A/N: This is story is written for entertainment purposes. All characters mentioned belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 5: Skirmish at Vasel
The town of Vasel. Sitting on the eastern side of the Rhine River, Vasel was once a town that was prosperous as a trading town before the war. Now, it is considered one of the most important towns in Gallia. In Vasel, there was the Great Vasel Bridge that connected Vasel to the west bank of the river. With it, it would only be ten miles to the capital of Randgriz. Recently, the Gallian army was holding the town until they were pushed back by the German 5th Panzergrenadier Division. Now, the Gallian had regrouped and was planning for a counter-attack.
In the outskirts of Vasel, a small contingent of the Gallian 18th Infantry Division was gathering for a counter-attack against the Panzergrenadier division, which has now been reinforced by the 14th Panzer Division. One division against one tank division supported by an infantry division is considered suicide but for the Gallians, there wasn't much of a choice. If they didn't take the town back, then the Germans would be able to push through Vasel and rush to Randgriz, ending the war and not in Gallia's favor.
At the staging area, Andrew got off of the jeep that he rode along with. After thanking the driver, he looked around and saw a group of soldiers surrounding an officer, probably addressing them about their upcoming mission. Andrew made his way to the group. As he reached the group, he picked up on the briefing the Gallian officer was giving.
"We will now prepare for our attack against the 14th Panzer Division's vanguard. Lieutenant Kurt Irving, front and center!" A Gallian officer appeared beside the captain. He was wearing the standard Gallian officer uniform with the three unicorn heads surrounded by golden lines over his right chest.
"Sir!" Kurt responded with a salute."
"I am turning command of this battle over to you as Lanseal's Military Academy's top graduate." the captain said, "Let's see the true strength of the school's highest scorer in history!" This caused a wave of murmur amongst the regular troops and it caught Andrew's attention. Lanseal Military Academy was the most prestigious academy in Gallia to train officer cadets to become the next generation. The curriculum was tough, matching that of West Point, Sandhurst, or even the Naval Academy, and being the top graduate was not an easy task, so this officer Andrew was looking at must be good.
"Can he really do this? I mean, they say he is the best but he has only been in two battles." One of the regulars said.
"I've heard his first battle was a miraculous victory but still…" Another soldier commented.
"Maybe the captain is planning to blame him for everything. I mean, we are all new recruits." Another soldier commented.
"Enough! Now, second lieutenant, please introduce yourself." The captain told Kurt.
"Yes, sir!" Kurt replied before addressing the group, "I am Second Lieutenant Kurt Irving. I'll be commanding this operation. I will say this right now, victory is assured for our troops." The moment that left Kurt's lips, that caused confusion amongst the troops.
"What are you saying?!" One of the soldiers asked.
"We will defeat the enemy vanguard without suffering any losses, and then maintain control over the region." Again confusion spread amongst the ranks.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Not suffering any losses? Easier said and done!" The captain hearing the uproar asked Kurt.
"Second Lieutenant Irving, please explain your plan." Kurt then pulled a map out of his pocket, unfolded it and placed it on a nearby crate. Everyone gathered around to see what Kurt was planning. Andrew was more than curious about this plan that will result in no casualties.
"Our forces will split into two groups. Five men will engage the enemy directly while the rest will circle to the enemy rear and attack the enemy from behind." Once again, the regulars were shocked with what Kurt proposed.
"Only five men? What can five men do?" One of the soldiers asked.
"They will cause a distraction, grabbing the enemy's attention. While that is happening, the main force will immediately ambush the enemy rear. This will guarantee our victory." Kurt explained. All the regulars looked at each other nervously, not really knowing if the plan would work or just bring them an early death. However, one person from that group is thinking something else.
"He has a point. If the five men kept the enemy distracted at the front, the enemy would mostly be focused with the diversion force. That way, their rear will be exposed to attack." Andrew commented as he looked at the map and tried to imagine the battle in his head. If everything went well, then this would eliminate the vanguard force, allowing Gallian forces to attempt to retake Vasel. If it didn't work…
"I agree. An impressive strategy. You have my permission. Good luck!" The Gallian captain said as he saluted Kurt and the surrounding men. They saluted back and then everyone left to get ready. As Andrew continues to look at the map, since his gear is with him, he receives a tap on the shoulder. He turns around and comes face to face with Kurt.
"You don't seem to be Gallian judging from your uniform. Who are you?" Kurt asked.
"Names Andrew Walker Vandegrift, I am a Gunnery Sergeant in the US Marine Corp." Andrew replied. Kurt thought about it for a bit and then asked another question.
"I thought America only recently entered the war."
"Well, they did. I happened to be assigned to the embassy at the time so I volunteered to come up and help."
"So you are the only one here that has combat experience then?"
"Yup. Fought throughout the Banana Wars and also fought in some skirmishes here and there since the invasion."Andrew replied. Kurt was amazed. This man can't be more than twenty-five and he probably had more experience than all the officers in the Gallian army.
"I see. Then you don't mind if I ask you to tag along with me and the five man team for the diversion attack. I believe your experience can really benefit us." Kurt said. This caught Andrew off-guard for a bit. All the Gallian officers he has met before just shrugged him off due to him being a foreigner. Now here was a Lanseal top graduate, asking him to tag along the diversion force, an important part of this operation, and Andrew just smiled at this.
"Sir, it would be an honor." Andrew said as he extended his hand. Kurt smiled and shook Andrew's hand.
Everything was quiet over at the German outpost at the outskirts of Vasel. Many of the men on guard were just dozing off, not really worried about a Gallian attack anytime soon. Having been fighting for a little close to a month, the German troops have regarded the Gallian military as inferior to them. That they were just peasants and that they weren't to be taken seriously. However, because of this thinking, they didn't notice a small group of Gallians crawling their way to their position. One German in particular was casually smoking a cigarette while another one was taking a swig from his canteen.
