Chapter Eight: All Quiet on the Western Front
August 13th, Nanyo, Bonple, Around 9:22 A.M.
Jajka and the general staff watched with glee as the army marched past them, standing in a open-top car, saluting the soldiers. Tens of thousands of girls paraded down the street while civilians tossed flowers into the formation. After the soldiers came the columns of tankettes, tanks and armored cars. Planes flew above the town, making a loud buzzing sound.
"The Armia Yonezawa is the best-equipped army we have." Uszka whispered into Jajka's ear. "With over 150,000 troops, 330 guns, 820 armored vehicles and 500 planes, they are our pride and joy. They will become the core of the counteroffensive."
Jajka beamed. "Good. I have much hope for our school if they are our best." She glanced over. "They're headed for Shirataka, right?" Uszka nodded in confirmation. "We've decided to intercept the main Kuromorimine army to destroy them before they could reach the capital."
"Kuromorimine's army is advancing faster than we thought, so we had to hasten our mobilization, but the overall quality is still good. We'll split their forces in two and destroy them." She informed Jajka. They both smiled as the army continued to march past them.
Kamitazawa, Southern Bonple, 10:26 A.M.
"Take cover!" The Kuromorimine panzergrenadiers ran through the forest, taking cover against the trees. Little chips of bark flew off of the trees as bullets ripped through the air. Soldiers ducked down in the tall grass and shrubbery, camouflaging themselves at the enemy, who were also concealed in the foliage.
The stabsfeldwebel(Staff Sergeant) leaned against the tree, reloading her K98 and glancing across the forest. She raised her rifle and placed it up to her eye. Her sights found a target around 118 yards away, a light-green helmet peeking over a small dirt hill.
She closed her right eye and let her left eye focus on the helmet. She pulled her finger, the rifle making a loud pop and jerking up. She pulled the bolt back, and an empty cartridge flew out.
The bullet made its mark, as it ripped through the helmet of the Bonple soldier hiding behind the dirt. The soldier flew back with blood spraying out of her head.
She scrunched down as bullets whizzed by her. She glanced around and saw her friends fire back towards the north. The sounds of rifles and submachine guns echoed throughout the forest.
She dashed to hide behind another tree. She fired into the forest, not sure of where the enemy is. Dirt was blasted as the barrel jerked against the bark.
Fellow Kuromorimine soldiers took cover behind a cluster of tree stumps. One soldier set up a MG34 position and began fired into the green foliage. With a loud tok-tok-tok, it led out a salvo of bullets. Rifles around the MG joined in the hail of bullets. They saw figures across the forest scatter as the bullets reached their lines.
"Continue to suppress the enemy, while we'll advance through the forest." An oberleutnant(1st Lieutenant) ordered the MG team. Grasping her MP38, she led a squad of soldiers, who crawled across the the ground. They dug through the warm dirt with their equipment clattering against each other in their backpacks.
They advanced several dozen yards until they were spotted by Bonple gunners. The pfft of bullets hitting the dirt caused the Kuromorimine troops to hug the ground. Bonple soldiers with Browning wz. 1928 LMGs and Kbsp wz. 1938M self repeating rifles blasted away from above them.
The oberleutnant raised her MP38 and fired at a large tree in front of her. Chips of wood flew off the tree, and a Bonple soldier turned away to take cover. She bolted across the forest as the soldier took potshots at her with her Karabinek wz. 1929 rifle. She ducked down when the oberleutnant peeked her head to spot the enemy soldier.
She saw the bushes a few hundred meters away bustling with movement; she emptied her magazine towards the bushes. As she reloaded her smg the Bonple soldier poked out from behind a fallen log and fired a single shot.
The bullet grazed the side of the oberleutnant's hip. She fell down against a tree, putting her hand against her hip. When she looked at her hand it was smeared with blood.
She winced as a bullet hit the bark next to her head. She slumped down onto the ground as more blood poured out of her wound. Is this the end? She thought to herself. Am I going to die here?
Another soldier grabbed the oberleutnant, who was losing consciousness. "Fräulein!" She shouted as she dragged the oberleutnant back to friendly lines. "We need a medic!"
She dragged the oberleutnant behind a log, where a line of infantrywomen were taking cover. A medic run over to the wounded oberleutnant and began applying medical aid to her hip. The oberleutnant groaned in pain and jerked up against the log. "Hold still!" The medic ordered, and the oberleutnant gripped the bottom of the log as the medic stuck a needle in her arm. Her vision wavered and she went unconscious.
The stabsfeldwebel held her breath and aimed her rifle, trying ng to detect any signs of enemy activity. She winced when she heard several gunshots, followed by a shower of bark. She turned to the general area from where the gunfire came from. She fired off three shots before turning behind cover.
The Bonple private pulled the trigger of her Kbsp wz. 1938M, emptying out the magazine. She put another box in, and proceeded to advance through the forest, followed by hundreds of her comrades.
"Who knew they would advance so far." She muttered to herself. She aimed her gun at an exposed Kuromorimine soldier. With a successive fusilade of bullets the soldier's head was torn into pieces. The Bonple soldier grinned and step forward, warily turning her head in search for more enemies.
"Enemy battalion, two o'clock!" Somebody shouted. A hail of gunfire erupted within the forest. "Shit, fall back!" The Bonple company was forced to retreat further from the forest, all the way back to the small village of Kamitazawa.
"Set up defensive positions!" An officer ordered. Soldiers grabbed whatever they could find and placed them at the entrances of the village. The private reloaded her Kbsp wz. 1938M, and looked towards the forest.
Within minutes hundreds of Kuromorimine soldiers emerged from the forest, bearing down their weapons at the defenders. Gunfire from both sides lit the entire village up. Little houses were blown up from grenades, while submachine gunners dodged and weaved through the rice fields.
The private fired at a squad of Kuromorimine riflewomen, who jumped down to the ground. One soldier tried to shoot the private, but a machine gun suppressed them. The private grinned as she fired at her helpless targets. She killed most of the soldiers before glancing over to see a Kuromorimine soldier pull the cord of a grenade. She threw the grenade across the field and landed right in front of the private, who ducked down behind the sandbags.
She felt the explosion rock the sandbags, and she crouched down for protection. She stood up and fired at the grenadier, who staggered down to the ground.
