There is no combination more frightening than a radio, a soldier who knows how to use it.….. and long range artillery support.
000 September 2nd, 1939 - Back roads heading north
The hadn't made much progress since the incident at the fueling station owing to the need to keep a low profile and frequent stops to hide and wait for German invasion units to pass by. Every few miles they would encounter signs of combat, destroyed buildings, wrecked equipment, and the worst of it, the fallen soldiers. Their bodies left in the open as no one had had yet had time to bury them properly in the rapid advance of the invader and withdraw of the defenders.
At first the squad had tried to bury or at least arrange the dead but it soon proved an impossible task and they had to give up. The danger of lingering in one place too long meant all they could do was say a prayer or two for the fallen before continuing their journey.
~{0}~
They had stopped to scavenge for fuel and equipment at one of the larger scenes of battle. Once again they were met with the familiar sight of carnage and destruction left behind like so much discarded waste. It was demeaning and there was little honor in it, but the supplies was essential and there was no point letting it go to waste. If anything some of the equipment they had found could be put to use later on to gain a little revenge for those who had shown such brutality.
Somewhere along the way while scavenging for supplies Kaplan had found a working film camera and extra film and decided to use it to document their journey. Occasionally when the little convoy had stopped he would hop off the vehicles to snap some pictures of the battlefields or portraits of the soldiers he was traveling with. It was a small thing and given the events unfolding seemed silly; but it was a welcome distraction and the squad occasionally favored him posing as if in the middle of action or just simple landscapes.
~{0}~
It was near the end of the second day and the squad was nearing the large Polish city of Poznań, one of the oldest continuous cities in Poland, when they finally encountered an intact Polish army group.
"See anything George?" asked Pearl as she drove the small scout-car down a tree lined gravel road. It had been some hours since the last signs of battle and she was beginning to wonder if they had somehow gotten ahead of the invasion front instead of paralleling along in its wake.
"Nothing yet, Kaplan had taken off ahead on his motorcycle, I last saw him turning in behind those buildings up ahead a few minutes ago" replied Darren from his perch on the vehicle's open hatch. He was still in his captured German uniform maintaining the illusion of a convoy friendly to other German units.
"Hey James, wake up, I got a feeling we may need you on the hull gun" whispered Pearl as she took her eyes of the road long enough to reach over and nudge a snoozing James awake.
"Hey P, five more minutes please?" replied the soldier, still drowsy from his own turn at watch earlier in the day. Sleeping in the cramped scout car was difficult even after they had shuffled things around to make room to lean back. With some modifications the little car could now carry four inside and a rider hanging on the back. "Oy, nevermind, can't get any blasted sleep anyway". Resuming his seat he peaked out through the portholes in the hull to watch ahead.
The trio fell into silence as the scout vehicle's engine rumbled lightly as they slowly approached the cluster of low buildings where Kaplan was last seen. Behind them Frank and George in the cargo truck followed along a little ways behind should they need to quickly ditch the truck or hide.
Eventually the group reached the small hamlet and on rounding a corner came face-to-face with the business end of what they recognized from training as a Bofors 37mm light anti-tank gun. Standing behind it ready to fire were a bunch of angry looking Polish soldiers.
"BLOODY HELL! DON'T SHOOT, Friendlies, British Commando's DON'T SHOOT!" yelled Darren while frantically waving his arms above his head. Thinking fast James snatched up his uniform shirt and threw it up to Darren who started waving it, and its British unit patch, at the gun crew.
It didn't seem to have any effect as the Polish crew simply loaded a shell and adjusted the guns aim while other readied their rifles. The loud clank of the breach closing echoed ominously between the buildings; those in the scout car braced for a quick fiery end.
"Nie strzelaj! Nie strzelaj! Nie strzelaj! przyjaznych żołnierzy! przyjaznych żołnierzy!" yelled a voice over the buzzing of a light motorcycle engine. A moment later Kaplan on his bike skidded into view between the field gun and the scout car as he continued to shout at the confused gun-crew.
A moment later a man in an officer's uniform exited a nearby farmer's house carrying a rifle and looking very displeased as he stomped his way across the muddy street to Kaplan.
Back in the scout car the squad breathed a sigh of relief as Kaplan and the mystery officer began talking loudly and quickly; not knowing enough Polish no one could figure out what they were saying. But whatever it was it must have been in their favor as a moment later the officer waved for them to exit the scout car and approach them; this time he was smiling broadly.
After some explanation and a summary of recent events, the Polish officer now known as Sergeant Aurek had done a complete turnaround from hostile to friendly. His happiness only grew when the squad handed him the captured invasion map from the scout-car.
Once the map was analyzed the newly formed allies realized that they had a golden opportunity on their hands. A German invasion column was scheduled to pass through the area and capture the city of Poznań within the next 36 hours. It was time to plan some revenge.
