The Big Breach - Index of

The Big Breach; From Top Secret to Maximum SecurityCompliments of http://www.192.comold boy,' Roberts announced in his slightly plummy public school accentas we threaded our way through the soldiers' bergens and weapons thatlittered the arrivals hall, `but I've had to cut the handover down tofour days. I'm desperate for some leave and personnel want me on acourse in London on the twenty-second.' The station handover wasscheduled for two weeks, but by now I was used to being shortchanged.It was not Roberts's fault. He was quite reasonably in dire need of abreak and was expected to report in ten days for pre-posting trainingfor his new job in the British mission to the UNHQ in New York.Personnel department screwing up again, I thought.In the few days available for the handover, our priority was to meetDONNE, so Sarajevo was to be our first port of call. `I've bookedourselves on an Arizona Air National Guard C-130 that's flying somebeans up to Sarajevo this afternoon,' Roberts told me cheerfully.There's just time to dump your stuff in the flat and then we'll popinto Divulje and meet the lads from 602 Troop.' The small flat Robertshad rented for me, a ten-minute drive in the station's Land RoverDiscovery, was comfortable enough and it had views over the Adriatic.`You'll need your woolies when the snow comes, though,' Robertsgrinned. `There's no heating.'After dropping off my baggage we rushed back to the Divulje barracksfor a whistlestop tour. The office, tucked away on the top floor of themain HQ building, contained a metal desk, filing cabinet, hefty safefor classified material and large wall maps of Bosnia and Sarajevo.`Here, have a look at my souvenirs,' Roberts grinned, opening thebottom drawer of the desk. Inside were a Yugoslav-made pistol, severalclips of 7.65mm ammunition for it and a hand-grenade. `I got them off astiff I found near Tuzla,' Roberts laughed gleefully. `Here, take alook at this, one of Karadzic's bodyguards gave it to me.' Robertshanded me a small implement that had been disguised as a fountain pen,but which contained a 7.65mm bullet. `Turn the cap and it fires. RealJames Bond stuff, huh?' Roberts laughed.`Are you taking this stuff back with you?' I asked, not too happy abouthaving a small armoury in my desk.`Sorry old boy, I was hoping to send it back in the dip bag and donateit to the museum at the Fort, but I never got around to it.' Robertsslammed the drawer shut and we continued the tour.Alongside the office was another small room housing the KALEXcommunications gear. The detachment lived in a small dormitory oppositethat they had fitted out with satellite television and a few sofas.Roberts introduced me briefly to the troops. Jon, a bright andefficient young sergeant, was the detachment's leader. Baz, a causticGeordie corporal, was dedicated and hard-working, but liked to affect adevil-may-care attitude. Jim, a cheerful lance-corporal, was full ofinitiative and drive, and was overdue for promotion. Finally Tosh, aLondoner, was a bit of a jack-the-lad, forever ready with a cheekyquip. `They're a good bunch,' Roberts later told me `They work hard andyou won't have any trouble with them.'Ominous grey clouds were gathering outside as we squeezed into the C-130 alongside the dusty pallets of flour and beans and strappedourselves, bloated by our obligatory flak-jackets and helmets, into thepage- 112 - To purchase the original limited edition hardback version of this bookplease call 08000 192 192 or go to http://www.192.com