Beating the "Pest"

[∬: Felix Odegaard]

Felix drew a cigarette from his tunic pocket and stuck it between his chapped lips. Flipping open a matchbook, he ripped out a match and struck it on the emery paper on the side. Cupping his hands, he lit his cigarette and puffed out.

Leaning against the siding of the panzer mark I with one hand and holding his cigarette with his other, he watched as several of his comrades dragged the man out of the farm building. He was about twenty, with parted blond hair and high cheekbones framing his fear-stricken face. A Jew lover. Disgusting.

The three Shutze threw him onto the ground, cutting off his pleading with a sharp cry. A jackboot flew into his testicles, making him cry out. Another German lifted the screaming man to his feet, leaving a splotch of blood were the traitor's head had lain.

Felix's squad, including a panzer, had invaded the small Russian farm village yesterday. They had killed several Red Army soldiers and rounded up seven Jews. Now they were on the trail of several villagers that had helped smuggle three Jews deeper into Russia. They would pay. With there lives.

Twap! One of the soldiers punched the man square in the nose, making him pitiful squeal and fall to the ground, his nose gushing blood all over his face. Weakling. He was unfit to live.

Tossing his cigarette onto the muddy ground, he approached the mob. "Gehen! GEHEN! Ich möchte auf die Juden Lover!" The privates shied away and Felix approached, trying to put a frightening look on his gruff, stubble-covered face. Grabbing him by the collar and bringing him up to eye level.

"Sie denken, dass Ihr smart? Sie, wie die jüdische Pest? Nun sterben, Schwächling!" The man shrieked pitifully in Russian, tears mixing with the blood on his face. Felix brought his hand up sideways, connecting with the left side of the man's jaw. As soon as it connected, he dropped the man from his grasp.

When he thudded on the ground, Felix yelled "Keiner von euch berühren den Juden lover!" as he walked back to the panzer. The tank crew were sitting on the top of the panzer, joking and smoking. "Du! Panzer Crew! Gib mir meine Mauser!" Felix ordered as they grabbed the rifle and tossed it to the soldier.

Walking back over to the man on the ground, he raised the rifle to his shoulder and shot into the man's kneecap. Screaming in pain, the man reached to grab his bleeding knee. Felix looked at the screaming man with delight.


TRANSLATION


Gehen! GEHEN! Ich möchte auf die Juden Lover!
Go! GO! I want to hit the Jew Lover!


Sie denken, dass Ihr smart? Sie, wie die jüdische Pest? Nun sterben, Schwächling!

You think your smart? You help the Jewish Pest? Then die, weakling!"


Du! Panzer Crew! Gib mir meine Mauser!
You! Panzer Crew! Give me my Mauser!

[Heiko Alkema]

The cold bit at Heiko's nostrils as he and his platoon trudged up this half-frozen mud pit that might have been a road at one point. He could feel a bit of ice forming on the hand holding his rifle strap. He looked around and saw everyone was as miserable as he was, "Wir werden ins dieses Dorf fuer eine klein Pause halten. Klinkt gut, ja?" A subdued cheer wafted up from those behind him, a warm room did wonders for morale in winter.

As they drew closer Heiko noticed a PzKw I sitting idly in the middle of the little village. No tanks of the 21st were in this area, they were chasing a Soviet armoured corps several kilometres to the south. That meant it had to belong to the 2nd SS, and that meant trouble. An SS man had been on the receiving end of Heiko's fist on more than one occasion, mostly for remarks about his non-Aryan mother. Most of the men under him had had similar encounters with SS men, with the notable exception of Leon Junker who was the only pure Aryan in the bunch.

Upon entering the village proper the signs of battle became very apparent; bullet-holes in the sides of the huts; scorched patches on the roofs; and barely noticeable pink snow lining the edges of the dirt road. Despite this Heiko kept his eyes on the tank in the center of the village. At the edge of the village Heiko stopped his men and pulled Kasper Loewe, his closest ally, aside told told him to take three men, including Junker, around the village and meet him in center. Being surrounded makes even the SS think twice before pulling anything funny. This also got Junker's biases out of the way should an argument start. he waited for Loewe, Junker, Bachmeier, and Baumgartner to leave sight before continuing into the village.