Ckm wz. 30 MG fired at the herd of Kuromorimine soldiers that were crawling up the road. Bullets bit into the concrete around the soldiers as they desperately tried to hug the ground. Behind them a Panzer I rolled onto the road and began firing its machine gun at the Ckm wz. 30, the crew running in a panic. The Kuromorimine soldiers got up and dashed forwards when the coast was clear.
Then from the tall grass six Bonple soldiers with Mors smgs emerged and ambushed the Kuromorimine troops. The Kuromorimine girls tried to answer but one by one they fell, gunned down with dozens of bullets piercing their bodies. The bodies collapsed, blood spattering against the ground.
The Panzer I aimed its gun toward the Bonple troops, who flew back into the grass. The Panzer I blasted away into the foliage, slicing away grass and leaves. Several more Panzer Is joined the attack, driving past the corpses of the Kuromorimine soldiers. They advance past the abandoned Bonple positions, followed by several dozen more grenadiers.
As they drove down the street Bonple soldiers hid in the grass, armed with Wz. 35 anti-tank rifles and Karabinek wz. 91/98/23s. They carefully watched the Kuromorimine convoy roll by, and when the center Panzer I passed them they attacked. They raised their anti tank rifles and fired at the Panzer Is.
The Ten Panzer Is simultaneously stopped moving, their engines groaning to a halt and smoke pouring out of their compartments. The infantry rose up and began taking down the escorting Kuromorimine soldiers, who were taken by surprise. They waved their MP38s at the Bonple girls in response, spraying gunfire at the ambushers. One grenadier slammed against the side of a Panzer I by the force of a bullet hitting her right in the chest. She slid down the Panzer, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
From the cupolas of the Panzer Is crewmembers scrambled out of their tanks. As the Bonple girls aimed their rifles at their heads, they put their hands in the air as they climbed down the Panzers.
The stabsfeldwebel ran through the rice paddies, splashing in the ankle-deep water. Why is the resistance here tougher? She thought angrily. What the hell? Little drops of water flew up as bullets landed in the paddies. She saw a flash of sunlight reflecting from the edge of the field, and she quickly fired in that direction. She wasn't sure if she got her target, but she couldn't find out for sure. The Bonple defense was for some reason much stronger here. They were determined to stop the advance at this town.
She pulled the bolt back and forth, and continued to creep forward. Another grenadier ran up to her. "Stabsfeldwebel! We have managed to create a dent in their left flank." She reported. The stabsfeldwebel grinned. "Finally!" She exclaimed. "We'll completely burn down this little village!" She rose up and shot at a Bonple soldier who had been standing several hundred meters away, a small blotch of blood trickling down her face.
"Advance!" The Kuromorimine panzergrenadiers launched a new attack at the Bonple defense, who continued to rain down bullets against the grey-clad attackers. The stabsfeldwebel dug her hand into her belt and took out a grenade. She hurled the grenade as far as she could, landing behind a machine gun position.
The grenade exploded, shredding the back of the machine gunner with shrapnel. The stabsfeldwebel stood up and shot down any Bonple soldier that tried to get back up. She dashed to the sandbags and reloaded her rifle. More soldiers ran past the sandbags, overrunning the retreating Bonple troops. The stabsfeldwebel hopped over the sandbags and joined the attack.
As the Kuromorimine soldiers advanced, Bonple snipers took potshots from the rooftops at the enemy below. The Kuromorimine infantry stormed the houses, kicking down the door to each room and blowing entire floors up with grenades. Girls with their hands over their heads trickled outside, back towards Kuromorimine lines.
The stabsfeldwebel stood in the middle of the road. "Ugh, we finally beat them." She groaned in relief. Though the sounds of combat was still present, it was far away and slowly diminishing. More prisoners flowed down the roads, while Kuromorimine soldiers begin to relax.
"This was one tough battle." A soldier remarked, lighting up a cigarette. The stabsfeldwebel nodded as she looked around. The ground was littered with bodies from both sides. "Yeah. We've lost more troops than usual." She said.
The soldier grinned. "We should have a drink for this!" She exclaimed. The stabsfeldwebel chuckled. "You're underage, aren't you? A sophomore?"
The soldier smiled. "Damn, that's too bad then." She answered. "I guess the party has to be cancelled."
"You guys have a party planned?" The stabsfeldwebel responded with a roll of her eyes. "We don't have time for that, you know."
"When the fight is over, stabsfeldwebel." The soldier waved her hand. "When we win this war we're going to have the biggest party, with all the booze in the world!" She said. The stabsfeldwebel laughed. "Jesus, who the hell do you think you are?"
"Fräulein!" A soldier breathlessly ran up to the stabsfeldwebel. "Enemy activity, just a kilometer away! At least a dozen tanks and a regiment of infantry coming in for a counterattack!" She reported.
The stabsfeldwebel groaned and grabbed her rifle. "Alright girls, let's get this over with." She shouted. The soldiers took their weapons and prepared to brace for the assault.
"Hey, what the hell is that?" Somebody asked. The stabsfeldwebel looked up and saw several black silhouettes in the sky. Loud buzzing filled the air, and more soldiers gazed up. "Is that one of ours?"
"No wait, the shape is wrong." The stabsfeldwebel muttered.
It did not have the distinctive crooked wings of the Stukas; instead they were high-wing monoplanes, with their wheels poking out from the bottom.
"Fuck, it's the enemy! Get down!" The stabsfeldwebel realized, and dove to the ground. The Bonple PZL P. 11 fighter planes plunged towards the ground, firing their machine guns at the infantry. Soldiers screamed in agony when the bullets cut through them, causing them to collapse onto the ground.
The stabsfeldwebel pressed her entire body against the grassy ground, trying to present herself as less of a target as possible. Panicked soldiers run around, trying to shoot down the planes with their rifles and pistols. One girl managed to snipe the pilot from one of the fighter planes, and it sailed down into the forest. However, most planes continued to strafe the troops.
"Where is our aircover?" One soldier wailed before having her brain sliced in half by a hail of bullets. "Where did these bastards even come from?" The stabsfeldwebel growled in anger. "What the hell is the Luftwaffe doing?"
