploding of rockets. The explosions and firing away to the east on Blue Beach were constant now. A bunch of explosions and machine gun firing was heard to their front. Closer now. Suddenly a B-26 flew over their position. It was following the road.
“Was that ours or theirs?” John asked. “It’s hard to tell.”
“I don't know,” Endrique hollered.
The B-26 had turned with the road and headed toward where all of their men had gone. They then heard bombs dropping and exploding, a plane diving, and aircraft 50-caliber machine guns firing. The B-26 came back over their position, much higher this time. It was heading towards the beach. Out of nowhere a prop–driven Sea Fury dove and fired at the B-26. They couldn't see what happened because the big trees of the swamp towered above them.
There were explosions, firing, and the noise of planes diving around them to the front, behind in the bay, and way off at Blue Beach.
“What do you think?” Hector said, “We hear all of this shooting, but all we know is what is happening at our position! War is strange. We don’t have the big picture. I wish we knew what is going on!”
This went on all day until it was late afternoon, and getting dark. They heard the grind of engines.
“There are some of our troops!” Enrique yelled from his position at the curve.
Suddenly a jeep and two trucks loaded with men came around the curve and screeched to a halt. Enrique ran over.
It was the commander, “Men, we killed hundreds of them! But thousands more are coming! We’re pulling back to the beach. We’re low on ammo. We’ve got to get going. We’ve got injured in the back! I’m leaving a couple of men. I’ll send you some reinforcements as soon as we get set up. Hold them!”
Off they went with dust and sand flying.
Enrique said to the men left behind, “One of each of you men with our weapons team.”
“Ok corporal,” they said.
It was dark now. No moon, no stars. Quiet and eerie.
“It’s spooky,” Hector said, “What’s that?”
“What?” Manuel asked, “Wait, I feel it. The ground is shaking!”
Enrique ran over, “Something’s coming and it’s not one of ours! Get ready!”
Everything was shaking violently. A deep rumble filled the air. Suddenly a huge dark monster of a shape spun around the curve.
Hector hollered out, “What’s that?”
Enrique exclaimed, “A Russian T–34 tank!”
Hector cried, “God save us!”
Manuel took one look at the gigantic shape before him. He started to freeze up. He thought to himself, maybe I should have listened to Mama.
She told me to not let those Freedom Fighters talk me into joining up. No, it was his own fault! He had to do something, and do it quick. What had seemed like an eternity while he was thinking was just a couple of seconds.
Manuel ordered, “Hector, load this .57. You keep on praying, and I’ll fire this thing!”
He took aim and thought, “It’s point blank, but what should I aim at?” Then he saw it...the seam between the main body and the turret. Just then he heard Sam and John’s bazooka go off. Blam! Whosh. It hit the side of the treads with a roar, and the tank stopped dead in its tracks.
Manuel fired the .57... Pow! It hit the seam and exploded. The turret quit moving.
“Load me up, Hector, and keep praying. We stopped them!”
Then a huge hulk of another tank came into view. It was trying to move around the first one.
No Name Key, (Part 10, Excerpt 19)
In this part, Our two main characters, Manuel, Hector, and their new friend, Enrique, are part of the invasion force. They have been landed on the Cuban Bay of Pigs beach and moved inland. At this point they are supporting the infantry and are about to meet up face to face with a Russian T34 tank.
“Havana!” a voice was heard from the dark of the swamp.
Manuel hollered out, “Advance, and be recognized.”
They saw two dark shapes.
“They're paratroopers,” Hector said.
“Hey guys, over here. What happened? You’re supposed to be up front.”
The two hobbled forward. One had his arm in a sling, tommy gun slung
over his shoulder.
“Are we glad to see you guys!” they said. “They dropped us in the swamp. Way off target. We couldn't find or haven’t seen any of our group.”
“We’re about a mile from the Red Beach, HQ,” Enrique heard the commotion and came over.
“You guys can rest up here,” Enrique suggested.
“We will, but as soon as it gets light, we’ll head up the road,” one paratrooper said.