He wasn't exactly pleased by what he saw. Heiko spied two men drag what he assumed was a Russian out of one of the houses. A corporal has handed a rifle. A crack ripped through the air.

Random acts of violence disgusted Heiko no matter who they were directed against. He unslung his rifle by instinct and turned to see the other do the same. He wasn't about to let innocent people be murdered on his watch, he could the same sentiment in in the eyes of his men.

"Was passieren hier? Was haben dieser Man getan?" Heiko called out as he and his men approached. By the looks of it, Heiko outranked the one with the rifle who seemed to be in charge here.

----------
Translation:

"Wir werden ins dieses Dorf fuer eine klein Pause halten. Klinkt gut, ja?"
- We will stop for a short rest in this village. Sounds good, yes?"

"Was ist passieren heir? Was haben dieser Man getan?"
- What is going on here? What has this man done?"

[∬: Felix Odegaard]

The thirty-five year old corporal had a grim smile on his face as the bullet ripped into the Jew lover's knee. It cracked the kneecap and exited through the bottom of the knee. It was a good fate for such a pitiful excuse for a human being. Life is sweet, Felix thought to himself.

But someone always has to ruin it.

"Was ist passieren heir? Was haben dieser Man getan?"

Felix paused for a moment. The speaker's tone was disrespectful, nothing one of his own men would ever speak to him, if they valued there hide. Turning on the heels of his jackboots, he was utterly disgusted by what he saw. A Wehrmacht soldier, with several more Wehrmacht soldiers flanking him. He looked to be non-Aryan, judging by his darker hair. The undermining of the Third Reich.

Das ist eine schmutzige Jude lover! Er sollte ein Ende gesetzt werden aus dem Antlitz der Erde! Der Fluch des Dritten Reiches und des sehr Vaterland!

Felix straightened out his flektarn smock, which had become wrinkled in the past events, adjusted his head toque, and turned to face the man on the ground. Moving the bolt on the rifle with his gloved hand, raised it to his shoulder, and rammed the bayonet into the Jew lover's gut. He screamed out in pain, calling out for his mother. Quickly Felix pulled it out and aimed a the squirming man.

"HEIL HITLER!"

Felix yelled out, and then launched a bullet into the man's skull.

[Heiko Alkema]

The soldier regurgitated the same rhetoric that had been forced on him for the last decade, it was enough to almost make Heiko physically sick. Before he could respond the soldier leveled his rifle at the kneeling man's head and pulled the trigger once more. A fine pink mist settled over the snow as the man crumpled backwards. He could feel the greener men behind him tense. Heiko didn't, he had seen far worse.

Such unnecessary violence disgusted Heiko. He sighed as he put his rifle back over his shoulder and approached the soldier. "Depp," he said quietly, shaking his head slowly, "Sieht Sie dass fuer alle Russe Sie toeten, toeten Sie zwei Deutschen Maenner? Sie machen Partisan wenn sie Zivilisten toeten." From the look in his eyes, Heiko knew that this meant nothing to him. And then it dawned on him and a wicked simile creeped up upon his lips.

"Aber haben Sie kein Zuneigung für Deutschen empfinden. Diener Akzent hat Sie verratten. Kommen Sie aus Norwegen ober Schweden?" Heiko's calm demeanor just barely concealed his rage. He had come across these types before, they were usually non-entities in their homelands drawn to Germany by Hitler's eloquent speech. They came here with the hope of being admired and swooned over merely for the colour of their hair and eyes. Heiko felt it was his duty to cut down these worms on behalf of all true Germans. The eyes of the Shuetze were now drilling holes in the back of this soldier, but the last nail still needed to be hammered in.

