January 5th 1945
Southern Bridge, Ouren
1330 Hours
The Losheim gap was nearly closed as Allied forces began to move on south towards Wiltz and Eschdorf while those in the north began their advance towards Ouren and Bullingen. Fuchs company and the 501st were spearheading their assault towards Ouren, a town holding a key bridge close to Karlsland over the Our river followed by Kampfgruppe Peiper's tanks.
"We'll see home just a few feet away can you believe that herr Leutnant?" Jurgen said joyously.
"Stay alert Jurgen, We may be there but we still have the enemy to worry about." Karl said.
"You think the war would be over soon sir?" a Karlsland private asked.
"Just keep your eyes peeled and quit the chatter, they might hear you." Karl said signalling his men to move forward through the thick brush.
The Fallschirmjagers moved forward through the dense forest until they came across a clearing next to a checkpoint to the bridge. Karl was at the lead platoon while the rest of his men followed him from afar as they began scouting ahead followed by Lynn who fully recovered and Yoshika.
"501st, do you see any Neuroi up ahead?" the signaller asked on his radio.
"Nothing up ahead, it looks like you're all clear but keep alert." Lynn replied.
"Roger that, keep an eye out over." the signaller said as Karl signalled his platoon to move forward treading carefully. The Fallschirmjagers managed to reach the checkpoint and soon formed a defensive perimeter around the bridge taking cover behind low stone walls.
"Strange how there is no Neuroi here, they would have taken the intitiative to defend this bridge." Jurgen said pointing his FG-42 at the seemingly deserted clearing.
"I want a machinengewehr here! And take the panzershreck to the right flank!" Karl yelled out to his men as they scrambled following his orders.
Lynn and yoshika continued to scan the Horizon untill they finally get a call from commander Minna.
"Girls can you hear me?" Minna said in her transmission.
"We hear you loud and clear, Ma'am." Yoshika replied.
"Ok you two listen up, the radar team is picking up a large formation of Neuroi heading your way and it seems they will arrive in 30 minutes but Kampfgruppe Peiper is still at least an hour or so away from reaching Ouren but we have air support standing by and of course you two." Minna said giving a slight shock to Lynn and Yoshika.
"Understood Ma'am and how long will the air support reach our position?" Yoshika said as Lynn continued to scan the horizon.
"Major sakamoto, Trude and Erica along with a squadron of P-47's and Fw-190's are scheduled to arrive in at least 50 minutes." Minna said.
"But won't that take too long? We won't last at least 30 minutes." Lynn said worryingly.
"Looks like we're on our own for the time being but we understood that Ma'am and we'll do our best!" Yoshika said.
"Roger good luck to you all." Minna said before the transmission ended.
The Fallschirmjagers began scrambling and taking up defensive positions with creating makeshift barricades, planting anti-vehicle mines including using whatever weapons or materials they could find.
Karl took his position inside a machine gun nest alongside his men as they all scrambled to grab as much remaining ammo they have to the front. After a while the men are huddled around him alongside Yoshika and Lynn, who got out of their strikers to listen to his orders.
"All right Männer, we are on our own for the next hour or so and i need everyone to stay sharp also to be ready for anything. The Neuroi is scheduled to hit us at around half an hour but by the time that comes, i want you all to not shoot untill i give the order that also applies to you two; sgt Miyafuji and Bishop."
"Understood sir!" Yoshika and Lynn replied.
"Ok then stay alert for the enemy!" Karl yelled out as they scrambled to their positions and began to point their weapons at the empty clearing as they waited for the enemy whilst Yoshika and Lynn hanged back waiting as well with their strikers.
Karl then took the time of waiting by writing in his journal once more:
"I do not know if it were god that helped us back in Houffalize or it was luck that managed to get us through the next day and the days after. The men of Fuchs Kompanie were more motivated then ever since we are closer to home and i hope it stays that way once we finally managed to return back home. I always wondered what our old family house would look like now since we left it during the start of the war, is it still standing after all those bombing raids against the Neuroi? Or is it left in a pile of rubble due to the carnage caused by this war? Either way i am so elated to go home."
30 minutes later…
A lookout sees through his binoculars and he spots a large formation of Neuroi tanks and flying Neuroi heading straight towards them.
"Alarm! Alarm! They're here!" He yelled out as the first red beam hits their positions barely missing them. The fallschirmjagers scrambled to their positions and aimed their guns at the advancing Neuroi as Yoshika and Lynn took their strikers and began flying up their positions.
As the rumbling sounds and screeches of the Neuroi formation flocks further and closer to them, Karl kept a steady mind and conscious. The men were half terrified but determined as well as they have came through far and wide than their comrades, they glanced at the captain as the red beams hit their positions wounding a lot of them.
"Open fire!" Karl yelled out as the moment finally came when the Neuroi are close enough and the sounds of machine guns and rockets began to hit the Neuroi as they should be. One by one the Neuroi tanks fell as their cores exploded by the armor piercing rockets from the Panzershrecks along with Yoshika and Lynn's help.
The battle was taking its toll due to it feeling forever as more of their positions became obliterated by the red beams from the Neuroi and more men are killed or wounded with their ammo shrinking and shrinking by the minute. Lynn was holding down the attack from the sky as Yoshika began treating the heavily wounded back down near the bridge, Karl and his remaining Fallschirmjagers continued to fight on with Karl ditching his primary weapon for an MG-42 bipod giving time for the wounded to cross over.
"Do we have any panzerfausts left?!" Karl said as he reloaded his MG-42 and continued to fire another burst at the Neuroi.
"We only have around 4 left sir! And Air support is still a few minutes away!" the signaller replied as he gripped on his radio.
