Kicking the Dogs Into Shape [Luther]

[∬: Erik Schneider]

Obersturmfuhrer Erik Schneider had just made his triumphant return. Respected by the men beneath him, he had been regarded as "Iron Lung" Schneider after he had taken a bullet into his left lung and returned with out any permanent damage. He had been lucky enough to have competent Doctors back in Germany who had saved his life. It had only taken a few months to fully recover and now he was planning on jumping right back into the action and proving himself to his Major once more. But first, he would have to kick his men in the rear to get them back into shape. Fighting a battle with these men would be disastrous, but not because of their fitness. You had to be fit to make it into Das Reich any way, but these men didn't know their new leader well enough. And Schneider was a disciplined leader, some might call cruel, and he would have his men the same way as well.

He had gotten his Sturmscharfuhrer, William Luther, up at 0600 hours and send his men on a 1600 meter run. It was harsh thing to do, but when you were aiming to be the best damned fighting company in the 2nd SS Division, you were harsh. The men might regret having Schneider was their leader, but at least they would be the best they could in combat and had a capable leader. Luther was suppose to be picking the Obersturmfuhrer up around now and transporting him to the site of the training grounds where they would watch 2nd Company go through some training exercises scheduled for 0700 hours.

There were due changes to be made after the whole Hauptsturmfuhrer Kriegheld scandal and court marshal. Apparently, in Schneider's absence, the Captain had made a rather huge mistake and been chewed out by his commanding officer Rafael Wolfram. The company had been in shambles ever since and Schneider was there to assert his dominant position and get it back on track and prepared for combat. He was planning on using his second in command, Sturmscharfuhrer Luther, to get to know his men and aid with the company. He had read up on the man's record and had been intrigued by what it contained. A reliable veteran and Sergeant, the man promised victory especially when necessary.

He stood by a road that led around the camp, right outside his officer's quarters, donned in his spotless field uniform. He felt bare, without his trusty MP44 within his grasp, but had grown use to that feeling over his months of recovery. Still, it felt as if the black metal had scarred into his hands on that fateful day Captain Patterson of the 3ID had humiliated him Daniel Brennan humiliated you too! and his men. Which was strange, considering his lung had been able to recover 100%. Perhaps, it was just his mind playing tricks on him and his emotions. Nonetheless, he would have revenge on his new foe. He would some day soon. And perhaps that was what pushed Schneider towards perfection...but at the same time pulled him towards insanity.

[William Luther]

The motorbike engine purred gently as Luther eased it along the path to the Officer’s Barracks. Luther was still sweating slightly underneath his uniform after the 1600 meter run, not a particularly challenging distance, but Luther had gone hard out to make sure he finished it before anybody else. Now, as the motorbike slowly moved, he drank from a canteen, feeling some relief in the cold water.

He came in to the small car park, and making sure not to damage the expensive vehicles, pulled in front of the lone figure waiting, the sidecar facing towards the Officer for easy access. ”Guten Morgen, Herr,” he called out, raising a salute. He’d only heard stories about Schneider, the man’s glory had been happening before Luther’s transfer, and for the past months the Officer had been recovering in hospital. He’d still heard the whole “Iron Lung” story dozens of times. He took a moment to adjust the helmet on his head and sweep back the leather overcoat he had donned, to try and keep the mud off of his pristine uniform.

” Ich habe die Männer in zu Zügen spalten lassen, und sie werfen um das Schlachtfeld einen Blick. Der ganze Bedarf ist dort, bereit anzufangen, wenn wir ankommen,” he explained as he leant over and unclipped the door to allow the Officer in. Perhaps it was a good chance to cosy up with the Officer, try and squeeze a promotion in to his career. There were two other Sturmscharfuhrers, yet no Oberstabsfeldwebels. Perhaps Luther could make the break, a bit of extra power never hurt anybody. He didn’t particularly feel he was Officer material, he preferred leading small amounts of men in quick and deadly attacks, not entire Companies in drawn out campaigns. Only time would tell what was coming for him, though.

Translations

I've had the men split in to platoons and they're having a look around the battlefield. All of the supplies are there, ready to start when we arrive.

[∬: Erik Schneider]

OOC: Kind of sped through the ride and briefing, so you didn't have to make some awkward post about driving

His eyes made contact with the small motorbike the gently turned the corner and pulled up before him, careful not to hit any of the more pristine cars. It was less than glamorous to step into a small side car protruding from the side of a motorbike, but Schneider cared little for glamor. He wouldn't ask his men to do anything he wasn't capable of, which was why he was a good leader as well as a fair one. But he was tough on himself, which could lead to him being tough on his men. Now was his chance however, to get to know and understand his men and especially his Sturmscharfuhrer. Before he had received his infamous lung, he had been known to be very close to his men. However, things had changed... in fact a lot had changed.