It turned out that the Polish defenders that Sgt Aurek was leading were the remains of an artillery and anti-tank infantry regiment that had been forced to retreat deeper in-to Poland by the rapidly advancing invaders. There were not allot of them but there would be enough to mount a blunting action to stall the German invasion and give civilian's with the city and surrounding areas time to escape to safer locations. In addition to protecting the civilians it was also a chance for the Polish army to strike back and extract some toll on the so far unstoppable German's.
To support these efforts the Sgt Aurek had asked Darren to take his squad and setup positions atop some nearby hills to direct the artillery guns or call out enemy troop movements. Darren hadn't hesitated to agree as this was exactly the type of mission his squad had trained for and was best equipped to handle; they'd even had the necessary spotting binoculars picked up as part of their scavenging during the long drive.
000 September 3rd, 1939 - Morning, Wielkopolski Hills
For the first time in days Pearl was feeling well rested and ready for battle; taking a moment to herself she stood up from her look-out post to survey their makeshift fortress atop some low hills just outside the city of Poznań. Smiling to herself she took a quick walk around the camp to stretch her legs and make another inspection of the camp.
The vehicles had been dug-into revetments for cover, several foxholes had been dug, one of the MGs from the car had been remounted to be a mobile defensive gun, and everywhere the squad had shifted rocks and logs to create barricades. It wasn't much, it wouldn't stop an invasion, but it would buy time and allow the squad to defend themselves, and hopefully make an escape using their previous disguises
At least that was the plan anyway; now it was the tedium of waiting for something to happen. The quiet wasn't unwelcome, it allowed for much needed rest, time to prepare, and time to think.
"Do you see anything?" asked James as he looked through the field binoculars out across the sprawling flat farmlands that seemed to stretch to the horizon.
"Nothing yet" replied Pearl as she settled back into her watch position and scanned the landscape with her own set of binoculars. Her enhanced gem eyes carefully examining each tree or distant spec for anything potentially hostile vehicles or troop movements.
"Keep a look out, according to the map the enemy should be coming this way soon. Frank, how's our fuel for the generator and radio working? Do we have communications with Sgt Aurek?" Asked Darren from his perch on top of the captures scout car. He had changed back into the captured German uniform from his now filthy civilian clothes he'd worn during camp setup. He had said it would help with a hasty exit if needed and had to keep it mostly clean to maintain the illusion of being a high ranking German.
A moment later Georges' head popped up from within the scout car to look over at Darren. "Radio's working fine, Sgt Aurek can hear us just fine but his English is a bit rusty. We've plenty of fuel to run the car's generator for a while but if we run it like this for too many days we'll need to scavenge more fuel if we're to make it to the coast." With that he disappeared back into the little scout car to care to his tasks.
"Kaplan, George, how goes preparations?" shouted Darren as he continued his assessment of the squad's position.
A moment later George and Kaplan emerged from the tree line carrying pine wearing just their trousers and undershirts; each had an arm full of pine branches and covered in dirt and sweat. "Just about done sir, we've mounted the secondary machine gun to a makeshift litter so we can move it between firing positions and we've finished with the revetments and camouflage for the truck and scout car."
"Very good, go get cleaned up and some rest. You've done good work getting our position ready to repel attackers." pronounced Darren as he surveyed their encampment.
~{0}~
Hours passed and the sun rose higher into the sky as the squad watched and waited. The rhythmic hum of the cars motor idling to power the radio was broken only by the occasional radio check in or the call of a murder of crows that circled the encampment like some ominous omen. Finally around noon the long wait seemed to be over at last.
"I've got movement, distance about 15 miles, can't see anything yet but from the dust cloud and the aircraft I'd guess the enemy is finally on his way" announced Pearl as she pointed at a distant speck of dust on the horizon. "We'd best radio Sgt Aurek and let him know to get his guns ready"
"Is that so, James, can you confirm?" asked Darren as he sat up from where he'd been resting in the shade next to the armored car. Being a good soldier it was important to grab rest whenever safe to do so as the next opportunity could be a long ways away.
Lifting his own binoculars James looked out where Pearl was pointing, at first he didn't see anything but after a few moments he too could see something was approaching. "Seconded, Pearl you must have incredible eyes to be able to have spotted that but I see it too"
"Hey Frank, are you awake in there?" called Darren banging on the side of the car to get its occupants attention.
Woken by the sound of Darren banging on the armored car George and Kaplan could be seen sitting up from their own resting places in the cargo trucks bed. Having taken a swig each of water they stretched out sore muscles and made their way over to the rest of the group.
"Yep, I'm awake in here, one moment to get Aurek on the radio" yawned Frank having roused from his own rest as he fumbled for the radio handset and began to speak into it.
Minutes passed as the squad watched the distant specs on the horizon grow closer and details began to resolve themselves. Up in the sky dozens of small specs followed by contrails could be seen approaching from above and behind the approaching ground units.
"Looks like they've got air-support, tell Aurek he's going to need to get their AA guns prepped and ready. Looks like it's going to be a party and everyone's invited." remarked James dryly as he tried to get a view of the approaching aircraft with the binoculars.