The soldier opened his mouth, scathing words about to roll off his foreign tongue. Heiko beating him to it, "Es ist nicht von Bedeutung sein. Sie sind lediglich ein Schaf ins der Klamotten des eine Wolf. Sie sind einer Betrueger." And with that he was finished. Heiko pushed his way past the stunned soldier and continues on toward the house from which the dead man had come. He had promised his men a rest and now that the owner was dead they could commandeer this house without much fuss.

----------
"Depp. Sieht Sie dass fuer alle Russe Sie toeten, toeten Sie zwei mehr Deutschen Maenner? Sie machen Partisan wenn sie Zivilisten toeten."
- Fool. Don't you see that for every Russian you kill, you are killing two more German men? You are making partisans when you kill civilians."

"Aber haben Sie kein Zuneigung für Deutschen empfinden. Diener Akzent hat Sie verratten. Kommen Sie aus Norwegen ober Schweden?"
- But you don't care for Germans, do you? Your accent has betrayed you. Do you come from Norway or Sweden?

"Es ist nicht von Bedeutung sein. Sie sind lediglich ein Schaf ins der Klamotten des eine Wolf. Sie sind einer Betrueger."
- It is not important. You are a sheep in wolf's clothing. You are an impostor.

[∬: Felix Odegaard]

Felix almost laughed when the fool said that Partisan groups would spring up, a result of the Jew lover's death. The villagers in this part of Russia lived in fear of the Germans, they knew that if even a gun was found, the SS would kill them and there family.

But then the mention of him being forigen. Felix's blue eyes filled with hatred for the disrespectful sergent. How dare he say that he didn't care for the Germans! If he had not cared for them, he would still be back in Norway, sitting in a chair at a bank booth. But no, the photos of Kaiser Wilhelm, Adolf Hitler, and Heinrech Himmler and the map of Germany on the wall had fueled his love for Germany, and he had enlisted in the SS, performing so well in basic training and small skirmishes had been promoted several times, reaching corporal in just several months. How dare this idiot say that he didn't care for Germany!?!

He was about to fire out a long stream of insulting words, but the fool cut him off. Now he called Felix a coward. Idiot! Then he quickly walked to the Jew lover's house, beckoning them to follow.



Narr! Wo gehst du hin? Sie brauchen nur mich zu töten Vortrag ein Jude Geliebten, dann nimmt man einfach sein Haus?


TRANSLATION

Narr! Wo gehst du hin? Sie brauchen nur mich zu töten Vortrag ein Jude Geliebten, dann nimmt man einfach sein Haus?
Fool! Where are you going!? You just lecture me on killing a Jew lover, then you just TAKE HIS HOUSE!?

[Heiko Alkema]

"Narr! Wo gehst du hin? Sie brauchen nur mich zu töten Vortrag ein Jude Geliebten, dann nimmt man einfach sein Haus?" hissed the soldier, Heiko thought about ignoring him but decided against it. Not answered could earn him a hole in his back. It was a real shadow that every Wehrmacht soldier lived under. The SS seemed to think that they ran the army and acted accordingly. Heiko had seen several particularly rowdy Wehrmacht officers catch a bullets for speaking against higher ranking SS man. Though the man was a corporal he could still suffer from that delusion and take it upon himself to 'teach him a lesson'. He raised his hand to let him know that he had heard as he approached the house

"Meiner Plan war zu eines herrenlose Haus fuer meinen Maenner immerhin requiriert, und diese Haus ist jetzt herrenlos, ja?" He asked rhetorically over his shoulder. Heiko poked his head into the open door and called out, "Hallo?" Heiko frowned as the sound of muffled motion came from the back of the house; maybe a wife and children. It wouldn't be a problem, live and let live, He might even be kind enough to give them a chocolate bar. Heiko laughed to himself as he motioned for his men go inside. Sorry for killing your father. Here, have a candy bar! The four of them shuffled inside pulling chairs to the small fireplace and lighting it while Heiko remained at the door waiting for Loewe and his men to meet him.

