Author's Note: I won't do many author's notes but I think I'm warranted to say this warning. This story is not for those easily offended. It will dive into the politics of 1939. There is no Austrian Painter however. He is merely referenced a few times. If you decide to comment and say to me how I should not have included this, I'll direct you to read this author's note. I don't want to offend anyone. This story is for fun and is from an idea I had. This is an alternate Avatar Universe and an alternate version of our world. In other words alternate history. How is this different you may ask? Well in 1934, Hitler made himself dictator of Germany after the death of Chancellor Hindenburg. In this world, an alliance was formed at this moment. One between communists, monarchists, and the many supporters of democracy. Not everyone was satisfied with the Nazis and civil unrest and riots occurred. This unrest quickly descended into civil war between Nazis and the alliance. When the war ended, Hitler was forced into exile and many other leading Nazi officials were arrested or exiled. After much political maneuvering, Kaiser Wilhelm 2 found himself once again on the throne of the German Empire. Fast forward to 1939 and the world is once again at the verge of war. This is where our story begins. If you're fine with all that, then enjoy the story.
Ba Sing Se
Mac Kelly, an American paratrooper, tightened his grip on his parachute. He glanced up and watched as transport planes fell from the sky in a fireball. He took a deep breath and looked around.
He could see the giant walls of the city in the distance and the sea of parachutes. He felt around for his M1 Garand rifle and felt a semblance of relief by touching it.
He grew more and more nervous as the ground began to approach more. He double checked his gear and made sure he had his pistol.
He was now really close to the ground, 30 feet, 20 feet, 10 feet, his feet touched the ground. Quickly the soldier took off the parachute and grabbed what he needed.
All around him, more paratroopers landed on the streets of Ba Sing Se and took out their gear. That was until a rock flew past them.
"It's the Dai Li!" Another soldier cried out in fear. The paratroopers ran for cover, attempting to get out of the many earth benders' line of sight.
Mac ran behind a building and peeked out. He saw the Dai Li agents and aimed his rifle. He shot and took down one. He shot again and another agent fell. He took a few more shots before ducking back behind the wall.
"Push forward!" He yelled a paratrooper commander. Slowly the soldiers moved forward, pushing the Dai Li agents back.
Then out of the houses came the sound of gunshots. In the windows Fire Nation troops laid firing at any soldier who crossed their path.
Mac watched as the soldier in front of him fell to the ground. He took out a grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it into the adjacent house.
He heard a muffled boom and the gunfire within that building ceased. He watched as some Fire Nation soldiers moved into trenches and gulped.
He aimed his M1 Garand again and fired. A soldier who stood atop the defenses fell to the ground in a heap. Another Fire Nation soldier set up a machine gun and began to shoot at the Americans.
"We need to blow up that position!" Mac yelled over the gunfire. A soldier near him took out a bazooka and shot at the enemy position. All that was left of the machine gunner was a crater.
Mac slowly made his way forward, his gun aimed forward at all times. Then he heard a deep rumbling. "Oh no." He mumbled, recognizing the sound of a tank.
He watched in horror as a tank rolled out of the dust. He desperately felt for a bazooka but remembered he had chosen to bring grenades as his anti-tank weapon.
The turret of the tank turned towards him and Mac stared down the barrel. Then the gunner fired the machine gun and he fell to the ground, dead.
Mac Kelly
1923-1944
Lyon, France
The child looked up at the officer who was patting his back.
"Allez, mon enfant, fight for France." He said. The child nodded eagerly and took up the oversized rifle. "Join the men."
The child joined the other men and women who stood on one side of the bridge, prepared to charge. He recalled that the officer had said they would charge in 3 minutes.
He took in a deep breath and prepared himself. He was going off to fight for his country. To fight for France. He would make his parents proud. The child smiled to himself. His parents would smile down on him from above. Then he heard a voice begin to sing.
"Allons! Enfants de la patrie! Le jour de glorie est arrivé!" A few other voices joined in. "Contre nous de la tyrannie, l'étendard sanglant est levé! L'étendard sanglant est levé! Entendz-vous dans les campagnes, mugir vex féroces soldats?"
Now more of the group were singing their glorious anthem. The child too, decided that he would join in.
"Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras, égorger vos fils, vos compagnes. Aux armes, citoyens! Formez vos bataillons! Marchez, marchez! Qu'un sang impur, abreuve nos sillons!" They all sang together.
"Aux armes, citoyens! Formons vos bataillons! Marchons, marchons! Qu'un sang impur, abreuve nos sillons." They screamed. As they were singing La Marseillaise the officer moved to the front.
"Come mes amis. Charge, for France!" The officer screamed.
"Ahhh!" The soldiers screamed and they ran forward through the streets. Leading the charge was a flag bearer.
In the distance, a group of Fire Nation soldiers had heard the singing. They had prepared and they knew many of the French soldiers lacked weapons. They got ready for a fight.
Through the smoke, the Fire Nation soldiers saw a silhouette of a flag. A French flag flew through the smoke. One of the archers nailed the man who carried the flag in the stomach with an arrow.
The child ran past the falling bodies of men, women, and other children in fear. Fire passed through the sky burning many soldiers and a fireball smashed into the ground blowing the child to the ground.
He stood up slowly and looked around. Soldiers were beginning to run away. To return to safety, they did not want to die.
Then a single soldier raised the French flag.
"My friends! Let us go and defeat the tyranny of the Fire Nation." The lone soldier yelled to them. The retreating soldiers looked back at the new flag bearer. They steeled their nerves and nodded. "Marchez mes amies. Allez por France!" He screamed.
The French soldiers let loose another battle cry and charged once again at the enemy position. The child joined them but he struggled with the weight of the gun. He accidentally dropped it and bent down to pick it up.
When he got up, he felt something penetrate his gut. He fell to the ground in a heap. He smiled to himself, he would join his parents up above.
Francois Monet
1928-1940
Mediterranean Sea
Shu looked across at the many Fire Nation ships within the fleet. This sea was beautiful, too bad it would be the sight of the destruction of the many navies of this world. This sea would turn red with blood.
Now, the fleet steamed towards the Italian coast in an attempt to destroy their fleet. There was no way they could lose. They're first mishap off the coast of France was just that, a mishap.
Shu enjoyed the warm breeze blowing against his face. This world was beautiful. Suddenly another sailor leaned against the railing next to him.
"They spotted some of those flying things a little bit ago." The sailor said.
"I don't think it's anything." Shu shrugged.
"They at least know we're coming." The sailor replied. "They can't defeat us. We are much too powerful." Shu scoffed.
"Do you remember what 12 of their ships did to 30 of ours off the coast of Brest?" The sailor asked.
"That was an accident."
"No, it was a show of how powerful they are. We're sailing towards our deaths!"
"I think you should shut up." Shu turned to him.
"Or what?" The sailor crossed his arms.
"I'll report you for treason and you know what the Fire Nation does to traitors." Shu replied with a smirk.
The sailor grit his teeth before turning and walking away, probably to speak his words to another victim.
A few minutes later as Shu continued to rest against the railing an alarm spread about the ship. It was the alarm that to,d sailors to head to their battle stations.
Out of the hold a catapult rose out. Shu smiled at the sight. He did however wonder what the alarm was about. He found out when he saw in the distance, many ships. Shu attempted to glare at the ships to hopefully make them turn away in a hopeless attempt.
Shu walked towards the catapult and moved to his station. He was the guy who was to light the sphere of oil on fire to launch. It was an easy job.
Soon the enemy ships were within a few miles away from them.
"Light the catapults!" He heard and lit the oil. "Fire!" Someone cut the rope and the catapult launched a fireball. Shu watched as the fireball slammed into an enemy ship, exploding it.
This made Shu smirk. Then he saw a trail of smoke heading towards his fleet. He realized what they were, explosive shells.
Shu ducked as water sprayed around him from the shell's impact. He stood back up straight and the Fire Nation ships fired another volley.
He watched as the fireballs missed their intended targets and Shu snarled. They must be defeated. The volley from the enemy ships luckily, also missed their boat.
The next volley of theirs slammed into one of the Italian battleships, at least Shu thought it was Italian. The volley from the enemy also had the same amount of success.
Some of the shells slammed into a ship adjacent of Shu's. The ship instantly went up in flames with firebenders attempting to control it.