"Hans, sie haben ein anderes." The German soldier who drank from the canteen asked the other one. The other soldier pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to his buddy. The other soldier took a cigarette and was about to hand the pack back when he felt something splatter on him and it felt warm. He wiped his face and his hand came up bloody. He looked and saw the other soldier on the ground, dead from a bullet to the neck. The soldier turned around and saw a group of Gallians charging him.
"Alarm! Alarm! Gallian Soldaten!" The German soldier screamed as he unslung his rifle and brought it up to bear against the Gallians. He managed to fire one shot but missed completely. Andrew, spotting the German, stopped and took a knee. He fired three shots, hitting the German in the chest three times. The soldier crumpled to the ground as the Gallians overran the first position. Andrew reached a pile of sandbags, crouched and began firing at the Germans. So far, the Gallians have achieved surprise, killing six Germans that were manning the position, however that began to change when reinforcements began to come.
Kurt was firing his Mags M4 at the Germans, killing two of them, when he felt a body land next to him. He turned around to his right and saw Andrew kneeling beside him.
"Well, I guess we got their attention now." Andrew commented as he took aim and shot four times.
"Our objective is to distract their frontline units until the rest of our main force can attack from their rear." Kurt said as he reloaded his sub-machine gun. A few meters to the left, a Gallian soldier was taking aim with his Randgrizer-M5 grenade launcher. The launcher was located at the bottom of his rifle and it used the same grenade that the infantry used. The launcher's trigger was attached to the rifle's trigger so the soldier can fire the grenade without firing a shot. The soldier's target was a pair of Germans who were using a pile of sandbags as a position to set up their MG34 machine gun, which was being used to pin down two Gallian soldiers who were prone in a grass field. The soldier raised his rifle into the air at a steep acute angle. He slowed his breathing so that his heartbeat will slow enough for him to get a good aim. Then he pulled the trigger, the grenade sailing through the air until it landed on top of the German machine gun nest. Less than two seconds later, it exploded in a bright blue glow, killing the machine crew instantly while wounding any German soldier near the machine gun nest.
With the brief confusion caused by the grenade's explosion, the Gallians pressed their attack, advancing ten yards before the five men including Andrew took cover behind a wall as another machine gun nest was firing on them.
"I hope the main force is able to attack the enemy's rear." Andrew said as he took pot shots at the Germans.
"They will, we just need to keep the Germans occupied a little bit longer." Kurt replied, firing back at the Germans.
Meanwhile, at the farmhouse near the action, the Germans had temporarily sent up a company headquarters. Inside, German soldiers were around and about, doing their tasks and some just lying about, when they heard an explosion followed by gunfire. The soldiers then got up and began to collect their gear for battle. A Unteroffizier(Corporal) ran into the farmhouse, blood running from his arm from a gunshot wound he received.
"Unteroffizier Claus, report what is happening out there?" An Oberleutnant asked him as he motioned for a medic to treat the man.
"Oberleutnant, the Gallians are attacking our line. We have been pushed back ten yards sir."
"How was it possible that the Gallians pushed you back?" the Oberleutnant asked. He was confused to see that the Gallians were actually pushing the Wehrmacht back.
'Sir, they are being led by a competent officer. He had his men approach our lines from the tall grass and ambushed our lines. We are holding them off for now but I don't know how long we can hold them."
'How many men attacked you?" The Unteroffizier seemed hesitant to say. After a minute of silence, the Oberleutnant asked again, "How many men attacked you?"
"Six, sir." The moment the words left the soldier's lips, the Oberleutnant was filled with rage.
"SIX MEN! YOU GOT PUSHED BACK BY SIX MEN!" The Oberleutnant screamed. The Unteroffizier cowered under the Oberleutnant's rage. Then another soldier came running in.
"Sir, there are Gallians attacking us in the rear." The soldier told the Oberleutnant. The officer was now in a dilemma. He was being attacked by the Gallians in the front as well as in the rear. He has to deploy his forces correctly or else his force would be destroyed.
"The force attacking the rear is a decoy. They are trying to grab our attention away from the front. Send 1st and 2nd platoon to the front and engage the Gallians." The Oberleutnant ordered.
"But sir, it's only six men attacking the front. The rear force must be-" The oberleutnant cut the soldier off .
"The Gallians are attacking from the front. Those six men are probably a scouting party. If we send our forces to the rear to deal with the Gallians that are clearly just a decoy, then they would break through our lines and advance onto Vasel. Move 1st and 2nd platoon to the front. Is that clear?"
"Sir!" The soldier saluted and went off to send the orders. What the Oberleutnant didn't know was that he was very wrong. The rear force was actually the main Gallian force while the force attacking at the front was actually the decoy. The Oberleutnant sent half of his company to deal with the decoy force, not knowing that he just made a mistake that would cost him.
"Enemy reinforcements!" One of the Gallian soldiers yelled. Andrew was in the process of inserting another clip into his M1. He looked up and saw about 2 platoons rushing up to their faltering front line.
"Well, I can't believe it. They actually believe that we are part of the main force." Andrew commented.
"The Germans never expected a main force to attack from the rear. Plus we kind of made it convincing that we were the main force since we advanced pretty far." Kurt replied. Andrew along with the other Gallians soldiers have advanced twenty yards, killing many German soldiers and have not suffered a single casualty.
"Well, it seems like your plan worked. Now, we have to deal with these reinforcements and I have an idea." Andrew said.
'What do you have in mind?" Kurt asked as he fired his Mags M4 submachine gun at a German soldier trying to sneak close enough to throw a grenade. The man fell with about ten bullets hitting him.
"I need you and one of your shocktroopers to lay down suppressing fire while I make for the MG34 that the Krauts left behind." Andrew said as he pointed to said machine gun still on it's tripod. Kurt saw it but also noticed some German troops near the gun, trying to make their way to the machine gun as well.
"You think you can make it to the gun before they do?" Kurt said as he pointed at the Germans.
"Well, we will have to find out won't we?" Andre replied with a small smile. Kurt thought about it for a minute before nodding his head.
