Chapter 8: High time to assault them beaches don't you think, governor?
June 6 1944
0705hrs
Offshore Gold Beach
Now this sector of the beach was mover favourable for the invading forces as there were no commanding cliffs and there were many routes inland
The guns of the Britannian Royal Navy, Royal Farawaylander Navy and the Regia Marina Romagniana fell silent. Now it was the scene of the assault so the ground forces need to play their part well so they can secure a beachhead so their main forces can land and push deeper into occupied Europe.
"Alright lads, once we get to shore, don't stop until you reach the sea wall, hopefully there will be tanks there to support us" A Britannian captain said as their landing craft came closer to the beach.
"Hey, what are we here for? To serve tea to you wankers" A Britannian witch rebutted, angry that the captain forgot about them.
"Whoops, forgot you were here, missy" the captain apologized. The men in the landing craft began to laugh
"Oi, you lot, get your gear ready, we are launching in 30 seconds" The boatmen shouted. The infantry got ready to disembark from the boat into the hell that awaits them on shore.
Soon they were on the beaches and unlike the chaps on Omaha Beach; they decided to land their amphibious tanks straight on the beach. And this was a good decision as the tanks were blasting away at the neuroi position just as the infantry came in.
"Come on; let them have it, chaps!" A Britannian tanker barked as his DD Sherman began blasting at a neuroi position.
"Major Miles, where do you want our guns, sir?" A witch asked over the radio.
"Ah, Lieutenant Kirkland, glad to have you here, I was about to raise you but looks like you beat me to it" Miles answered as he popped out of his tank turret. Mary Kirkland climbed onto the Sherman.
"My witches and I are glad to be here, so where do you want us witches?" Mary Kirkland asked. Lieutenant Mary Kirkland is a member of the 79th Armoured Division. She uses the M4 DD Sherman with the 75 mm gun. She has the magic ability, Surf which she is no stranger of. She is a veteran witch from the Romagnan campaign. She is addicted to tea and she will drink it no matter what the situation is.
"Destroying those neuroi positions to our eastern flank" Miles said while pointing to their left.
"Alright, Witch section on me! We are moving to blast some neuroi position!" Mary ordered as she jumped off the Sherman and led her section to battle. Soon the infantry and other witches came ashore. They soon were in the thick of the battle. A rather large tank destroyer neuroi which resembled an AMX 50 Foch rolled up on the embankment and fired on Allied tanks. Mary saw this and wasn't going to let this neuroi get away.
"Oh where you think you are going chap? The surf is on you" Mary said as she activated her Surf magic and when this happens a magical surfboard appears beneath her and she directs the wall of water onto the neuroi. Her surfboard smashed into the neuroi and it pierced the core thus ending the neuroi's misery of drowning. That unpinned the soldiers who were cowering behind the wrecks of 2 DD Shermans.
"Come on, you call yourselves men? My 5 year old daughter has more courage than you lot! Move your asses" A Romagnan staff sergeant barked as he moved along the beach pushing men off their bellies.
"Come on, lassies, let's show them what us Scots can do" A Scottish lieutenant shouted as he began to charge towards the seawall with a group of soldiers behind him.
The neuroi was giving a tough fight but The Britannians, Farawaylanders and Romagnans were slowly pushing inland.
0735hrs
Juno Beach
Juno Beach was almost deprived of neuroi and there was limited fighting in the area but there was enough to keep the Farawaylanders and Romagnans to keep their heads down.
"Alright let's make our mothers proud! Push onwards!" A Farawaylander lieutenant barked as they began push forward.
"Well one thing is for sure about this tank, it is a hell lot better than the M13/40s" A Romagnan tanker commander said as his M4 Sherman (Liberion had and a Lend-Lease agreement with Romagna as well as Britannia, Orussia and to a lesser extent Karlsland) churned the Gallian sands as it rolled inland. As he sat on the top of the turret, there was a witch next to him.
"Well Benito, we have to thank Liberions for that" The witch said as she checked her gun.
"Well Francesca, I suggest you jump off the turret because we nearing neuroi positions" Benito said.
"Okay, brother, I hope we survive this battle" Lieutenant Francesca Crispi said before hugging her brother. Lieutenant Francesca Crispi is a seasoned witch with combat experience from the North African campaign and the Sicilian landings. She uses the Semovente 90/53 striker with the 90 mm howitzer. She has the magic ability Turtle which she has used to protect her comrades. She is a girl of rhymes and she loves to write poems.
"I hope so too, sister but until then we must fight" Benito said before releasing his sister. Francesca jumped off the tank and went forward to battle.
0805 hrs
Gold Beach
"We are the proud soldiers of the Romagnan Army! We yield to no one and especially to the neuroi! Allahu Akbar!" A loud Romagnan witch barked as she charged forward with a curved swordin hand.
"General Craxi! Wait!" Another witch shouted.