"Haben Sie etwas dagegen reinigen diene Unordnung?" He asked, motioning toward the body as he took out his own cigarette case. "Verstetzen ihn hieraus." He used his ornate lighter, a gift from his grandfather before he had been killed by the SS, and took a relaxing drag. He looked around the village hoping to get a glimpse of Loewe but instead met the raging eyes of several Russians peeping out from various windows and doorways. He smiled and waved to some of them as a red flag went up inside of Heiko's head.

Daecher appeared in the doorway behind him and startled Heiko, he been to buzy observing the house to hear the commotion inside the house. "Herr Alkema, Wir haben diese ins dem Zueruckzimmer gefunden," Daecher held three Nagant rifles in his arms, "Da sind mehr darin."

This was not a good place to be.

----------
"Meiner Plan war zu eines herrenlose Haus fuer meinen Maenner immerhin requiriert, und diese Haus ist jetzt herrenlos, nein?"
- My plan was to commandeer an abandoned house for my men, and this house is now abandoned, no?

"Haben Sie etwas dagegen reinigen diene Unordnung?"
- Do you mind cleaning up your mess?

"Verstetzen ihn hieraus."
- Move him out of here.

"Wir haben diese ins dem Zueruckzimmer gefunden. Da sind mehr darin."
- We found these in the back room. There are more in there.

[∬: Felix Odegaard]

After a pause, the Wehrmacht sergant replied "Meiner Plan war zu eines herrenlose Haus fuer meinen Maenner immerhin requiriert, und diese Haus ist jetzt herrenlos, nein?" Scowling, Felix nodded his head. He had thought that he probably didn't want to upset the sergant any further. Disrespect wasn't somthing Felix wanted to make himself known for, so he layed back as the man walked into the house.

"Haben Sie etwas dagegen reinigen diene Unordnung?"

Fool.

"Ja" Felix replied bitterly, motioning over a private with the wave of his hand. Felix grabbed onto the mans ankles, and the private onto his bloody shoulders. Lifting him up, they made there way to a small collection of trees on the eastern side of the village. Throwing him into the brush, the Nordman watched as the private looked at the Jew lover's blood covering his tunic.

Walking back to the Panzer, he was thinking about throwing out occupents of the adjacent house and sleeping there for the night. It wouldn't make him more popular with the villagers, but who cares, he would be fighting the Red Army again in a few days. Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

One of the Wehrmacht soldiers handed the sergant several rifles, Nagat by the look of it. Partisans. Maybe the people of this village arn't as cowardly as he first thought. If they so much as shot at a German soldier, Felix would see to it that the panzer crushed every hut in the village.

Grabbing his Mauser of the ground and trotting up to the house, Felix asked Was ist denn hier los?

TRANSLATION


Was ist denn hier los?
What is going on here?

[Heiko Alkema]

OOC: Out of convenience for myself, I'm not going to bother with translations.

"Was ist denn hier los" the corporal hissed. Heiko shifted his gaze from Daecher to him and back to the rifles. They would probably find something like this in every home in the village. "Is it just rifles back there?"

"No, their are a two anti-tank rifles and a few grenades. Amsel and Faust are checking the rest of the house." replied Daecher. Heiko took a rifle from him and checked the chamber; A fresh round shined in the light. Heiko drew on his cigarette one last time before casting it into the snow as he finally turned to face the corporal.

Heiko let any remnants of a smile drip from his face as he addressed the corporal, "It seems you have kicked a hornet's nest, Corporal. Start up your tank to let them know we won't be caught with our pants down," Heiko turned back to Daecher as the shuffling he heard popped back into mind, "Where are the others that were in the house?"

"Others, sir?" The puzzled look on Daecher's face sent a chill down his spine. Heiko knew he heard people in the house before his men had gone inside. His face turned pale as he realized how close he and his men had probably come to death without even knowing it.