"Joseph, lay down suppressing fire for the American on my signal!" Kurt yelled. Joseph, who was a few meters from Kurt and Andrew, taking cover behind some sandbags nodded his head. Kurt looked at Andrew, "Ready when you are."
Andrew nodded back before taking a deep breath.
"Let's go." Andrew said before leaping over the sandbags he was using as cover and made a mad dash for the machine gun. Behind him, he heard Kurt yell for suppressing fire and Kurt along with Joseph let loose on the Germans.
The Germans, receiving heavy fire, stayed where they were, not wanting to take the chance of getting killed. Thanks to this, Andrew was able to make it to the machine gun, but then he ran into another hiccup.
When the Germans abandoned the MG34, they probably expected the Gallians to try and capture it and use it. As a result, one of the German soldiers had volunteered to stay behind and set a trap for the Gallians. The German laid flat on the ground behind the machine gun, flat enough so that the Gallians couldn't see and waited for an unexpecting Gallian to appear.
So when Andrew arrived at the machine gun and saw a German soldier lying there with his Kar98K aimed at him, Andrew was surprised but quickly recovered. He ducked and avoided the bullet that the German fired. Andrew then aimed his M1 at the German, but as he pulled the trigger, he heard a click indicating that the rifle was jammed. Annoyed, Andrew tried to clear the jam but he saw that the German had worked the bolt and chambered a new round.
Knowing that he would die if he didn't do something, Andrew threw his rifle at the German, preventing the man from firing his weapon, and then lunged at the German. The two then began a fist fight as Andrew threw a punch at the German, hitting him in the jaw. The German retaliated by punching Andrew in the gut. Andrew recoiled and the German took the opportunity to tackle him and try to choke him. As Andrew was trying to get the man off of him, the German then noticed the faint 'USMC' lettering on his jacket.
"An American? No matter, you will die by my hand, Yank." The German said in English to Andrew as he tried desperately to get the German off of him. Andrew was losing his breath fast and was close to passing out when he remembered that he had his KaBar knife tucked in his waist. With lightning speed, he moved his right hand from the German's arm and reached for his KaBar. He then stabbed the German in the throat, catching the German by surprise.
As blood began to trickle from the throat onto the knife and onto Andrew's hand with some blood dripping on his face, Andrew leaned in and whispered into the German's ear, "For the record, I am a Boston Red Soxs fan Kraut. Get that right." Andrew then pulled the knife out and pushed the German, the soldier falling back and gripping his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. Andrew then stabbed the man in his heart and twisted the KaBar, effectively killing the German. Once that was done, Andrew then went to the MG34, turned it around on it's tripod, pulled the charging handle back then forward, and fired a barrage of bullets at the Germans. Those who weren't in cover got cut to pieces by the machine gun, falling to the ground looking like swiss cheese while those in cover stayed there, taking only pot shots at the Gallians.
Kurt saw this and ordered his men forward and they advanced to where Andrew was and continued to lay fire on the Germans. This went on for one more hour, with the Gallians reducing the Germans to about 15 men, until suddenly a German soldier popped up.
"Wir übergeben!" The German soldier yelled at the Gallians, with hands raised but one of the Gallians, high off adrenaline, fired at the German failing to notice that the man surrendered. The bullet hit the german in the chest, killing him instantly. Another German then popped up, with a white rag and his hands raised.
"Nicht schießen, Nicht schießen! Wir übergeben!" the German yelled as more German soldiers raised their hands in surrender. Kurt seeing this then yelled in German.
"Halten Sie die Hände hoch!" Then Kurt along with everyone else then approached cautiously towards the Germans, not knowing if it was a trap or not. Once they reached the Germans, and found that they were really surrendering, they disarmed them and grouped them under a tree. Kurt then assigned two of his men to guard them.
"I can't believe it, we actually won." One of the Gallians commented, not believing that they were able to win against a superior force.
'We didn't even lose anyone. I can't believe it." Another Gallian commented.
"But why did they surrender? It was only six of us and like twenty of them." That question was answered when from the German side, a Gallian scout appeared.
"Lieutenant Irving!"The scout yelled.
"I'm here." Kurt responded. The scout spotted Kurt and made his way to him.
"Sir, the captain wants me to let you know that the enemy headquarters in the area has been taken and he is asking for you and your squad to meet up with the main force." the scout reported.
'Roger that," Kurt replied then turned to his men, "Alright, everyone round up the prisoners we are moving out." Everyone then began to get the prisoners up, since they were sitting on the ground, and moved them out. Kurt was in the rear, making sure that no one was left behind and making sure that none of the Germans would run, even though they were flanked by Kurt's men. Andrew, who was collecting some ammo, ran up to Kurt. Along with M1, Andrew decided to bring along the MG34, since he needed to figure out why the M1 jammed in the first place.
"Well, it seemed like your plan worked, Lieutenant." Andrew said as they made their way to the Gallian's new outpost.
"Yes, but I feel like the plan could have been done a lot better." Kurt replied.
"Well, no plan serves first contact, so don't really think much of it. Though, you should have asked for a bit more men. We got lucky in this battle, since we achieved surprise and that this front wasn't as equipped as I thought it would be, but that won't happen all the time. Additional forces as backup would be nice to have in case something happened.' Andrew stated. Kurt thought about it for a minute. Indeed, the Gallians were lucky in that they caught the Germans off guard. Now that the Germans know that the Gallians were here, they would not hesitate to counterattack.
"We need to talk to the captain. The Germans might be planning a counterattack against us." Kurt said as he quickened his pace.
"Not planning, they are probably getting ready to launch it." Andrew commented as he kept up. The group made their way to the new Gallian outpost to alert the captain about the possible counterattack.
