Chapter 10: V is for Vain Attempts to Win
Hitler always thought he could win, always! Well up until he bought the big Reichstag in the sky, but otherwise he always thought that Germany would win. Even with Allied troops on the Elbe, Russians surrounding Berlin, a country's economy in ruins and basically every building in the Fatherland burning like the surface of the sun, he always thought there was a way to win. This was more prevelent in 1944 after the Allies had invaded Europe. Hitler was of course pissed off at it all now that he had to fight on two whole fronts, so he decided to conduct a campaign of sweet vengeance against the Allies with wonder weapons, entitled Vengeance Weapons to be precise. He wasn't very creative when it came to naming his revenge plots. These Vengeance weapons weren't weapons of war they were weapons of terror deisnged to intimidate and scare the Allied Civilian Population of London and, in some twisted naive hope, force the Allies to the negotiation table so they could spare Civilian lives. Worse, most of these weapons were put together using slave labour. So if the deliberate killing of civilians in a campaign of terror wasn't enough, the Nazis were forcing people to build the things against their will. Hitler had Comic Book villian written all over him.
Beast Boy: I'll say. Hell this was the golden age of comics, DC and Marvel were already making fun of him by having Captain America smack him cross the face once or twice.
That got them put on Hitler's Death list, he never could take satire. At least they recognised him as crazy long before America even went to war with him. But despite that lets get back to the vengeance weapons. The first two are the more famous, the V1 flying bomb and the V2 rocket. The V1 was essentially an inaccurate bomb that could be fired from across the channel at England. They were loaded with explosive and fired from a rocket sled. When they were over a specific target the rocket would give out and the bomb would fall to the earth onto its target. It was eventually repulsed by other aircraft like the Meteor which were able to run and or keep up with it. The V2 was different. The first ballistic missile of its kind the weapon was able to fire from a launch pad and was fast enough to launch into the air and come back down with deadly force. They could put precise coordinates in for the rocket but they were still not entirely accurate. The V2 could not be shot down however and caused a great deal of deaths and damaged along with the V1 bombs. The final Vengeance weapon however is relatively unknown, it was not a bomb or a rocket but instead a long range cross channel artillery battery known as the V3. Designed to systematically shell London non-stop and whipe it clear off the map Worse still, it came very, very close to being completed. So here is the scary story of the V3 Artillery bunkers and how close London came to having to face a third Vengeance weapon and possibly having it kill one of the Pythons.
Monty Python Fans: NOOOOOOOO!
Relax, it never happened! Sheesh! You guys are so easily spooked.
Like most Vengeance weapons the V3 was long in development but seperate from the now infamous testing facilty at Peneemunde where the V2 went through its trials. The project was to have a set of bunkers, each with their own gun. These bunkers would go underground and be re-enforced from the outside to protect the weapons within as well as the officers and gunners themselves. The gun itself was different from other artillery guns of the era. Instead of being big and bulky this one was... well... thin... very thin... think anorexic teen super model thin.
Beast Boy: You mean a pipe?
Essentially yes.
Beast Boy: How do you fire artillery rounds out of a pipe?
Electricity my green skinned friend, the same wonderful force of nature that brought the gattling gun out of retirement and enabled to placed on A-10 Thunderbolt to deliver high velocity salvo rounds that essentially make a tank look like swiss cheese. But thats for 'Teen Titans: Modern Warfare' back to the V3. It started back in 1941 when one August Coender hit upon the idea that you could use electrically activate charges fired through angle side chambers to accelerate an cannon fired projectile beyond anything that could be produced by normal means!
(Beast Boy looks at Camera dumbfounded)
The cannon goes zappy and everything shoots out super duper fast.
Beast Boy: Ohhhhh. Wait a sec, why the hell was he thinking about that?!
I have no idea, he was a metal worker/amateur inventor, they do that sorta thing. The idea had been tried before in the Civil War, but all that accomplished was an exploding prototype. But Coender thought he could make it work. By May 1943 he had perfected his own prototype and it test fired in Poland under the watchful eye of V-projects director, SS General Hans Kammler. And yes, we know thats very close to Krammer, but thats an extremely easy shot considering recent events involving the actor who played the character so I'm not even gonna try.
Beast Boy: But you will make cracks about a jet plane sounding like a slang term for the word prostitute?
