Chapter 18: Totalize the Reds, Pocket of Falaise
August 7th 1944
South of Caen
While the Liberions, Karlslanders, Orussians, and Blue Neuroi were fighting for the Peninsula of Brittany, Britannian, Farawaylander, Karlslander, Free Gallian, Free Belgican and Dutch forces were preparing to break through red neuroi forces and push for the city of Falaise, reason? To link up with the Patton's forces who were coming from the south in an attempt to cut of the retreat of the red neuroi and annihilate them at where they stand. This push was codenamed Operation Totalize.
Now, the commander of the operation, a Farawaylander by the name of Lieutenant General Jane Simmonds, one of the few witch commanders in the Farawaylander Army or from North Liberion as a matter in fact, was trying to figure out a way to crack through the defenses without suffering high causalities as she knew that infantry assaults supported by massed artillery had failed to overcome the German forward lines in Operation Atlantic and Operation Spring. During Operation Goodwood, a bombardment by aircraft of RAF Bomber Command had allowed British tanks to break through the German front, but they had then suffered heavy casualties from the intact German defences in depth and infantry had been unable to follow up quickly enough to support the leading tanks or to secure ground behind them which slowed down follow up operations. So she devised a plan to solve the tactical problem presented by the terrain and the deep defences and she proposed a radical solution; in effect, the world's first large-scale mechanized infantry attack.
So the preparations were made, however the lack of APCs was troubling but this was resolved by converting the Liberion supplied M7 Priests into Kangaroo APCs with the Liberions' expressed permission. Because of the intelligences gathered by recon units and elite blue neuroi forces, the Karlslanders in North Eastern Gallia Sector were obliged to station their toughest and most elite panzer formations, the 1st KKE Panzer Corps. The Romagnans had their veteran 1st and 2nd Romagnan Corazzata (Armoured) Divisions also taking part of the operation. Simonds made air power an essential component in his plan for breaking through the red neuroi tactical areas.
Night of August 7th 1944
This is Flight Lieutenant Victoria Vickers, I am dropping ordinances now!" Victoria radioed as she dropped a payload of bombs onto neuroi defense positions along the road south of Caen. It was all in part of the preliminary bombardment for the push. This was happening for four miles up and down the flanks of the Caen-Falaise road.
August 8th1944
High ground near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil
After the bombardment, the Farawaylander, Romagnan and Karlslander tanks, witches and APCs began to push forward. Amongst these tanks is the feared Karlslander heavy tank that was called the Tiger 007, crewed by a very veteran crew, one that has seen action in the Eastern Front; however its commander couldn't focus as he had very ominous feeling.
"I do not have a good feeling about this" Micheal said as he looked around for targets. The Allied Forces were making good progress but Michael was not happy with the fact the red neuroi was not that aggressive in their defence.
"Oh, come on, Michael, liven up a bit, less aggressive the red bastards are, the fewer dead we have" Hans said.
"Yeah, everything is going to fine" Joseph said.
"Fine, but I am still not too sure about this" Michael said.
"Oh, what is the worse that could happen?" Gerhard asked. Suddenly a Panzer IV to their front left erupted into a ball of flame; it was quickly followed by a Cromwell and a P40. Suddenly red neuroi tanks were approaching from Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil. They were ambushing the road where a group of seven Tiger tanks, including Michael's from the Heavy KKE-Panzer Battalion 101, supported by several other tanks.
"Fuck! They are counterattacking!" A Farawaylander tanker barked over the radio.
"Damn it, hold them off!" A Romagnan tanker radioed.
"This is Tiger 005, we are engaging them now!" A Karlslander barked.
"Balthasar, fire into those bushes, now!" Michael barked.
"Jawohl" Balthasar replied as he pressed the trigger.
"This is A Squadron of the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry, We are coming to support, hang on" A Britannian tanker radioed.
"To allied units, this is A Squadron of the Sherbrooke Fuisilier Regiment with the 144 Royal Armoured Corps' B Squadron, we are coming in to assist" Another Britannian tanker radioed.
"Romagnan 1st Corazzata Division here, we are coming to support you" Francesca Crispi said.
"Better hurry! We are getting murdered here!" A Karlslander tanker barked. Michael was trying to look for targets, when he saw a Red Neuroi tank that had a strange looking turret which seems to have eyes (T-90) looking straight at his Tiger with its gun glowing red and intensifying.
"Mein Gott" Michael whispered before the red neuroi beam reached out and penetrated the upper hull of the tank and ignited the Tiger's own ammunition, causing a fire which engulfed the tank and then blew off the turret. He was engulfed by the explosion. His vision went black; there was nothing for him to see as; well to him at least, he was dead. Suddenly heheard something.