German-Occupied Vasel, Principality of Gallia
In the town of Vasel, the German forces received word that the Gallians had attacked one of their positions. Not wanting to lose the ground that they had fought hard to take, the Germans decided to immediately launch a counter-attack to retake the territory. As the Germans were preparing for the counterattack, one of them was running through the mess of soldiers and support personnel to head to an officer meeting he was already late to. The officer weaved through groups of soldiers, making a bee-line to the town hall where his division, the 14th Panzer Division. Before heading inside city hall, the officer paused to fix his uniform. He was wearing the standard German tanker uniform but in addition he had a medal around his neck. It was the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves, one of the highest medals in the German Reich. The man fixed his brown hair to make it look presentable and entered town hall.
Inside, German soldiers were attending to their business, manning radios, typing up orders, etc. At the center of town hall, there is a table where many of the other officers along with his commander were standing. The young officer made his way to the table and stood beside an infantry officer.
"What did I miss, Walther?" The young officer asked his friend.
"Just a summary of what happened. Seems like the Gallians have some fight in them after all." Walter replied.
"Well, what do you expect? This is their country after all." The officer replied. Someone cleared their throat and the two officers turned to see their commander looking at them sternly along with the rest of the officers, though their reactions were mixed from amused to annoyed.
"If you are done gentlemen, we have a battle to discuss." Their commander said.
"Jawohl, Hauptmann." Both of them said in unison. The Hauptmann(Captain) glared at them for a bit before continuing.
"As I was saying before, the Gallians have taken one of our positions overlooking the town. From this position, the Gallians can call in artillery on our forces in town. As a result, we will be sending an armored group to deal with the Gallians while the rest of the division stays in town to reinforce the town in preparation of the Gallian counter-attack." The Hauptmann said. He then looked at the officer who came in late.
"Oberleutnant Stauffenburg, you and your new kampfgruppe Kastner will be spearheading the counterattack. Since your kampfgruppe will be dealing with only a small force of Gallians, you will be taking three Panzer IIIs and 'Bertha'. You will be supported by grenadiers from the 3rd Infantry Division. I expect you to rout the enemy and be back in time before dinner." The Hauptmann stated. Stauffenburg looked at the map closely, thinking about his approach to attack.
"How many grenadiers are supporting my kampfgruppe?" Stauffenburg asked.
"About four platoons should be enough. The Gallians shouldn't have a big force defending the position. Survivor statements are saying that it's just a company of infantry at best half strength with no armor support. I am assuming that our glorious Luftwaffe has the skies clear for us?" Hauptmann said as he turned to look at the Luftwaffe Ground Force representative, an Oberleutnant.
"Ja, Hauptmann. Our fighters have complete air superiority over the skies as well as our 88s and other flak guns are within the outskirts of the city so that no Gallian fighters won't be able to provide support to their ground forces." The Oberleutnant said.
'Good, alright now. The rest of the division will stay in Vasel and assist with the creation of defenses in case of the Gallians attacking the town." There was moaning about that, but was silenced by a quick glare from the Hauptmann.
"Any more questions?" When no one asked a question, the Hauptmann excused the officers. Stauffenburg made his way to his tank to brief his crew when Walther stopped him.
"You are lucky. Heading out to fight while my men are stuck here piling sandbags and setting up machine gun nests."
"I don't see how I am lucky." Stauffenburg laughed. Walther joined in and the two men laughed. After they stopped, Walther extended his hand.
"Come back safe Claus."
'I will." Claus said as he shook Walther's hand. The two men parted ways with Claus making his way to his tank. His tank was located on the far side of the camp. The tank was parked in front of a bakery, which has been "graciously" providing food for the Wehrmacht. As he got closer, he saw one of his crewmen leaning on the tank. The crewmen had their cap on and over their face. Claus smiled as he approached the crewmen and when he was directly in front of her, he put his hands over his mouth and yelled.
"MAHO!" Maho jumped in surprise and was about to pull her pistol but when she saw Claus laughing, she frowned.
"Claus, please don't ever do that again. I almost shot you." Maho stated as she calmed herself from the surprise.
"Maho, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. If I was a Gallian soldier, you probably would be dead." Claus stated, though in a joking tone. Maho scoffed.
"Like the Gallian regular army can actually hit us here in Vasel."
"Then explain to me how the Gallians were able to take our position overlooking the town."
"Pure luck." Claus laughed at Maho's response, though he wasn't surprised. Maho Wolf has enlisted into the Panzertruppenschule II in Wunsdorf. Enlisting at the age of fifteen, she was the youngest to graduate the school, being third in her class. She was assigned as a driver to the 8th Panzer Division of the 3rd Army before transferring over to the 14th as the invasion was getting ready. She has been promoted to be the gunner and so far in the campaign, she has performed well, destroying 7 Gallian tanks so far in the conflict.
"Anyway, get the rest of the crew up. We have a mission today and I want everyone to be on their toes for this one."
Gallian Position overlooking Vasel
"You want us to do what?" A Gallian soldier exclaimed as he and the rest of the company heard what the plan was to defend their position.
"I am allowing our American friend here to have command authority in this company. Which means he is can now order your men around as if he was a Gallian office himself." The captain stated. Meanwhile, Andrew was leaning on the wall in the barn. They were currently occupying the barn that the Germans had used as their headquarters and now the Gallians were using the barn for the same thing.
'I ain't taking an order from a Yank!" A Gallian exclaimed. Other soldiers chimed in with him. Many Gallians didn't like the United States, with many in Gallia viewing America just trying to assert their views on them as well as how America was neutral in the Great War at first and only got involved later on, though thankfully Andrew is already used to this by now.
"What the hell is your problem? I am just here to help you guys." Andrew stated.
"You Yanks don't give a damn about Gallia or Europa. You just want to see Europa burn while you all stay comfortably in your homes, not caring at all for the world." A Gallian soldier scowled at Andrew. Andrew began to grit his teeth, pushing himself off the wall and stomping towards the soldier. He got close to the soldier to the point that their noses were touching each other.