That's when Shu heard the buzzing.
"Look. enemy planes!"
"It's the Turks!"
Shu looked up as enemy flying machines flew down at their ship. This wasn't good, he thought. The Turkish planes strafed the deck killing many of the sailors. Shu luckily was one of the ones that survived.
He stood up shakily and looked to his left. He saw the sailor who he had been talking to earlier about to jump ship. "You're a traitor!" He screamed at the sailor.
The sailor turned back to him. "It's better to live another day as a traitor than die today honorably." He called back before jumping off the ship.
Shu snarled and walked towards the railing until he heard the buzzing again. He looked up and saw more flying things heading towards him.
He watched as one of them dropped something onto the deck of the ship about 10 feet from him. It didn't take much common sense to realize it was an explosive.
His mouth dropped in horror as he stared at it for a second. Then there was a giant explosion that split the ship in two and sank. All sailors, except the one who had jumped off went down with the ship.
Shu Zui
1918-1940
Sei Wong Desert
"Driver forward!" The tank commander ordered. The Sherman tank moved forward through the sand along with the 5 other tanks in the column.
The tank commander observed the landscape. All that he could see was sand and nothing else. He put the binoculars to his eyes and stared out.
In the distance he could make out a few dust clouds. He sighed, Fire Nation tanks. He hoped that this American tank would hold against that of the Fire Nation.
The Fire Nation had gone on to base their tank designs after the Panzer 4 and Char b1 Bis. They were dangerous foes and the British tank commander knew this. It was good however that the Fire Nation had yet to spot them. Their tanks continued north while the British tanks went west.
From this distance, it was near impossible to tell how many there were. The Brit shook his head. Now was not the time to be negative. The only way he would survive was by keeping calm.
He climbed back into the American tank. "Faster driver! For queen and country!" He called and the tank hit up even more dust. The other tanks too decided to speed up and join the lead tank in the attack.
"Are we in range yet gunner?" The commander asked.
"Yes sir."
"Fire"
The Sherman's guns opened up at the exposed Fire Nation tanks flank. The first shot however missed and now the enemy tanks knew where they were.
Sand blew out of the ground around the tank as shells impacted the ground. "Fire when ready!" The commander called.
Another shell was fired and this one slammed into a Fire Nation tank, rendering it out of commission. The gunner reloaded the gun and prepared to fire again. The tank to their left exploded from a shell.
"Fire!" The gunner shot again and another tank was down for the count. "Driver, flank them. Get behind them!"
The tank rolled to the right towards the back of the column. "Fire again!" The commander called and the main gun shot another shell. It then ricocheted off the side of the tank.
A Fire Nation tank turned its turret towards the Sherman and fired. It was a direct hit. The shell pierced the light armor of the Sherman, and shrapnel was flying everywhere. One piece slammed into the fuel tank and the Sherman exploded.
Edward Evans
1916-1943
Pyrenees
Giovanni mounted his horse and took out his sword. Today, his Italian cavalry division was joining the Spanish, Turks, and Portuguese in pushing the Fire Nation out of Iberia.
He looked around and saw others mounting their horses. Giovanni double checked his gear. He had his sword, grenades, and rifle.
From intel, the Fire Nation had very basic cavalry defense. All they had were spears and fire. They had nothing too special.
Giovanni gazed at the mountain pass in front of him. He knew there were Fire Nation soldiers there. He knew that he may not survive. But he had accepted this for when he did die, he would go up to heaven. If he would die, it would be for Italia!
He patted his horse and fed it something to eat.
"I hope you're ready, girl. We might not make it out of this alive." He spoke softly. The horse neighed softly in reply which made Giovanni smile.
He sat up straight again and took out his sword. He cleaned it, sharpened it, and swung it. He sheathed it once more and felt for his revolver. He had it.
He then put a cigarette into his mouth and relaxed. He felt the smoke in his mouth and he felt at ease. He was worried for the coming minutes. Worried for his life and that of his horse. He absentmindedly patted his horse once again.
Then he heard a whistle and the horses began to move.
"For Spain!" He heard someone scream.
"For glorious Italia!" Screamed an Italian.