Shifting her gaze upwards Pearl looked to the indicated place in the sky to see dozens of little dots flying in formation up in the sky. There were so many it looked like an approaching storm.
"Message from Aurek" called out Frank from the scout car "they're preparing the guns but it will be some time before the enemy is within effective range to have any accuracy of fire, they're using the time to get everyone ready."
~{0}~
Twenty miles away General Friedrich Olbricht rode proudly atop his half-track at the spear point of the 24th Infantry Division's advance into Poland. Already they had met with success after success as they crushed all resistance in their path in their drive eastward deep into Polish territory. The upcoming city of Poznań was predicted to be another easy victory in his log book as the advance scouts had reported it lightly defended and ripe for the taking.
Glancing to either side he confirmed the column of troop carriers was advancing in proper formation with guns forwards and troops ready to spring into action when they reached the city gates. Above his air support of fighters and bombers were fresh from victories over the defenders and eager for more action.
All was primed all was ready..
Picking up his radio handset he depressed the 'talk' button and gave the order to attack. "Schneller! Nehmen wir die Stadt vor Einbruch der Dunkelheit !"
000 Wielkopolski hills
Up on the hills the commando squad had finished their battle preparations; ammo was stashed for easy access, barricades were set up on the easiest approaches up the hill; spotting positions were camouflaged. Darren and Frank manned the radio in the scout car, George and Kaplan manned the machine gun while Pearl and James continued on as spotters.
"Looks like they are speeding up, they just crossed the limit line for the outer ranges of the 155 guns, looks like we got our first fire missions." remarked Pearl as she looked through her binoculars. "See the group out near that distant barn, grid square A1 relative to city center"
"I see them" replied James as he fixed his own binoculars on the indicated position and noted it contained a couple half-tracks loaded with troops and towing a small field gun. "Hey Darren! Looks like they crossed the fire line, shall we begin?"
Hearing the shout Darren considered his map for a moment before nodding his agreement. "Frank, relay the coordinates, let's light em up!"
Grinning Frank got on the radio eager to exact some retribution on the invaders for the horrors of the last few days. "Hellfire battery, Hellfire battery, this is Brimstone, Fire Mission, Grid A2 moving to A3 relative to city center, distance 12 miles, half-tracks with troops and light guns, spotting rounds, recommend 155mm guns."
After a few moments later the confirmation came through from the distant field artillery commander. "Hellfire battery, fire confirmed, sighting shots, 155mm grid A3, fire! Fire! Fire!".
Hearing this Darren called out for Pearl and James to watch for the shots fall so the guns could adjust. A moment later low thumps echoed from the direction of the field guns followed later by a fainter pops and dust clouds a few yards away from the intended targets.
~{0}~
Friedrich was pleased; he'd observed the artillery shells landing near one of his advance units and how it had missed by a comfortable distance. Intelligence was right, this would be easy; those dumb Pols couldn't shoot right or hit anything. Probably don't have many guns anyway.
Whatever the defenders had, his air-cover could handle until his own artillery units could catch up with the main line of advance and provide counter battery support.
~{0}~
Taking careful note of where the first shells had landed Pearl ran the calculations through her head. Speed of target advance, direction of travel, time of shell travel, number of guns; all went into the advanced trigonometric calculations for the next shot call. The gunners down at the fire-base were no doubt doing their own calculations but they didn't have a Gem's inherent supercomputer level abilities to draw upon.
"Hellfire battery, this is Brimstone, Fire Mission, Grid A3 relative to city center, distance 11.5 miles, same target group, adjust fire, Left 20, Drop 50, Fire for Effect." called Pearl over to Darren and Frank to record and relay to Brimstone's radio operator.
Darren had by now produced a clipboard with pen and began writing down targets and related information to track their movements. Within moments he was scribbling target notes as James and Pearl continued to call out enemy movements and concentrations.
A moment later the large caliber guns of the Poznań Hellfire artillery battery adjusted their large bore 155mm field guns, loaded shot and charge, then loosed a deadly 15 round burst.
~{0}~
One moment the vehicles and men of the 24th German Infantry were advancing without a care in the world, the next moment hell began to rain from the sky. The only warning was a high pitched howl that grew rapidly into a loud shriek as if from hell spawn as the 100 pound blast fragmentation shells impacted the earth. Great fountains of earth and fire shot skywards as the shells impacted all around their targets shredding men and equipment alike with a steel rain of shrapnel.
Friedrich ducked down instinctively behind the cover afforded by his vehicle's armor plates just as the first shells annihilated the group of troop transports ahead of his own group. When he looked back up one his eyes were met with a scene of bloody carnage as his own vehicle caught up to and passed the burning wreckage of the advance group.
Taking a moment to assess the change in battle new orders were issued to his troops. "Brechen Sie Formationen und nehmen Sie ausweichende Handlungen vor, fahren Sie fort!"