"Look, you little shit. Just because America doesn't want to get involved in your wars, doesn't mean we don't have a heart. America from what I remember is giving you supplies and aid and not only that but we are also at war with teh fucking Krauts. Does that look like America is watching Europa burn? Plus, I have fought in the Banana Wars and have fought with other Regular forces who were more grateful than you all. Compared to many of you, I might as well be old. So, why don't you shut the fuck up and put that pride away before it get's you killed." Andrew stated. He controlled his temper, not wanting to get into a shouting fight, but he was clenching his fists, ready to strike.
The Gallian soldier was taken aback for a bit from what the American said. Then the soldier was about to say something until another voice rang out.
"Enough!" Kurt shouted. He was watching the whole situation silently and now he took the opportunity to interject.
"We don't have time for this. Right now, the Germans are preparing for a counter attack. Scouts from another squad have already reported that the Germans are sending an armor column that is being prepared to head this way. I know that many of you do not trust him or even do not want to take orders from him but he does have more combat experience than all of us. So, I second the captain's decision." Kurt said. Everyone was silent for a moment. Amongst the men, there was a feeling of trust towards the young officer. He had led them into battle and no one was hurt or seriously injured from the battle. There were still others who didn't fully trust him but the overall consensus was that the young officer had the ability to lead his men into hell and back safely and that was enough for the men.
"Well, if the lieutenant supports the Yank then I guess we should also give him a chance." a Gallian soldier said. Soon, many others voiced their agreement. This caused the man who confronted Andrew to back-off with a resigned sigh.
"Ok, now that has been taken care of, we will need to plan our defenses to take on the German counterattack. Lieutenant Irving, do you have a plan to counter this?" The captain said. Kurt rubbed his chin in thought. He looked at the map that was sprawled on a table in front of the group.
"We need to set up defensive positions around the road so that we can hit the Germans from the sides. They will most likely come from the main road here," Kurt said and pointed on the map. The main road leading out of Vasel to Randgriz goes through a small forest, providing enough cover to offer an ambush.
"We can have our men set up positions along the forest. As the enemy moves through the forest, we will wait for them to pass through the forest and hit them when they are within range. We will hit them from both sides, catching them off guard and holding the territory we just captured." Kurt said. There were nods of agreement amongst the group, however Andrew who was also looking at the map, had some problems with that.
"That plan is good but there is a problem. The Germans know that they are advancing through a forest. They will probably send scouts through the forest to see if the road is clear or not. They see our positions in the forest then they will send their dismounted infantry after us and we will be in real trouble."
"Then what is that you have in mind?" The Gallian captain asked.
"I honestly say dig in. We are on the high ground. Let them come to us, but that doesn't mean we can't give the Krauts a little welcome gift. We have some of their anti-personnel mines, so we can set them up all over the field leading up to us. That way it would be costly for them to take the hill and will either force them back or surrender. Or they could all die, whichever comes first." Andrew said. There was silence from the crowd. To many, it sounded like a basic plan, to others it seemed like they were just on the defensive and that they should be on the offensive.
The first person to break the silence was Kurt, "That does sound like a good plan. We would have the high ground and the Germans will be exposed by advancing on our position but what about their armor? There is a strong possibility that they would be sending their armored vehicles. They too will be crossing on open fields and that would allow the infantry to have mobile cover."
"We don't have to worry about that Lieutenant." The captain responded. Everyone turned to look at the captain who had just got off the radio.
"I have been informed that there is another unit that will handle the German armored units. We just have to worry about their infantry." The Captain stated. This relieved everyone. Everyone except for Kurt and Andrew.
"Which unit is handling their armor?" Andrew asked curiously.
"Don't you worry about that Yank. Just know that we won't have to worry about their armor anymore." The captain said with a smirk.
"Sir, seems like one of the infantry officers is heading towards us." Maho said as she looked through her sights. Claus stopped looking at the map he was looking at and saw through his periscope a grenadier approach his tank. Claus opened the hatch of his tank and took in some fresh air that came. Clause observed the convoy. There were a total of ten vehicles: three Panzer IV Auf. J, four Panzer IIIs with the short 3.7 cm KwK 36 L/45 cannon, and three . 251 half tracks carrying the four infantry platoons. Claus stretched a bit as the grenadier finally approached the tank, the officer's MP40 dangling idly on his right side. A look at the collar on the grenadier showed that the man was an Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant).
"What do you need Oberleutnant?" Claus asked the man. The grenadier climbed up to talk to Claus face to face. Claus noticed the white hair and red eyes, kind of reminding him of how a Valkyria would look like.
"Some of my scouts reported an enemy tank in the forest. We don't know how many more tanks are in the forest because they were engaged by some enemy infantry." The Oberleutnant said.
``Do your men know the enemy strength?"
"No, they couldn't get close enough to get an accurate count but they believe there might be more tanks due to the heavy fire they received." Claus thought about it. If there were enemy tanks in the forest, then they would be able to take out the half tracks and cause massive casualties.
"Can you leave one squad behind? My tanks will advance through the forest to see if we can find these enemy tanks." Claus said.
"If you go looking for enemy tanks, then who is going to support the rest of my platoon?" The Oberleutnant commented. Claus thought about it carefully since the infantry officer is the same rank as he was and it looks like unlike some other officers, he cares a lot about his men and their safety.
"I will only take my tank along with the rest of the Panzer IVs. You can take the Panzer IIIs with you. If our aerial recon is right, then you should be facing one, at best two infantry platoons." Before the kampfgruppe left Vasel, the Luftwaffe sent a JU-87 Stuka to scout the position. It radioed in stating that the enemy had only infantry platoons and no armor.
"Very well, I will have third squad stay with you to support." The infantry officer said. He then turned and began shouting orders to his men. Claus went back into his tank and began briefing his crew.
"So, it appears that there could be some enemy tanks in the forest." Claus said.
"Finally, we get to kill some tanks rather than just supporting the infantry." The loader, Erika Schmeiser said. Erika, like Maho, went to the Panzertruppenschule II in Wunsdorf and in fact was a classmate of Maho. Erika was assigned to the 6th Army, stationed near the Balkan Confederacy and was, like Maho, redeployed to this front for the Gallian invasion.
