78 | John W. Warner IV thrifty with it. Bit of an ad hoc operation here, I count…five Mark III Panzers, two Mark Ils, a few smaller Italian Fiat jobs with small caliber guns, and three mobile 88 flak guns pointed northeast in the distance. Probably theres more stuff I cant see. Theyve been moving by night, keeps the telltale dust cloud out of sight. See over there? Tracks to the west are single file. Hard to evaluate their strength by air reconnaissance, and under those nets the tanks are well hidden in the palms. She watched as the Germans parked their trucks down narrow alleys to hide them, cleaning dusty air filters and patching split tires, the rocky terrain unforgiving to equipment. A few men tended to their bread bags, webbed belts, soft forage caps, and socks with stout sewing needles, and another carved his initials into his mess tin. One of the Mark III tanks was having its barrel swabbed out by three crew manning a long ramrod, its tracks repaired by five others, while two mechanics lifted out its engine for a rebuild at a tarped repair depot. Paint brushes went to work touching up the armor. A portable phonograph played scalding hot Swing. Lots of maintenance happening. Over there, that man is ftying eggs on his tank, said Gwafa. This makes me very hungry. Showing off for the newsreel cameramen. Posh duty round here. The steep hill at the end of town, mumspotters, I reckon, said Takuta. She focused for long range across the shallow salt lakes. Sure are. Theyre dug in everywhere like ticks on a dogs arse. If the Allies sweep down from the northeast itll be a trap, especially for lightly-armed lorry patrols. Id take a heavy bet on it anyway. Bloody Jerry, always up to sneaky maneuvers. Soon therell be little to see by air. Wish I knew how to get word to Cairo, too risky to find a radio shack. We would do the same, no? asked Gwafa. Sneaky defines me, Sergeant. Yes, wed be up to something similar. This is said to be a gentlemans war in the desert. Honor and duty. Polite prisoner exchanges and good medical care. Up on the eastern front the Wehrmacht, SS, and the Russians are battling to the death with disemboweling sabers. Here were just boiled eggs, a noblemans rapier duel in a sandbox. Gwafa shook his robed head. Though I relish the action, I see little that is noble about war. Takuta did same. I second that, mate. Bea was thankful for the lack of SS units and their murderous civilian policies