Bravo two zero by Andy McNab Page A

for sure how we were going to get at them. I was keen to take just charges of PE, each weighing about 2 pounds, rather than specific-to-task explosives, because we might not be able to use specifics any other way. Again, we wouldn't have the information until we got there on the ground.
        We'd need PE4 explosive, safety fuse, grip switches, nonelectric and electric dets, timers, and det cord. You don't put detonators straight into plastic explosive, which is how it's portrayed in films. You put det cord between the detonator and the explosives. We'd make up these charges in advance, and just before the attack place the dets and timers on to them.
        Vince and Bob disappeared to go and organize these items, and came back a quarter of an hour later.
        "That's all squared away," said Vince. "It's all under your bed."
        All the main points had now been covered.
        We would be on foot, carrying everything in, so we'd need a cache area, which would be our LUP (lying-up point). Ideally, the LUP would provide cover from fire and cover from view, because we'd be manning it all the time. It's very dangerous to leave equipment and go back to it-even though this sometimes has to be done-because it might be ambushed or booby-trapped if discovered. We'd work from a patrol base and move out from there to carry out our tasks. It might happen that we'd find a better site for our LUP during a patrol, in which case we'd move all the kit again under cover of darkness.
        We now worked out the E&E plan. We would be 185 miles from Saudi, but only 75 from neighboring countries. Some were part of the Coalition, so in theory would be perfect places to head for.
        "What are the borders like?" Vince asked Bert.
        "I'm not entirely sure. Might be like the border with Saudi, a tank berm and that's all. But they could be heavily defended. Whatever, if you cross a border, for heaven's sake make sure they don't think you're Israeli -it's not that far away."
        "Fair one, Bert," said Stan, nodding his head in Bob's direction and grinning. "But I'm not going across any border with that spick."
        Bob certainly looked the part, with tight black curly hair and a large nose.
        "Yeah, well, who'd want to go with Zorro there?" Bob pointed at Mark's big nose.
        Everything was going well. It's when people stop the slagging and start being nice to each other that you have to worry.
        "What's the ground like going up there?" Mark asked.
        "Much the same. Basically flat, but when you get up to the areas of Krabilah and the border there is some high ground. The further west, the higher the ground."
        "What's the score on the Euphrates?" Dinger said. "Is it swimmable?"
        "It's almost a half mile wide in places, with small islands. It'll be in fierce flood this time of the year. All around there is vegetation, and where there's vegetation, there's water, and where there's water there's people. So there'll always be people around the river. It's rather green and lush-Adam and Eve country, actually, if you remember your Bible."
        We looked at the options. If we were compromised, did we tab it all the way south or did we move northwest? We'd probably have a lot of drama getting across any border, but we'd have that going south as well.
        They'd guess we were going south anyway, and it was a hell of a long distance to run.
        Dinger piped up in his best W. C. Fields voice, "Go west, young man, go west."
        "Nah, fuck that," Chris said, "it's full of rag heads. If we're on the run, let's go somewhere nice. Let's go to Turkey. I went there for my holidays once. It was rather nice. If we get to Istanbul, there's a place called the Pudding Club, where all the international travelers meet and leave messages. We could leave a message for the search and rescue team and then just go on the piss while we wait for them to pick us up. Sounds good to