What can I say, somethings are way too easy to pass up. Anyway the 60 meter long gun fired its round and was able to reach over 15 kilometers. It fired a specially designed discarding sabot round in the shape of a dart. once exiting the barrel it it dropped the case or sabot surrounding the dart. This allow the fins of the shell to stabalize its flight path before it eventually hits its target. Everyone who wittnessed it was impressed and an order form for 150 full sized guns was asked for. By sticking these guns in five batteries it was believed that they shell London with 300 rounds every hour from their positions in Mimoyecques, France situated in the Calais region. Construction began on the first of these batteries in September 1943. Each of these guns were put together with 5 meter lengths of barrel that eventually created a 150 meters of barrel altogether. There were two side chambers where the ammunition itself was loaded.
Beast Boy: Okay how the hell does this thing work exactly?
Think of it like this, the charge is loaded into the main cannon at the bottom and fired, then all the other smaller cannons along the way it travels up the long barrel fire as well. Therefore the barrel spits out its 140 kilogram explosive cargo super fast at a 30 degree angle. This increases its overall velocity and arch towards its target. The little cannons were packed with explosive charges and detonated using electricity. Some people say the charges were small and conventional, others suggest they were rocket powered we don't know.
Beast Boy: Rocket powered Cannons, man the Nazis were ambitious bastards.
Th aim itself could be adjusted by removing or adding wooden planks under the barrel. So one could say it was in efficent marriage of low tech and high tech.
Beast Boy: A bloody and devilish marriage which no one would have recovered from. Just like Bradgellina.
Surrounding the battery was a large bunker complex with sleeping quarters, command and control, ammunition stores and a dining area. Because shelling the hell out of innocent civies apparently makes Nazis hungry.
Beast Boy: Assholes.
Of course the guys firing the thing didn't want to actually build the complex so they enacted slave labour from captured prisoners of war to do it for them. Most of them Eastern Slavic people. This wasn't uncommon of course, poor souls from all over Europe ended up in slave labour camps. Pretty much like Concetration camps except they forced you to work and make the weapons of the Reich bigger and badder. Thousands of slave labourers would die from working in Nazi mines, V-weapon factories and building bunkers for the Nazis. The Confederates would be proud.
Confederate Sympathizer: I resent that! We were fighting for our right to suceed!
Beast Boy: And you were fighting to keep your slaves.
Confederate Sympathizer: What? Black people are things!
Beast Boy: You should know something... we're in Detroit.
(Gang of Black people gang up behind Confederate Sympathizer)
Gang Leader: Honkey, you 'bout to learn the meaning of pain.
Confederate Sympathizer: Ah shoot, this is gunna hurt.
(The following scene was too violent to air in this kind of Fanfic)
It wasn't long before the French Resistance informed the Allies of the Nazi weapon's project. They began an operation to try and stop the weapon before it was ever used. The raids were intially unsuccessful against the now named 'London Gun.' It was near completion in july of 1944, when a lucky shot by some Lancaster Bombers with some British made Tallboy bombs came through. This was the World War Two bunker buster, the strongest bomb they had before the Atomic Bomb was made. It gets its name because its damn big.
Beast Boy: (Standing in front of Tallboy standing up on its tail) Damn, thats gotta be at least 21 feet high. I'd hate to get hit with that thing.
Amazingly even these bombs were unable to penetrate the hides of those bunkers inittially. But the British caught a lucky break. The concrete domes covering the shaft were open at the time and three tall boys managed to get inside, unbeknownest to the Allies who continued their bombing raids on the site afterwards. Unfortunately scores of slave labourers were killed. They did not die in vain however. The extensive damage done to the bunker now put their work far behind schedule. The Allies still did not know about this however so they continued to attack the site. In August they launched Project Aphrodite.
Beast Boy: They named it after a Greek Goddess of love?
They wanted to get a bomb in one of those shafts Green Man, do the math.
Beast Boy: You're disgusting you know that?
The mission called for two B-17 bombers, one loaded with explosive to fly as close as they could to the bunker. The crew of the explosives packed one then bailed out and the second bomber would use a radio control stick to fly the plane into the bunker. It did little actual, no more then tall boys and was soon abandoned. Joseph Kennedy Jr., the brother of John F. Kennedy, was actually killed on one of these raids. Therefore sparking many rumours that he was drunk while flying.
Beast Boy: Dude, don't.
Oh give me a break people, its the Kennedys! Tragedy is like a friggin magnet to them! Do you know how many memebers of their family have been killed or have been in involved in questionable activities?
Ted Kennedy: I, err ah... wasn't drunk with that Asian Chick in the car... and ehh, she was dead when I found her... yeah... thats the story. I'm gonna go get a beer.
Why do they all talk like that? Anyway enough dirt on Camelot, they really don't deserve it... most of them. That plae Joe was on exploded anyway so it wasn't his fault. I mean it just blew up, bam, kinda sad really.