There was a loud roar, and the stabsfeldwebel looked up to see several hundred Bonple soldiers emerge out of the forest across the village, followed by several tanks and tankettes. The smoke trails of artillery shells emerged from the horizon, only to plunge into the midst of the throng of Kuromorimine soldiers. Thrown up dirt and dust coated the entire village in a brown cloud, and the planes continued to rain lead from above.
The stabsfeldwebel coughed out mouthfuls of dirt as she rolled into the field. When did the enemy become this resistant? What the hell-her thoughts were interrupted when a large object landed on her back, nearly crushing her. Using all her strength, she pushed the thing off and stood up. Looking down, she was face-to-face with the cold gaze of a corpse sprawling across the ground.
The crackling of machine guns from the sky prompted her to bolt away from the village. She aimed for the forest, where the Bonple fighters could not get her. As she neared closer to her destination, she looked behind her. Many others have joined her, while Bonple soldiers began chasing in pursuit of the retreating Kuromorimine girls. She stopped, whirled around and shot at the direction of the enemy, before scampering towards the woodland in front of her.
The Bonple pilot grinned as she turned the nose of the PZL P.11 down, aiming for the scurrying mass of infantry below her. She pulled the trigger, and the two machine guns on the sides of the hull lit up. Colorful tracers cut through the backs of fleeing girls, with blood splattering out like paint. The plane glided back up, and the pilot maneuvered her plane to strafe the troops again. However, she winced as bullets from smgs bit into her wings, and she had to head far away before turning around.
The stabsfeldwebel turned her head both ways as she ran and watched her friends buckle down, their heads snapping back and their torsos thrown to the ground. She glanced down and saw a dead body right in front of her. She hurled over it, and when she landed back on the grass she almost slipped on wet blood.
In the treeline Kuromorimine soldiers set up a defensive line, with machine guns and field guns set up to fire at the advancing Bonple charge. The stabsfeldwebel smiled in relief as her comrades began to answer back at her pursuers.
But the relief soon vanished, as even though dozens of Bonple soldiers would be killed, more would just replace them. They continued their advance, slowly picking the Kuromorimine defense off one by one, all the while the Bonple fighter planes continued to strafe the soldiers.
The stabsfeldwebel stopped at the defensive line and turned around, raising her rifle and aiming it at the village, which was retaken by the Bonple attack. She fired twice, hitting a girl in the chest. The Bonple troops fired back, killing even more troops. A soldier armed with an MG34 next to the stabsfeldwebel stood up with her mg at her hip. She started firing from her hip, cutting down countless Bonple soldiers. Her entire body shuddered as she gripped the bipod, the gun barrel slightly raising and lowering after each shot. But she was gunned down when a Bonple submachine gunner emptied her magazine box on her.
Bonple tankettes fired their machine guns as they charged ahead of the infantry, while 7TP medium tanks lumbered behind, blasting their 37mm Bofors Wz.37 L/45 gun. Kuromorimine field guns pointed their barrels toward the tanks, but they were too slow as explosions threw the crew into the air.
The stabsfeldwebel cursed as the defensive line slowly crumbled. Soldiers started to step into the forest, still firing their smgs at the Bonple troops. But as girls fell around them, and the enemy advancing ever closer, they panicked and fled into the woods.
The stabsfeldwebel also turned around and ran as fast as she could. She ran through thick shrubs, ducked her head under low branches and jumped over fallen logs. She heard screams and gunshots all around her. She bit her lip as the rattling of submachine guns grew closer.
She glanced to her left and saw a soldier aiming a rifle right at her head. The soldier fired, and the stabsfeldwebel ducked her head as a small branch snapped off from the force of the bullet. The rifle made a loud crack sound as it followed her, each shot closer than the last. The stabsfeldwebel looked at her hands and was shocked to see her rifle was not in her hands; she had dropped it in the chaotic retreat.
Her boot suddenly halted, and gravity swung her body down to the ground. She landed with a loud crash, and her vision blurred for a second. She shook her head and looked at her foot, which had hit a protruding tree root.
The crinkle of leaves alarmed her, and she raised her head to see a Bonple soldier aiming a rifle at her head. The stabsfeldwebel instinctively slid backwards away from the girl, eventually bumping her head against the trunk of a tree. The Bonple soldier frowned as she motioned with her rifle. The stabsfeldwebel sighed as she put her hands in the air and stood up, now becoming a prisoner of war.
Two Kilometers away from the Kuromorimine-Gregor Border, 11:08 A.M.
Columns of armored cars and trucks filled to the brim with soldiers drove down the dirt road, heading towards the military base right by the border. The soldiers were chatting with each other, tossing their heads back as they laughed. They were obviously in a good mood, waving their hands and leaning against the trucks.
"This'll be an easy fight, won't it? When are we going to attack them?" A private asked. The officer next to her smirked. "We're going to be at camp for a few days at least, two weeks at most. We're going to launch an offensive straight for Niigata. It's going to be a cakewalk." She proclaimed.
"But won't they have strong defenses or something?" Another soldier remarked. The officer shrugged. "Most of their forces are in Bonple, so there must be only a few thousand soldiers at most." She replied nonchalantly. "Maybe a few tanks here and there, but nothing we can't deal with." She grinned.
"Around 50,000 troops are being deployed to the border right now. Our armored forces are in the hundreds as of now, being prepared to roll through their cities. Our bombers are going to fly over their skies." The officer boasted. The rest of the soldiers laughed. "If beating Kuromorimine is that easy, then I guess Bonple is a hopeless cause." One girl chuckled. "Aw, come on. That's harsh, even for Bonple's standards." Another girl giggled.
"They are our allies, so be respectful." The officer reprimanded. "It is because of them taking the full brunt of Kuromorimine's army that we can rest easy." She reminded the soldiers. "They're making the greatest sacrifices to make our victory easier."
The armored convoy rolled through forests and hills. "We're going to have to fight in this kind of weather?" The private muttered. The sun was shining brightly above them, causing everybody to sweat from their steel helmets. "I almost hope we'll attack in the rain."
"That's another hell to deal with." The officer answered. "But this campaign will only last a couple of weeks, so the weather won't be so bad. Being surrounded by all sides won't work out well for them."
The low grumble of truck engines was slowly being overwhelmed by a high buzzing sound. "The hell is that?" The officer mumbled. The private looked up. "Hey, look at that!" She exclaimed. The girls in the trucks raised their heads and saw several shapes flying towards them up in the summer sky.