Luther raised a salute to his superior and gave a quick greeting, before the Obersturmfuhrer saluted back. "Guten Morgen," he responded before Luther unclipped the door on the sidecar to allow his superior in. Erik grasped the door and pulled himself into the sidecar, before securing it behind him. He adjusted his position in it until he was comfortable

"Ich habe die Männer in zu Zügen spalten lassen, und sie werfen um das Schlachtfeld einen Blick. Der ganze Bedarf ist dort, bereit anzufangen, wenn wir ankommen." Schneider nodded to his Sturmscharfuhrer as he sat beside him. He only responded with a praise, before giving the man the signal to leave the Officer's Barracks. They began to sped down the road as Schneider started blankly ahead, contemplating how the training exercise would go. The day before, the two had gathered and begun preparation for the training exercise in which the men under his command would actually participate in a firefight between the two sides in order to get a better grasp on combat and tactics.

As they came to halt up near a clearing, the Company who were still sweaty from their run had changed into their uniforms and were now approaching the parked motorbike. Schneider pulled himself up and over the door of the sidecar and stepped up at the edge of the road where some of the men were standing with rather blank faces or getting down on one knee to listen to the upcoming briefing. "Men, I have assembled you for a training exercise. As you know, Sturmscharfuhrer Luther has divided you into your platoons and assigned you a color. Red or blue. In a moment, we are going to pass out your armbands and weapons. You will be supplied with Wooden Blanks, so that your enemy will know you have fired, but you will not be hit. We are going to do this by the honor system, so you learn to trust and rely on your teammates. And know when you are hit, so you can avoid that. You will need to work together, keep calm under combat, and use tactics. "

The Oberstrumfuhrer paused and looked towards his second in command, Luther. "Jager, Reichmann Hilfe die Sturmscharfuhrer Versammlung die Versorgungsmaterialien und verteilen sie. Der Rest von Ihnen kommen in Anordnung. Roter Zug auf dem linken und blauen Zug auf dem Recht. " He cocked his head over to where some crates were holding weapons, armbands, and blanks that sat on the edge of the forested area where they would conduct the exercise. Luther and Schneider would be able to patrol the forest on motorbike and watch as the battle unfolds from the roads that stretched out through the forest.

As the three gathered up the supplies and handed them out and the rest of the men got into formation, Schneider began inspecting his men. This exercise would simulate actual combat, but the wooden blanks would disintegrate after leaving the barrel creating an actual shot. The Germans used them for new recruits to adjust to their new rifles, but Schneider was making a change. His men would have to follow an honor code, trust one another, simulate combat, and become better judges of aim as well as picking out enemy and foe. All of them were crucial skills on the battlefield and would be beneficial to experience first hand outside of the danger of getting killed.


Translations:


- "Men, I have assembled you for a training exercise. As you know, Sturmscharfuhrer Luther has divided you into your platoons and assigned you a color. Red or blue. In a moment, we are going to pass out your armbands and weapons. You will be supplied with Wooden Blanks, so that your enemy will know you have fired, but you will not be hit. We are going to do this by the honor system, so you learn to trust and rely on your teammates. And know when you are hit, so you can avoid that. You will need to work together, keep calm under combat, and use tactics. "

- "Jager, Reichmann help the Sturmscharfuhrer gather the supplies and hand them out. The rest of you get into formation. Red Platoon on the left and Blue Platoon on the right. "

[William Luther]

OOC: Aww, you’re so kind Erik.

The motorbike was slowly turned around and drove down the centre of the carpark before turning on to the main road. Luther smiled slightly as he gunned the accelerator and the vehicle roared down the road. He flicked through the gears, and felt the comfortable vibration below him as the motorbike jutted over the road. The loud engine drowned out conversation, but that didn’t bother Luther unduly. He was going fast and wanted to concentrate fully on the road, to try and impress the Officer partly, but also because the sooner they were there, the sooner he could make sure his men were good enough. The Company hadn’t been the busiest lately, and he needed to be confident that the other soldiers would be up to the job.