"Go back inside and tell the other to barricade any back entrances and secure any windows. I'm leaving you in charge here until I can find Loewe. Be alert for anyone that looks unfriendly" Daecher nodded and disappeared back into the house. Heiko unslung his rifle once again and whirled around to face the man behind him, "What is your name, Corporal?"

[∬: Felix Odegaard]

Felix took another ciggarette from his pocket and struck a match. Secretly, the corporal was scared. If they had anti-tank rifles and grenades, they could take the tank down. If the tank was gone, there was no telling what Felix's SS superiours would do to him...

Felix suddenly had visions of a burning tanks and exploding grenades invading his mind. Deciding to smoke out his fears, he stuck the ciggarette in his mouth and light it. The sergeant examined the rifle, it's bolt clanking. He finaly replied "Es scheint, Sie haben trat ein Wespennest, Corporal. Starten Sie Ihren Tank zu vermieten sie wissen, dass wir nicht gefangen werden mit unseren pants down" Nodding, Felix puffed and stepped back outside.

"Du! Crew! Starten Sie den Panzer, und verschieben Sie sie ein wenig! Keine Lust, nur so alle Partisanen Piss es Hosen, ja?" Chuckling and tossing them a couple of ciggarettes, he unslung his rifle and walked back to the house, where the Wehrmacht NCO looked pale.

"Gehen Sie zurück und sagen, innerhalb der Barrikade, um alle Eingänge und sicher wieder alle Fenster. Ich bin damit Sie in hier, bis ich finden Loewe. Be-Benachrichtigung für alle, die sich unfreundlich" The sergeant ordered one of the privates.

"Was ist Ihr Name, Ihre Corporal?" The sergant asked Felix.

Felix. Felix Odegaard. Was wollen Sie mir und meinem Mann zu tun? Felix replied, trying to sound somewhat freindly.


TRANSLATION

"Du! Crew! Starten Sie den Panzer, und verschieben Sie sie ein wenig! Keine Lust, nur so alle Partisanen Piss es Hosen, ja?"
You! Crew! Start the Panzer, and move it around a bit! Nothing big, just enough to get any Partisans to piss there pants, yes?


Felix. Felix Odegaard. Was wollen Sie mir und meinem Mann zu tun?

Felix. Felix Odegaard. What do you want me to do with my men?

[Heiko Alkema]

"Felix. Felix Odegaard. Was wollen Sie mir und meinem Mann zu tun?" replied the corporal on his way back from the tank which now rumbled and hummed into life. There was less of a edge in Odegaard's voice. Heiko looked at the two SS privates standing nearby and pointed at one of them

"You come with me," he pointed to the other one, "You go with Corporal Odegaard," facing Odegaard once again, "Go house to house searching for any more weapons. If you find any, start a pile next to the tank. We'll burn them later. Try to be gentle with those that don't have them but punish any that do. Killing civilians is one thing, killing partisans is another matter entirely. Let's go." Heiko checked the chamber of his rifle and flipped the safety off as trudged over to the nearest house, the SS private following closely behind during the same with his rifle.

Time for some tough love. Heiko kicked in the flimsy door of the house and the SS man stormed in with Heiko following a second later. A scream escape the throat of a woman holding a pot over the fireplace and loud clatter as she dropped it hot soup pouring out all across the room. A man stepped though a doorway and froze as the SS man yelled "Halt!" and raced to him. The man put up no resistance as the private herded him and several children over towards the woman. They made no sounds except for the whimpering from some of the smaller children.

Heiko wasted no time dealing with the inhabitants as he systematically checked each room. First a bedroom, tossing about any loose objects, checking under that mats that served as a beds, moving the one piece of furniture, a dresser, to check for any hidden compartments. Nothing. Next was the storeroom. Stacks of various foodstuffs were strewn about the room. Tossed them about as well and then rifled through each one quickly inspecting their contents. Nothing again. Heiko popped back into the main room, the only other room. With a quick glance Heiko saw no where for weapon to be hidden here and almost apologized for the intrusion.