"For Turkey!" A Turk yelled.
Then they charged. All one could hear was the sound of hoofs impacting the ground. Giovanni pointed his sword towards the sky as they continued to charge.
"Come on girl, this is our last rodeo!" Giovanni whispered to his horse. The horse sped up in reply and he smiled.
He could see the Fire Nation camp in the distance and saw the screaming men. He watched some pick up spears and others bows. Some got into a bending position.
Fire streaked past Giovanni and hit the horse next to him, making the rider fall to the ground with a crunch. He winced.
He took a deep breath in and calmed himself. He hit the reins and his horse sped up. "Come on girl." He said to himself.
He took out his rifle and fired at a bender, making him fall to the ground. A few spear men huddled together, forming a circle with spears extended outward.
Giovanni took out a grenade and threw it into the middle of the circle. When the grenade exploded the spear men were flung in all directions.
Giovanni fired the rifle again at an archer aiming for his horse. "No one kills my horse!" He yelled at the dying man.
"We're pushing through!" He heard someone yell joyfully. This made Giovanni smile. Maybe he would survive.
He threw another grenade at a firebender. When the grenade exploded, it scared his horse. Giovanni fell to the ground when she reared up into the air.
He looked around and saw many Fire Nation troops beginning to advance on him. Giovanni ran to his horse and patted her.
"Go girl. Get out of here!" He whispered into her ear. She understood and galloped away.
Giovanni turned and faced the Fire Nation troops advancing towards him. He unsheathed his cavalry sword. This may be the end for him but he would die with honor.
A spear man charged at him and Giovanni easily dodged. He slashed his sword across the back making him fall to the ground.
The next spear man ran up behind Giovanni and attempted to stab him. Giovanni sidestepped and swung across the spear man's stomach.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an archer aim for him. Quickly he took out his revolver and shot the archer. He then shot some of the spear men until he was out of ammo.
Giovanni threw his last grenade at the many spear men and it exploded, blowing him to the ground. He looked up just in time to see another spear man running at him.
He attempted to block the spear with his sword but he missed. The spear stabbed Giovanni in the stomach and he looked on In shock. Then he fell to the ground, never to get back up again.
Giovanni Bertolini
1919-1940
Agna Qel'a
Paluk was an archer of the Northern Water Tribe and a family man. He had been enlisted to defend the city for when the Fire Nation would attack them for their revolt.
Now he stared into the moonless night, waiting for the Fire Nation. They had already landed with new weapons. New weapons that could kill instantly.
The only reason Paluk hadn't run was because he wanted to protect his family. He would defend the city till his last breath.
He could hear the new weapons. The loud bangs that scared him. He was once a hunter, he knew now how the prey felt. He looked outside and saw a line of infantrymen defending the street.
Suddenly they all fell to the ground, dead, with holes in their chest. Paluk could only gape. He took out the bow and pulled back the string, waiting for the first sign.
He saw a shape emerge. He fired an arrow and the shape fell. Another shape emerged and Paluk felt something graze his cheek. Then he let loose another arrow and this shape fell.
He looked back and saw the ice cracking with something metal inside. It looked like a miniature arrow tip encased in ice.
Paluk glanced out once again and saw a larger shape emerging. It looked like a large machine, like a Fire Nation tundra tank. But this did not move like a tundra tank.
This thing had a giant turret on top that was pointed at the building he was in. Paluk stared in shock at it. Then there was a boom and the ice began to crack.
The building finally collapsed on Paluk and he put his hands up, trying to protect himself but it was to no avail. He was crushed.
Paluk
1899-1940
Skies of the Fire Nation
Reeza gently pulled on the joystick of her plane and flew through a cloud.
"Reeza, stop messing around." Her captain ordered.
"Yes sir,"
The 8 planes were flying in a triangular formation with her captain in the lead of the group. She was one of three women in the group
They were patrolling the skies for any enemy aircraft and her knuckles turned white as she gripped her joystick. She bit her lip as she thought about what would happen if they did come across the enemy.
They flew through a cloud and were able to see in the distance a few shapes.
"It's the Americans!" One of the airmen exclaimed.
"They're heading for the capital. We have to stop them." The captain stated. "Everybody pick your targets. I wish you all luck."