After only a few hundred meters, he applied the brakes, gently slowing down the vehicle as he turned right in to a field and along a dirt track, sending up a cloud behind them. They drove past trees for a while before coming to a halt in front of two groups of men. As the motorbike stopped, Schneider climbed out while Luther turned the engine off and dismounted; brushing back his coat as he walked forwards and lifted up his sunglasses. He let the helmet sit on his seat as he turned to address the men. ” OK, Herren. Formen Sie sich bitte in zu Ihren jeweiligen Zügen, blau links von mir rot an meiner rechten Seite.” Jeigar and Reichmann walked over and with their help, Luther opened up the two boxes of armbands. He began talking as he handed them out, one to each men who quickly slid them up their limbs. ” Rote Mannschaft hat siebzehn Männer, blau hat sechzehn. Jede Mannschaft hat einen Panzershreck, einen MG42s und ein Scharfschütze-Gewehr. Keine Zersplitterungshandgranaten, aber eine Rauch-Handgranate jeder. Die Ruhe der Waffen ist eine Mischung 98ks, MP40s und Gewehr 43. Blaue Mannschaft hat ein mehr 43 Kilobyte, um ihren Verlust eines Mannes wettzumachen. Zug-Führer werden Waffen ausgeben und Sie in zu Trupps teilen. Denken Sie klug.”

He finished with the armbands and picked up the first box of weapons, placing it before the feet of the first squad leader, and he received murmured thanks in return. Luther just nodded as he moved over to Schneider, falling in a pace behind the Officer and pulling out a small notepad and pen to record any offenders of uniform infractions and to ensure they were dealt with later. The majority seemed quite good in their combat fatigues, and in a paradox of normal uniform inspection, shiny boots here would result in massive punishment. A glint of light reflecting off of a toe could alert a sniper and kill your whole squad, not a particularly good turn of events in anybodies books. He just slowly walked, silently brooding and allowing Schneider to complete his inspection so they could get moving.


Translations
OK, Herren. Formen Sie sich bitte in zu Ihren jeweiligen Zügen, blau links von mir rot an meiner rechten Seite. - OK, Gentlemen. Please form up in to your respective platoons, blue on my left, red on my right.

Rote Mannschaft hat siebzehn Männer, blau hat sechzehn. Jede Mannschaft hat einen Panzershreck, einen MG42s und ein Scharfschütze-Gewehr. Keine Zersplitterungshandgranaten, aber eine Rauch-Handgranate jeder. Die Ruhe der Waffen ist eine Mischung 98ks, MP40s und Gewehr 43. Blaue Mannschaft hat ein mehr 43 Kilobyte, um ihren Verlust eines Mannes wettzumachen. Zug-Führer werden Waffen ausgeben und Sie in zu Trupps teilen. Denken Sie klug. - Red team has seventeen men, blue has sixteen. Each team has one Panzershreck, one MG42s and one snipers rifle. No fragmentation grenades, but one smoke grenade each. The rest of the weapons are a mix of 98ks, MP40s and Gewehr 43's. Blue team has one more 43k to make up for their loss of one man. Platoon leaders will issue weapons and divide you in to squads. Think wisely.

[∬: Erik Schneider]

Quickly, the Strumscharfuhrer and his assistants handed out the equipment required for the exercise as Schneider sifted through the lines of men. His eyes hovered over each man, taking in their appearance, name, and stature. He combined it with the roster he had been memorizing while he finished recovering. Attempting to associate each face with their name was a daunting task, but Schneider knew the benefits of doing so. If you knew your men, you knew how to win a battle. There were no clothing infractions or any other minor infractions as he inspected the troops with the entire process only taking a few minutes.

By the time the Obersturmfuhrer had finished, he noticed Luther had begun discussing the weapons and the assigned Platoon Leaders. Schneider silently hovered through the stiff, rigid men who dared not break formation or adjust their gaze straight ahead. Erik nodded towards Luther and took his spot before the gathered company. Barely 30 men stood before him, a weak company. But the former command structure had somehow allowed a severe cut in men, which forced Schneider to have to somehow manage to bolster their ranks. His eyes glanced over his men for a second, cold and hard.

"Sind roten und blauen Zugführern Diagramme des Holzes zugewiesen worden. Ihnen sind die Position gegeben worden von, der sie und nur die allgemeine Richtung beginnen von, wo ihr Feind beginnt. Sie wird bis zu ihnen sein, zum eines Planes der Verteidigung, Angriff, Gegenangriff zu formulieren, oder sie jedoch bitte ungefähr zu gehen diese Übung. Sie haben genau 20 Minuten, ab jetzt, zum in Position zu kommen und sich zu organisieren. Bei 0730 die Kampfanfänge. Gutes Glück, Männer." His stiff nod informed the platoon leaders they were clear to march their men out and each one of them shouted their orders before vanishing into the forest. The night before, Schneider had assigned some of the men to take some supplies out to the starting points. Enough that they would be able to make a makeshift defensive position. Only what they would be given to establish a quick, temporary position during combat. It would be up to them to decide whether to try and make it in the 20-40 minutes it would take for them to be found or move out.