But he caught the man's eyes repeatedly flicking back toward the fireplace even though the fire had died when soup had spilled on it and his wife was now a metre away from it with nothing in fireplace but ash and soup. Heiko took out his lighter and looked up the shoddily constructed chimney. Using the lighter to see he found three more rifles resting on what looked like coat hangers about two metres up. Heiko with drew and found a stoker that looked long enough the reach them. Using the stoker he carefully taking down each rifle examining the chamber, none of them were loaded, and tossed him next the SS soldier.

"Take those out next to the tank and come back here," Heiko order the SS man who obediently slung his rifle and carried all three rifles out into the snow. He reappeared only seconds later. The Russian man had done nothing but stared at Heiko the entire time spewing pure hatred from eyes. Heiko thought about his punishment for a moment. To kill someone so filled with hate in front of his children could breed more like him, to show mercy and let him go free could cost the lives many more Germans. So Heiko comprised.

"Keep the children in the corner, do not let them see this." he said to the SS man as he walked out of the door. He practically dragged the man the entire way to the tank. Heiko forced the man to stand in the middle of the road facing away from Heiko, leveled his rifle at the back of the man's head, and pulled the trigger.

[∬: Felix Odegaard]

"You come with me, You go with Corporal Odegaard, Go house to house searching for any more weapons. If you find any, start a pile next to the tank. We'll burn them later. Try to be gentle with those that don't have them but punish any that do. Killing civilians is one thing, killing partisans is another matter entirely. Let's go."

The sergant waved Klemens over and directed Theophil to Felix. Klemens and the sergant started down the street and Theophil trotted over to Felix, outstretching his arm in a hasty salute. "No need for formalities Theo, i'm looking forward to cracking some heads." The private grinned as Felix nodded his helmeted head and flipped the safty off of his Mauser. Felix pointed to a house down the street and the two SS-men took off, there jackboots squelching in the mud.

When they arrived, Felix walked up the two stone steps that led to a small porch on the hut, raising his rifle butt above his shoulder. Smashing down quickly, the door giving in easily, both splintering the wood and bringing it down off the hinges. Storming in and raising his rifle to his shoulder, Felix yelled "This pitiful excuse for a house is now under the control of the Third Reich! We have every right to tear apart this dwelling!"

Inside was an old Russian woman boiling somthing in a large iron kettle. She shrieked with suprise at the two SS men entering her house. She was dressed in a long checkered dress and a red scarf wrapped around her gray hair. A gaunt older man thundered down the stairs, wearing a leather jacket and a leather cap upon his gray head. They both began screaming in Russian at Felix and Theophil, waving there fists about.

"You shut up the old lady and check the downstairs. I will check upstairs." Felix ordered Theophil, who promptly moved tword the woman. The old man moved tword Felix, yelling louder and pointing to the collapsed door. Felix grabbed the shoulders of his coat, tossing him down the steps. He slumped limply at bottem as Felix continued up the stairs.

Felix quickly looked around. Three rooms, not alot of space to hide weapons. He ducked in one room after the other, checking bedding, closets, dressers, behind pictures, cabnits, everywhere. Hmph. No weapons means no cracking skulls. Kicking the wall absentmindedly, he began to walk back down the stairs. But wait...

The wall had sounded hallow, unusual for peasent huts. Felix returned to the wall and began hacking at it with his E-tool. The wall gave easily, result of a bad plaster job. Felix grimaced at what he saw. A Russian PPSH submachinegun, several magazines, and five grenades. "Kill the old woman!" Felix yelled downstairs and heard a gunshot seconds later. Felix turned to see the old man, still crumpled at the end of the stairs, with a horrified look on his face. Felix quickly shot a bullet into his gut, a red stream flowing across the ground.

Grabbing up the weapons, Felix said the Theophil "Come on, we will drop the weapons off and move on to the next house." Dropping the weapons off next to the tank, Felix moved on to the next house, with Theophil in tow. This time they didn't even have to break down the door.