Reeza searched the bomber formation and chose a bomber near the middle. She pushed down slightly on the joystick and the nose dropped slightly.
She lined up the sights on the bomber and switched her ammo type to cannon. She pulled the trigger. The ballets impacted the fuselage of the plane and Reeza pulled up over the tail.
Glancing behind her, Reeza saw the plane flying towards the ground in flames. She tried to put the thought of the people in there out of her head.
She pulled the joystick to the right and her plane swung around. She eyed up another bomber and flew behind it. She pulled the trigger and the tail was blown off and she pulled away.
She flew behind another bomber and this time aimed for the engine. When she fired, the wing was blown off and the bomber plummeted to the ground. She yanked on the joystick and the plane flew away from the formation.
"Crap, we have mustangs at 6 o'clock!" One of her fellow compatriots screamed.
Reeza pushed the joystick and her plane turned around to face the P-51's. She felt bullets rip through the planes wings as she flew towards them but she held steady. She flew past them and pulled the joystick as close as she could to herself.
She flew vertically before going upside down and was behind the P-51's. She followed behind one and shot a burst. The rounds impacted the side of the plane and it flew towards the ground.
"I got one on my six." One of her friends screamed over the radio. Reeza glanced about, searching for her friend and saw him. She brought the plane to the left and chased after the P-51 behind him.
The P-51 let loose a burst of machine gun fire and her friend screamed as the plane went up in flames. Reeza felt a surge of anger and chased after the P-51. The pilot of the P-51 noticed her and pulled to the right into a turn. Reeza followed
Her plane was able to make a much tighter turn than the P-51 and she soon found her guns pointed slightly in front of the nose of the enemy plane. She pulled the trigger and the bullets impacted the cockpit. The plane exploded in a a swirl of orange, red, and yellow.
Reeza glanced down at the dogfight below her and the squadron of bombers. She could see the ground. She felt so far away.
"Reeza, there's one on your six!" She heard the captain scream. She was instantly taken out of her stupor and yanked on the joystick but it was of little use. She felt bullets rip through her plane and smoke filled the cockpit.
She gasped and looked down at herself. Her stomach was oozing blood and her heart froze. She was going to die. There was no helping her. She watched a P-51 zoom past her with the captain hot on its trail.
She looked down at the bombers. She was already a dead woman. She might as well make her death worth it. She pushed the joystick forward and dove for the lead bomber.
As her altitude decreased, she thought of her family and friends. How she would never see them again. She would never get married. Never have a child and hold them in her arms. She would never watch him grow up. She would never grow old as time went on.
She ripped off her oxygen mask and helmet and let her hair fly around her. As she approached the lead bomber, a single tear fell from her eye. She hoped she lived a good life. Right when she was about to hit the bomber she closed her eyes.
Reeza's plane smashed into the bomber, her wing decapitated the cockpit from the rest of the plane and the bomber plummeted towards the ground. Reeza's plane lost a wing and it too plummeted towards the ground. There was never a parachute from either plane.
Reeza Ukem
1925-1945
The Shores of the Fire Nation
Juzod tightly gripped the machine gun in the bunker as he watched landing crafts approach. He could see the American, British, and Canadian flags flying in the wind and this sight unnerved him.
"May the spirits bless us." A rifleman next to him whispered. Juzod couldn't agree more.
"Hit the landing craft as soon as it hits shore." The captain ordered. Juzod nodded and aimed his machine gun. When the landing craft door dropped, he fired.
He was glad Fire Nation soldiers wore ear muffs to protect their ears from the sound of machine guns for the sound was deafening. The men in the landing craft fell to the ground within seconds.
He swung the machine gun around and aimed for another landing craft. Once again all the soldiers within the landing craft fell. He swung the gun around again and searched for another landing craft. What he found were men on the shore already.
"Why were you slacking! You have allowed them to gain a beachfront on our home!" He screamed in fear at his fellow gunners.
"There were too many of them. Too many for us to take down." Another machine gunner replied with sadness evident in his voice. "They are 75 yards away from us now!"
"Just keep firing on them while they hide." The captain said, breaking the growing oral fight. "They can't move forward if they're pinned."