"Sturmscharfuhrer, kommen mit mir. Wir lassen unsere Weise hinunter die Straße zu einem Beobachtungs-Pfosten, zwecks die Männer völlig auswerten. " He unclipped the sidecar's door amd pulled himself into position, giving his Sturmscharfuhrer the time to prepare himself for the drive on the motorbike. As the the motorbike would start, the engine would mainly drown out any sounds of conversation and Luther would be too focused on the road to speak much anyway. Sliding the strap of the dispatch case to his lap, he flipped the flaps over and slid out a folder containing files on the Company. The dispatch case served as a lockable and portable case for files issued to most Officers. Quickly, he opened the folder and set it down on top of the case for a base to write on. He began the first scribbles of his report as Luther started the engine.


- "Both Red and Blue Platoon leaders have been assigned maps of the woods. They have been given the position of where they will start and only the general direction of where their enemy shall start. It is going to be up to them to formulate a plan of defense, attack, counterattack, or however they please to go about this exercise. You have exactly 20 minutes from now to get into position and organize yourselves. At 0730, the battle starts. Good luck, men."

- "Sturmscharfuhrer, come with me. We shall make our way down the road to an Observation Post, in order to fully evaluate the men."

[William Luther]

OOC: Ew, writers block. Up to you, Erik-boy.

Schneider finished the briefing and in a scurry, the men descended on the weapons crates and ammunition, the two supplies being quickly and effectively handed out so that the teams had as much time as possible.

Turning towards the motorbike, Luther brought the greatcoat back around and buttoned it slightly up the front. There were a few wetpoints along the path, and he didn't want his uniform getting too wet. Checking his trousers were still tucked in to his boots, he straddled the vehicle, flicked his sunglasses and replaced the helmet on his head, buckling the strap under his chin.

Kicking the small vehicle in to life he slowly turned it around towards the road he spoke up over the engine as he tried to recall the map he had studied the previous night, "Herr, Sie können diesen Fall schließen wollen. Sie wollen nicht alle jene Papiere verlieren."

Giving the Officer a few seconds to oblige, he turned on to the road and gunned the engine, powering down the road between the close trees, and almost instantly starting a ritual of spitting away bugs from his mouth. The road was bumpy here and made for a much less comfortable ride, so Luther reined the speed in, there was also the reason it would not be good to run over a few soldiers. After only a few minutes, they reached a small observation post, a wooden hut with an open roof on the crest of a hill in a clearing. Yet again, the motorbike came to a halt and Luther dismounted, out of habit reaching for his handgun as he walked over to the door. He peered inside and satisfied it was still empty, walked inside. Shafts of light shone through dirty windows and the inside had a few threadbare pieces of furniture and a small fire-cum-cooker. Quite a luxurious abode. He walked to a staircase and unlocked the door to allow them on to the roof. There would be quite a view from up there, and with binoculars they'd be able to see with some clarity the battle. If they got bored, they could always walk down and start yelling at people.

- Sir, you may want to close that case. You don't want to lose all of those papers.

[∬: Erik Schneider]

The pen in his dominant right hand quickly scribble a last sentence on the paper before he cocked his head to the left and smirked a little. "Danke." He slammed the folder down on the few papers it contained, carefully making sure they were clipped to the interior before shoving it back into his small, leather case. Once he had the case in a comfortable position on his side, he raised his left hand and rested his chin on it slowly stroking his goatee as if he was in deep thought.

The small motorbike roared into life and took off down the winding road. Through the trees he could spot the armbands of both red and blue marching. It was damp and chilly out in the early morning, the night before had brought scores of rain down into the forest. Their wheels sometimes came upon large bumps in the road or puddles of muddy water, but neither affected the two men as Schneider could tell the Sturmscharfuhrer was being cautious of the road ahead.

As they slowed, he noticed the Observation Post and he waited for Luther to pull to a stop next to it. He dismounted behind the man and followed him in while he began to check out the room. As expected, it only contained a few pieces of furniture and an oven. His eyes immediately focused on the staircase, allowing Luther to climb it first and unlock the door at the top. Luther pushed open the door to reveal daylight or at least what was left of the light that had been blotted out by a bleak sky above.