A moment later the various units broke their formations, increased speed, and continued to advance in a series of random zigs and zags. But while this made them harder to target, it also slowed them down. His own unit retreated a ways to an area of trees to setup a command post.
000 Wielkopolski Hills
Up on the hill James and Pearl were fully engaged calling out targets and enemy troop movements to Darren and Frank to relay down to the various artillery battery and infantry platoon commanders. The battle was only a few minutes old and its intensity was growing by the minute as the attackers closed the distance to the defenders.
"Hellfire battery, this is Brimstone, Fire mission, grid C5 relative to town center, distance 11 miles, half-track platoon, 155 guns requested, fire for effect!"
"Poznań Brigade, this is Brimstone, enemy movement, grids D6 advancing to D7, grid D8 advancing to E9, light tanks, recommend moving the anti-tank guns to D9 and E10"
"Hellfire battery, this is Brimstone, Fire mission, grid D3 relative to the farmhouse, distance 10.5 miles, infantry platoon in the open, 120mm guns adequate, fire for effect".
"Hellfire battery, this is Brimstone, Fire mission - adjust fire, grid F8 relative to the farmhouse, distance 10 miles, infantry platoon in the open, 120mm guns adequate, fire for effect".
Down in the valley the German line had begun to reach the first elements of the Polish defensive formations and soon the faint crackle of heavy machine-guns firing echoed up from the valley floor. Occasionally the thumps light anti-tank guns or shoulder-rockets could be heard from their vantage point on the hill as the battle developed.
~{0}~ Skies above Poznań
High above the battlefield Corporal Ekkehard watched the developing battle unfold from his vantage point in his Stuka dive-bomber pondering which targets to engage first. Though it was late afternoon he could still see the occasional flash of the guns and gun smoke from the larger field pieces. He felt sorry for the ground units, while they had to deal with direct-fire, dirt, exhaustion, and the fear of death from unseen forces, he was comfortable in his aircraft and aware of all that was around him.
After a little while he spotted what appeared to be an anti-tank emplacement ahead of a group of Schwerer Panzerspähwagen full of infantry. Smiling to himself he signaled his wingmen to begin their attack runs before engaging in a dive of his own with his machine guns blazing.
~{0}~ Hills
The targets were appearing faster and faster as units from the invasion forces drove deeper into the firing arcs of the defenders. Earlier someone in the opposition must have figured out there were spotters calling in and directing the fire support as the formations had dispersed and began firing on anything that could give a spotter a good vantage point for directing fire.
"Hey P, see that anti-tank emplacement out there? Looks like it's about to be overrun by those half-tracks and infantry. I'm giving it priority for the next fire mission" said James as he set down his binoculars to examine his grid-map for the unit positions.
Shifting her view away from a group of infantry hunkering behind some shrubs she examined the embattled anti-tank group. "Agreed, we don't have many of those and we need them all up and in action. Looks like grid D7 for the half-tracks, grid D8 for the friendlies"
"Hellfire battery, this is Brimstone, Fire mission, grid D7 relative to the farmhouse, danger close to friendlies at D8, distance 9 miles, half-tracks, 120mm guns adequate, fire for effect". shouted James over to Darren and Frank who were still furiously scribbling target notes and relaying fire orders to the guns.
~{0}~ Skies above Poznań
Ekkehard had just lined up his target sights on the Polish position when the aircraft to either side of him exploded into clouds of smoke and falling debris. Startled by the sudden blasts his finger closed on the release too soon causing his single bomb to fall harmlessly into the fields.
Pulling back up he circled his stuka around to observe the wreckage of his wingmen and, to his surprise, the burning ruins of the half-tracks and craters where the infantry had once been.
Anger boiled in his heart at the loss of his friends as he realized what must have happened to his air group. Throttling up he climbed for altitude and began a series of slow turns and sweeps as he searched the battlefield for the gun emplacements. It wasn't long before he located them far behind the battlefield; there was camoflauge but nothing could hide the bright flashes and smoke of the gun blasts.
Taking a moment to check his map, Ekkehard radioed in the positions of the guns he could see before turning to head back to base. Much as he might have wanted to strafe and wreck the enemy, low-fuel and lower ammunition forced the decision for him. But he would return, later.
~{0}~ Wielkopolski Hills
Looking up from the battlefield James and Pearl were surprised to see some of the dive bombers explode and the formation to break up as the aircraft took evasive action.
"Aren't all the AA guns supposed to be protecting the artillery batteries?" queried James as he looked up in the sky to observe the stuka bombers now taking evasive actions.
"Yes, they are…. I think we just witnessed what happens when aircraft and artillery shells try and occupy the same airspace. Now that they realize that I'm sure they'll be less aggressive in their bombing runs." replied Pearl smugly before going back to calling out targets. "Looks like the Panzers are joining the fight, I wonder what took them so long?"
