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On the front lines, south of Karlovac, Croatia

There was nothing I really needed from Lt. Commander Agnew, but I decided to touch base with him. I wanted to see his view of what was happening across the whole region and maybe get a lead on a story. I drove towards Pleso, which has a set of traffic lights controlling the airport entrance. As I stopped in the left turn lane to make the turn off the highway and into the airport, a Zastava police car screamed up to the lights from the opposite direction with lights flashing and siren wailing. This was, in itself, unusual as by now I'd been living in Zagreb for some time and I'd never once heard a siren, even in the city. The police officer in the passenger seat had his window open and as the police car crept through the crossroads as the traffic stopped, he held aloft a small round sign which I presumed that all the traffic should wait before entering the crossroads. Then, a flatbed truck painted camoflague green carrying a tank or Panhard on the flatbed.

I was pretty much trapped where I was, the cops had wanted me to stop and there were other vehicles behind me waiting to get into the airport. The first three or four flatbeds in the convoy went through but as the next truck rolled through, several soldiers were on the top of the tank celebrating. Now, let me tell you, nothing was going to stop me getting this picture. Get the picture or die trying. A couple more tanks on flatbeds rolled through with the crews riding on top, as I formed a plan. These guys were stopping for nothing so there was no hope of getting in front of them via another route. The only hope was to pass them...

The last truck went through and another police car, siren wailing, stopped briefly and the passenger waved another sign, which I presumed meant the road was now open. I floored the Volvo and pulled in behind the convoy. The police car at the back was straddling the centre of the two northbound lanes as were all the transport trucks. The tank treads sat well proud of the width of the flatbeds so there was only three or four feet of road available on each side.

The centre reservation was grassy and if you took in the available road and the grass, in theory this was do-able. There were frequent obstactes on the opposite side - no chance there. The police officers in the trailing police car were not happy having a big Volvo so close to the back of their Zastava and only a little further away from the last tank. The passenger leaned over behind the driver and rolled down the window. The end of a Kalashnikov appeared as he shouldered the weapon. I was beyond caring. I slowed briefly, and got the left wheels up onto the grassy centre reservation.

I got the car balanced as I sped up. I simply refused to believe the police officers would open fire, although it was certainly a possibility. As I passed the last flatbed, it appeared that I was safe for now. I raced past all the flatbeds and the crews cheered me on all the way. I passed the front police car, thinking maybe they'll just think I've lost me mind. The next problem was where I could stop the Volvo, not block the road but get my pictures. I saw a sign for a turn to the right, raced ahead and threw the Volvo into the filter lane. I think the handbrake was on, the gearshift in neutral and the door open way before the old car had stopped.

It wasn't until I developed the film that I saw on one frame that the truck driver was delivering a 'Nazi' salute and one of the crew riding on top was wearing a top hat and waving a sword.