The planes suddenly dipped their noses and dove straight towards the caravan, a loud high-pitched wail emanating from them. They dropped their bombs and fired their machine guns in a graceful fury. The trucks and cars swerved off road to avoid the bullet impacts which landed in the dirt. An explosion threw an armored car into the air, which landed on its roof a few seconds later. Bullets clanged off armor, and sliced through the open top trucks, killing the soldiers on board.
The private struggled to get off the truck as a bloody corpse slumped onto her shoulder. Pushing the body off of her, she climbed out the side of the truck and jumped on to the grass. The officer crawled over soon after. Blood was steadily flowing out of her shoulder. "Damn it. They got the jump on us!" She said with a scowl. She looked up. "Get down!" She screamed, crouching next to the truck. The private joined her in a panic.
The Stukas turned around for another run. Any surviving vehicles attempted to flee in the opposite direction, but the machine guns killed the drivers and turned vehicles into flaming wrecks. Soldiers out in the open were ruthlessly gunned down on the spot.
The private watched with fear from under the truck the carnage that transpired. Girls lie dead, their heads lolling to the side. Blood was spilling from their gaping wounds. Car doors were swept open with bodies slumping out from within.
The Stukas made their final run before flying away, leaving the convoy in ruins. Smoke pillars drifted up from the blazing ruins of the trucks and cars. The road was littered with bloody corpses. The once green grass was now a dark red, and the fluids seeped into the brown dirt.
The private and officer stood up and walked into the middle of the road. Several other girls stood up as well, coughing and staggering to their feet. With the sound of propellers gone everybody could hear the moaning and crying of the wounded. Soldiers riddled with bullets crawled across the road, leaving a red trail behind them.
"Shit, they got us good." The officer mumbled, before crumpling down to the ground. The private rushed down to pick her up, but the officer groaned in pain when the private touched her stomach. Feeling a sticky wetness, the private was horrified to see her hand completely covered in blood.
"Oh my god!" She screamed, and several other girls ran over. "We need a medic!" A group of soldiers gently carried her into the back of a damaged truck and placed her on the floor. "Is there a medic?" The private demanded. The other girls stared at each other. She groaned in anger. "Any medical supplies at least?" She pleaded.
"They were all destroyed…" A short girl whimpered. The private slammed her fist against the side of the truck. "Fuck!" She shouted.
"It's….alright…" The officer's hand shakily rose up, shocking everybody. The officer pushed herself up, but moaned and fell back down. "Don't hurt yourself even more!" The private ordered. The officer grinned, her face growing even more pale by the second. "Who...the hell….are..you to...tell….me what...to do?" She panted out. She stopped, and inhaled deeply. "Go..tell...HQ...We've been…" A violent fit overtook her, and she hacked out blood.
"We need to take you to the hospital! Is there a serviceable vehicle? Check now!" The private hollered, and several girls scampered to check every truck on the road.
"Leave...me…." The officer whispered in a trembling voice. "Save….yourselves…Don't...waste time...with me..."
"No!" The private yelled, tears brimming at the side of her bright hazel eyes. The officer put up a quivering smile, though it took all of her strength to not scream in pain. "I...don't think...I've gotten your...name…" She mumbled. Tears rolled down the her cheeks.
"Věra. My name is Věra." The private clutched the officer's hands. The officer's shallow breathing grew more sporadic. "That's...a good….name...Don't let…...it die….today..." She barely murmured. Her lips curled up into one last smile and closed her eyes. Her hand turned limp in Věra's hands.
Věra knelt there, letting her tears drop to the floor. She stood up and saluted before stepping out of the truck. Two soldiers had found a large white sheet and draped it over the officer's body. Věra wiped her eyes and looked at the survivors. "We need to go back and warn everybody." She stated, and all the other girls nodded in agreement. They were about to leave when they heard the thundering roar of of tanks and vehicles just from the other side of the hill. They watched with dread as the the shadows of a hundred Panzers loomed over them ominously.
Ooarai High School, 12:00 P.M.
A seething Anzu sat at the desk, flanked by a nervous Yuzu and Momo. A calm-faced Sodoko stood across from the desk, crossing her arms.
Anzu leaned on her hands, with elbows on the desk. "So, did you find out who the identity of that girl?" She growled. Sodoko nodded. "Yes. From witness testimonies, we are one hundred percent positive the perpetrator was Iwabuchi Kana, a senior." She replied. "She is an A+ student, always handing in her work, following the rules, courteous to her colleagues and teachers and never late for school. She also participates in several school clubs and after school activities." She sighed in resignation. "To say the least, she's the perfect student. Well, until now…"
Anzu scoffed. "Perfect student." She muttered. "Who the hell does she think she is?" She angrily took a chunk out of a dried sweet potato and swallowed it whole. "This is going to be difficult to deal with."
"She is one of the most popular girls, and has a considerable following." Sodoko reported. "She is also the biggest proponent of joining the war against Kuromorimine."
"And now she's a warhawk." Anzu groaned. "What the hell have we gotten our hands on?"
"Shall we call her over right now?" Momo asked. Anzu shook her head. "No, not worth my time right now. I have better things to do. Keep a watch on her though."
"Oh, and I have to add something." Sodoko said. "She is also the president of the President Kadotani Anzu Fan Club."
Anzu's jaw dropped. "Something like that exists? What the hell? Do I have some kind of cult following?" She slapped her own forehead. "The more I learn about this person, the more confused I am."
Yuzu chuckled. "You are popular after all." She said. Anzu sighed. "I know, but I didn't think it would be to such a degree…."
"Wait, does she not know Miho saved the school from being shut down?" Anzu shot up from her seat. "I don't understand at all her logic. She says Miho isn't one of us, even though she was the one who saved this school. She told Nishizumi to go back to Kuromorimine, and when Takebe says Nishizumi left the school on her own account she said Nishizumi was a coward."
"And to remark about Reizei-san's parents and grandmother like that…" Sodoko muttered, clenching her fist.
"Oh, about that. We ought to visit her sometime." Anzu said, her tone turning more upbeat. Yuzu smiled. "Bring some flowers." She added. "And drag her ungrateful granddaughter along with us." Momo finished.
Anzu chuckled. "Maybe." She swallowed another dried sweet potato. "That won't be such a bad idea. I can be good with the old folks too, you know?"
