Part 4
Dan hid behind a dumpster and signaled to the others that the alley was clear. One Shot, the team's sniper advanced first, he was looking through the scope of his Springfield rifle.
"Clear"
Dan advanced forward and stopped at the end of the alley way. One Shot was right on his tail. Three more men moved up. One of them, Chris, peered around the corner.
"I got one German emplaced machine gun. Four at the gun. Can't tell about snipers."
"Right, OK boys, we have to get out of this alley and across the street," said Sergeant Jim Frak from behind. He came up to the corner, pushing Chris back. "I'll go first, then Chris, Dan, Shot, Dallis, then Jacobs. Got it?"
"Yes sir," they said in unison.
"Good." Sergeant Frak pulled the pin on a grenade and lobbed it at the machine gun, it was to far away for him to be able to clear it with a grenade, so shrapnel would have to suffice. The grenade detonated. Frak ran across the street as the Germans were readying the gun. Chris ran across next. The Germans took a few shots at him but missed. It was Dan's turn next. Shot was ready with his Springfield. As Shot leaned out to get a shot off Dan sprinted across. The machine gun opened fire but was quickly silenced by Shot who put a bullet in the head of the operator. Shot sprinted across. Before the Germans could get there gun working again, Dallis and Jacobs started to ran across close together. But fate was not on their side. The machine gun opened fire as Frak told them to get down. It was too late. The machine gun rounds tore through the two man.
"Shit!" shouted Frak. He had leaned out and was firing wildly in the machine guns direction. "You crazy fanatical son of a bitches! I'll kill you ever last one!" Shot had gotten Frak away from the wall and stopped the gun firing.
"Sir, stop. You can't help them. Come on Pete, we have a mission to accomplish."
Frak got up, "You're…Y…You're right Shot." As if something was switched back on, Frak suddenly became the Sergeant they had always known. "Ok, we have a mission. Let's get it done."
The group's sole mission was to go in and destroy and anti-air gun that was constantly downing Allied planes. The plan was simple. Several teams infiltrate Paris and start destroying anti-air guns so the Allied bombing can commence. The war had not gone well at all for the Allied after the attack on Berlin. Word had it that the Germans had been working on a new type of bomb. The HQ boys had been calling it an Atom Bomb or A-Bomb. They had used it at Berlin to decimate the Allied army. With that last piece of the puzzle, Dan Shercom had figured out what Operation Clown Face had been. Lyell and his team had gone in to extract material and scientists for use on the US's A-Bomb project. That had been the "Ultimate Weapon" Lyell had been speaking of.
As the even smaller team now moved through the broken street and building of Paris, they met little resistance as most of the German forces were on the out skirts of the city, making sure no one got in. They really didn't have soldiers trying to drive anyone out. They knew they were close when they heard the distinctive "thump" of an anti-air gun. The group started to move more quietly and cautiously then they had been. The continued until Frak signaled for them to stop.
"Ok, our only way to that gun is down that street," Frak pointed down the street to a small barricade with a machine gun mounted on it. "Ok, here's how I want this. Chris, you go up the left side of the street, Dan you go up the right. I'll follow you. Shot, I want you and your Springfield up in that building," he pointed to a corner of one of the building on the street, the corner right next to the machine gun, "We move when you give the signal."
"Yes sir," Shot disappeared into the shadows while the others got into position.
A single shot rang out and the German at the barricade fell, that was the signal. The three men charged up the street as the other Germans just started to realize what was going on. More Germans dropped to sniper rounds, Shot was giving them hell. Chris was the first over the barricade and started to fire his M1 Garand with great precision. Dan and Frak clambered over the barricade soon after, firing their weapons as well. The Germans never knew what hit them.
Chris ran across the courtyard firing madly. A grenade exploded near him and he was thrown behind a barrel. A fuel barrel. Chris hurried to get up but was too late. One of the surviving German threw another grenade and it land next to the barrel. Chris was still on the ground.
"Ahh, shit," were his last words. The barrel exploded and Chris was incinerated.
As Dan gunned down the last German, Frak starred on as if he had been hit by a train, tears in his eyes. Shot came walking up behind him.
"He fought good sir, you can mourn him later, right now, though, we have a job to finish. Frak nodded and pulled a satchel charge from his pack and threw it to Dan. Dan put it next to the anti-air gun and set it on a 30 second delay.
"30 seconds!"
Frak and Shot were already over the barricade and Dan followed suit. As he made it over the barricade the anti-air gun exploded.
"Now, we can only hope that the other teams hit their targets as well. But we have bigger problems to worry about. Like how we are going to get out of here before it all goes up in flames," said Frak.
Just then, a German supply truck stopped at an abandoned checkpoint. Apparently the driver didn't know it had been abandoned.
"Ah, sir, I think getting out of here just got a whole lot easier."
"Got that right, Shot. Alright, lets commandeer us a truck."
Frak cocked his Thompson and set off toward the truck.