"Ha! Ha! Time and tide waits for no man, Giulia! You should know that by now" Bettina Craxi shouted. General Bettina Craxi of the Romagnan 1st Armoured Division is one of the youngest generals at the age of 14 but she is also one of Romagna's most able. She uses the striker unit M13/40 with the 47 mm M37 L/32 cannon. She has the magic ability, Sandstorm which is fitting since she was originally from ArabSaudi before immigrating to Romagna at the age of 6. She shows her Arabic heritage by wearing a ghutrah (white cloth) over her head with a black agal (rope like band) wrapped around her head and a pair of goggles around her neck. Although her name doesn't show it but Bettina is a Muslim but she is an opened-minded one and is friendly witch. She has a robust personality and is very courageous. She is rather loud but only when she wants to raise the morale of her troops or she is pissed. She often recites the Quran and prays especially before a major battle. She is often seen carrying a big saif or scimitar
"Alright, you heard the general! Push inland!" Colonel Giulia Andreotti barked as she and the Romagnan soldiers and tanks pushed inland. Colonel Giulia Andreotti is Bettina's second in command of the Romagnan 1st Armoured Corps. She is a native Romagnan and she is good friends with Bettina even if they are of different religion. She is sometimes Bettina's translator whenever Bettina is using Arabic which is when she is nervous, angry or sad. Giulia uses the Semovente 105/25 with a 105 mm short barrelled howitzer. She has the magic ability Ballista which is very useful unless Bettina is using Sandstorm then she can't shoot for shit. She is a soft spoken and shy which is awkward since she is friends with Bettina who is the exact opposite. She carries a short sabre around with her.
"Come on, we can't let those witches have all the glory! Push inland, men!" A Romagnan 1st Sergeant ordered as he led his group of soldiers towards the town of Les Roquettes. The neuroi around the and in the town were quickly dealt with and the town was liberated within two hours.
1015hrs
2 km east of Les Roquettes
Newly established HQ for the Romagnan 1st Armoured Corp and Britannian 50th (Northumbrian)Infantry Division
"So we are to advance on Port – en – Bessin and Bayeux?" Bettina asked.
"Yes and we also need to link up with the chaps in Juno and Omaha" Major General Graham commander of the 50th (Northumbrian)Infantry Division said.
"Ma'am, the 1st Armoured Regiment reported they have liberated Les Roquettes with little damage to the town and little causalities and are now pushing eastward toward the Juno Beach" A Romagnan colonel reported.
"Syukur! Alhamdulillah! We are pushing the neuroi back!" Bettina praised before she left the command tent. Graham looked puzzled as he has never known Bettina was a Muslim.
"Excuse me for asking, Giulia but what is your commander doing?" Graham asked.
"Oh, she went to pray for gratefulness" Giulia answered and then began to explain about Islam to him.
"Wow you know quite a lot about her religion" Graham said
"Well after being friends with her for a long time, you learn a few things" Giulia smiled.
1700hrs
Juno Beach
"One mini sun coming right" Mariana shouted as she used a sunburst attack on a neuroi T-44 that was blocking troops from heading towards Douvres Le Delivrande thus linking up with Sword Beach. The T-44 was immediately destroyed by that mini sun.
"Wow! More of that and the neuroi are history" A tank commander said.
"Yeah but I will be too puffed to do any more, looks like I have to go back to base, kick more neuroi ass for me" Mariana said as she turned towards base in Portsmouth.
2050hrs
Gold Beach
Now Britannian and Romagnan troops were now advancing westward towards Arromanches. The town was infested with neuroi so it was tough battle to liberate the town. Britannian and Romagnan tanks and witches were now duking it out with the neuroi medium and heavy tanks.
"Gunner, destroy that neuroi Lorraine before it does any damage to our boys and the town" A Britannian tank commander said as his Cromwell rolled into junction and he spotted a neuroi Lorraine 40t. However it did little damage to the neuroi.
"Shit! Driver reverse! Reverse! Reverse! God Damn it! Infantry behind us get out the way!" The tank commander shouted and the 29 500 kg tank began to reverse at full speed. Some of the soldiers behind the tank had to jump out of the way. However the neuroi Lorraine 40t had noticed the Cromwell and fired at the Cromwell. The Cromwell's gun and left main drive sprocket (Front drive wheel) were sliced off which made the tank veer hard right slamming into a house.
"Damn it, this tank is out, get out!" The tank commander shouted as he and the rest of the crew jumped out of the useless steel box.
"Oh shit, we need air support now! Sapphire! Get on that radio!" A Britannian captain barked.
"Yes sir!" Sapphire shouted.