"Probably the soft ground, they had to take the roads while the half-tracks could handle the softer farm soil better and take the direct route." replied James thoughtfully. "Calling them in"
"Fire mission, grid R5 moving to R6, relative to the town center, tank formation, 155 guns requested, fire for effect!".
"Hellfire battery, this is Brimstone, Fire mission, grid R5 relative to town center, 9 miles, Panzer tanks, 155mm guns adequate, fire for effect".
The crunch of leaves and twigs heralded George's arrival at Jame's and Pearl's position. He was carrying his own lower-power set of binoculars in his hands as he sat down next to them. "Hello you two, having a grand time playing with the big guns?" he asked as he too looked out across the battlefield now littered with the the wreckage of battle from both sides.
"Looks like they've figured out someone is spotting for the artillery; they're bombing the church towers and those grain silos. Probably figure it's someone closer to the battle"
The three were just about to return to their binoculars when Kaplan started shouting and pointing at the sky. It was all the warning the squad got as they dove for better cover as a group of stuka fighter-bombers had been spotted diving on the hills. Fortunately the air attack was concentrated on the taller of the two peaks and ended up being of no direct danger but the nearness and suddenness of the attack was a stark reminder that their position wasn't as safe as it seemed.
Shaking off a sudden wave of worry Pearl returned her attention to spotting targets and enemy movements. "Poznań Brigade, this is Brimstone, enemy movement, grids G8 advancing to G9, grid H8 advancing to H9, light tanks, halftracks, dismounted infantry, recommend falling back to grid row I, Grid rows A - H are being over-run"
~{0}~ German command post, just outside the battle area
It was now late afternoon, the sun was just about to set below the horizon ending a long day of increasingly savage warfare. All across the farmlands where burning vehicles, cratered fields where german units had been wiped from existence, crashed aircraft and more. But as merciless as the artillery had been on the advancing German army the defenders had been forced to give up territory as the unrelenting might of the German army could be slowed but never stopped. Already only a few of the Polish strong points were still active, the rest had been destroyed or evacuated; the only reason total victory and encerclement hadn't been achieved was those damnable guns and whoever was spotting for them.
General Friedrich was frustrated to say the least. He'd been forced to transfer from the mobile command half-track to this abandoned building, just outside the enemy's gun ranges, to continue coordinating the operation. Something had to be done about whatever was helping those guns find their targets.
The Luftwaffe had been the one saving advantage to this mess in that they had managed to bomb and destroy a number of the defenders strong points. From their efforts he knew where the guns were firing from but didn't have any units in a position to attack and his air-support was retiring back to base to refuel and re-arm and with daylight fading they would be unable to attack anyway.
In an effort to at least eliminate the suspected artillery spotters the Germans had bombed or shelled church spires, grain silos, a radio tower but all to no avail as the artillery fire continued to be accurate. That left only the hills. The stuka had strafed and bombed those earlier but must have missed their targets; it was time for a more direct approach.
Friedrich wanted that hill, he wanted to eliminate the troublesome spotters and use the position to his own advantage spotting for his own guns. Summoning an aid Friedrich issued his orders.
Satisfied with his plans set in motion Friedrich retired to his bunk for a much needed rest.
Elsewhere the battle continued in ever decreasing distances between the attackers and defenders albeit at a slower pace due to the encroaching darkness of night. Only when the sky had gone completely black and a sea of stars shone overhead had the battle finally paused as neither side wanted to risk movement as headlights, flashlights, or bright gun flashes would immediately draw concentrated heavy fire. Thus both attacker and defender settled in for rest.
Except for one German unit who carefully navigated by star light and occasional red-lights to check the route as they moved slowly but steadily towards their objective.
~{0}~ Hill just before sunrise
Dawn wasn't far off, already the sky was a deep blue as the sun was beginning its long climb from beyond the horizon. The night before had been largely uneventful as the squad took turns on watch, only the occasional call for fire on an enemy foolish enough to turn on a bright light or a report of suspected enemy movement disrupted the otherwise quiet night. Each had taken turns to wash and grab some food rations during their downtime in addition to a long deep exhaustion induced sleep during the long night. Now with dawn approaching everyone in the squad was awake and resuming their positions from the day before.
"Ready for another day of bringing destruction to our enemies?" asked James happily as he munched on a stale preserved ham and cheese sandwich. It tasted terrible but was otherwise safe to eat and provided much needed nourishment ahead of the coming day's action.
"Not really, but calling for fire is better than the close range fighting from when all this got started. Thing is, I've probably directly caused the deaths of more humans via that radio than I ever have, or could have, directly with my rifle." lemented Pearl as she situated herself back in her camouflaged spotting hole. Picking up her binoculars she re-adjusted the focus and resumed scanning the battlefield for any changes. "Looks like there was a little action last night, I see some more destroyed units from both sides that had been intact the yesterday evening."
"I hear you P, I hear you, on one hand this feels more detached, less 'direct', just unit locations, fire-missions, and then little dots in the distance disappear in flashes of fire and smoke." replied James somberly, "but I don't really like this either, but we have a duty and it's what we trained for… remember what I said about if we did nothing and let evil take over?"