BC Freedom-Kuromorimine Border, 3:34 P.M.
The trench was silent. Girls in light green and beige uniforms huddled together as the artillery from the rear lobbed wave after wave of explosive shells across the empty border. The roar of the guns drowned out any conversations the soldiers had managed to start.
Soldiers from BC Freedom and St. Gloriana looked at the destruction the artillery had wrought on the Kuromorimine lines. From what they could see across the brown plain was a huge layer of dust covering the entire view.
A tall girl wearing a Dark brown battledress tunic and a light skirt with long white stockings gazed at no-man's-land. A steel Brodie MK. I helmet was fit tightly on her head. Her Lee Enfield rifle rested on the trench. On her breast pocket was a tiny emblem of St. Gloriana stitched on.
"That's some bombardment." She muttered, while shells continued to land in the Kuromorimine defense.
"Madam private, we are giving them everything we have." A BC Freedom girl replied with a chuckle. She adjusted her Adrian helmet as she brushed off dirt from her own uniform, even though she was practically standing in a pile of mud. "Once the guns go silent, all we have to do is take a little walk north."
"The army of Maginot is attacking the Kuromorimine border as well. I wonder how that's going to turn out." The St. Gloriana private said. The BC Freedom girl laughed. "Don't worry about them. I'm sure they're fine."
Boom. Boom. Boom. The artillery kept up its barrage for hours. The private sat down and took out a pipe, watching the bombardment. She put it in her mouth, and puffed out several white rings with a heavy exhale. "I wish we had some tea right now." She said. The BC Freedom girl laughed. "I want some baguettes for this show." She added. "But, this isn't some movie."
The artillery stopped; everything went silent. Nobody talked and a sense of unease fell over the allied trench. "Oh, here we go." The BC Freedom soldier whistled. "This is where the fun starts."
A BC Freedom officer took a step out of the trench, raised her Modèle 1935 pistol with her right hand in the air, and placed a whistle in between her lips. With a blow of her mouth, A loud, shrill screeching noise echoed throughout the quiet landscape. "There's the order!" The BC Freedom girl exclaimed, taking her Lebel Model 1886 rifle with her hand. "Let's go!" She jumped out of the trench, and into the open. The private grabbed her Lee Enfield and chased after her comrade.
Thousands of girls from both St. Gloriana and BC Freedom rose out of the trench like a tidal wave. As soon as the first soldiers took a step into no-man's-land machine gun fire erupted from the other side of the empty field. Girls flew back into the trench as they were hit by hundreds of bullets, while an ocean of soldiers clambered up the ladders below them. Women weaved around their barbed wire while bullets whizzed around them. They blobbed up together, making them an easy target for the Kuromorimine machine gunners that aimed their sights at the attack. Girls that were sliced up by the mgs staggered down to the ground, where they were trampled by the herd of girls behind them. Entire platoons were wiped out in seconds. The muddy ground soon became a corpse-filled swamp of blood.
Though the attack lasted only for a minute the allied forces haven't even managed to cross one hundred meters and already hundreds of girls were lying on the ground dead. Even then, the charge continued. They inched closer, ducking their heads to avoid becoming a target of the mgs.
The girls continued to charge when the low whine of artillery shells grew louder. Humongous explosions erupted in the midst of the ocean of girls, throwing dozens into the air. The distinct green and khaki uniforms of the allied troops turned into a dark-brown and reddish color, mud and blood staining their field dresses.
The private ran, jumping over piles of dead bodies and sloshing through the mud. Bullets flew past her, cutting down girls behind and around her, though it seemed they were wholeheartedly avoiding the private herself. She pushed on, eventually crumpling into a crater made by an artillery strike.
Taking advantage of her cover, she scrunched down and watched soldiers run past her, only to get gunned down. More soldiers jumped into the crater panting heavily and putting their hands over their chests. The BC Freedom girl rolled into the dirt, gasping for air.
"Holy shit!" She exclaimed in an angry tone. "What the fuck is this? We were supposed to waltz through the goddamn border, not be mowed down like fucking grass!" She yelped when a dead body nearly toppled onto her. Her face twisted into a contorted scowl. "The goddamn artillery failed. They had one job. One Fucking Job!" She exploded, and another soldier had to hold her down. "Caporal(Private First Class), calm down!" She shouted. "The artillery thought they destroyed the enemy trenchworks!" The caporal spat and swatted the soldier's hand away. "Screw the artillery!" She growled. "This is a slaughter!"
Several girls with both BC Freedom and St. Gloriana girls stormed into the crater, carrying heavy weapons. They immediately set up Hotchkiss M1914 machine guns and Lewis guns and fired back, trying to answer the incoming hail of steel. Girls stuffed the ammo strips into the feed of the Hotchkiss, which devoured the ammunition at an amazing speed. The pan magazine of the Lewis gun jerked violently. The private looked at the mass of girls that huddled before her. There were at at least fifty soldiers kneeled in the crater.
"What the hell are we going to do?" She demanded through gritted teeth, not allowing any dirt to fall into her mouth. "I don't fucking know." The caporal moaned, sinking farther down into the dirt. "We're stuck here until we're going to die."
"We're going to die here." A girl muttered, her eyes wide. Another soldier started to whimper incessantly.
In the back of the group sat a BC Freedom officer, her face turning red with anger. Here in front of her, her soldiers were cowering in the face of the enemy. The rank-and-file soldiers all started to cry, tears slowly trickling down their faces. Other soldiers looked down, their faces filled with fear. "The hell…" She muttered. This was not how her girls were supposed to act. She stood up and pushed her way to the front, shoving soldiers out of the way.
To the shock of everybody crouching in the crater, the officer stepped out of the crate and turned towards them, showing her back to the enemy. Her silhouette illuminated as bright explosions produced a fireworks display, and her short brown hair whipped up from the force of the bullets that shot past her.
"Is this how you're going to die?" She bellowed at the soldiers below her. "Are you going to die snivelling like a coward? Wipe those damn tears away! You were trained to be the best our school has to offer, yet you sit here, blubbering like babies!" She glared at the gaping troops. She raised her head. "We will bring glory and victory to our school by running into the fray! Cowering here will do you no good. If this is the day you fight and die, you will forever be immortalized as martyrs!" She screamed. The girls wiped away their tears and gave a look of determination, their terror now replaced by resolve. The officer wheeled forward, facing the enemy and unsheathed her Le sabre d'officier d'infanterie M1882. "Come on, you bitches, do you want to live forever?" She hollered. The soldiers stood up, and scaled the crater with a roar of courage emitting from their lips. The officer led the reinvigorated assault across the bloodbath, stepping over the remains of their dead comrades.