A young woman stood outside, one hand extended in a nazi salute, the other holding a tiny baby. "Heil Hitler!" She yelled enthusiasticly, a broad smile on her face. Felix smiled, not wanting to employ any fear in a Hitler supporter. Theophil caught his drift, also smiling at the woman. Flinging open the cottage door, he saw that the walls were covered in Nazi propoganda. A radio played Hitler's latest speech, the loud words flowing into the room. Felix doubted he would find any partisan weapons here.

And he didn't. He looked several times, but each time he and Theophil saw nothing. When they were exiting, she caught Felix's eyes. "If the Russians come, can I come, come with you?" Felix thought for a moment, and then replied. "Yes, yes you can."

[Heiko Alkema]

The body in front of him collapsed to the ground without a sound, a fresh coat of pink floating gently down upon the snow around it. Heiko preferred to avoid unnecessary violence, but it did have it's purposes. An example needed to be made and Heiko hoped the four dead would be enough to deter any kind of heroics on the part of the villagers.

The pops of distant rifles drew his eyes toward the sounds. He saw Odegaard and his man approaching the tank with civilians in tow, far to close for any shots to sound like that. Heiko tried to rationalize the sounds he'd heard; all his men were in a house not 20 metres away and Odegaard's squad was close by as well. What the hell? thought Heiko.

Loewe

The name exploded into his mind's eye. He'd forgotten all about him. Heiko whistled and Klemens popped out of the house they'd searched, Daecher came out of the other building that now housed most of Heiko's platoon. Motioning for them both to join him, Heiko went to Odegaard, "Who the hell are they?" he spat gesturing to the woman and child, "Get them out of here!" Heiko turned to Daecher, "Kasper seems to have stumbled over something. Go back in there and prepare the building for an assault just to be safe. I'm going to link up with Loewe and meet you and the rest here. Shoot anything that looks hostile." Daecher saluted and dashed off back whence he'd come.

"Odegaard, you and your men come with me. Make sure your weapons are loaded and grab any ammunition you need. I don't know what's going on here but none of the possibilities are pleasant. Be alert and check your targets, I don't want to lose any of my men to friendly-fire. Let's go." With that Heiko worked the bolt of his rifle sending the empty casing pinging out into the snow and slamming another round home. A nod from Heiko and the small band sent out for the source of the gunfire.

[∬: Felix Odegaard]

Felix and Theophil started to jog back to the tank as rifle shots sounded over the Russian terrain. Who could it be? The unteroffizier? The woman and child tagged along behind him, frightened looks on there faces.

The sergeant was ordering one of his men to do something. As soon as he saw Felix, he turned. "Odegaard, you and your men come with me. Make sure your weapons are loaded and grab any ammunition you need. I don't know what's going on here but none of the possibilities are pleasant. Be alert and check your targets, I don't want to lose any of my men to friendly-fire. Let's go." The man ordered, and Felix waved to his men with his left hand. Checking the pebbled leather ammunition pouches on either side of his belt, Felix loaded a fresh clip in his Mauser. "Soldiers! Check your ammo!" The soldiers did what Felix had just done and began to follow the Heer soldat.

As they turned one corner, they saw one of the sergeant's men shooting at several figures in the nearby woods. Felix squinted at the shadowy figures, and he saw they were wearing Red Army garb. Soviets! "Open up fire!" Felix shouted to his troops, and they began to fire at the figures in the forest. Felix could only hope that the tank was alright.

[Heiko Alkema]

Crack Crack

More rifle shots ripped through the cold air. Loewe had definitely tripped over something bad; he'd never known Loewe to give himself away so easily. Breaking into a run, Heiko's small band quickly reached the edge of the village. Rounding one of the last houses Heiko spied several figure ducking back into the woods opposite the village. Odegaard and his lot opened up just in time to catch one of them. The closest figure having a puff of snow and dust rise off his back and fall limply to the ground.

"Loewe!" called out Heiko, "Loewe! Where the hell are you?" Almost instantly Junker's blonde head popped out of an adjacent house.