Beast Boy: Well you said it yourself, tragedy magnets.
Anyway by the end of August the Germans were forced to abandon the bunker in the face of advancing Allied troops.
Billy: Billy ain't defending no damn giant exploding pipe cannon, I got a life!
(Runs off, Slaves labouers looks on with glee)
Slave: We're free! Finally! Let's go through all their stuff!
Slaves: YEAH!
The guns were dynamited in May 1945, but this wasn't the end of the V3 project. Two smaller guns were made later and fired on Luxembourg and Antwerp. However the guns soon showed a vital flaw in their design.
(Two guns fire over the heads of Billy Numerous and Private Hive)
Billy: Don't you think the guns are getting too hot!
Private Hive: Don't be stupid! They're awesome!
Billy: But the metal is turning red and starting to bend!
Private Hive: But we're firing so many shells! Its hard to even hear over it!
Billy: Billy thinks we need to cool it down!
Private Hive: I think you need to shut up!
(Guns suddenly exploded and send the two flying backwards, landing on their butts)
Billy: Billy Told ya.
Private Hive: Go to hell!
You see, the gun, as we explained, was exploding! With each shot it detonated hundreds of electrically fired charges and it was supposed to do this continously to keep up a non stop barrage. So when those two guns attacking Luxembourg and Antwerp blew, it showed the weapon's fundamental flaw, it heated up too fast. Once that happened the charges would probably begin to smolder under the hot pressure of the gun. When they were fired the weakned steal wouldn't hold up to the blast, the gun would bend, and eventually it would explode! If this weapon was ever used against London its doubtful they could've kept the shelling up for 300 shells an hour. The gun would probably blow up! Worse like any V-weapon, this never would have served anything but scaring some Londoners and possibly making people even more angry at Hitler. Hell the gun is basically a giant pipe! That isn't scary! Thats not something you put on posters! V1 and V2 rockets, those were scary! This is a pipe! A plumber could take it out just by unscrewing a hinge!
(Mustached Plumber takes a wrench and bashes V3 gun)
Johnny Rancid: Hey what are you doing?!
Plumber: Mama mia, I am a sorry. But-a, I just saw the pipe here-a. Shes a broken.
Johnny: Yeah! Cause you broke it!
Plumber: Whoopsie daisy. Me a sorry! Here, have a bomb-omb.
Johnny: A what? (Gets passed a bomb-omb and it explodes)
Plumber: Wa Hoo! (Runs away and jumps down a big green pipe that vanishes into the ground out of now where)
Later...
Private Hive: How come you didn't stop him?
Johnny: I thought the Italians were our Allies.
Private Hive: Their government surrendered idiot!
Johnny: Oh right.
And with that video game reference done with we close with this, Hitler was an unfeeling ass, slave Labour is wrong, the V3 gun would probably explode after repeated firing and it was essentially a very long pipe with a deadly purpose. But thankfully for all Englishmen suffering the Vengeance weapons, that bunker never got to fire a single shot at London.
--
It was hours before Ravenna finally stopped laughing, when she did the aircraft returned to relative calm. As much calm as you can get with two people with vastly different views when it came to politics. It wasn't long before Logan finally got up the nerve to ask her a question about her laughing.
"You don't look like the laughing type," he began "what was with all the seam bursting?"
"Not many things to laugh at in Russia." She explained "When you look at something as stupid as an iceberg carrier and you haven't laughed in what seems like ages, well its hard to keep it in."
"If it means anything when I first heard of the Habbakuk I laughed too." said Logan "Just wasn't as long and loud as that."
"I got a grand tour of the whole ship with an overly chipper captain who thinks that thing is the pride of your Navy," Ravenna explained "it was hard holding it in really. Besides I think that ship served one good purpose, its the first thing thats made me laugh in years."
"Why's that?" Logan asked "Russia can't be completely devoid of jokes."
"No, but its not such funny place as much." Ravenna told him "Not since the war, not since we lost millions of people to the facist invaders."
"Well you get to pay them all back in kind I guess." Logan replied "They torched your country, you torch theirs. Sounds appropriate to me."
"Do you really think its that simple?" Ravenna asked "Your homeland's capital hasn't been on the frontlines facing annihilation. You haven't had to fight in burning city where you can barely move without getting shot by a German sniper. You've only been fighting an enemy that means to dominate and enslave you. We're fighting an enemy that wants to whipe us off the map."