"Wake up, Michael" An unknown but familiar voice said.
Time, Unknown
Location, Unknown
Michael felt something beneath him; and he could feel something shining in his face. He opened his eyes and he saw that he was in an open grass field that stretched for miles. He immediately checked his body and found that his body was solid but what surprised him was that his uniform not burned or damaged and was all in white even his medals.
"Where am I?" Michael asked as he slowly stood up.
"Oh looks like you are finally awake" Someone said. Michael immediately turned to the source of the voice. It was a young girl in a white Britannian tanker uniform. Michael was surprised because, he knows this girl.
"Lieutenant Browns! What are you doing here? I thought you have left us for good" Michael exclaimed.
"I have left the Earth, this is where those who has lost their lives go to" Ashley said.
"Wait, does that mean that I am…" Michael couldn't say the word as it was stuck in his throat.
"Yes, Michael, it does mean you are dead" Another voice said, Michael turned to see his tank crew were there as well except for one, Balthasar.
"Hans…" Michael uttered.
"Who else, Michael" Hans smiled.
"Gerhard…" Michael continued.
"Nice to see you" Gerhard smiled.
"Joseph" Michael's voice was soft but audible.
"Ja, it is me, Michael" Joseph said.
"Wait, where is Balthasar?" Michael asked.
"He survived, barely though, don't worry, you are going to be joining him" Hans said.
"What do you mean?" Michael asked.
"Remember back to the engagement at Point 213" Ashley said.
"Okay" Michael said.
"Do you remember that moment when you felt something flowing from my dead body to you?" Ashley asked.
"Yes, what does it have to with me going back?" Michael asked.
"You have inherited my magic when you touched my dead body" Ashley said.
"How is that possible?" Michael asked.
"When a witch dies, her magic doesn't disappear from it immediately, it slowly dissipates into the earth or sea depending where she died. However if non witch touches her, the magic will flow from the dead to the living and it will stay in the person until he or she have a baby girl and then the child will get the stored magic thus creating a new line of witches. But if the person who was storing that magic dies, he or she will be reborn into the world as a witch" Ashley answered.
"In short, you, Michael will be a Michelle very soon" Hans said.
"So I will go back into the world as a girl?" Michael said with his face red as a tomato.
"Yes, I hope, you look magnificent" Hans smiled cheekily.
"Hans!" Michael barked.
"Well Michael, do you accept this fate?" Ashley asked.
"I…" Michael began to think about it, weighing the pros and cons
"Should I do this? I go back but as girl and everyone might not know who I am and I have togo back to square one but if I stay here, Balthasar might not make it and I wouldn't be able to see my homeland free again…" Michael thought.
"Hurry up, Michael, make up your mind already" Hans said.
"Just a quick question, when I go back, will anyone recognize me?" Michael asked.
"They will but in your new body, it would be like you were witch this entire time" Ashley said.
"I… I accept it" Michael said.
"Well Michael, it was nice to you again but your time here is over" Ashley said. Michael suddenly is engulfed by a bright light.
"Am I going now?" Michael asked.
"Yes, yes, you are… Oh tell Balthasar that we're fine and not to touch my stuff" Hans said.
"I will" Michael smiled as he thought how Balthasar would respond.
"I hope you will give those neuroi bastards hell" Gerhard said.
"I will try my best…wait Ashley, what is your magic ability?" Michael asked before the light fully engulfed him.
"It is Eruption, yes the irony is deep isn't it" Ashley smiled.
"Sie haben keine Ahnung (You have no idea)" Michael smiled before being completely engulfed by the light.
August 8th 1944
High ground near the town of Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil
The battle for the high ground was over; the Allies were able to repulse the red neuroi counter attack and they were now recuperating.
Michelle found herself with eyes closed lying on the grass; she found that she was alright; it seems that she jumped out of the tank before it blew sky high.
"The smells of burning steel and barbecued flesh…not the kinds of smell I wanted to smell first in my renewed life" Michelle thought. She then heard moaning, she immediately sat up as she thought of Balthasar.
"Balthasar" Michelle shouted as she got up, she then paused to look at herself.
"This is going to take some getting used to… and whoa, I have large breasts and why am I only wearing panties… oh yeah I forgot, I am a witch" She thought, "Wait if I am a witch then I should be able to use magic"
"Let see if I can use it" Michelle whispered, she tried to activate her magic and she felt her familiars stick out from her. She decided to feel her familiars. "I have Rottweiler ears! That is nice to know". She decided to look for Balthasar, she didn't have to look far; Balthasar was just a few metres from the destroyed Tiger. He was badly burnt but he will live.
