"Valery Gorban. The taste of war " - читать интересную книгу автора

Uazik is riddled with bullet-holes. And two more individuals are in the
vehicle. One has a bandaged chest, and the scarlet blot on his dressing is
expanding before our eyes. The other is supporting him and ripping open a
new bandage pack with his teeth. This is no charade - clearly, they are
friendlies. When everyone around speaks fluent Russian, you learn to
identify each other "by scent." There are thousands of nuances to use in
doing so, not all of which are explainable. But you can tell that these guys
are novices from a mile away.
To judge from the results, the Chechen fighters' sense of smell is
working properly too. These guys got off easily; it could have been worse.
Now we need to evacuate them on the double.
"Did you administer promedol? He won't go into shock, will he?"
"We've done all that! Now he needs to get to the hospital, and fast!"
"Get behind the wheel! We'll cover you!"
"Pooh, this is Serpent!"
"I'm up. Go ahead!"
"Back up and shield the Uazik with the side of your vehicle! Chavycha,
keep your eyes peeled, Winnie will be a sitting duck!"
The Ural begins to roar in the tense silence, lurches out from its
cover, and slams on its brakes directly to the left of the UAZ. Well, what
are you waiting for! The Uazik joins up, and together they dash off. As
Winnie drives, he literally shields these Chechens - now his brothers - with
his own body, since he is sitting on the left. His body armor hanging on the
door will protect his side, but where can he stick his head - beneath the
dashboard? He still has to watch the road, and his eyes are mounted in his
head, not on channels that he can raise like a periscope. The helmet on his
head? Well, it will deflect the small stuff, like shrapnel fragments and
ricochets. But if a sniper should pull the trigger right now, in a fraction
of a second his helmet will fly off like a pot full of holes - a pot filled
with red and yellow porridge. And the "spirits" have RPGs too, which they
employ masterfully. God help Winnie, if we see a "star with a tail" flying
out to meet him...
OK, now they have passed us and reached the cover of the houses!
The Uazik keeps its speed up and races further. Best of luck, my
friend! Have a good life!

Now Winnie will return to extract our guys.
"Listen up, we are going to withdraw under cover of the Ural."
Again, this huge iron beast accelerates in reverse, as if performing in
a motor show. For an instant, Winnie's eyes flash in the right-hand mirror.
He doesn't look to the left, where death is hovering, but at the troops - so
as not to hit anyone rushing toward the vehicle.
There, they've materialized! Everyone grabs onto of the side of the
Ural with his left hand and holds his weapon in his right, as he has been
taught. The Ural starts off, covering our people with its side. The troops
move out smartly, scarcely touching the ground. In this maneuver, the truck
sets the speed, and it's your job to move your legs, stay in step, and not
fall under your buddy.
Finally, we exit this shooting gallery. Now - into the vehicle and
away!