"What's wrong Erika, I thought you always wanted to be the one to save your prince charming and someday get married to him and have children?" Maho teased her best friend. Erika blushed and began to stutter while Claus and the rest of the crew tried their best to hold in their laughter.
"M-M-Maho!" Erika screeched, trying to get Maho to not tell anymore embarrassing things to her to the crew. The rest of the crew tried to hide their laughter or were just laughing when Claus got something on the radio.
"Ok, time to get this show on the road. Johann, start up Bertha and head towards the woods. Time to go hunting some Gallian tanks." Claus ordered.
"Jawohl, Oberleutnant." The Panzer IV driver, Johann Schmit replied. He pressed the ignition button, starting the 12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM V12 engine. The panzer roared to life and "Bertha" began to move forward, towards the woods, along with the rest of the Panzer IVs and a platoon of panzergrenadiers. As they advanced to the woods, the rest of the convoy headed down the main road towards the Gallian positions, all of them confident that it would be a cakewalk.
Gallian Position overlooking Vasel
"German vehicles! Coming from the main road!" A Gallian scout yelled, pointing to the east. Kurt was looking at a map when he heard the yell and looked up. He grabbed his binoculars and looked down onto the main road and sure enough there were a column of vehicles coming from the main road. Kurt counted 3 German halftracks and 4 Panzer IIIs.
"Everyone, get into position! Remember the plan everyone!" Kurt yelled at the men. The men got into position behind sandbags, and into trenches that they hastily dug up. Kurt got behind a pile of sandbags, loaded a full magazine into his Mags M4, and pulled the charging handle, chambering a round into the submachine gun.
"Will this plan of yours work, lieutenant?" The Gallian captain asked as he settled next to Kurt.
"I believe that it will sir. The Germans won't know what will hit them." Kurt stated, "Besides, the variables are in our favor for this victory."
"What makes you say that?" Another Gallian officer who had arrived with his platoon recently to support the position asked.
"Because we have an ace up our sleeve."
The German kampfgruppe, or most of it, finally made it through the forest, unscathed. Fearful of an ambush, they advanced through the forest with caution. However, after about ten minutes of encountering no resistance, the infantry officer concluded that there weren't any Gallians in the surrounding forest and ordered the convoy to continue on with haste. As they emerged out of the forest, the sight of the Gallian position impressed the German infantry officer.
Leading up to the hill were a series of trenches, which looked like it was made with haste, as well as piles of sandbags at random positions to provide cover for the infantry. The infantry captain observed and saw that the Gallians seemed to not have any anti-tank weapons or any of those lancers that had been destroying German panzers with efficiency.
"Infanterie, hinauszugehen und in Richtung der feindlichen Stellungen. Alle panzers im Voraus, und die Unterstützung der Infanterie." The infantry officer ordered over the radio. The halftracks stopped and the rear door opened and the infantry spilled out. The Panzer IIIs moved forward to cover the half tracks as the infantry got out. Once the infantry got out, the officer then ordered the infantry to advance and soon the battle began.
The Panzer III fired again and the shell hit the ground about 5 yards away from Kurt's position. The Germans were relentless with their attack, having their tanks in front firing their main cannon while the infantry along with half tracks in the back taking pot shots with their rifles or laying down suppressive fire with MG34s on the half tracks or infantrymen carrying MG34s Kurt peeked out of cover and fired a spray of bullets at the advancing Germans killing one soldier until ducking again to avoid the hailstorm of bullets. Another Panzer III fired and this round hit four sandbags, killing the four Gallian soldiers using it as cover instantly.
"Lieutenant, when is this plan going to happen? We are taking a serious pounding from those tanks." The captain said as he fired his Mags M4 at the Germans.
"Just wait, he knows what he is doing. He won't fail us." Kurt said as more bullets whizzed above him.
"That Yank better remember to do his part." The other Gallian officer said.
"Trust me. He will."
"When will we attack? Our allies are getting killed out there." One of the Gallian soldiers asked Andrew.
"Wait, not yet. Wait until they are a bit closer." Andrew said. He and some Gallian soldiers were in the forest. They were laying on the ground in the forest. Due to the Germans being too overconfident, they had not scouted the forest and as a result had no idea that a squad of Gallians had hid in the forest. They had some sort of camouflage over them with a variety of leaves and twigs all over their uniform and helmets for some. In addition with the weapons that they would normally carry, they also had with them Panzerfausts. These were shoulder launched rockets that are able to tank out tanks with ease. Right now, Andrew and the Gallians are just waiting for the perfect opportunity.
"Ok, on my signal, give those bastards holy hell." Andrew stated as he got out of his cover and motioned everyone to do the same. The rest of the Gallians got up, kneeled and removed the safety off the Panzerfaust. Andrew looked at the armored vehicles, so far they hadn't advanced much due to the German infantry being pinned by a few Gallian Maxim machine guns that had arrived to reinforce the position. The Germans had no idea as to what was to come to them.
"NOW!" Andrew yelled, firing his Panzerfaust. The others did the same, a streak of rockets fired from the forest and heading towards the enemy tanks. Out of the five rockets, two of them made contact with the Panzer IIIs and two hit the half tracks. One warhead hit the Panzer III near it's ammunition magazine, igniting the ammo and blowing the turret off.
"Well, damn. That was one hell of a firework show." One of the Gallian soldiers commented. The bullets began firing into their direction and he ducked.
"If you have time to comment, you have time to shoot." Andrew scowled as he set his MG42, cocked the machine gun and let loose a hail of bullets. The other Gallians were doing the same and soon along with the other Gallian force on the hill, their fire was starting to stall the German advance. Soon Kurt began to notice that a German officer was shouting something and soon the remaining Panzer III then backed up and fired a round and a white smoke appeared where the round hit.