The Kuromorimine machine gunner kept her finger on the trigger, spraying the entire field before her with thousands of bullets, cutting down hundreds of girls. She could not count how many soldiers she had killed today. Ugh, she thought with disgust. I can't believe with one pull of my finger, I'm actually killing people.
She looked over, and saw a girl using both of her hands to push the ammunition into the feed of the MG34. She looked the other way, and saw a short girl without a helmet peering into a scope attached to a Gewehr 98. Her head jolted back and she pulled the bolt handle backwards, ejecting the cartridge. "Score!" She said, licking her lips. "That's number…..that's number 27! I am on a roll!" She shouted in elation. She flipped her choppy blonde hair back. "How about you? How many you get?" She asked the machine gunner, who just shrugged her shoulders. "I can't count when every time I touch this thing around ten people goes down." She replied. The sniper laughed. "Well, you might have the higher killcount, but when it comes to skill you've got nothing on me!" She boasted, looking into the scope once again. She grinned as her rifle propelled back. "28!" She exclaimed cheerfully.
The machine gunner shook her head as she turned back to her own sights. It was unbelievable how the enemy was charging right out in the open, making easy targets for the entrenched Kuromorimine soldiers and artillery gunners far in the rear. The MG34 shuddered as it belched out bullets, the bipod digging deeper into the soft ground. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the little green and khaki figures, which fell down with a burst from the mg. She stopped firing, as the ringing in her ears was by now drowning any thoughts the machine gunner tried to formulate. The crack of rifles and tok-tok-tok of machine guns was definitely overwhelming for her. "Ma'am, are you alright?" The girl holding the ammo asked with a worried face. The machine gunner nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just…" We're just slaughtering them like cattle, she thought. How did it become like this? How did we, schoolgirls, end up using machine guns to murder each other? Her face became pale, and her eyes bulged out when she realized the carnage before her.
The officer ran forward, oblivious to all danger, waving her sword in the air as if it was a religious banner. Hundreds of girls charged behind her, pointing their bayonets towards the Kuromorimine trench. As a soldier was taken out by a bullet, she was swallowed by the sea of girls behind her, the falling corpse disappearing in a matter of seconds. Even the gaps made by explosions were filled up, the bits and pieces of flesh and cotton raining down into the ocean of blood, mud and sweat.
The Kuromorimine trench was on the top of a slight incline, so the allied advance had to climb upwards to meet the enemy. This didn't faze the officer and the soldiers, who now had to fight bullet and gravity to reach their destination. As they ran up the hill, they slipped on the dirt and got caught in barbed wire. They screeched in pain as they thrashed in the wire before they were mercifully executed by the machine gunners above them.
They eventually reached the top of the hill, right at the Kuromorimine trench. The machine gunners turned their barrels towards the officer, but she swiped her sabre down and cut the gunners across the chest. She jumped into the trench and began cutting down any riflewoman that tried to stop her. The allied soldiers jumped in after her, gutting and shooting any gray-uniformed girl.
"Come on, cut them all down!" The officer screamed as she jumped into a squad of shocked Kuromorimine riflewomen, slitting throats and disemboweling stomachs. The silver swords and bayonets quickly began to drip red. Kuromorimine officers wielding Luger pistols fired into the mass of allied girls, gunning down several soldiers. Troops armed with Gewehr 1888 rifles with glinting bayonets charged the enemy. The two hordes of soldiers clubbed and stabbed at each other in the narrow trench. They rammed their rifle stocks against heads and skewered guts. Girls armed with maces bashed skulls and brains, while machetes and pickaxes made mincemeat out of flesh and muscle. Trench raiding clubs, furnished with nails sticking out of baseball bats were an edition to the gory melee. Short stilettos and thick knives made bloody gashes into anybody it made contact with. Tiny push daggers punctured the throats of many girls. The BC Freedom girls used the French Nail to carve out the faces of enemy soldiers. Trench spades were swung, smashing into helmets and breaking bones. Fascine knives and heavy claymores were utilized to decapitate heads and sever off limbs. Even without weapons, the literal free-for-all had girls punching, scratching and pulling at each other's hair.
The brawl of hundreds of girls spilled out of the trench and out into the hill, where more soldiers from each side piled on top of the fight, while farther off soldiers fired blindly into the crowd with their rifles. Girls tumbled down the hill, entangled in a life-or-death struggle.
They were so consumed by bloodlust that they didn't notice the drops of water slowly picking up speed. Within minutes a storm floated over the battlefield, covering the plains with a downpour of rain. With the lack of light the mass of girls became Indistinguishable as black figures thrashed around, save for the Brodie helmets of St. Gloriana, Adrian helmets of BC Freedom and the Stahlhelms of Kuromorimine. The dry ground turned into a marsh, with a mudslide began to form. With the occasional flashes of lighting that allowed the women from both sides identify their enemies, they slaughtered each other in the torrential nightmare.
The private ducked as a soldier swung a hatchet towards her head. The private, crouching down jutted her Lee Enfield rifle upwards. The bayonet skewered the soldier's throat, the tip tearing a hole in the back of the neck. The soldier looked astonished as the private pulled out, and she grabbed at her own throat with her hands. As blood gurgled out of the wound, she disappeared into the mud. The private had no time to relax as another girl charged her with a Gewehr 1888 rifle. The two rifles clashed together, but the Kuromorimine soldier smacked the Lee Enfield out of the private's hand. The private quickly took out her stiletto and jabbed blindly. It worked, as she heard a distinctive howl of pain.
Then lightning struck, and for a moment the soldier observed the devastation she had wrought in the few seconds of light.
The Kuromorimine soldier standing in front of her was staggering around, clutching her eye with both hands. The private had managed to gouge her eye out. From the hands oozed out dark blood. The Kuromorimine soldier glared at the private with her one open eye, and the private felt everything the enemy girl was going through; unimaginable pain and suffering, and unending hatred for the girl front of her. The private nearly froze, overwhelmed with horror and regret. But when the darkness returned, she stabbed again. There was another wail of agony. The private realized that she had gotten the other eye.