"Michelle? It is nice to see you again, looks like you survived the blast" Balthasar smiled weakly.
"Well, I kind of jumped out of the tank before the tank blew up" Michelle sheepishly admitted.
"That is alright, your human nature's desire for life took control of you" Balthasar said.
"Yes, but because of my carelessness, Gerhard, Hans and Joseph are gone" Michelle frowned.
"Oh, you didn't see that tank so it was not your fault" Balthasar said.
"You are right… now come on, let's get you up and to a hospital" Michelle said as she picked up Balthasar. Balthasar hissed from the pain as he was lifted off the ground, "I am sorry for the pain, Balthasar"
"It is alright, now let's go" Balthasar said.
"Alright let's go" Michelle said "Thus begins a new chapter in my life" Michelle thought as they headed for an Allied aid station.
Operation Totalize was a large success during the first phases of the assault however heavy casualties were taken by the Allied armoured divisions in their attempt to push towards Falaise. Formations from the First Canadian Army, KKE 1st Panzer Corps, and 1st and 2nd Corazzata Division held positions on Hill 195, directly north of Falaise while elements of Patton's Third Army was in the areas south of Chambois. There was a 25 km gap between the Liberions and the Farawaylanders. Patton was not happy.
"They better move their asses or I am going to give them a second Dunkirk!" Patton threatened but Bradley with kept him in check. Scores of red neuroi ran the gauntlet of artillery, tanks, guns, infantry to escape the Falaise Pocket, Meanwhile, the Allied Air Forces were having a field day as they bombed the red neuroi that were in the Falaise Pocket.
August 15th, 1944
Area south west of Falaise
"This is Lieutenant Diana Douglas, I see a red neuroi armoured column, should I engage?" Diana asked.
"Excellent spotting Diana, now rip those fuckers a new one" Her CO who was flying high above radioed.
"Roger major, red neuroi are in for it now!" Diana smiled as she raced in from the rear of the column and fired her 75 mm cannon into the red neuroi tanks. The red neuroi tanks exploded as the 75 mm rounds hit their mark.
"This is Flight Lieutenant Ulyanok of the Blue Neuroi Air Forces to friendly units I am engaging a column of red neuroi mechanized units, get ready for some fireworks" A blue neuroi radioed. Diana turned to her south and she saw a blue neuroi attacking a column of red neuroi vehicles that had 4 big wheels on either side and with a small turret on the top (BTR-70). The blue neuroi aircraft was a strange aircraft as it had a cannon right sticking out from under its nose and it had two big jet engines attached to the rear of the fuselage near between the wings and the tail (A-10 Thunderbolt). Ulyanok shredded through the red neuroi as if they were paper.
"Well, you sure tore through those red bastards" Diana said.
"Thanks for the compliment but we still have reds to destroy" Ulyanok replied.
"That is true" Diana said before someone else came over the radio.
"Alright reds, have some piccola bomba sorpresa, they're fresh from the oven" Mariana shouted as she threw a few fusion bombs at a mass of red neuroi. Diana saw to her north east, where Mariana was flying that the red neuroi that were hit by the bombs were vaporised.
"Good hit, colonel, I see multiple red neuroi annihilated" Diana radioed to Mariana.
"Thank you for the confirmation" Mariana said as she checked her SAFAT machine gun
"This is Flying Officer Valkiyria to all allied air units in the area ; get ready for an air show because I am bringing in the hurt" Another blue neuroi radioed but this time it was a girl who radioed. To the south of Mariana, there was another column of red neuroi, and then out of the cloud came an aircraft that had four propellers and it had cannons of different size and length protruding out of its port side (AC-130 Spectre/ Spooky) and those cannons were unleashing hell on the red neuroi column. Mariana watched as the red neuroi tanks and armoured vehicles were destroyed by the cannon fire.
"Wow that is amazing!" Mariana exclaimed.
"Why thank you" Valkiyria said.
The Falaise Pocket was closed on August the 21st when Liberion forces linked up Farawaylander, Karlslander and Romagnan forces in Chambois effectively ending Commonwealth participation in the Battle of Normandy with a decisive Allied Victory. The red neuroi trapped in the pocket were annihilated. Eisenhower later described that it was impossible to walk in the pocket without stepping on red neuroi carcasses. The next target for the Allied Forces was the once proud City of Lights, now a Fortress of Darkness, the capital of Gallia, Paris.
I bet you didn't expect that did you?
Please write a PM about that
Sorry for the delay, I had internet trouble and writer's block
The end is coming soon (Finally)
Next up the Battle for Paris