"We over here, sergeant! We were ambushed by a squad of Soviets. Baumgartner and Kaufmann have been hit."

"Damn it. Can they walk?"

"Kaufmann can, but Baumgartner has a broken leg. We patched them up as best we can, sir."

"Good. The others are holding out near the center of town. Have someone help Baumgartner and we'll make our way back."

"Yes, sir" Junker disappeared back into the house for a moment. Heiko turned his attention back the woods. Felix and his bunch had taken up spots on either side of a house waiting for the Soviets to show themselves again. But the woods were silent, not a creature stirred. The dead Soviets longcoat flapped in the wind. It almost looked as if it were beckening them towards the woods, towards death itself. Paritsans and an Soviet force of unknown size. Wunderbar, thought Heiko.

There was a commotion as Baumgartner limped out of the building with Faust supporting him, followed by Kaufmann, Junker, and finally Loewe. The later paler than usual. The grenadier approached Heiko with a sullen face. This had been the first time Heiko had put Loewe in charge of others out of his sight.

"I'm sorry, sir. I've failed to keep the men safe." Loewe whispered without raising his eyes to Heiko's. Heiko inspected Baumgartner's wound, it wasn't too bad a wound. It looked like the bone had taken grazing blow; It probably wasn't broken, just fractured. A painful wound, but he's be fine with a bit of medical attention and a few days off the line. Kaufmann seemed fine except from the blood that had soaked through his uniform on his left shoulder. That, too, wouldn't hinder him much after a few days rest.

"They'll be fine, Loewe. Pull yourself together and join the others." Loewe muttered jawohl and shuffled off to the other three. "We'd got what we've come for. Let's go, Odegaard."

As if on cue more shots rang out. This time, however, they came from the center of town. "Gottverdammt!" swore Heiko viciously. How many more were going to die today? Heiko grit his teeth a blaze in his eyes. "Kaufmann, Baumgartner, Faust!" barked the sergeant, "Get yourselves back to the camp and get us some reinforcements. Be careful and don't put yourselves in unnecessary danger. Los!" All three nodded and began their trek out of the village.

Heiko motioned for the rest to follow him and sprinted back to the center of town. Gunfire erupted again. Heiko could now make out two distinct sources: his men and the woods. Judging from the volume of the fire coming from the woods it was probably a platoon-sized force. He could only hope that they could hold on until he got there.

As the house and tank came into sight, the fire sputtered and fell silent. Silence fell over everything, with the exception of the breathing and crunch of snow beneath the approaching parties boots. A head poked out of the house occupied by Heiko's troops. Daecher again.

"We've got wounded, Sergeant!" he called out. Heiko's face turned blood-red. He'd been unluckier before but this was quickly escalating to the same level.

"Odegaard, occupy the next adjacent and move the tank in between the two. Prepare for an assault!" Heiko, Loewe, and Junker ducked into the house his men were in and took in the damage. Amsel was quietly lying back against a wall bleeding profusely from a wound in his chest and Bachmeier was swearing to himself as he held his bleeding arm. "Loewe, Junker; help out those two, getting the bleeding under control. Daecher! What happened?"

"I don't know, sir. We were just sitting here watching the treeline when the whole damned thing just exploded. We tried to shoot back but there was nothing to shoot at."

The frown on Heiko's face was locked into place as he looked about the room. The windowsill's had holes riddled through them and the wall behind them had portraits and shelves torn to shreds. Heiko move to the wrecked windows and studied the treeline. There was nothing. Not a damned thing.

Then a flash from deep in darkness of the woods quickly followed by another, then a third. No noise, just the flashes. Everything was still again. "Did you see that last-" Heiko was cut off by the whining of mortar rounds. "Get down!" screamed Heiko. As one, they all dived for the floor, with Junker pushing Amsel down the floor and laying himself on top of him.

This was quickly becoming a very bad day.

[Daniel Brennan]

Mod-post:

W00t, talk about action-packed!

CP:
Heiko: 9CP

Felix: 8CP


~Dan