Raising the binocular on his chest's strap over his head and up to his eyes allowed the Obersturmfuhrer to get a clear view of the battle's progress. Standing on the roof of the adobe on the hillside, he was able to look down and make out the figures with relative ease with the trees only causing minor problems with the view. Glancing down at his left wrist, he noticed the time on his watch read 0730. Blue Platoon had gone about gathering materials to make a makeshift fortification, digging frantically to make a trench system reinforced with some barbed-wire and some wood. Red Platoon had taken the opposite approach to the situation and had actually moved all the way back to the briefing site and up around at Blue from the South...which they believed to be its rear. However, if Blue was to complete in time they would have a right angle like trench overlooking the West and South, making it almost virtually impossible for a flanking maneuver.

"Erklären Sie mir Sturmscharfuhrer, dem Sie gewinnen diesen Kampf glauben? " He said coolly, his eyes meeting with the Sturmscharfuhrer. His face was rough and obviously his combat experience shone from the way he handled himself. A good man to have by your side in combat, but was probably not one who would enjoy being up here watching from binoculars.

- "Tell me Sturmscharfuhrer, who do you believe will win this battle?"

[William Luther]

OOC: Thanks for giving me a lot to go on.

The painted gunmetal of the binoculars was stuck to Luther’s face as he surveyed the ground. Where the hell did Blue get that barbed wire from? He wasn’t bothered, it was quite ingenious, and he liked their strategy. There was no need to attack, so why put yourself at that disadvantage of charging an enemy position when you could sit behind an MG42 and destroy them all?

But then again, if Red pulled the move off, they’d be able to cause massive damage. After a few seconds of thought, he responded to Schneider. ” Ich weiß noch nicht ganz. Wenn Rot, tut das Sturmrecht, wahrscheinlich mit viel Rauch und Schlägen, dann konnten sie das besonders ganz leicht gewinnen, wenn sie während die Holding des Blaues ihre Schaufeln schlagen. Aber andererseits, kann wenn Blau, ihren Graben bereit dann haben es wird gerade ein Gemetzel sein.” After that brief lecture on tactics, he raised his binoculars again, zooming in on the construction of the trench. ” Idioten! Einige von ihnen sind mehrere Meter von ihren Waffen, wenn sie jetzt angegriffen würden, würden sie zerstört. Wir müssen Wörter mit ihnen später haben.”

Shaking his head slightly, he removed his canteen from his belt, and tipped his head back, pouring water own his throat. He checked his watch and just stood in silence for a few moments checking the goings on. Red team had stopped and were taking drinks and throwing a few small bits of food down their throat, making sure they were ready for whatever, seeing as they weren’t sure where the enemy was. It was the smartest thing to do, going in prepared. ” Und Sie, Herr. Wer ist Ihr Geld darauf?”

He took a step backwards from the edge, and reached inside his jacket, pulling out a waterproof map. He crouched down and stretched it out, drawing a knife and stabbing one particularly belligerent corner in to the wooden floor. He placed a finger on the hut, and another one on to the starting field, and worked out their path. From there, he found at where the Blue was and their path. A barn was along that way, and he let out a little ‘ah’ realising that’s where they would’ve pilfered the wire.

- I don’t quite know, yet. If Red does the assault right, probably with a lot of smoke and bangs, then they could quite easily win this, especially if they strike while Blue’s holding their shovels. But then again, if Blue can have their trench ready then it will just be a massacre

- Idiots! Some of them are several meters from their weapons, if they got attacked now they'd be destroyed. We need to have words with them later.

- And what about you, sir. Who's your money on?

[∬: Erik Schneider]

"Ich weiß noch nicht ganz. Wenn Rot, tut das Sturmrecht, wahrscheinlich mit viel Rauch und Schlägen, dann konnten sie das besonders ganz leicht gewinnen, wenn sie während die Holding des Blaues ihre Schaufeln schlagen. Aber andererseits, kann wenn Blau, ihren Graben bereit dann haben es wird gerade ein Gemetzel sein." Schneider moved his whole head with the binoculars as he studied the battlefield before him with a trusty Sturmscharfuhrer by his side. He was in full agreement in Luther, a few decisions in the next moments could completely turn the tide of battle. "Und Sie, Herr. Wer ist Ihr Geld darauf?"

Schneider was silent for the next few moments as he gazed at the movement of the troops. Indeed, Blue were putting together their fortification hastily and poorly. But, at the same time Red was marching through unfriendly terrain unaware entering a trap. Possibly an unprepared trap...but a trap none the less. They wouldn't expect to come upon the reinforced trenches, should they be completed, and would be caught off guard. "Es ist zu früh zu sagen. Blau spielt es sicher, indem es ihre Position verstärkt, aber sie tun sie falsch. Es gibt keinen Punkt in einer Verteidigung, wenn sie eilig und schlecht erfolgt ist. Es ist nur ihr Sturz. Einerseits überquert Rot unfreundliches Gelände im armen Wetter durch feindliche Gegend mit minimalen Informationen über ihren Feind. Dieses ist genau, warum wir benötigen diese Übung…"

Returning his binoculars to their rightful place around his neck, he turned away from the edge to face Luther who had spread a waterproof map on the wet, wooden floor. His fingers traced a line from a starting point and quickly circled around a barn in the middle of the forest, clearly figuring out how Blue had managed to get their hands on the barbed wire. Schneider had placed it there for them to find, they had obviously done a good job of clearing out the barn before moving on.