There was another flash of lighting, and the private's fears were confirmed. The enemy girl covered both of her eyes as she twisted down on to the ground. The private, seizing her chance pounced on the writhing soldier. The private pushed her down and sat on top of her. Because she couldn't see properly anymore, she brought down her stiletto on the soldier aimlessly. Each time the stiletto landed it made a sickening crunch sound against the flesh of the poor soul, who continued to squirm in anguish. As the private bore down her weapon, she felt the contrast of the hot tears and freezing rain pouring down her face, and her loud sobbing was nearly drowned out by the roar of fighting.
Eventually the corpse below her stopped moving, but the private continued to stab unaware of the enemy's condition. Her already blinded vision now blurred by heavy tears, she was unable to distinguish between dead and living. She finally stopped when her stiletto dug into the body so deep that the handle touched met the corpse and her hand felt the cold flesh.
With one last sob, she stood up and looked around at her surroundings. The black shadows that lunged at each other. The roar of the rain, the screaming of pain and fury, and the crashing of weapons and bodies. The occasional red and orange explosions and colorful lines of tracers. The sudden flashes of lighting that showered the otherwise near pitch-black sky with white. The flood of water from the heavens and the boggy mud that hampered quick movement. The stench of steel and rotten flesh. The mud, rain and entrails causing a landslide on the hill. The blood, water and tears that poured down her face.
Her eyes widened, and her legs buckled. She crumpled down and sank into the mud, cradling her now helmetless head with her arms. Her teeth chattered and she rocked her body back and forth. Her shattered mind had finally realized what her subconscious had already unfortunately understood; she was in Hell on Earth.
As she muttered incoherently to herself a lone Kuromorimine soldier stepped behind her and shot her once in the back of the head with a Luger.
The caporal lunged at the Kuromorimine soldier, stabbing her in the chest. The soldier's hand darted to her wound before the caporal kicked her down the hill. Shit, she thought as the rain pounded against her helmet and soaked her uniform. Her boot landed in a pile of mud, and she slipped, nearly flipping over her head. "Fuck!" She shouted as a Kuromorimine girl stood over her, lowering a billhook over her head. The caporal rolled out of the way as the billhook sank into the mud. The Kuromorimine soldier struggled to release her melee weapon from the mud, but to no avail. The caporal grinned as she skewered the soldier's gut. The girl doubled over trying to hold in her spilling organs, moaning in agonizing pain. She rolled onto her back, and the caporal struck her bayonet into the soldier's neck.
The caporal turned around and saw a girl with a Beholla pistol aimed at her. She fired, and the orange muzzle flash lit up her hardened face. The caporal felt the bullet slice her left earlobe off, and blood dribble down the side of her head and neck. She grimaced and leapt towards the soldier, who fired again. The caporal landed on the soldier, and they both tumbled down into the mud. The caporal was on top of the soldier, slamming her rifle butt into the girl's face. Each time she slammed the blunt end there was a crack, the jawbone and skull being shattered.
She felt something strike her stomach, and she flew off of the soldier. She landed face up in the mud, and tried to get up but a heavy weight was on her abdomen. She saw the dark figure sitting on top of her. The caporal grimaced as the soldier punched her face, her teeth flying out of her mouth. Blood splattered out along with them.
Then she felt the hands squeeze around her neck. She clawed at the hands, trying desperately to preserve her life. The air in her slowly diminished and her vision became hazy. With the last of her strength she scanned the ground for anything on the ground, and grasped the handle of a trench knife. She gripped tightly and swiped her arm and jabbed the soldier's arm. The soldier screamed in pain and clutched her elbow, letting go of the caporal's neck. The caporal rose up, the deflector crest of her Adrian helmet busting the soldier's nose. She staggered off of the caporal, who sprung onto the enraged enemy and grabbed her head. With a swift movement of her hands she twisted the head, the bones in her neck all snapping at the sametime.
She stood back up and panted heavily. She turned her head and wiped the saliva that had drooled out of her mouth. She noticed a screaming soldier charge towards her. Sticking her leg out, the caporal watched as the girl trip and fall face first into the mud. She lay on the ground, and the caporal stepped on her back. With a grunt she drove the trench knife into the girl's neck several times, each time she took the knife out hot blood splattered onto the caporal's face. She pushed the girl's head deeper in the mud, who tried to push her face out of the disgusting sludge. The caporal pushed the knife into the girl's nape one last time, and the girl stopped moving.
A roll of thunder, and lightning flashed. The caporal saw the corpse lying facedown, her neck carved out. The caporal turned around slowly walked away, clutching her trench knife.
The BC Freedom officer ran through the trench, slicing and skewering countless soldiers. A Kuromorimine soldier with a pickaxe raised her weapon to crack her head in two. The officer blocked the pickaxe with her sabre. They parried each other, stepping through the slippery trench and over floors of dead bodies. The officer swiped up and slashed the soldier's chest and jaw. Blood poured out in a oozing red line. The soldier growled and stepped forward, her pickaxe in a defensive stance. The officer stood tall, her sabre pointing forward. She jumped, and the soldier braced, raising the pickaxe over her head.
The officer jumped up to the side of the trench and stepped along the wall, easily running past the surprised soldier. The officer jumped off the wall and landed behind the soldier's back. Before the soldier could turn around, a large gash appeared across her back. Her legs grew weak and she fell down.
The officer continued to walk down the trench, cutting down more soldiers. She turned a corner, and was face-to-face with a Kuromorimine soldier who was cowering on the ground. She yelped as she saw the tall figure of the officer towering over her, the sabre hanging at her side. The officer took a step forward, raising her sabre into the air. The Kuromorimine girl screamed as she crawled back on all fours, bumping into a dead end. She hyperventilated as the officer took slow, deliberate steps. "Please!" She cried. "Please!" She begged as the harsh, cold winds nipped the faces of both girls.
The flash of lightning showed the girl's large blue eyes and small face. Her light orange hair was a strange contrast to her grey uniform and helmet. Her beautiful face was warped into a petrified expression, tears flowing out of her eyes like a waterfall. Her pink lips curled downwards, and wrinkles lined her freckle-ridden cheeks. She shook at the very sight of the officer, and flinched with a squeal when the officer moved a muscle.
