the brigade to which team yankee belongs is ordered to follow up a west german counterattack into east germany though the thuringer wald towards leipzig and berlin to cut off the soviet offensive against the northern army group. because of the team's combat experience, bannon is ordered to lead the attack. bannon expresses doubts to colonel reynolds that the rest of the battalion, in particular c company, can carry out their role in supporting the armor teams; he is promised that there will be no more "rat-fucks".