After a few moments of hovering over his Sturmscharfuhrers shoulder, he cocked his neck to the right and glanced over his shoulder. They had only been needed up on the adobe to watch over the battle and note the movements of the two platoons, but now that the action was imminent it would be best for the two to be on the front line. "Wenn wir uns beeilen, können wir es in der Zeit bilden, bevor der Kampf zu einer besseren Beobachtung des Kampfes abfährt," Schneider said studying Luther to try and determine what type of Sergeant he was.

- "It is too soon to say. Blue is playing it safe by fortifying their position, but they are doing it wrong. There is no point in a defense if it is hastily and poorly done. It will only be their downfall. On the other hand, Red is traversing unfriendly terrain in poor weather through enemy territory with minimal information on their enemy. This is exactly why we need this exercise..."

- "If we hurry, we can make it in time before the battle starts for a better observation of the fight,"

[William Luther]

The knife was extracted from the wood with a firm tug, and Sturmscharfuhrer Luther slid it back in to it's sheath after wiping off a few curls of wood. He folded the map back up and stuck it under his jacket after a last look at the road system. "Es ist schneller, wenn wir Herr, spazieren gehen als die Einnahme des Motorfahrrades. Wenn wir gerade gerade durch die Bäume hier gehen, sollten wir dort in einer Minute oder zwei sein."

He began walking down the stairs, and pulled off the large greatcoat, letting it drop over the back of a wicker chair. The thing was so bloody hot, it just was not funny. He carried on walking until he reached the motorbike. He drew his handgun, and unloaded it; he could get a bit jumpy and the last thing he wanted was to kill one of the SS's soldiers, it certainly wouldn't look good on a report. He also pulled out a pair of orange flourescant waistcoats, and passed one to Schneider and pulled the other on. It woud make them stand out when compared to the soldiers, so in theory, would stop them shooting at them. He began walking down the hill, his boots cutting in to the damp ground. He let Schneider catch up before carrying on down the incline. "So was brachte Ihnen in zum SS, Obersturmführer?" he asked, almost cheerily as they neared the edge of the trees.

He took a brief look around to reorientate himself and just raised a hand a sign for quiet so he could listen. There were clear sounds of digging coming from their eleven O'clock. "Sie machen so viel Lärm, es setzt den Feind in Erstaunen ist nicht bereits oben auf ihnen." With another shake of his head, he began moving in that direction. He had that feelnig that Schneider was paying careful attention to his every move, but then again, he ususally felt like there was somebody, or something watching him. A little paranoia never hurt, especially when carelessness could cost you your life.


Translations
Es ist schneller, wenn wir Herr, spazieren gehen als die Einnahme des Motorfahrrades. Wenn wir gerade gerade durch die Bäume hier gehen, sollten wir dort in einer Minute oder zwei sein. - It will be quicker if we walk sir, than taking the motorbike. If we just go straight through the trees here we should be there in a minute or two.

So was brachte Ihnen in zum SS, Obersturmführer? - So what brought you in to the SS, Obersturmführer ?

Sie machen so viel Lärm, es setzt den Feind in Erstaunen ist nicht bereits oben auf ihnen. - They're making so much noise, it's amazing the enemy isn't already on top of them.

[∬: Erik Schneider]

The Sturmscharfuhrer's feelings were right, Schneider's eyes burrowed into the back of Luther as he closely observed the man. They decided on walking instead of riding the motorbike, quickly departing from their previous Observation Post. Luther made a quick display of brilliance by deciding to grab a pair of orange fluorescent waistcoats to stand out among the rest of the men in the forest and establish themselves as observers. Schneider quickly pulled his on without a word before returning to his Sturmscharfuhrer's side and following him through the forest.

Schneider quizzically glanced over at Luther when he asked him the question, his voice full of cheer. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to be a little more open with the Sturmscharfuhrer of his company but than recalled how friends could die on the battlefield right before your very mind. But Luther seemed more than capable of staying alive and Schneider confirmed that by watching him from afar for the duration of the exercise. "Ich wünschte zum Bediener mein Land und mein Fuhrer das Beste, das ich könnte. So schloß mich ich dem Besten an, das ich könnte," he finally gave as a reply, figuring it was good enough for an answer.