"Yeah, you're right, my oath is long broken by now and no where to-bo but …." Pearl's line of thought trailed off as she noticed something odd parked at the bottom of their hill. Something that was clearly man-made but someone had done a poor job of trying to hid it with brush. "James do you see that down there? Is that one of ours or should we all be getting ready for a close fight?"
James shifted his binoculars to the area Pearl was pointing at but before he could comment on it both of them got their answer. Shadows were moving between the trees, and several of them had stopped to point rifles in their directions. "ALARM! West side slope!" was all Pearl and James managed to shout before a volley of rifle fire kicked up dirt all around their position causing them to duck down behind cover. A second later a firefight erupted on the hill.
~{0}~ Skies above Pozan
Corporal Ekkehard was back in the air and on the hunt; his stuka's engine droning with a steady rumble as he guided the aircraft by the early morning light. Having refreshed their aircraft and themselves yesterday they were back not just to provide bomber support to their brother soldiers below, but to finally eliminate those frustratingly effective Polish guns.
Checking his map for landmarks Ekkehard lined up his aircraft and began to lead his flight of dive-bombers towards the gun positions he'd found the previous day.
~{0}~ City of Poznan
Sergent Aurek was worried. They'd made good progress evacuating the city over the last couple days but there were still many civilians who either couldn't, hadn't yet, or refused to leave the city. He couldn't blame them, after all how would he have handled it if someone was threatening his home or some unmovable obligation or sense of duty forced him to stay?
All around the city his units were beginning their own withdraw. During the night he had consulted with his commanders and decided that if they stayed they risked encerclement and total destruction. Much as he wanted to stay and fight he knew his men and their equipment was needed elsewhere to fend off larger formations or to make a last defiant stand against the enemy. Mercifully He'd already received orders relaying much pretty much the same as he was planning but this knowledge didn't ease his mind much. The guilt and sense of abandonment remained.
~{0}~
"Bring that gun up, get the MG into action!" shouted James as he pointed to the pre-dug and readied gun pit off to his side. Already George and Kaplan were running towards the position lugging their makeshift mobile-MG between them with multiple ammo-boxes hanging off them.
"James! at your one, three riflemen, possible sniper at three o-clock!" shouted Pearl as she held her rifle at the ready, occasionally firing a shot at a anything that moved or broke cover down the hill. She had vowed never to make the mistake she made at the radio station, in order to protect her friends and ensure they got out alive, she would have to aim to kill.
"I got the riflemen, you take the sniper!" replied James as he shifted his aim to the approaching group and opened fire. Apparently they hadn't realized their peril as James's first shots connected sending two crashing to the ground while the third ducked behind a convenient tree.
A sudden rapid chattering not unlike a power-saw off to his side indicated that George and Kaplan had reached the MG-pit and begun laying down suppressing fire on the enemy.
~{0}~
Down in the valley at the command post Friedrich got the radio report he'd been waiting for. Enemy contact on the ridge, platoon in close firefight with expected victory. Spotting positions observed, will report back when enemy position is eliminated.
Smiling to himself Friedrich picked up his own radio and gave the order for all units to resume their advance. This time, there would be nothing to slow their charge.
~{0}~
Pearl huddled at the bottom of her fox-hole waiting for the most recent volley of gunfire to quiet down before risking another round of return fire. From the number of enemy and volume of fire she'd seen her guess was that it was a platoon sized unit advancing on them. This made sense as a small platoon sized group could easily navigate the darkness to reach the hill while they rested. Cursing herself for not thinking of it sooner she resigned herself that there wasn't much to do about it now. Hearing a break in the fire she peeked up, then resumed return fire.
~{0}~
Ekkehard was smiling, his unit had found the enemy artillery battery and was beginning their attack runs. There was the expected anti-aircraft fire but it wasn't anything the sturdy stuka couldn't handle with its armored wings and cockpit. Most of it was smaller calibers from machine-guns and whoever was manning the heavier stuff had terrible aim as most of the larger shells burst harmlessly behind them.
At last they had reached the optimal point of their approach;"Attacke! Beginnen Sie Ihre Bombe läuft" shouted Ekkehard into his radio as he pitched the plane forwards and dove towards his target.
~{0}~
The fight on the hill was growing increasingly desperate; the two mobile MGs that accompanied the German platoon had been brought into action. The chattering of the two guns echoed through the hills as a hail of led forced the defenders to duck behind cover creating an opening for the German infantry soldiers to advance without risk. Or so they thought; for the defenders had anticipated such a predicament and placed mines at choke points on the hills slopes.
KRUMP! KRUMP! KRUMP! Followed by the cries of wounded men finally broke the persistent storm of MG fire. Down on the hill's approaches the German's could be heard shouting to each other as the gunners and infantry alike halted their advance up the hill to tend to the wounded.
