Chapter 2: French Resistance
The next day, the captain set out for Paris. When she arrived the next day, she was greeted by the sight of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomph, sad French faces, and of course the occupying Wehrmacht soldiers, who, in contrast with the French, were very happy. Leutnant Richter was waiting for the captain when she arrived at the Paris Headquarters.
"Welcome to France, mein Fraulein," Richter said in a cheerful voice, as he helped the captain out of her car. Richter was quite young; he appeared to be in his late 20s. He had short blonde hair, and blue eyes, and wore a Wehrmacht Officer's uniform.
"What's with the machetes and all the throwing knives?" Richter asked. "They're my weapon of choice: Quiet, and very bloody," replied the captain.
Richter nodded and said, "The SS really give me the creeps sometimes." The captain replied, "I'm from the SS paranormal division, so that's expected."
"Your men seem to be enjoying themselves here, Leutnant," the captain said. "Indeed they are; this is Paris. What's not to enjoy?" The two both laughed lightly, then the captain replied in a more serious tone, "I do hope they are enjoying themselves, because if this vampire is real, they may not live to see tomorrow."
"Of course, mein Fraulein." Richter replied.
The two proceeded into the headquarters, where they met Hauptmann Karl, who was, in rank, equivalent to Hauptsturmfuhrer.He recently got involved in the vampire operation. That was good thing of course. Karl commanded a company of Wehrmacht troops, and they were going to sweep the countryside to the north that day in an attempt to destroy whatever is left of the French resistance in that area. The offensive will pass the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and the Hauptsturmfuhrer, with a platoon of soldiers from the company, will assault the mansion directly at sunset, by breaching the walls of the estate and entering the mansion's back courtyard. While they fight there, a second assault platoon will clear the mines on the front gate's path, and join the assault from there, putting pressure on both sides of the mansion and allowing armour support to enter the estate.
"Well, that's the plan, Hauptsturmfuhrer," Karl told them. The Hauptsturmfuhrer nodded in approval. "Are the men assigned to accompany me aware that we are to subdue this vampire, not kill it?" Karl chuckled, and replied, "Of course, if that thing is even real. I doubt it, though. Damn French are just trying to trick us."
"Hmph," the Hauptsturmfuhrerexpressed, "Honestly, I hope you're wrong. This is a lot more fun than going to boring old churches looking for proof of 'Aryan Supremacy.'" The three officers had a good laugh. Hauptmann Karl pat the two on the back, smiling. "Get ready. We leave in 2 hours."
A few minutes before the offensive, Hauptmann Karl's Adler Kompanie was mobilized outside the city, and forward to their positions. The Hauptsturmfuhrerwas in a halftrack with Richter and a few squads of soldiers. Karl's voice then started speaking on the radio: "Adler Kompanie, looks like we're in for a fight. Goddamn partisans know we're coming; they've occupied a village near the Scarlet Estate. Bastards want to go down with a fight, so be it. Hauptsturmfuhrer, Leutnant, This makes your job easier. You can expect less resistance inside the estate itself. Panzergruppe II, take your tanks, and 30 men, and swing around the village. Hit it from the east flank; the Hauptsturmfuhrerand her troops will follow you, and break off when the estate is in sight. Kompanie, ADVANCE!"
A squadron of tanks spearheaded the advance, followed by armoured cars and halftracks filled with soldiers. The green French countryside was a battleground again. A group of tanks, followed by a few halftracks, broke off from the main attack force, and proceeded through grassy fields to get around the village. One tank and two halftracks broke off again from this group, and proceeded down a narrower road. The sounds of battle filled the air of France again, as Adler Kompanie battled French Resistance fighters and partisans in the small village. "Hauptmann Karl, this is Luchs. We've spotted at least one British commando in the village. This shouldn't be a problem. We have the village completely surrounded. No one is escaping."
"Excellent work, Luchs. Keep up the pressure. If those partisans don't surrender, feel free to terminate them, but I want those commandos alive."
"Ja wohl, Herr Hauptmann," replied Luchs on the radio. The time was around 5:30. The Hauptsturmfuhrer's, group had split into two, one halftrack moved to the estate's back wall, and the tank and second halftrack positioned on the main road leading to the estate. The lone halftrack dismounted its troops and they began placing explosive charges on the estate's wall. On the opposite side of the estate, the tank and the pioneers from the other halftrack waited for the assault to start before clearing the road of mines.
A few minutes passed, and Karl was again heard on the radio, "Hauptsturmfuhrer,we've secured the village, took a lot of prisoners, casualties minimal. How is it on your end?"
The Hauptsturmfuhrer took the radio and replied, "We're just about to breach the estate walls."
Karl replied, "Alright. We'll just finish off the stragglers and get ready to go. Good hunting."