"Its the same enemy," Logan said "can't be all that different? Besides, I've had my share of tough scrapes with the Germans. Kicked their asses everytime, specially on D-Day. Score is 12 Allies, Axis Zip and I'm very skeptical that Hitler actually has the capacity left to hit all three Allied Nation captials plus New York at once. They've lost, we just have to do bit more fighting till they admit it."
"Thats the problem with you Americans," Ravenna said "you think this war is a game. Another chance to boast your military muscle. Meanwhile my people are fighting for their very survival. You don't know the Nazis like I do. They will stop at nothing to achieve whatever means to an end they wish."
"Hey, no one's doubting that you Ruskies have put up a hell of a fight okay." Logan protested "And I'm certainly not doubting they would try to pull some mass offensive out of the bag before this war is done. So far though they haven't be to successful and I'm just skeptical of what they can actually do. As for how evil they are, I know that. No need to tell me about it. Hell I've seen their cruelty and barbarism first hand. Ever heard of the London Gun?"
"The secret Nazi vengeance weapon that fired on England from across the channel in a vain attempt to scare Englans out of the war." Ravenna reiterated "Yes I heard of it. It was destroyed in commando raid shortly after it began firing."
"I was there when it happened," Logan said "hell I was part of the commando team that helped destroy the gun. The bunker wasn't meant to protect it anything but the guns themselves so the fighting wasn't like anything I'm sure expierienced. But man did those SS troopers put up a fight."
--
Mimoyecques, France
August 1944...
Logan's team had parachuted in with the rest of the commando strike force, a few miles away from the actual bunkers that housed the guns. They had begun firing on London a 24 hours ago and several civilian deaths. To stop the gun from causing more Logan and his team were to raid the bunker, kill or capture the Germans inside and destroy the gun. Their advance on the bunker would be covered by yet another bombing raid on the site. The question was why the Germans had suddenly stopped firing the gun. Logan didn't have many specifics given to him on what it looked like but he assumed it would be big. Considering it could fire a shell all the way across the channel.
Whatever the case Logan advanced forward with the Commando team, their destination marked by exploding Tallboy bombs. Logan hoped that one of those things would breakthrough and destroy the gun and the Germans before he had to. Eventually they came upon the target. A machine gun nest sat in front of a large bunker door. Its occupant had obviously gone inside to avoid the bombs. Logan would have to wait for the bombers to pass before they attacked. Eventually the bombing ceased and out from the door of the bunker came a German soldier. He wasn't shaken or even scared. Obviously the bombs had no effect on him. That bunker provided him with all the security he would need. Not tonight tough. He was the only guard on duty, facing off against three squads of fully equipped and highly trained Commandos. Obviously the Germans inside weren't counting on actually defending the bunker too well. Otherwise there would be more guards and more guns. But Logan knew that inside the bunker would be close quarters and thats all the Germans would need to hold them off.
Logan gave the signal for the men to go. Two commandos creeped up ahead of the squad. One took out a M1 rifle and fired a shot that hit the German machine gunner straight between the eyes. He went down instantly. The other commandos then rushed the bunker. Suddenly the metal door swung open revealing another German soldier. He was met with Thompson gunfire and went down. The commandos jumped over his dead body and continued inside. The whole bunker was alerted now. An alarm suddenly went up for the whole compound and the shouts of startled Germans were heard from within. The Germans closed in on the Commandos as hey began to enter the bunker. Logan fired at two men as they came up the stairs.
"Lets find the damn gun and put this bunker out of commision already!" Logan ordered "I don't want to have them calling for back up."
The commandos went down the stairs into the nerve center of the bunker. They came upon a corridor with many doors, obviously the garrison's sleeping quarters. Dozens of sleepy Germans scrambled out firing their guns at the Commandos. One of the men got hit in the leg with an MP-40 round. Logan ran out to save him. Pulling him away from the line of fire and back behind a wall corner, Logan fired at the Germans shooting at them from the doorways.
"Someone get a grenade in there!" Logan ordered
One commando did so as a grenade exploded in front of one of the doorways. The Commandos advanced on the doorway and entered inside. Taking out any Germans left there. German soldiers from the next sleeping area tried to reclaim the ground the Commandos had taken but they quickly cut down. Eventually the hall was clear and Logan's men advanced on to end of the hall where a large metal door seperated them from what the sign said was the control room. One of the commandos banged on the door with his body, bashing it open. Suddenly though he was ripped apart by machine gun fire. One of the operators had set up a make shift MG42 nest. against a couple of crates. Logan pressed himself against the wall and threw a grenade inside. The explosion killed the machine gunner and took out most of the control equipment.
"Lets just hope he didn't call for back up on the radio." Logan said "Let's keep moving."
