Tenth installment

The mortar unit came back, how many they lost, I didn't know, I only knew that we had five dead, Eric? Steve, Nigels brother who had died from his injuries. Our unit had paid a heavy loss for defending, they would remember this day for years to come. We had held the superior forces at bay with any tank cover or artillery only mortars, with more of these we would have held out longer. What had happened to the reinforcements we had been promised were on their way, where was Eric and James, I didn't know but I couldn't help thinking that there was no one actually sent to help us and we were told just to keep our hopes up. Everybody who was still alive was here we were led out into the open fields carrying the wounded, any ammunition we could carry and leaving Laslovo behind. There were I guess about one hundred of us maybe more I can't remember, if we were attacked now we didn't stand a chance, this in the cold winter's night with light snow on the ground was the only alternative to waiting and maybe dying in the slim hope of help, I had no idea where we were going I just followed, we were like sheep escaping from the dogs behind that would not only bite but devour us. We passed one of our tanks looking like it hadn't moved for a long time, I looked at it in disgust, I felt like putting a grenade inside it and blowing it up but what would that have achieved, we carried on. Through the darkness into the fields stopping every so often to rest and pass the wounded on stretchers around, all we heard was explosions behind us perhaps the chetniks thought that we were still there, I hoped that they would not find out where we were. We started again just as suddenly as we had stopped waiting to make sure the way ahead was clear, on and on we walked although it was hard to walk at night through the fields but we kept going. There were a lot of obstacles between us and safety including canals which irragated the crops which were now full of freezing water, soldiers, elderly, injured, everyone had to cross these canals at least twice and both times through ice cold water but we had to continue, we now had no choice. We had been walking for what seemed like ever and we reached a railway bridge over a small river. The bridge had been blown and the remnants were in the water, we made a makeshift bridge out of railway sleepers but could only cross one at a time, the elderly first, then the injured and lastly the rest of us trying to get over as quickly as possible. Waiting to get over I was shivering because of my wet clothes and the cold winter night, there were people waiting everywhere to cross it must have taken ages but eventually we continued on our journey. Our boots heavy with mud, clothes soaking wet, I hoped that we would find civilization soon, I wanted dry clothes, food, sleep but most of all safety. There was an electricity sub station ahead and I knew we must be close to a village as I had seen this on the way to Laslovo, shortly we saw lights in the distance, that must be the village at long last, I found myself walking faster as though I had found a new lease of life, I didn't know where or what we were heading for but I just followed. Somehow I got separated from the rest but I could see them going into a large building in front of me, it looked like a school so I headed for that, inside they were handing out food which I took gratefully, sat down and started to eat. There was noone that I recognized so I finished and went outside, I didn't know where I was or where the rest of the unit were but at the end of the village I saw lorries waiting,

"Osijek" I asked,

they nodded and I jumped in the back. Where was the rest of PIV, I thought that they as well were on their way to Osijek and I would be able to find them there, as we arrived at the outskirts I really can't explain how I felt elation, happiness, sadness but for now I was safe.