Operation Storm Forge: Long & Cold Night

Darkness seemed to cling to them as Katsaros and his team crouched behind a thick row of bushes, their hearts racing. They had barely escaped the German patrols when the bridge had exploded. Now, they were in enemy territory with no place to hide. The farm had only provided temporary shelter, and the Germans were closing in on them. The time for rest was over.

“We need to move,” Katsaros said, his voice low but urgent. The night felt as though it was pressing in on them from all sides. “We can’t stay here.”

Pavlos, the team’s sharpshooter, nodded. “Agreed. The Germans are sure to sweep the area soon.”

Katsaros looked around, his eyes scanning the dark shadows of the trees. Their escape had been close, but they couldn’t outrun the entire German army. Not yet. Not with the mission still unfinished.

They moved through the forest slow and quite, every minute felt like a century as the cold and icy wind picked up speed, sticking their clothes to their bodies. They could hear the far-off Germans sweeping across the fields with searchlights looking for trace of any movement. The Germans were not going to let go.

“We must find a safe place,” said Corporal Georgiou. “Somewhere we can devise a new plan.”

Katsaros stopped. The fear of being surrounded once again by the Germans began to haunt him. They had just succeeded in destroying one of the enemy’s most crucial sections of supply lines, but they could not wait around to relish their triumph. There was still a hazardous way to go.

“There,” Katsaros whispered, pointing through the trees. A small hill rose in the distance, and at the top, there appeared to be a cluster of rocks and shrubs. If they could get there without being detected, it could offer them the cover they needed to regroup.

“Let’s go,” he said.

The team was swift in its movement, always watching out for a sight of motion. It covered its path circuitously to ensure it didn’t traverse any place twice, which might create an idea for the Germans tracking them to catch their trail.

After a long, silent trek, they finally reached the hilltop. Katsaros motioned for everyone to settle in, crouching low behind the cover of the rocks. The wind howled, but at least the searchlights were far off now.

The team unmounted their gear and made use of the little time they had for rest and prepare for what was about to come next.

Katsaros looked over at Georgiou, who was examining the explosives they still had. “How much do we have left?”

Georgiou looked up at him, a grim look on his face. “Enough to make a few more impacts. But we’ll have to get pretty close to any new target we want to hit.”

Pavlos spoke up, “We won’t have any other choices left. The Germans are sure to send reinforcements after this, after what we did to the bridge.”

Katsaros nodded. “We can’t afford to get cornered again. We need to keep them guessing, make them chase. We’ll need a distraction—something big enough to draw their attention away.”

“Like what?” Pavlos was skeptical.

“Like the trains,” Katsaros said, his voice almost a whisper. “The Germans are moving troops and supplies along the old rail tracks to reinforce their positions. We hit those. We hit their transport, their reinforcements. If we can take out the trains, it will buy us time.”

Georgiou frowned, shaking his head. “It’s risky, Alexios. The tracks are heavily guarded.”

“I know,” Katsaros replied. “But we have no choice. We need to hit them hard while we still can and buy us more time to prepare.”

The team was silent for a moment, the weight of the decision heavy in the air. Finally, Georgiou spoke up. “If you say so. We’ll need to move fast, though.”

Exactly,” Katsaros said, his voice steady. “We get in, get out, and don’t look back.”

As they were making plans, the far-off sounds of German patrols grew louder. It would not be long before they had to move again. Katsaros could not afford to waste any more time. They had one chance to make the next move count.

But then, as they were getting ready to leave, the sound of gunfire echoed through the distance. The sharp crack of automatic rifles followed by the unmistakable roar of an engine. The Germans weren’t alone. It sounded like a vehicle was coming.

The team held its breath. Katsaros looked at Pavlos, who was already in place behind a boulder, rifle held tightly in his hand. Pavlos gestured to say that he could get the target if that became necessary. Katsaros shook his head. This may be a German patrol truck. They couldn’t afford to jeopardize their location.

For a time, the whole world seemed to freeze. Then the truck grew louder, as if it too had heard of the danger close by, until the crunch of tires on gravel echoed through the forest. Katsaros’ stomach knotted. They would have to be hidden. At this point in time, no one could ever see them.

The truck passed by their hiding place, the soldiers inside unaware of the small team crouched in the darkness just yards away. The tension remained high, but they had made it through the moment.

As the truck disappeared, Katsaros released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “We move now,” he said. “While we still can.”

They stood ready to fight, then set off on the long journey to their next objective. The Germans would never cease their pursuit, but they would never cease fighting back either. Not now.