This is a story I've been meaning to write for a- ah who am I kidding I just had the idea now. It's basically the Ridge Of A Thousand battle moved into more modern times- roughly World War 2. All names I made up, and I'm not good at names. I was inspired by an old review for one of my stories (really!). Most of the backstory should be explained. If a lot of people don't understand I'll revise the story.
The army. It wasn't a question of if, it was a question of when. They seemed to be composed mostly of infantry, with a scattering of tanks. That's what the scout reported before he was shot down. They were headed straight for Redwall. Not that General Johnston cared. It was only an abbey full of crazy mice. No, the reason he cared was because of what was beyond Redwall.
Mossflower City. It was the capital of the Mossflower region of the Salastron Federation. It was a business and population center. It also held a sinister secret. A sinister secret that would buy Mossflower its freedom once again, but a sinister secret. A dangerous one as well.
The hare commander couldn't let them find out. If they did, it would be game over. Mossflower would become enslaved. It was already subjugated, its military crippled. It was the last hope they had. On the other hand, if they found out, chances are there wouldn't be much left to free.
Mossflower City must not fall.
Commander Slanstrash of the Kelanian Army wasn't all that impressed with his makeshift army. It consisted mostly of mice, which were common but weak and not very skilled, even if they were a lot more loyal. Assets were lacking; he had only a scattering of tanks, not enough trucks, a handful of aircraft, and a single aircraft carrier to operate from. Most of the army was armed with the Model 9 rifle, a 7.5mm bolt action weapon. There were a scattering of troops equipped with the Model 28 submachine gun and a few machine gun squads.
But it was enough. Mossflower had a crippled army and there was northing between him and Mossflower City. Except for Redwall, but that was just an abbey full of crazy mice.
Mossflower City will fall.
A young squirrel bearing the rank of lieutenant came rushing into the planning room. The planning room was near the middle of Salamandastron. It was on the same floor as the radar room and the base control room.
"Sir, sir!" yelled the lieutenant.
"Lieutenant, what are you doing here! This is for authorized personnel only!" yelled an old Colonel ferret.
"I have an idea. What if we intercepted the attack at this ridge instead of trying to defend the city?"
"You might be onto something. It's closer, so we can move our troops quicker and our planes will be able to stay longer. We'll also have the advantage of height. I think this will be our new strategy." The general had found his plan.
Mossflower City will not fall.
The next morning the troops began moving. Though only a few hundred infantry were stationed at Salamandastron and many had to stay behind, troops began moving from bases all over the region. All four Mossflower City bases, the Southsward Border Line, and the West Shore Airbase were a few of the many contributers. Together they brought the troop total to a few thousand. Tanks were brought in although they would be of limited effectiveness in a defense situation. Mobile artillery, self-propelled artillery, and self-propelled assault guns all began moving towards the ridge. Pilots and aircraft began preparing for the air superiority and ground support roles they would need to fill. The Eastern Line, Southern Line, and City Outskirt radar networks were brought online to detect aircraft. The last time the military had been so active was the Second Great War two years ago. All the troops available had been rallied and sent to the ridge.
But it may not be enough. Mossflower City must not fall.
Slanstrash was also preparing for war. In preparation for the attack aircraft had been launched and were on their way for a preemptive strike. The mechanized unit began moving forward ahead of the marching infantry to form the first wave. A few hours was all the enemy would have to prepare.
His army would be enough. Mossflower City will fall.
The Mossflower force had barely finished preparing when the aircraft attacked. They came screeching down suddenly; ripping up the ground with guns and smashing armor with bombs. A few were hit by flak and machine guns and came crashing down on the defenders. Few were killed or injured but that would not last. The aircraft came around for another attack and split for a pincer attack. They were much lower this time and the angle was a lot shallower. Machine gun fire shredded exposed infantry and cannons pierced armor, destroying and crippling several tanks. One aircraft was hit by a tank shell and went spinning out of control into the same tank that shot it. Both exploded in a fireball, leaving only wreckage behind.
Then the Mossflower Air Force was upon them. Though their aircraft were antiquated, the MAF had far more skill. They shredded the ranks of Slanstrash's aircraft, sending flaming fighters screaming into the ground. One pilot bailed out only to have his parachute shredded by a propeller. The sad remnants of Slanstrash's aircraft limped home in defeat.
No sooner had the injured been taken away, the dead buried and the broken machines pushed out of the way the armor force attacked. Shells rained down on the ridge, killing anyone foolish enough not to take cover and smashing tanks and guns to pieces. Machine guns pinged uselessly off of tanks but found easy targets in the fabric-covered trucks. Cannons atop the ridge smashed several tanks.