In Juzods opinion, the captain was utterly brilliant in terms of using the new weaponry. He was one of the first to graduate from the school founded by War Minister Qin and the famed Corporal Han Zou. Most of the men in the bunker looked up to him.
Juzod continued to fire at the sheltered soldiers, occasionally picking the unlucky one off with a bullet to the head. The true purpose was suppressive fire. The Yanks, Brits, and Canadians wouldn't move up if they were under intense fire.
What the men in the bunker failed to realize was that other bunkers had already fallen. They were in the process of being flanked. One of the soldiers on the ground put a grenade into a launcher. They aimed for the bunker and fired.
Juzod watched a grenade land on the other side of the bunker. For a second they all froze until the captain screamed, "Everyone get out!"
Juzod ran for the exit and jumped out. Behind him three others were able to get out before the grenade exploded and the bunker collapsed. Juzod looked back towards the bunker and heard a cough.
He rushed over and dug through the rubble and pulled out the captain. "Help me over here!" He called to the others who escaped. The rifleman who had earlier asked the spirits for help, helped Juzod in pulling the captain out of the rubble.
"What's your name?" He asked the rifleman.
"Dosa."
"Dosa, bring the captain to the ambulance. Do you have medical training?" Dosa nodded. "Stay with him, make sure he's ok." Dosa nodded again. "Go soldier." Dosa picked up the captain and pulled him away.
Juzod looked at the other two men. "Pick up those rifles. We will hold these bastards off." He said grabbing a rifle and loading it. The other two soldiers nodded.
They ran above the rubble of the bunker and looked down at the sea of American, British, and Canadian soldiers below them. Juzod unhooked a grenade and chucked it towards them.
When the grenade exploded, a few mines also exploded with it blowing many soldiers through the air. Juzod aimed his rifle and began firing along with a few other guys. He watched soldiers fall to the ground left and right from machine gun fire from other bunkers that still stood.
He continued to fire and he shot one in the head. He hit another in the stomach and another in the shin. He ducked low when he felt a bullet whizz past him and reloaded. He stood back up and began to shoot again.
The three of them alone were holding the charging men off. They might actually do it. They might stop the force here and now. They would be successful. Oh no.
He heard the buzzing and he looked up in horror. An enemy Stuka was bearing down on them. "Get down!" He screamed. The bomb fell from the plane and landed on the ground, blowing Juzod back.
He blinked slowly as he looked about. One of the soldiers who was with him laid on the ground. He checked his pulse and found that he was dead. Juzod pulled himself forward and grabbed the machine gun the soldier had held.
He pulled back the lever and pointed the machine gun towards the edge of the hill. The first soldiers who climbed up atop the rubble, Juzod fired at. He felt time slow as he fired more and more rounds.
He saw so many soldiers fall to the ground and he began to feel hopeless. Deep within himself he knew that the Fire Nation would fall. He knew he would fall. But he would fall for his nation.
As more soldiers appeared they began to shoot at Juzod. He felt the bullets impact the ground around him as he continued to fire. Then he felt something impact his stomach and he fell to the ground.
Juzod Tawazun
1922-1944
This is the story of the everyday soldier. Of the soldier that gave his life for what he believed in. The soldier that fought to bring down tyranny and the soldier that fought for their nation and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. This is the story of the people who saw the dawn of a new time. A new era for both of these worlds. This is the story of the soldier who was given a gun and told to fight. It's the Colonel who refuses to lose his men in a doomed battle. The U-Boat captain who persevered in the face of danger and the minister who will try to give his nation the best shot it can get. It's about the pilots who fly through the air and the tankers who sweat in the middle of the Si Wong Desert. It's the hunter turned soldier who lost everything and the ship spotter who will journey the world. This story is about a child who thought war was a great adventure and found it was truly hell. The benders who learned the horrors of science. It's about the Avatar and his friends learning the common equalizer in war, death. This war will be fought all over the world, from France to Japan and from the Si Wong to the shores of the Fire Nation. These soldiers were the naive, the wicked, the heroic, and the brave. They came from all walks of life from all nations. History would only ever remember 1 in a thousand of the people who fought in this war between worlds. This is their story.
This chapter is inspired by Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 5's intro.