I don't own Medal of Honor or any of its characters. Steven Spielberg created the Medal of Honor series.
This story is dedicated to all those who have risked or lost their lives fighting in WWII.
Dialogue – translated German
Medal of Honor: Frontline
Part 1: D-Day
Chapter 2: Into the Breach
Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Forces: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man- to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory! Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
- General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Normandy Beach, June 6, 1944
It had been less than an hour since my troop landed on one of the many named beaches of Normandy. There used to be 30 in my group, but now there were only 5. We had taken out the machine gun nests guarding two of the bunkers. All we had to do now was take over the bunkers; that way, the rest of the invasion could land safely. After a few minutes of resting, I was motioned to get up. I decided to trade in my M1 Garand for a Colt .45, for it'd be better in close-quarters fighting. I still had my Thompson and a couple grenades.
"Patterson, listen up," yelled the commander. "We need to find a way to signal our cruisers to start lobbing shells! Get to the top of this bunker, and I'll take the other one! Now move out!" It was decided that two of us would take one, and the rest would take the other. As my comrade moved toward the entrance, another yelled, "Wait!" It was too late, for he was taken down by MG-42 fire. It was then that I got mad.
Staying out of the line of fire, I tossed a grenade into the entrance, allowing it to ricochet off one of the walls. I was expecting a regular explosion, but this one shook the ground. I aimed the Thompson into the bunker but found no resistance. It turned out that the grenade landed near a barrel of gasoline, which explained why the explosion was so enormous. What more, the barrel was near where the MG-42 was placed. The blast had taken out the gunner, but I had a feeling that there were more Germans inside.
It was quiet – too quiet – as I entered the bunker. My suspicions proved correct, for a pair of Nazis opened fire when I entered the room. I took cover and then tossed a grenade without the pin pulled. As they reached to throw the decoy back in my direction, I took the opportunity to take them out. Around the next corner lay an ammo dump, and the MG-42. A Nazi's MP- 40 was blazing as he held onto his dead compatriot. Because of me, he joined his friend in the afterlife. Hearing German yelling outside, I manned the MG-42 and waited. When the Nazis entered the narrow passageway, I took them out.
Satisfied that there'd be no more intruders, I reloaded my Thompson and headed back the way I came. A pair of Germans was hiding around the corner, but they were quickly dispersed. An explosion rocked the bunker, and another German rolled down the concrete staircase. Before he could get up, I knocked him out. Heading up the stairs I encountered another Nazi firing a rifle. A shot in the head from my Colt .45 did him in.
As I reloaded the pistol, I heard the static of a radio. I must be near their communications station, I thought to myself. The sounds of German mumbling proved me right.
"No. Reports indicate there are only a few hundred left."
"There are thousands on the beach now!"
I turned the corner and shot the radioman in the back of the head without him realizing. Then I fired a couple bullets into the radio, destroying it.
"What's going on?"
Uh oh, they've found me out! I ran to the corner and discovered a narrow passageway. A Nazi turned over a table and started shooting from behind it. An overturned barrel lay near the table, so I concentrated my Thompson fire on it. The resulting explosion sent the Nazi flying. Entering the room, I shot at another soldier with the Colt. Finding no more opposition, I climbed the ladder to the next level. As I climbed, another explosion rocked the bunker, and I had to hang on for dear life until the shaking stopped. Reaching the top, I held my breath as soot descended from the ceiling. A German lying against the wall coughed, and after he was taken out, the soot wasn't the only thing he coughed up.
In the next room I caught a German off guard without a weapon. He put his hands up, trembling at the sight of my Thompson. Seeing it as poor sport to kill an unarmed man, I instead knocked him out with the butt of my machine gun. The next passageway must've been carved out of the hillside itself, for it was made of solid rock. Wooden beams held the passageway up, and several lanterns lighted the way to the next room. Thinking it as an ambush, I tossed a grenade into it. I heard an explosion and a pair of screams. Believing it to be safe, I made my way into the next storage room.
Boxes lined the room, forcing a man a take a zigzag course in order to reach the other side.
"Patience, men. Wait until you get a clear shot."
As I walked into the open, I had to immediately dive for cover from MP-40 fire. Nazis popped up from behind crates shooting in my direction. I tossed a grenade into the corner of the room where the most Germans were hiding. They tried to run for cover, but the explosion occurred too quickly. It took only a few more seconds to take care of what was left of the troops in the room. After another stone passageway, I crept my way in to the next room, where I heard more Germans talking.
"Oh, that's good."
"Mmm. Good tobacco." They were obviously smoking by the sounds of it. I peeked out from behind the pile of crates to see the pair lying against the wall, cigarettes in their mouths. A gasoline barrel sat in the middle of them. I leapt out and fired the Thompson at the barrel. The two soldiers didn't react in time, for the explosion sent them sailing. I took cover as MG-42 fire blew up a second barrel. Honing my baseball skills, I pitched a grenade into the next room. After it exploded, I raced in firing my Thompson. Dispersing the gunner and his comrade, I turned to see a pair of Nazis running into a passageway to my right. I hid behind the corner, reloading the Thompson, and then proceeded to chase them.
After dealing with the two escapees, I noticed something in a crate in the passageway. It looked like a pack of smoke grenades. Well, the commander did say that we had to signal the ships to destroy these bunkers, I thought to myself. I took one of the smoke grenades and proceeded to climb a ladder to the next level. I could hear MG-42 fire above me, meaning that this was the top level. Entering the next room I noticed a German sitting at another radio. After shooting him and destroying the radio, I opened the door to the outside.
What I saw was amazing. Besides the gunners and a lookout, I saw all the Allied ships a half-mile or two from shore. Blimps filled the sky, probably for landing more troops. P-47s flew past the bunker, and the gunners were trying to shoot at them as well as the Allied soldiers on the beach. Quietly, I rolled a grenade over to the Nazis without their ever realizing. The explosion sent them, or parts of them, careening to the sands below. Suddenly, I heard a plane heading the other bunker's way. The P-47 fired at the Germans in the bunker, taking them out with one pass. I ducked as it made a pass on my bunker as well.
Before I could curse the pilot of that plane, I heard shouting from the other bunker. "Patterson! Hey! Patterson!" It was the commander. I looked on as he set off a smoke grenade, and then made his way out of the bunker. I heard shells being fired from our ships, then the whistling of them coming down. It a flash, the bunker was destroyed. I followed suit, setting off the smoke grenade I picked up along the way. Then I ran like hell out of the bunker through a blown-out door. A German popped out, MP- 40 pointed right at me. But before he could fire, he was struck down with a shot in the back from my commander. I went to join him just as the bunker behind me exploded.
"Excellent work, Patterson," congratulated the commander as he helped me up. "This mission was tough, but you've proven yourself to be exceptional. The group is headed on to Vierville, and we're placing you on a special mission. Good luck, Patterson." After thanking him, we headed back to the beach. I looked on as Allied landing craft reached shore, sending out trucks filled with troops and supplies. For the first time that day, I smiled. Today, we accomplished something great. Today, the tide was beginning to turn in our favor. Today, we were to start taking back Europe from Nazi control.
I stopped to think for a minute, though. We lost many lives, today. Most were taken in battle, but others, including mine, were taken in a different sort of way. Our lives were changed forever, and we could no longer go back to life the way it was before today. I was no longer a boy, but a man – a man who had taken the lives of others for a cause. I had no choice but to accept this destiny. This was the first step in my long and gruesome journey. No matter what the risks, no matter what the costs, I knew I would do my part to end this grossly pathetic World War.
End of Part 1