"Machine guns attack the trucks! Cannons fire on the armor!" yelled someone. No one heard. Infantry began rushing out of the trucks and up the ridge. Most were ripped to pieces as they attempted to charge. The tanks and assault guns attempted to take out machine gun nests but found themselves under fire by cannon. One tank commander attempted to be a hero and rushed the ridge. A lucky shot by a gunner lodged a shell between the turret and body, blowing off the turret and setting fire to the fuel tanks.
A small group of infantry and a few tanks attempted a more intelligent strategy. They circled around to the side of the ridge and assaulted the flanks. The Mossflower force wasn't prepared. There was a mad dash of infantry and tanks as they attempted to counter the flanking force. One unfortunate stoat was squished under a tank from his own side. A shell came flying from one of the enemy tanks directly into the engine air intake. The resulting explosion blew the turret clean off and sent up a shower of flaming fuel. The Mossflower force lost one of its own infantry for every flanking infantry. A Mossflower tank fired a shell into the side of one of the enemy tanks, jamming the track and allowing him to place another shell into the engine cooling intake on the rear of the tank. The shell shattered the engine block, sending shrapnel flying around inside the tank.
The main force in front of the ridge used the flanking maneuver as a distraction to retreat. Some of the more inexperienced soldiers raised a cheer and were promptly cut down by machine guns.
But the battle was far from over. It had only just begun.
The main force was unexpectedly large. The Mossflower soldiers fumbled for their weapons as the enemy slammed full on. Slanstrash had pulled out all the stops. Aircraft battled in the sky. Shells rained down from above on both sides. Machine guns opened up, cutting down rows upon rows of infantry on both sides. Tanks and guns battled each other for supremacy. No sooner had one Mossflower mobile gun destroyed an enemy tank it was blown to pieces by a shell. One particularly effective machine gun nest was hit by a large shell, sandbags flying and ammunition going off like firecrackers. Infantry on both sides fired their guns madly, not even pausing to aim. Mossflower snipers found the crowds so big that they didn't even need to aim.
Up in the sky the superiority of Slanstrash's fighters began to show. Though the pilots were better their tired old planes were beginning to show their antiquity. Suddenly Slanstrash's fighters began to show signs of engine problems. One was climbing and suddenly the engine stalled. Another one started to slow down and was promptly filled with bullet holes. One of the pilots decided to take advantage of the problem and fake engine failure. Unfortunately when he tried to pull out of his stall-spin his engine really did fail. His aircraft came crashing down onto Slanstrash's army in an uncontrollable spiral. The fireball consumed a tank and a truck full of infantry. One by one Slanstrash's aircraft began falling out of the sky. One was shot several times and came down flaming in a high speed dive, narrowly missing the defenders on the ridge. Another plane was hit by a high explosive shell attempting to make an emergency landing. It broke up into pieces which hit both sides. Two aircraft exploded in midair. Slanstrash's last fighter managed to regain enough power and control to crash-land in Mossflower Forest.
Down on the ground the Mossflower army was winning. Slanstrash's army only had a handful of vehicles and a small group of infantry left. Slanstrash himself had fled. The last remnants of his army pulled together into a final charge into the Mossflower line. One of the three tanks was hit by four shells at once. The explosion lit the last truck's fuel tank on fire. The flames promptly engulfed the truck and a quarter of the infantry. The two other tanks hit each other with their shells trying to take out a gun. The same gun finished both of them off. The remaining infantry desperately tried to fight the Mossflower force but they were no match.
Mossflower won the battle but at a heavy cost. Half of the troops, assets, and resources that went into battle never came out. Ten percent of the surviving troops were badly injured and twenty-one percent were plagued with psychological problems afterwards. The same lieutenant that helped form the plan was shot several times and forced to retire. General Johnston went crazy and killed several of his own troops before being detained in a military institution. A year later, the Mossflower Mark 1 nuclear missile was completed. It was immediately revealed and used to ransom Mossflower's independence. This led to turmoil over the next ten years. The weapon itself was eventually recycled.
Slanstrash's army was completely wiped out. The few remaining members either returned to their homeland or became criminals. Slanstrash himself lived in hiding for the rest of his life.
A war memorial was erected. You can see it today in Mossflower Square in the center of Mossflower City.
Please tell me what you think! I love reviews, even if they are "Your story sucks!" It's just nice to know someone reads my stuff. Oh yes about that- please read my other stuff. You might like it. Especially Another Day on Patrol.