"Verdammt nocht maal!" Karl yelled as he fired his MG furiously at the flying Neuroi destroying more of them as their positions are obliterated by the red beams wounding and killing one man after the other.
As more waves of the Neuroi come to hit their positions and all hope seems lost untill the distant rumbling sounds of strikers and planes draw near. The P-47's and FW-190's fired their rockets at the Neuroi tanks as Mio,Trude and Erica fired their guns or swinged their swords at the flying Neuroi as more of them are destroyed and cheers from those ground motivated them to move forward followed by Lynn and Yoshika.
"Miyafuji! Bishop! Are you two alright?!" Mio called out to the two as they joined formation.
"We're alright Major sakamoto, but we have multiple wounded." Yoshika said
"Alright then! Everyone keep the Neuroi at bay for as long as you can! We need to buy time for the armored troops to get here!" Mio ordered.
"Yes Ma'am!" the girls replied.
The girls used their fluid movements to dodge the enemy beams as their shots land on after the other at the attacking Neuroi as the planes also used their deadly machine guns to cut down the remaining flying Neuroi before being forced to turn back as their ammunition and fuel has depleted.
An hour or so later.
Standing their ground as the Neuroi throw wave after wave against them in attempt to destroy bridge it became clear that the situation for the Neuroi was hopeless as their attacks are successfully hindered. The Fallschirmjagers on the ground helped as best as they can against the Neuroi even if the ammunition for their weapons are nearly depleted but the situation was in their favor as the Neuroi soon attempted a final massive assault but then the rumbling distant sounds of Tanks from the rear came closer.
Wilhelm's tank was in the lead and as soon as he spotted the bridge and the array of wounded troops huddled near it, he raced his Tiger forward to the bridge. The fire from the 88mm echoed through the air causing the girls up in the air to turn towards the source of the sounds and finally gave hope.
"Its Kampfgruppe Peiper!" Erica yelled out.
"Yeah! They're finally here!" Yoshika said joyously.
"Alright ladies! Let's go mop them up!" Mio said.
"Yes ma"am!" the girls replied back as they soon charged towards the retreating Neuroi.
Following close behind were Kampfgruppe Peiper's tanks but Wilhelm's tank stopped near the bridge to help cover the troops on the other side. Karl wiped off the dust from his face as he saw his brother, now a tank commander in a massive steel beast looking down at him.
"Doing well big brother?" Wilhelm said with a grin as Karl glanced freezing with shock seeing his brother in a tank.
The witches followed by the tanks race forward into the town as the retreating Neuroi have nowhere left to run as those waiting at the other bridge were the Liberion 10th Armored tank regiment from Malmedy trapping them. The Neuroi were destroyed as a result causing the town to be liberated as a result and the wounded to be safely evacuated back to the forward hospitals despite the heavy casualties sustained by Fuchs Kompanie.
Karl looked at the rows of wounded and possibly shellshocked soldiers as they are taken away by the ambulances and trucks, adjacent to them were the rows of dead soldiers found lined up near the bridge. Wilhelm stepped down his tank to comfort his brother and to explain how he got to Belgica in the first place.
"Karl, i'm sorry for what happened" Wilhelm said as he put a hand on his right shoulder.
"Willie how did you manage to get here? I thought you weren't meant to be deployed till later." Karl said.
"They sent us here to replace those lost back in the beginning of the siege and though that's the case, i hope me being here doesn't cause you to be upset." Wilhelm said as Karl touched his hand on his shoulder with his.
"It doesn't but in fact, I'm glad you're here dear brother." Karl said causing Wilhelm to smile at his words.
The Witches from the Liberion battalion and Kampfgruppe Peiper began securing the town along with the infantry from both forces. Despite the still remaining resistance from the Neuroi hiding out within the town it was soon liberated thanks to target identification of the cores from Major Sakamoto and diligence of the tank commanders. After sometime the Town finally fell secure under the Allies giving them a step closer to Liberating Karlsland and good news came in when the neighboring town of Wiltz was captured as well leaving only Eschdorf and Bullingen.
1930 Hours
His company was resting within a church converted as a temprory barracks and hospital after the battle and Karl was sitting at the bell tower atop the church.
"We fought well and hard today giving the Neuroi a taste of their own medicine as it shows how much they'll pay for taking over our home. Though we managed to secure the bridge and the town against them, it doesn't give me any comfort over the men we lost. Jurgen,Dieter,Heinrich and various others are not be able to see their home being liberated or even their families waiting for them but i alone owe it to them that they should see Karlsland free oncemore from the Neuroi."
Karl wrote in his Journal and then he glanced at the shining moon at the sky lamenting over the loss of his men. The men who survived are inside the church and were treated by the medics including Yoshika since her healing powers are essential in having them recover, meanwhile the troops in the town rest as they wait for their next orders which hopefully involves moving in to Karlsland. His loss of thought was interrupted when he sees a familiar face flying in front of him and grinning mischeviously.
"Doing well i presume?" Maya said.
"I am and where were you?" Karl said.
"I was held back because we needed to clear some stragglers back near Houffalize but I'm sure you missed me hehe." Maya said teasingly causing him to blush quite a bit.
"I do but can i have sometime for myself? I'm not in the talking mood at the moment." Karl said as he looked down with his heart filled with grief. Maya gave a concerned look but nonetheless she honored and understood his words.
"I see but be sure to look for me later okay Captain?" Maya said causing Karl to give her a nod before departing back down towards the ground.
He glanced back up towards the moon shining proficiently in the sky and the view around him as soldiers and witches celebrate the victory and the thought of being a step closer to liberating the rest of Europe.