"It seems like they are pulling back." The Gallian officer said. Kurt nodded in agreement. Then another Gallian soldier appeared with a radio on his back.
'Sir, the Yankee is on the radio." Kurt then took the handset.
"Lt. Irving, we need to take the momentum. I suggest we pursue those retreating units." Andrew said through the radio.
"Are you sure? They still have that tank." Kurt said.
"Kurt, they are in confusion. They are panicking right now. Now would be the time to push them back and probably get closer to Vasel and establish at least a presence in the city. Plus, I think we should lend that unit holding up the rest of the armor a hand." Sure enough, Kurt then heard more cannon fire coming from where the Germans were retreating. It was coming from the unit that had engaged the enemy panzers.
"They sound like they can use the help. I suggest we help them." Andrew said.
"Alright, standby." Kurt then faced his superior officer. The captain had an inkling of what Andrew suggested.
"If you believe that we can do it, Lieutenant, then you have my permission." Kurt gave it some more thought and then told Andrew.
"Andrew, you have my permission. We will back you up. See if you can reach that unit to help them out." Andrew smiled a Cheshire cat smile.
"Roger." Andrew then handed the handset back to the radio man.
"Alright everyone, want to go Nazi hunting." The men around him smiled, happy about the idea.
"Ok, follow my lead and you will make it back alive." Andrew said as he led his makeshift squad after the Germans.
"Scheisse (shit) the bastards took out Martha." Claus heard over the headset. He didn't need that reminder due to the fact his tank was next to "Martha" and saw how the Panzer IV took a hit and immediately burst into flames from the impact. Claus doubted anyone could escape from that.
"Maho, find that goddamn tank and kill it already!" Claus ordered as he tried to look for the tank himself.
"It's not that easy in this foliage. I can barely see through the bushes and that shot had to be somewhere far since I can't see any flash from the cannon." Maho reported. Claus gritted his teeth. It wasn't supposed to be like this. His platoon and the infantry squad advanced into the forest and were expecting a small Gallian force that would run in the face of German firepower. That wasn't the case the moment one of the Panzer IVs were suddenly taken out and then a hail of bullets rained from the forest. So far, they have only advanced about 3 km and they have lost two tanks and probably a quarter of the infantry.
"Sir, I think I am seeing some of their infantry. You might want to look at this." Johann said. Claus adjusted his periscope and saw the infantry facing them. Unlike the regular Gallian infantry that he had been used to facing, these soldiers were all wearing black, similar to that of the SS. Also they were more well trained than the regular Gallian soldiers. However, as Claus observed, they are armed with antique weapons, some of them probably dating back to the Great War. However, that was not what caught his attention. What caught his attention was a woman with hair that was odd and somewhat familiar. The top portion of her hair was red but going down, her hair was white. She was firing her rifle and then pulled out what appeared to be grenades tied together. Claus began to sweat.
'Maho, enemy soldier to our left. She has bundle grenades. Take her out!" Claus yelled. Maho turned the turret to the left and upon seeing the woman, fired. Maho had forgotten to switch to the coaxial machine gun and fired the main cannon. The gun fired and hit the area where the girl was but Claus saw someone run up to the woman and seemed to shield her before the round impacted. Claus was about to order another shot until the radio blared.
"Oberleutnant, you are ordered to fall back." Claus heard his commander's voice in the intercom.
"Sir, there must be some mistake." Claus said, not believing the orders.
"They are official, oberleutnant. You are to fall back to Vasel immediately."
"But sir, we can beat them! Just give us-"
"CLAUS! Now is not the time. I received word that the assault on the Gallian position has failed and they are falling back. You are to retreat and cover their retreat." Claus couldn't believe this. Since when did the Gallians get this good? Soon, his radio operator snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Sir, the infantry are reporting that Gallian reinforcements are pursuing our retreating forces and they say that they might have captured Panzerfausts." Gefreiter Josef Winter stated. Claus turned his periscope and sure enough he saw the retreating forces and they were in disarray. Then suddenly, the remaining half track blew up. It moved a few more feet until it stopped, the crew and soldiers inside getting out, some of them on fire and screaming in pain.
"Damnit. Fine, we have no choice. Josef, radioed all remaining tanks to retreat. Johann, get us out of here. Maho, fire a smoke round and switch to coaxial and cover the infantry." Claus ordered.
"Roger, Erica load smoke." Erica reached behind her and pulled a smoke round. She loaded it into the breach.
"Loaded." Erica called out.
"On the way." Maho called out as she pressed the trigger and the round fired, creating a smoke screen. The Panzer IV then reversed and began to fall back. As they retreated along with the other retreating Germans, the crew was silent. Their high spirits gone, instead replaced with despair.
Andrew surveyed the scene before him. They have finally pushed the Germans back and now are even closer to the city. They were currently regrouping near a farmhouse, a couple of miles away from the town. Everyone so far was resting, having survived the second battle against the Germans.
"We won." One of the Gallian soldiers said.
"Lieutenant Irving was right. It seemed like we were destined to win." Another Gallian soldier said.
"It looks like he deserves his reputation. Two victories against the Germans is not an easy task. It takes sound judgement, keen perception, analytical ability, a cool-headed strategy and a full understanding of the heart of the enemy," The Gallian captain commented, smiling, "He is a genius."
"It was nothing. I was merely given the conditions necessary to succeed." Kurt replied. Andrew understood that. Without those Panzerfausts in the farmhouse, this plan probably didn't work. But then again it was Andrew that suggested the plan and told Kurt who relayed it to the others.
"Don't be so modest, you're destined to be great. As your old classmate, I feel honored." The other Gallian officer stated.
"Yeah, Kurt. You are probably one of the smartest officers I had to deal with." Andrew commented. Some of the Gallians gave him cold stares but Kurt welcomed it.
"To be fair, you also helped as well. It was you who found the panzerfausts and came up with the ambush plan."