Skies over Arromanches
"This is Major Alexia Trevor of the number 440 Squadron to all ground forces in area of Arromanches and I have four 80 mm rockets ready to set some neuroi ablaze" Alexia radioed. Major Alexia Trevor is a ground attack witch with an eye patch over a very visible scar on her right side of her face which was from a neuroi attack in 1940 during Operation Dynamo. She is a very tough witch with a scary appearance since she wears the same bloody uniform she wore from the evacuation of Gallia. However as the Malays say, "senapang buluh" which means 'just because he/she looks fierce, doesn't necessarily he/she is fierce and that is the case with Alexia as she is actually a very friendly witch. She uses the Hawker Typhoon striker with either a 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon or 4 80 mm rockets and today she opted the rockets as they do more damage than the cannon. Her rockets do more damaged since she has the magic ability, Ballistic Stabilization. She loves to drink coffee and she is always seen carrying a flask to carry her coffee around. If other witches were asked what was in the flask Alexia carries around, most dare not speak and those who do say it is blood. This is because Alexia's flask hasn't been washed since Dynamo.
"This is Lieutenant Sapphire Birch of the 27th Armoured Brigade to Major Alexia; we need some help in taking out a Lorraine!" A radio call came in. Alexia looked down into the small town and saw a disabled Cromwell being shot at by a black neuroi that resembled a Lorraine 40t. Although it was dark, Alexia could still see for her eye is still good because before the Gallian incident she was a night fighter witch.
"This Major Alexia to Lieutenant Sapphire, is the Lorraine shooting at a destroyed Cromwell?" Alexia asked.
"Yes, can you destroy it so we can get into the town? Wait you can see?" Sapphire said.
"I was a night witch before I transferred to the ground attack witch" Alexia said as she came in low and fired her rockets into the neuroi tank. The neuroi tank's turret was destroyed and it was apparently where the core was as the tank was destroyed.
"Thanks for the assist!" Sapphire radioed.
"You're welcome" Alexia said before flying off back to base.
"Alright, she cleared us a path, now let's get this tank out of the way" Sapphire said as she and another witch pushed the disabled tank out of the way so the rest of the troops began to move through the town. Lieutenant Sapphire Birch is a wild girl with will do attitude. She uses the new Cromwell striker unit with the 75 mm Ordnance Quick Firing or OQF gun. She has the magic ability, Ballistic Stabilization which allows her shots to hit the mark.
The Britannians and Romagnans on Gold Beach pushed inland and liberated the town of Arromanches. The townspeople that stayed behind were ecstatic to see Allied Forces finally push back the neuroi scum. They were now pushing further inland and westward.
2135hrs
Luc
"Alright we rest up here, tomorrow at 1000hrs we move out to Lion to link up with the boys from Sword, is that alright?" A witch asked as she stopped and got off her strikers.
"Sure thing, ma'am" The troops replied as they began to camp out for the night. The locals soon came out to meet the liberators. Some gave the troops food and water while others provided places to sleep. Just as the witch was about rest on a bench in the town square, an old man came towards her and he looked important.
"Bonjour there, my good lady, I must thank you for liberating our town" The man smiled.
"It is no problem, it is our job, sorry for asking but who are you?" The witch asked.
"I am Francis Bonnefoy, major of this small community, and what is the name of this young maiden standing here?" Francis smiled.
"Major Elizabeth Mallory of the 27th Armoured Brigade at your service" the witch now known as Elizabeth Mallory saluted. Elizabeth Mallory is a relative of Trafford Mallory. She is caring and friendly witch but she can get tough when the situation requires. She is a good battle commander and a fast thinker. She uses a rather old striker unit, the Cruiser Mk VI Crusader with the 6pounder OQF gun. She has the magic ability, Frost which allows her 6-pdr gun to hit the neuroi hard.
"You are a fine soldier, Major" Francis smiled.
"Thank you, sir" Elizabeth smiled back.
"Now it is already very late, why don't you sleep in my house, it is the least I can do for liberating the town" Francis smiled.
"That is so kind of you sir" Elizabeth said as she picked up her personal effects and headed for the major's house. Just then a radio messaged patched in her transponder.
"Major Elizabeth Mallory, are you there?" A radio call came in.
"General Graham, this is Major Elizabeth here, how can I help you?" Elizabeth asked.
"Just wanting to know where your unit were?" Graham asked.
"My battalion is in the town of Luc and we are staying for the night before linking up with Sword tomorrow" Elizabeth said before yawning.
"Well get some rest, we have a big day ahead of us, good night major" Graham said.
"Good night, general" Elizabeth said before turning off the radio. She then followed the major to his house where she is shown to a guest room. She fell asleep the moment she hit the bed.
The Farawaylanders, Romagnans and Britannians troops on Juno and Gold Beach can feel proud as they succeeded in taking part in the biggest amphibious operation since Operation Torch in western North Africa and Operation Dagger in the Suez Canal. They only suffered 250 casualities.
Finally this chapter is over!
Now for Sword Beach, Cherbourg, then Caen and maybe a epilogue chapter
Now as a heads up, the next few chapter may be slow to come as my holidays will end next week Monday which means school is back on.
Hope you enjoyed this! Please review! How else am I to improve or correct my writing?