They all got back in their fox holes and the paratroopers laid down on the ground, and before they knew it they were snoring.
It was early morning. “We’re rested up and it’s getting light enough,” one of the two paratroopers informed them. “So, we’re headed up the road to Havana.”
“OK guys. Good luck,” Hector said.
The two paratroopers disappeared around the bend.
That was when they started to hear firing way to the rear and east.
"It’s started, must be over at Blue Beach,” Enrique said.
From behind them they heard the sound of a couple of engines and the grind of transmissions. A jeep and truck came into view. They pulled up and stopped. It was the commander from the Red Beach.
“Looks good, men! We’re going forward. Hold this place. We may need you.”
Off they went in a shower of gravel and sand. The truck was loaded with a bunch of Battalion 2 guys. They all waved.
“They didn’t look very happy. I guess they had a hard time on the beach,” Sam remarked.
Back at the Red Beach they could hear the diving whine of planes and the exploding of rockets. The explosions and firing away to the east on Blue Beach were constant now. A bunch of explosions and machine gun firing was heard to their front. Closer now. Suddenly a B-26 flew over their position. It was following the road.
“Was that ours or theirs?” John asked. “It’s hard to tell.”
“I don't know,” Endrique hollered.
The B-26 had turned with the road and headed toward where all of their men had gone. They then heard bombs dropping and exploding, a plane diving, and aircraft 50-caliber machine guns firing. The B-26 came back over their position, much higher this time. It was heading towards the beach. Out of nowhere a prop–driven Sea Fury dove and fired at the B-26. They couldn't see what happened because the big trees of the swamp towered above them.
There were explosions, firing, and the noise of planes diving around them to the front, behind in the bay, and way off at Blue Beach.
“What do you think?” Hector said, “We hear all of this shooting, but all we know is what is happening at our position! War is strange. We don’t have the big picture. I wish we knew what is going on!”
This went on all day until it was late afternoon, and getting dark. They heard the grind of engines.
“There are some of our troops!” Enrique yelled from his position at the curve.
Suddenly a jeep and two trucks loaded with men came around the curve and screeched to a halt. Enrique ran over.
It was the commander, “Men, we killed hundreds of them! But thousands more are coming! We’re pulling back to the beach. We’re low on ammo. We’ve got to get going. We’ve got injured in the back! I’m leaving a couple of men. I’ll send you some reinforcements as soon as we get set up. Hold them!”
Off they went with dust and sand flying.
Enrique said to the men left behind, “One of each of you men with our weapons team.”
“Ok corporal,” they said.
It was dark now. No moon, no stars. Quiet and eerie.
“It’s spooky,” Hector said, “What’s that?”
“What?” Manuel asked, “Wait, I feel it. The ground is shaking!”
Enrique ran over, “Something’s coming and it’s not one of ours! Get ready!”
Everything was shaking violently. A deep rumble filled the air. Suddenly a huge dark monster of a shape spun around the curve.
Hector hollered out, “What’s that?”
Enrique exclaimed, “A Russian T–34 tank!”
Hector cried, “God save us!”
Manuel took one look at the gigantic shape before him. He started to freeze up. He thought to himself, maybe I should have listened to Mama.
She told me to not let those Freedom Fighters talk me into joining up. No, it was his own fault! He had to do something, and do it quick. What had seemed like an eternity while he was thinking was just a couple of seconds.
Manuel ordered, “Hector, load this .57. You keep on praying, and I’ll fire this thing!”
He took aim and thought, “It’s point blank, but what should I aim at?” Then he saw it...the seam between the main body and the turret. Just then he heard Sam and John’s bazooka go off. Blam! Whosh. It hit the side of the treads with a roar, and the tank stopped dead in its tracks.
Manuel fired the .57... Pow! It hit the seam and exploded. The turret quit moving.
“Load me up, Hector, and keep praying. We stopped them!”
Then a huge hulk of another tank came into view. It was trying to move around the first one.
From the Author:
My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Browne’s SouthWest Florida Online records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
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