"Pearl! Kaplan!" Darren's voice echoed across the hill-fort from over by the scout-car. "See if you can flanke them, take grenades and your rifles! George and James, man the MG and provide cover!" With that Darren retreated ducked back down into the scout car to begin preparing it for an exit while Frank continued to operate the radio and relay the latest updates on their battle.
~{0}~
With the break in fire Pearl and Kaplan had had an easier time than expected leaving the hill-forts protection to venture out into the woods around the hill. Using all their training they moved silently through the brush down the side of the hill parallel to where they thought the enemy was located.
"Czy widzisz coś?" asked Kaplan as he knelt down next to Pearl as the two paused to assess their position and plan their next moves. "Nie słychać już karabiny maszynowe."
Pearl stopped her scanning of the woods to turn to the young Polish soldier next to her. "Sorry Kaplan, I don't understand, no offense but too bad one of the others didn't accompany me. At least then I could talk to them" whispered Pearl frowning before resuming her scan of the woods.
"Hej, ja mówię trochę po angielsku. Darren send I cause I know land" replied Kaplan with just a little sas in his quiet voice as he smiled at a now embarrassed Pearl.
"Ah, sorry, your right. Anyway I think we're in position, get your grenades …
CRACK!
"Ah! Ah ah! Ow what! shouted Pearl" as she feel to the ground with her head ringing as if her helmet had been hit with a hammer. A low groan alerted her that Kaplan was also down on the ground and holding his head as if in intense pain.
"I think we've attracted a sniper, down the hill a ways off to the left" wheezed Pearl as she fought to get her nerves back under control. "Stay quiet and play dead, maybe he'll come to us"
Nodding his understanding Kaplan closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, Pearl did the same.
~{0}~
Back up near the hill summit the firefight had resumed as both sides exchanged machine gun and rifle fire. The German platoon's advance had been blunted and their numbers greatly reduced but still they pressed onwards determined to take the hill. The defenders were equally determined to hold the hill and redoubled their efforts to buy time for their flanking maneuver to work.
~{0}~
Pearl and Kaplan lay quietly against the cold earth, their bodies twisted and still where they had fallen. Light footsteps, almost too faint to hear, and the gentle swish of leaves against cloth announced that someone was coming up the hill towards their bodies.
Steeling herself for what was to come Pearl boosted the output from her gem and directed the energy to her limbs and joints. For this to work she would need to be at her fastest. Gently, ever so gently, she readied her service pistol and cocked the hammer.
~{0}~
Pulling his stuka into a climb Ekkehard checked his rear-view mirrors and saw that his efforts had been successful as fire blossomed amongst the huge field guns of the Polish artillery battery.
Leveling off he checked that his wingmen had also completed their bombing runs then turned his aircraft into another shallow circle so he could get a better view of the damage from his bombs. Grinning at his success he clicked his radio to make his report to the command units.
"Bombardierung Erfolg alle Ziel zerstört"
~{0}~
Frank threw down his radio in disgust. The last transmission on enemy movements had been disrupted when the man at the other end of the radio had begun shouting before the signal went dead. Hearing a break in the fire he climbed out of the scout car with his own small pair of binoculars and ran over to a gap in the trees that looked out towards where Hellfire and the other Polish artillery batteries had been located.
Looking through his binoculars he checked the positions just in time to see the first bombs reach their targets. The initial blast and secondaries from the ammunition dumps echoed across the valley. All around the trees and grass swayed as the blast shockwaves spread all around.
Frowning he ran back to the scout car to make his report to a waiting Darren. "No good sir, the artillery is gone, I recommend we get going before the hill is encircled or someone sees a german scout car where there shouldn't be one.
Darren thought for a moment before making his decision. "Agreed, gather everyone up, once this enemy platoon is dealt with we're leaving"
~{0}~
Snap! Crunch! … Someone had just stepped on the twigs and leaves next to their trap. Not wasting a millisecond Pearl drew her pistol, spun around, and with three quick shots the German sniper who had fired on them was dead at her feet.
"Na bogów, Cieszę się, że są po naszej stronie." mumbled Kaplan in shock at the display of swift violence from Pearl. Turning away from the body he looked in the direction of where the renewed German MG fire had come from. "Miejmy zawinąć to do góry i iść"
Nodding her understanding Pearl readied her grenades and the two of them set off again towards the expected enemy positions. Neither one had yet noticed the matching holes in their helmets from the sniper's near double kill.
~{0}~
At the edges of the city from his command post organizing the last of the civilian refugees Sergent Aurek knew he was defeated. With the loss of the field guns and reports of German patrols attacking his spotters in the hills the fight had gone out of them. All remaining units who were still able had already begun to withdraw in mass to escape before they were encircled.
~{0}~
Up on the hill fort Pearl and the squad were making their final preparations to vacate the area. The grenade attack had done its bloody work and the survivors from the German platoon had beat a hasty retreat back down the hill to their vehicle. Probably to make a report and call in reinforcements; that was their queue to leave before their escape route got cut off.
