[RN7]

Thought I'd start having a go at extending the German/Austrian senario a bit.

0545 Hours Brumoski Air Base Austria, 08 April 2001

Three weary eyed Soviet soldiers observed the head lights of four vehicles approaching in the dark from the guard hut on the perimeter of Brumoski Air Base; a small former Austrian Luftstreitkrafte base located about 30 kilometers northwest of Vienna. The officer in charge of the air base, Captain Gavrilov had received a radio transmission the night before from the staff of the Soviet 1st Southwestern Front in Vienna to expect a Soviet Army convoy between 5:30 and 6:00 AM that morning. Captain Gavrilov had roused the garrison of the base, a force of some 36 men of the Soviet Air Defence Forces who had been stationed at the air base since March 2000. In their eleven month tour at the base the garrison had encountered no hostile forces or rarely had any visitors, and had largely concerned themselves with foraging for supplies from the surrounding area. However the commanding officer of the former garrison had informed Gavrilov that Brumoski Air Base was seized by Soviet Paratroopers during the invasion of Austria in October 1997, and had seen some heavy fighting with defending Austrian troops and been bombed a few times by NATO air strikes.

As the Soviet convoy approached the perimeter of the base Gavrilov and his two men stood to attention as other troops within the base manned their positions including a machine gun nest opposite the guard hut. Gavrilov could see two UAZ-469 light vehicles, a large modern truck of Czech manufacture and a Zil 41047 Limousine. As Gavrilov saluted the officer in the front seat of the first vehicle and asked for paperwork, he noticed the officers sleeve patch was of the KGB Border Troops. The officer greeted Gavrilov and handed his paperwork to him, introduced himself as Major Kurakin of the KGB Border Guards and commended him for maintaining such a well turned out and alert garrison in such difficult times. Kurakin informed Gavrilov that an incoming aircraft was expected at Brumoski Air Base at 6:00 AM, and that a dozen men from his garrison was expected to perform an honour guard to greet the arriving passengers.

As Gavrilov’s men assembled on the runway near the control tower none of the troops in the convoy left their vehicles except for Kurakin, although Gavrilov noticed that some of the troops in the convoy wore airborne tunics and were armed with a mixture of weapons including some sub-machine guns of West German manufacture. Kurakin offered Gavrilov a cigarette as they waited on the tarmac of the runway. ”Go ahead Gavrilov take a few. Their Marlboro’s, much smoother than the cancer sticks we get from supply. We got a whole stash of them from an American unit we captured in Poland”. Gavrilov thanked Kurakin and said that he hadn’t actually seen an aircraft in flight since 1999. Kurakin replied that he could be seeing quite a few more in the near future.

6:04 AM the drone of a helicopter could be heard as its lights approached in the dawn sky from the northeast. The helicopter was small and sleek, far less clunky than any Soviet helicopter that Gavrilov had ever seen before. The Mil Mi-34 was a new light liaison helicopter that that had only begun to enter Soviet service in 1993, and before the war only a few dozen had been built. As Gavrilov prepared his men for inspection Kurakin walked towards the passenger door as two Soviet officers stepped out. The first was a stern looking middle aged General in full uniform, while his companion was a powerfully built Colonel in airborne field dress. Both men saluted Kurakin, briefly inspected Gavrilov’s men and walked towards the waiting limousine. Kurakin informed Gavrilov to guard the helicopter until their return and provide some rest and refreshment for the helicopter pilot. Within five minutes of the helicopter landing the convoy sped off in the direction of Vienna.