Before he could even say anymore, Luther shot up a sign for silence. He listened to the man's order, taking it more as a request as he waited by his side not attuning his ear to the source of the sound. He could hear it too, the distinct sound of shovels meeting with dirt. The Blue Platoon was being foolish in their building techniques, but Red Platoon must have been deaf to not hear it or just not aware of their surroundings. That was equally as foolish, for it could get you killed just as quickly in combat.

Schneider took the lead now by swiftly walking ahead of Luther and through the foliage until he was upon the Blue team's position. The men who were digging out trenches turned their attention to the motion and dove for their weapons. It took them a few seconds to regather and actually aim at the newcomers and then finally realize who it was before them. Schneider's stern look brought on shades of red in some of the men, who had obviously realized their mistake. "Sturmscharfuhrer, gehen finden roten Zug und beobachten sie. Notieren Sie Geistes, was sie tun, recht und falsch und Report zu mir nach dem Kampf," Schneider murmured with a nod at Luther before he watched the man disappear into the trees.


- "I wanted to server my country and my Fuhrer the best I could. So I joined the best I could,"

- "Sturmscharfuhrer, go find Red Platoon and observe them. Make a mental note of what they do, both right and wrong, and report to me after the battle, "

[William Luther]

Following Schneider, the Sturmscharfuhrer made his way through the trees, pushing aside the occasional belligerent branch until they reached the blue trench. Luther just crossed his arms with a bemused look on his face as they scrambled for arms. He just raised a blonde eyebrow as he looked over them before the Officer spoke, ordering Luther to join the red team. Excellent, he enjoyed a good offensive.

Unthreading himself from the flourescant jacket, he threw it to the ground, with a brief smile and a remark of "Behalten Sie es," broke off in to the woods, sprinting between the trees so they couldn't shoot at him. May branches cracked underfoot, and after a few hundred meters, he raised his arms high, if his calculations were correct, this was near the right place. "Schießen Sie nicht, es ist Sturmscharfuhrer Luther!" He felt the familar feeling when dozens of weapons were trained on you before somebody approached, MP40 held high so he could confirm it was him.
"Was wollen Sie, Herr?"
"Ich nehme Kontrolle. Tun Sie wir haben irgendwelche Ersatzwaffen, und ich weiß, wo der Feind ist. Sie stellen einen Graben mit einem neunzig Grad darin zusammen. Wir werden sie auf soviel Seiten schlagen müssen wie möglich."
"Keine Ersatzwaffen, schade, ließen wir ein Gewehr zurück, um auf dem Gewicht zu sparen."

Luther nodded thoughtfully, it made sense really, they didn't want the excess weight. He'd just have to wait for somebody to go down and take theirs. He licked his lips with anticipation before speaking again. "OK, ausgedehnt, will ich Zwischenräume von zwei Metern zwischen jedem Mann, bewege mich langsam und ruhig, ich bin am Zentrum." With small murmurs of organisation, there was movement as the soldiers moved about. Being at the center, he could rely on cover from either side. He gave a few minutes for the order to be completed before he began carefully moving, keeping his legs high to avoid kicking anything or crushing sticks. They'd have to do this attack bery carefully to avoid casualties, very carefully indeed.

Translations

Behalten Sie es. - Keep it.
Schießen Sie nicht, es ist Sturmscharfuhrer Luther! - Don't shoot, it's Sturmscharfuhrer Luther!
Was wollen Sie, Herr? - What do you want, sir?
Ich nehme Kontrolle. Tun Sie wir haben irgendwelche Ersatzwaffen, und ich weiß, wo der Feind ist. Sie stellen einen Graben mit einem neunzig Grad darin zusammen. Wir werden sie auf soviel Seiten schlagen müssen wie möglich. - I'm taking control. Do we have any spare weapons, and I know where the enemy is. They're putting together a trench with a ninety degree in it. We'll have to strike them on as many sides as possible.
Keine Ersatzwaffen, schade, ließen wir ein Gewehr zurück, um auf dem Gewicht zu sparen. - No spare weapons, sorry, we left the one rifle behind to save on weight.
OK, ausgedehnt, will ich Zwischenräume von zwei Metern zwischen jedem Mann, bewege mich langsam und ruhig, ich bin am Zentrum. - OK, spread out, I want intervals of two meters between each man, move slowly and quietly, I'm at the center

[∬: Erik Schneider]

Schneider's eyes made contact with the platoon leader who nervously looked away towards his men poorly digging the trench. His gaze averted over to the vanishing Sturmschrarfuhrer who had thrown his bright orange jacket to the ground. Disregarding his order, Luther had taken it that his Oberstumfuhrer wanted him to lead the Red Team. It was a cocky move, but at least he knew what kind of man Luther would be. A little headstrong, but also an intelligent and good Sergeant. At least Blue team would still learn something from this whole ordeal.