Their next stop around the corner of the hall was a large room that entered into the dining hall. There were some Germans hiding behind the cover of tables, but they were quickly dispatched. At corridor was an elevator the lead down. With the upper floors pacified they moved down into the bunker.
"I'll lead my squad down the shaft," Logan told the others "you guys stay and keep an eye out for any possible Kraut reinforcements. We'll blow the gun and get out."
With that Logan's team descended into the bunker. Finally, after what seemed like an extremely long descent the doors opened. No Germans stood to oppose them for the moment. But that was subject to change. Logan had the men press up agaisntr the armour door leading to the next room. He had one open it slightly before kicking it the rest of the way. Machine gun fire followed soon after, this one was farther back then the last guy. Logan was beginning to wonder when these guys would quit. He screwed on one of the rifle grenades he brought along and put a blank cartridge inside the rifle. He took a quick shot and the grenade flew back into the room and hit the gun nest square on.
"Go! Go! Go!" He ordered
They now entered the gun bunker itself. When Logan laid his eyes on it he was surprised. It was just a long pipe, not at all what he pictured. The Nazis had to be desperate to think that this could help them win the war. He could see by the smoking metal that the chamber had gotten hot during firing and they had been forced to stop in order to keep it from over heating and possibly exploding.
'Too bad for them I've come to fix that.' He thought
Logan had the men ready the dynamite charges on the gun while he checked the back room of the bunker. There he found an ammunition store behind one door, a few timed dynamite charges here would send the whole bunker sky high. Putting that thought aside a moment he went up to the second door in the back. There he heard shouting from someone behind it. German, sounded like he was yelling at something on the radio. Not wanting to risk a chance of the Kraut calling back up he busted down the door. He saw an SS Officer, recognizable by his uniform, on radio transmitter. The officer reached for his luger, but Logan was faster. He fired square at the officer taking him out.
"One less of Himmler's boys in the world." Logan said, looking back at the men "Charges set?"
"Yes sir!" Answered one "We're ready to blow this baby."
"One moment." Logan said taking out his own charge. He set it for five minutes, like the guns themselves, and threw it into the room with the ammo stores. "Okay, start your timers and lets get the hell out of here!"
The commandos piled back into the elevator and pressed the up button frantically. A few minutes later they reached the top.
"Everyoen out! Its gonna blow!" Logan ordered
The commando squads got themselves out of the bunker and rushed for the safety of the treeline. As they reached it, the guns exploded violently, putting the entire bunker complex ablaze.
"London's no longer under the gun boys." Logan said
Everyone groaned at his remark
"Oh come on that was a good one!" Logan tried to defend himself
--
"Later me and the boys found the slave camp that the Nazis were using to build the damn bunker." Logan told Ravenna "Bunch of poor dead and dying people. Damn glad to see someone not wearing SS uniforms. We told them the bunker was blown and that the bastards running it were dead. They were pretty damn happy. Best of all when the news broke the gun was blown the Germans pulled out of the area. No reason to protect something that was no longer there. We got the labourers back to Allied lines and some good medical attention. Me and the men saved a lot of lives that day and got a close up at Nazi Barbarism.
He gave a harsh look at Ravenna.
"So don't you say I treat this war as a game okay." He told her "I want to take down Hitler's thugs as much as the next guy. You went through hell, maybe your reasoning is to go cold and just focus on revenge. For me I have to look on the brightside, be positive, make a joke now and then. Otherwise, I'd probably just go nuts."
Ravenna didn't seemed interested in berating him for his comments, instead she apologized.
"I'm sorry for making assumptions then Lieutenant." She said "I shouldn't have assumed."
"Ah don't sweat it." Logan said "Everyone assumes too much sometime or another. Just trying to let you know I'm taking this thing seriously,"
This would've been more then enough for Ravenna to start liking the Lieutenant, probably even respecting him. He actually seemed be somewhat more mature then most of the stories of American soldiers let on, it made her smile slightly. He would've probably ended any tension between the two right there... but then he ruined the moment.
"Also I thought telling you that story would show you that you have one hot American soldier to help you out against the Japs." He said "Plus, I heard somewhere Russian girls like war stories."
Ravenna's face became flat and monotone again.
"Charming American wit." She said "For once Moscow describes something accurately."
"Well they gotta get something right." Logan replied to the comment "So, what about you? Got any war stories."
"Plenty," She began "all of them painful memories of friends lost and showcasing the horrors of war. Would you like to hear one of them?"
"You're gonna be a downer I jsut know it." Logan told her "Fine, lay one on me. We got time to kill before we reach the Pacific anyway."