Taking one long last look at the hill fort to lock in her memories Pearl felt a soft tap on her shoulder. Turning to see who it was she was surprised to see Kaplan holding his helmet in one hand and his camera in the other. "Check you metal hat, need picture!"
Removing her helmet Pearl was shocked to see the reason, another inch lower and the bullet would have hit and probably shattered her gem. Looking at Kaplan's helmet she observed a matching hole passing through the side of it, another inch on his it would have gone through his skull instead of just the side plate.
"Holy crud, you guys need a picture of that for sure" remarked Frank as he stared at the two helmets with more than a bit of awe in his voice. "Here give me the camera".
Posing for the camera Pearl and Kaplan strung a stick through the holes to emphasize what the photo was for before smiling brightly for the camera.
A few minutes later Kaplan, having said his goodbyes had taken his camera and motorcycle to make his own way back to friendly units. Though it saddened the squad to see him go they understood his own need to be with his countrymen in these dark times and see what good he could do.
With the battle over for the time being the squad checked their supplies, made ready, then squeezed into the scout-car or hung off its side to resume their drive for safety.
000 End Chapter 12
Author's Notes
I think I spent too much time researching this chapter, no seriously. I was watching you-tube videos on infantry tactics, anti-tank weapons of WW2, artillery fire-support videos from actual troops, reading documents and much more. I spent an hour reading a procedural describing the correct process for summoning and directing artillery fire for the spotting scenes. Researched exactly which German units would have been in the area of Ponzan including leaders, equipment, air-support and more. Then I ended up not using most of the research because it was simply too-much stuff; but it was fun to read and watch it all.
Please, review, the story and let me know how I'm doing. Reviews, follows and favorites are the life fuel of a fanfic writer as it provides the motivation to keep going. It lets us know that someone out there is reading and enjoying our hard work and efforts.
By the same token, I wish to extend my thanks for reading this story and extend my hope that you are enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it.
History Notes
* Reference video - Do a youtube search for 'The view from the other end of these 155mm rounds=Danger Close! CONTINUED' uploaded by electricwayrc. This is a rare and fascinating first-person GoPro view from the receiving end of a heavy artillery strike in close proximity to the target. Don't worry, its not graphic but there is allot of cursing and foul language from the soldiers ... which given the circumstances is understandable.
* Lindybeige - videos on WW2 tactics, platoons, tanks, etc - not always accurate but good never the less. Especially the video on infantry platoons and weapons
* Video search - Look up video of 'MG-34' to get an idea of what the machine-guns involved in the hill-fort battle sound like. It's not a rapid 'pop pop pop' but rather a long 'bbbbzzzzzeerrrtttt' sound like allot of ill operated power-drills or chainsaws. Doesn't sound like a 'gun' at all in the traditional sense.
* Lots of Band-of-Brothers videos to get a feel for action and what can happen during a battle.
* Vernichtungsgedanke - Contrary to popular belief, the invasion of Poland was not 'Blitzkrieg', rather it was the last modern example of the tactic called 'Vernichtungsgedanke'. Where the modern Blitzkrieg was all about blasting a hole through enemy lines then attacking them from the rear, 'Vernichtungsgedanke' was a much older tactic. This old tactic was similar in that in its updated form it was a combined-arms (aircraft, armor, infantry, artillery) battle strategy, it called for encircling then destroying the enemy; not bypassing or blasting through. Thus the Polish defenders had to regularly yield territory to retreat and regroup or else risk being surrounded and cut off from escape or supplies by the invaders.
* Do a Google Search of 'Artillery Practices by the Major Combatants of WWII' and the first article on 'etloh dot 8m' that pops up is the one you want. It's a nice summary of different artillery tactics and methods used by the major combatants in the European theater.
* Do a Google Search for 'Requesting and Adjusting Artillery Fire' to find the webpage hosted on hardscrabblefarm as it contains a detailed description of Artillery spotting methods.
* Bofors 37 mm - Polish light anti-tank gun in WW2
* Armata 155mm wz. 40 - range about 17 miles (27.6km) firing 100 lb blast-fragment shells
* Stuka - German dive-bomber, the WW-2 forerunner of the modern A-10 Lightening (warthog)
* Friedrich Kühn - commander of the 3rd Panzer Brigade under 3rd Panzer Division. I don't know if he was part of the Polish invasion but I do know he was in charge of the unit.
* Hans-Ekkehard Bob - German fighter pilot who was active at the time of Invasion of Poland.
* Fact: The Wielkopolska hills are about 132 meters (433 ft) above sea level, the horizon line at that height is about 41 km (~25 miles). The area around the hills is mostly open and flat farm land. The squad would have easily seen the advancing armored columns to give warning to the gun batteries waiting for them. In short, the hills are a perfect place to direct fire support.
* Wielkopolski Hills - group of low hills that is today a scenic park. I don't know what their role was during WW2 but it's easy to imagine them being a strategic place to direct artillery fire.