Scooping up the extra jacket, he tossed it into the trench system. "Sind Sie zu hören, um Gebühr wie das Strumscharfuhrer, Herrn zu nehmen?" the desperate platoon leader next to him questioned nervously. Schneider watched from the middle of the trench system, on the high ground. Lopsided walls, poor defenses, unprepared soldiers, and even some rifles had been buried during the process. It was a recipe for disaster and all the men needed to learn the error of their ways. Perhaps the Waffen SS weren't training them as good as Schneider and Luther anymore. But it mattered little, they would learn soon enough once Luther stormed the position.

"Sind Sie zu hören, um Gebühr wie das Strumscharfuhrer, Herrn zu nehmen?" was all the response he gave to the man before he disappeared into the trenches, sensing he did something wrong. Schneider closed his eyes and sighed. If he lead some of these men into combat... surely he would be killed. But which ones were the ones were causing it. It would be hard to tell. Opening his eyes, he could almost sense Luther and his men taking up position in the trees. Why didn't they have anyone watching to warn the others? Yet another fatal mistake.

- "Are you hear to take charge like the Strumscharfuhrer, Herr?"

- "No. Unlike the Sturmscharfuhrer, I will let you learn from your mistakes. Command your men. And command them well. "

[William Luther]

OOC: Too tired for German

The booming voices of the other team carried themselves through the trees as the Red Team slowly advanced, moving carefully dodging trees and branches. They had quickly latched on to the location of Blue. Next to Luther, the old platoon leader raised a clenched fist, and everybody fell in to silence and stopped, lying down or taking cover behind whatever was available, mainly trees and rocks. The Sturmscharfuhrer turned to the man, raising an eyebrow.

"If we get any closer, sir, they'll notice us and wreck us," explained the Sergeant.
"So," Luther said simply, "what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to split the squad, and establish a base of fire here with the MG42. Everybody slowly moves until we're spotted, when we are, have the Panzershreck on the flank cause damage, deploy smoke and make a charge."
Luther though for a second, mulling it over. "Sounds good, but you'll want to do a firm reconnaissance of the area. Give somebody my binoculars, and have them more forward with a number two."

The platoon commander nodded and took the binoculars, signalling for two people to come forward. These guys thought they were thee bee's knees, daubed in cam cream with large floppy camoflauged hats instead of helmets. They had dark rifles and almost comical smiles between them. As they started moving, Luther sat down against a tree, back to the enemy and looked down the threaded trees. At least everybody had the initiative to take cover, but there was a certain urging for at least one of them to go down - his hands felt empty wihout a weapon. He pulled out a canteen and took a swig, offering it to the guys around him before taking another drink, capping it and putting it back on his belt. Now, he just had to wait.

[∬: Erik Schneider]

Digging trenches was hard work, but it was work that if done right could save your life. It would be hard to say the same for the men beneath Schneider's dirty, black jack boots. They weren't aware, they were doing it wrong, and they were endangering their lives. Sighing with the failure before his eyes, he raised his binoculars to check on his Sturmscharfuhrer's work. They had reached the edge of the woods, but were obviously taking up cover and hiding. Schneider could only count a few that had hidden poorly throughout the trees, but it wouldn't matter if the imbecile platoon leader hadn't decided to set up a scout team. Judging by the slow approach, Luther was probably having some men scout out the area before he got into a fight he might not be able to handle.

Making a mental note about teaching the men on how to dig trenches the best way in combat and how to reinforce them, Erik let the binoculars settle across his chest. He unbuttoned his case and slid a file out while letting the others slide back into place. It was the proper time to catch up on the report now that he could tell he wasn't going to see much of an improvement. It was obvious how the rest of the battle would go. Luther would command his men well and ultimately slaughter the men in the trenches. Red Platoon would prevail would minimal casualties, but only really because the Sturmscharfuhrer had taken the reigns.

He easily managed to stand up right and write on a thin slice of paper on nothing but air. He had trained himself vigorously during his own training to be able to stand and walk the correct way to impress superiors and having amazing handwriting was another nicely needed trait sometimes. His light writing was still readable and soon filled the entire page. Upon finishing, his eyes revised it and then the folder was clamped shot and jammed back into the dispatch case. He grasped the binoculars again and scanned the forest. The assault was coming.