"True, but it was you that told me the position to set up and gave me authority to do it. So, in a sense you should take the credit." Andrew actually wanted some credit for the planning but he knew he probably wouldn't be well liked so he just let Kurt have the credit. Besides, Kurt seemed like a smart officer and well-mannered compared to others.
'No wonder Isabella likes him,' Andrew thought.
He then heard more voices and noticed that more Gallian forces were arriving and gathering in this area.
"Seems like a lot of Gallian soldiers are showing up here." The Gallian officer said. Kurt nodded.
"We need to retake Vasel so that the Germans won't have a foothold to attack Randgriz. So, it makes sense that the Gallian army is gathering here." Kurt noted. This caught many off guard a bit, minus Andrew.
"You were just assigned here by HQ, and you can already strategically assess our situation?" The Gallian officer exclaimed.
"Isn't that how it should be? We should always try to anticipate the troop movements of both our allies and our enemies." Andrew was now really impressed with Kurt. When he was an officer back in the Marine Corp, he too would anticipate the movements of his allies and enemies so seeing someone who was the same piqued Andrew's interest.
"Finally, I see my second competent Gallian officer. I might just stick around with you from now on." Kurt smiled at that though the other Gallians didn't really like that comment and it can be shown on their faces. Then Kurt noticed something in the distance. He turned to his left and saw a group of soldiers in unknown uniforms surrounding a man on the ground. One of those soldiers, a woman with odd colored hair, was on the ground crying over the body of her commander. From where Kurt and Andrew were , they can hear the conversation.
"Captain! Open your eyes…. Captain! Don't die!" The woman cried, her sobs becoming louder and louder.
"Stand up No. 13. We don't have time to mourn." A man said, kneeling behind him. He had a brown jacket and a headset around his neck. Andrew had to do a double take as he recognized these two. They were the ones he might a while back, back during his first battle of the war. Andrew and Kurt and looked at the rest of their squad. They both saw three more men and another woman behind the pair. The girl, though, looked really young, with Andrew assuming she must still be a kid.
"But-" The girl said before the kneeling man cut her off.
"This is the way things are….. We will keep fighting these battles." The kneeling man said. One of the men behind him gritted his teeth.
"Sending a squad of infantry to obstruct a platoon of tanks is a suicide mission!" The man exclaimed. This caught Andrew by surprise. Sending an infantry squad against a platoon of tanks is not a suicide mission, that's a death sentence.
"Meanwhile, the main force used us as a chance to advance and take the glory. Our army is just awesome right?" Another soldier said.
"Damnit! They're sending us out as cannon fodder! Quit screwing us over!" Another soldier said, his fists clenched tight by his sides. Andrew observed this and shook his head in disgust. He has seen bad mistakes made by Gallian command but this is beyond stupid. Gallian command seems like to really want these soldiers dead.
"What's with that squad…" Kurt asked, curious about the squad.
"That's the 422nd. Also known as the Nameless. They are a squadron consisting of society's worst: military criminals and lawbreakers. Their punishment is to serve in that unit. HQ considers them dispensable. All of the most dangerous missions are assigned to them. I've heard that if they violate an order, they are sent to the firing squad. I never want to be sent to them." The Gallian officer said. Andrew had seen the aftermath of what this unit can do but it still irks him that the Gallians are using penal units.
"It's all my fault captain! Because of me…" The woman cried before crying over his body. Andrew felt some pity for her. Kurt seemed to look on in thought.
"A penal unit huh?" Kurt noted. Before he could continue, a voice rang out.
"Pardon me, are you Second Lieutenant Kurt Irving?" Kurt turned around and came face to face with a Gallian general. The man was forty-two years old, had a clean shaven face, blue eyes, blonde hair and mustache, and finally a well kept Gallian uniform. From this man's presence, one can tell he was in charge.
"That's me sir." Kurt said, saluting the general.
"I am Major General Carl Isler. It seems that you've pulled off another amazing the army already recognizes your talent as Lanseal's top graduate, you still managed to exceed our expectations." Isler said, extending his hand. Kurt took it and both men shook.
"I have high expectations for you. I expect to see you again." Isler said before walking off.
"Sir!" Kurt called out to the general. Once the general left, the other Gallian officer approached Kurt.
" A general came to talk to you personally! There's no doubt that your future is bright!" The officer exclaimed, "I beg of you, please let me follow you!" Andrew looked at the officer in disgust. He observed the entire conversation and knew when someone was glory seeking when he saw one.
"This is a time of war. The only things we must consider are how to fight and how to win." Kurt said. Everyone around him nodded in understanding, including Andrew. Andrew turned around to see that the penal unit was leaving. He then jogged to them.
"Hey!" Andrew called out. They stopped and turned back and were surprised to see someone running to them and not wearing a Gallian military uniform. The man with the headset approached Andrew.
"What…..Oh it's you again. Seems like we meet again," The man in the tanker jacket said.
"Seems so. Didn't think I was going to see you again so soon too," Andrew replied with a chuckle before continuing.
'Well, I want to say that you guys really saved our lives. If those Panzer IVs had been part of the assault on us, we would have been goners," Andrew extended his hand to the man," thanks for saving our asses." The man recoiled a bit and was surprised by that statement. Andrew assumed he probably never heard someone thank him or something. Then Andrew finally noticed the man's hair. The man was a Darcsen, so now Andrew really understood why he was surprised.
"Well, thanks for your words. It feels nice to hear some words of thanks from someone." The man said, shook Andrew's hand, and smiled.
"I served with Darcsens back in the Marine Corp, hell my wife is a Darcsen. I have high respect for the Darcsen people. Hope we can meet again." The man smiled and nodded. Andrew nodded as well and then turned and ran to Kurt so he could catch a ride back.
Anddddddd I am back. Sorry, this one took a while. It was mainly the old chapter from the previous story but I changed a few things and just made sure that it flows it bit more smoothly this time. The next few chapters may come out a bit faster since I will be using previous chapters but just touching them up a bit so look forward to those. I will see you all next time.