Seconds later, Klaus heard the unmistakable popping of mortar rounds clearing their tubes. The sound sent a shiver through his body. Looking around from the turret of the lightly armored command vehicle, he could see that every one of his men had heard the mortars, too. They all recognized the sound of incoming explosive ordnance.
With a shout, the men scattered and dispersed. They maintained discipline; mortar attacks were old hat. If you kept your head and stayed low, your chances of survival were good.
The British engineers had done a meticulous job of mining the shoulders and ditches on both sides of that stretch of road, out to 25 yards on both sides. When the German soldiers left the road to find cover, they found death instead.
Klaus and his men, deafened by exploding mines, assu