Seeing the young girl-she was no doubt several years younger than the officer-made the officer freeze. She Her body ignored all of the commands her brain issued, as if her muscles themselves went and mutinied. Seeing this defenseless girl recoil in front of her made something click in her. The girl wailed when the officer lowered her sabre. But the sabre didn't make contact with the soldier.
The officer sighed as her sabre swayed by her side. To the astonishment of the soldier the officer took a step back, sheathing her sword. A faint smile crept onto her lips. "It's alright." She whispered. She took more steps back away from the girl. "Don't worry."
She felt something impale her stomach and lurched forwards. She moved her hands down and felt the bayonet sticking out of her, cutting her fingers. Her head became dizzy and she felt her legs give out. She slid off, leaving behind a trail of blood and entrails on the steel bayonet. She landed on the trench floor, her head bouncing up. She looked up at the soldier who gored her, panting and gripping her rifle. "Mia!" The girl shouted. The young girl scrambled to her feet and hugged the soldier, who looked down at the gasping officer on the ground, blood overflowing from her gaping wound. The soldier aimed her rifle at the officer, and the rifle rang out one more time.
The girls kept on fighting, sliding and slipping on the mud. No fist and weapon remained untouched by blood. Even though more troops piled on, the pendulum was slowly but surely swinging in the direction of the defenders. Even as BC Freedom and St. Gloriana threw more troops into the fray, the Kuromorimine defense was too strong. One by one, the allied girls began falling back to their own lines. This trickle soon turned into a torrent of soldiers showing their backs to the Kuromorimine lines. The defenders quickly remanned their machine guns and fired down at the running troops. Bullets arced down as they tore through muscle and bone, taking down even more soldiers. The rain had now stopped and the clouds let up, with beams of light showing the true carnage the battle had brought.
The machine gunner watched the enemy soldiers wobble back to their trench, using their rifles as crutches. With a press of the trigger, the three girls in her sight fell into the mud, never to get back up. The machine gunner looked around the plain. It was a muddy wasteland, with thousands of corpses sinking into the brown abyss. Wounded girls moaned in the field, crawling desperately for attention, their needs unattended. Pieces of human flesh littered the landscape, while blood and rainwater only made the situation even messier. Millions of flies and maggots now feasted on the rotten paradise. Every meter was literally covered by either a corpse or blood.
The machine gunner took her finger off the trigger and looked out. "It's a damn nightmare out there." She muttered, watching the dozens or so girls stumbled back to their lines. Other machine gunners and snipers kept on firing down. "Hold your fire!" The machine gunner hollered, and in surprise the Kuromorimine troops halted their guns.
"Holy shit." The machine gunner leaned back, hands over her face. "What the hell did we do?" She mumbled under her breath.
The last of the allied girls finally reached their trench, all bloody and battered. Nobody was unhurt, with shattered bones torn-up flesh. As they fell down they screamed for medics and help. Many cried for their mothers, for mercy and for God.
The caporal sat alone, shivering to herself. Her uniform was stained by fluids of all kinds, the original color of her dress all but disappeared. Her rifle lay abandoned by her side, the bayonet completely red. Another soldier, from St. Gloriana brought a cup of tea for the caporal. "Here you go." She said, handing the cup to the caporal, who took it silently. The caporal tried to thank the girl, but only managed to grumble. She put the cup to her lips, and drained it within seconds. "I-I-I-" She stammered out. The soldier wrapped a coat around her and gave her a hug. "It's fine now. It's over." She whispered. The caporal froze, then broke down. The soldier comforted her as she bawled, digging her head into the soldier's chest.
The combined BC Freedom and St. Gloriana offensive suffered nearly 20,000 casualties in four hours, 11,000 of them killed and 3,000 of them going missing.
And thus began the Maternal Alliance's campaign against Kuromorimine, the so called 'Southern Border War'. Even though it would be only a few months long- short compared to the years-long campaigns later in the war,-it would become infamous for its savagery and barbarity in a war that would already be regarded by historians as the most brutal conflict in Japanese history with its inhuman atrocities and sadistic crimes unparalleled since the world wars and the split of Yugoslavia.
Survivors of this certain campaign would be known for their lack of compassion(or any other emotion besides apathy or misery in general) and many would either turn catatonic, commit suicide or drink and abuse drugs until they waste away. Many would also lose their sanity in the coming months, while some became so desensitized that they would commit some of the cruelest acts of the entire war.
There are many nicknames for this particular time of the war-from 'The Human Meat Grinder', 'The Colosseum', 'The Verdun of the Orient', and to some veterans with a dark sense of humor- 'An Average Night at the Bar'. To most, however, there was one name that fit the image- 'Satan's Playground'.
The border regions of Niigata, Toyama and Nagano would be affected for decades to come. Even after the war's end, skeletons would become unearthed, and bombs and mines would be discovered each year. There would be several cemeteries containing tens of thousands of soldiers, many of whom their identities were never even properly figured out.
This would be the proof that this war would not be quick, but instead would be long, drawn-out and bloody.
Hello everybody! I hope to enjoyed this chapter. Bonple finally scored a (somewhat insignificant) victory against Kuromorimine! And Kuromorimine attacks Gregor in a surprise invasion. BC Freedom and St. Gloriana(with Maginot, which is not shown) starts their assaults against Kuromorimine.
I hope you like the World War One bit. While the war against Bonple and Gregor might be fast-paced, the war in the South will quickly turn into grueling trench warfare, filled with barbed wire, machine guns, mud and the all too many artillery bombardments and useless infantry charges. I've always liked WWI, and I'm glad I could incorporate it into my story(I also put in a quote by a US marine from the war, dammit).
Alright then, until next time(I will be on vacation for a few days and school is going to start in a week or so, so I do not know when the next chapter will be up).
P.S. I have now added titles for each chapter! Here is a list of the titles for each chapter:
Chapter one: War Without Bloodshed
Chapter two: Politics with Bloodshed
Chapter three: Tigers from the East
Chapter four: Maternal Instinct
Chapter five: Blood and Iron
Chapter six: Failure of Appeasement
Chapter seven: Then the Winged Hussars Arrived(Yea I'm a fan of Sabaton)
Okay, until next chapter!