I have written stories before for school but this is the first work I will have put on . This story is about a soldier named Wolfgang Krauss who is fighting in Russia. I hope you enjoy it. Any similarity between these characters and real life people is coincidental.

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Town of Slosk 1942 September 3rd

The morning air had a slight chill to it. It is September and winter is fast approaching. I held my Schmeisser close as I lit a cigarette. I was sitting in a Hanomag with the 9 other members of my squad. We were panzer grenadier's experts in mechanized warfare.

"Wolfgang can you spare a smoke?" My brother Rupert asked me.

I rummaged through my coat and pulled the pack out he grabbed a few of the sticks and I made the pack disappear back into my coat. He lit up and inhaled.

"Brother how can you smoke this scheisse, it can hardly be called a cigarette," he muttered as if I didn't know about the tobacco rationing.

We were in a line of other Hanomags. Ahead of us was a mass of armor. At 0600 or 6:00 AM we were to charge the town and take it. Resistance was supposed to be light but how often is intelligence correct. We had to take and hold the town for reinforcements. The Ruskis had been using the town as a point to launch attacks at our supply lines so we were there to stop it at the source. We crept up with our vehicles during the night no lights, engines barley running. We had a large stretch of land between us and the Ruskis. We were told to expect nothing other than submachine guns, rifles, Light machine guns and the occasional anti-tank rifle. Most of those are useless against armor but all of those can be deadly to us infantrymen.

Just a few minutes before engines start and were are going to be out in the open. Our Obergefreiter gave us the signal to ready up, as if we weren't already ready to go.

"For the Fatherland," he said as he cocked his Schmeisser.

The engines of our Hanomag roared to life only to be quickly drowned out by the panzers. Light was just starting to peak through the clouds. We were following behind the tanks. No signs of any communist pigs. We were halfway there when I heard thunder. But it wasn't it wasn't thunder it was a big anti-tank gun firing. The panzer III ahead of us lurched to a halt black smoke spewing towards the heavens. We swerved to get out of way. The crew who had probably just barely survived the anti-tank round were abandoning their panzer. Only to be caught by a machine gun. They began to dance as the rounds tore into them. The violent dance lasted mere seconds until they crumpled into the dirt.

The second crew member of our Hanomag got out of the drivers compartment and mounted the Mg42 spraying rounds from where the Ruskis had fired from just seconds ago. Another tank further down the line exploded the round probably hitting the ammo storage. We were closing the gap when one of our halftracks seemed to have a jumpy driver as he suddenly gunned it ahead of the panzers. He wasn't a moving target much long as an anti-tank rifle round blew through the engine block. The Hanomag swerved and looked like it would tip. It stayed up right only to get hit by something bigger. The front of it was on fire but the men were disembarking. Only to be caught by mg fire. A couple got behind the Hanomag to get out of the spray of lead the mg was putting out.

Our panzers were at this point firing explosive rounds at the town. Walls were falling and clumps of dirt and grass were being flung sky high. We were at the edge of the town and we dismounted our Hanomag quickly. We had to silence those guns. They were tearing into our armor. We then caught sight of a mass of troops rushing towards us. Crouching I took aim. I began to fire controlled bursts taking down several Ruskis before they began to fire back. A friend of mine Gerold went down holding his arm. I moved over to him still firing bursts from my Schmeisser. A white chunk was sticking out of his right arm; the bullet had broken the bone. The best I could do was wrap some gauze around the wound to staunch the bleeding. I quickly began wrapping the gauze so I could get back to the bigger problem.

"Wolfgang!" Rolf our Obergefreiter shouted to me, "Take this AT grenade and silence that anti-tank gun. I think it's on the other side of that house."

He handed me a big hulk of a thing. It was a standard model 24 grenade with 6 more model 24 grenade heads strapped around the main grenade head.

I tapped Rupert on the helmet and motioned for him to follow. We crouched lower and moved quickly towards the house. As we got close to the door I stood and kicked it in. The house was empty almost completely bare. The Communists had burned most of the furniture and the cupboards were empty and door less. Crouching we moved to the window just as an explosion outside the window signaled we were in the right place. I unscrewed the cap and gripped the clay balls that dangled. I motioned for Rupert. Using his rifle he smashed the window and I threw the grenade overhand at the gun.

For only a second there was shouting in Russian, followed quickly by an explosion. Peering cautiously out the window the devastation was evident. What just moments ago had been at least four Ruskis and an anti-tank gun was now just bits of flesh and bone and a large hunk of twisted metal. Just then one of our panzers went by and fired a round into what must still be a large group of Ruski pigs. Small arms fire was everywhere. We were quickly overpowering the Communists but they refused to give anything. The Russians were going through their obviously small supply of ammunition quickly and before long were simply charging at us using their guns as clubs and anything else they could get their hands on. It was going from an unbalanced fight to a full on blood bath. But even thou we out gunned them they were still managing to do us damage. I witnessed a man I had known since school dropped by an anti-tank rifle round that practically severed him in two. I saw men beating each other to death with rifle butts in frantic melees.

The battle that should have taken a couple hours was stretching out from early in the morning to late in the evening. The Ruskis were like rats. Hiding in every house, behind every bush or cart; just waiting for an unlucky soldat who rounded that corner or passed that cranny. You had to shoot everything up, throw grenades through every window. It might not be a city but that didn't limit the spaces to hide. By nightfall we had cleared it the best we could. Even at night we could still hear the occasional burst of small arms fire. At about 10:00 we got a message. We wouldn't be able to get reinforced anytime soon and to expect a strong counter attack sometime in the morning. The Ruskis wanted their little outpost back. Sleep wouldn't be coming to anyone as there was no telling if there was a Russian just waiting near you for your eyes to close for a second.

"Wolfgang? You awake?" my brother asked barley a whisper.

"Yes," I said. I could barely make him out in the darkness. Blackouts were always in effect just in case that a few bombers flying overhead took notice and decide to drop their loads.

"How can those bastards keep fighting? Why not surrender," Rupert asked quietly.

"Because they have been brain washed by the biggest fool of them all; Stalin," I said confidently.

"Yes but even they must see that they are fighting a futile fight. You've heard the radio. The fighting is going well and we should be home by Christmas," Even in the darkness I could see him smiling with hope.

I was pretty sure we wouldn't be home for Christmas. I might have believed strongly in our cause but I didn't always hop onto the propaganda train. But I thought that we would pull through. We thought we were fighting for a cause above all else. Good has to triumph over evil. Stalin must be brought down so we could focus our efforts elsewhere. We had to be victorious or what happened with the treaty of Versailles would look like a picnic.

"Don't worry about such things Rupert. Worry about taking victory one town at a time. Just sleep and worry about keeping your head," I said sounding less confident than before. I saw him nod and heard him yawn.

I don't know when he slept but I felt sleep and gravity begin to force my eyelids to close. Darkness enveloped my vision. It seemed to last only a few measly seconds before I felt myself being shaken awake.

So what do you guys think? Good, mediocre, horrible? I didn't do any research for this. I made up the town and the characters. I am a decent history buff, but all the good fights have already been covered. I figured like the game Theater of War why not just make up a battle. Constructive criticism is welcome. And before anyone says anything I do not support any of the Nazi ideals. I wrote this because most stories and movies are about the allies and usually on the western front. I decided to switch fronts and sides. If this offends you please I get it so don't post anything along those lines.