PANZER! PANZER! (Deutscheland AU RP)

[Oncaro]

As with Alfred, Wilhelm was forcing himself to look toward the town they were approaching; not only did it keep his mind off of the fact that he had killed around ten or more people in that single skirmish, it was also meant to keep the half-track from being ambushed like before. When Alfred spoke, Wilhelm didn't respond immediately.

"Don't know why you're asking us, Bäumer Number One. Seems like something you'd ask the higher-ups," he said in response, shifting the strap of his K98 on his shoulder. "Unfortunately, we can't really talk to anyone over all this noise. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

 

[Tristar]

The countryside of the Grodzisk Wielkopolski had a rustic countryside charm to it that most farm boys appreciated, an enthusiasm not particularly shared by the city-folk. Nonetheless the colors were fresh and the scenery beautiful. That is, but for the vast army that stretched along the approach to the town, troop-laden vehicles rumbling forward as sporadic artillery thundered in the distance; as initial bombardment died down, the cannons were soon rededicated to pin-point shelling- any and all hardpoints called out by spotters were given the full wroth of the German gunners, sweating as they load death into barrels.

The city, as the men of the 1st Battalion approached it, was a right mess; craters pockmarked the approach but nothing compared to the devastation of the outskirts. Buildings crumbling all around, visible emplacements dislodged and a few burning vehicles could be seen- or more appropriately, their smoke spires. The men of the 3rd Company had a job, along with the rest of their regiment: Storm the town, take it by force and most of all do it in service of their Fatherland. That much the officers could expect, and was expected of by the junior leaders.

Leutnant Leo stared at the ground of his vehicle, swearing to every known saint there was- his first mistake might have cost him the faith of his superiors, but what he prayed for was an opportunity to simply show that he was as capable as any leader. 1st platoon was a squad short, as everyone was sorely reminded by the missing half track. It was this factor that the captain had given his unit the job of bringing in the rear when the rest of the company had advanced. Secure gained territory, fend off anyone foolish enough to attempt to seize it back. Yes, his men could do it. He could.

Hauffer said so, didn't he? Looking to his left, the Feldwebel licked his lips and peered over the open canopy of their vehicle. Wish he had the same cool attitude of his NCO.

The burst of machine gun fire woke him up from his reverie, his unit instantly bringing their weapons to the ready. He stood up behind his half-track's gunner, taking in the view of the battlefield. 2nd and 3rd Platoon had already opened fire with their half-tracks and was in the process of dismounting its troops, their officer pointing at targets. The driver looked back and received a nod from him. With a yell the officer waved for his own troops to disembark, to fan out and to await further instructions while the rest of their unit advanced.

Their surroundings were by far more spacious than the prior engagement, with a large field of grass and weeds, interjected with patches of scraggly bushes providing adequate concealment for any advancing troops. A large granite formation loomed at their eleven o'clock, and the quickest path over there was behind their half-tracks, though by the time 1st Platoon had dismounted would have reversed and moved out of the way of the assaulting infantry. Leo crouched and waved for his men to stay prone as he surveyed the situation ahead of him: to their front, 2nd and 3rd platoon's squads were spread out, with 3rd platoon advancing aggressively on the polish defenders. There was a thin line of brick-and-mill houses that marked the boundary between the countryside and the urban environments. Three single-story buildings to the left, with a crumbling stone wall surrounding the structures. To their 2 o'clock was what looked like a derelict barn, a hole in the roof from which a polish machine gunner was trying in vain to achieve fire superiority- between the numerical disadvantage and the awkward angle that didn't allow him to fully angle downwards at the advancing units, he was failing dramatically at his job. The barn seemed to be where the defenders were making their stance, with it being the most fortified structure nearby: sandbags were laid out in a semi-formidable defensive ring that allowed some of the polish soldiers to retaliate, though their determination was waning under the valorous fire of the 3rd Company. There was still a motley group of polish defenders that hid within the three structures to the left, but their resistance was lighter than their dying brethren.

The fight was clearly within the germans side, and within a few minutes 3rd platoon already had a squad breaching the barnhouse. Moments passed as the men entered the building, bayonets affixed. Then an NCO waved a rifle from the blown out roof, indicating that they had successfully cleared the building. "1st platoon!" cried Leo, just as 2nd and 3rd platoon leaders yelled out their next advancement orders. "Move up, hold that ground- 3rd squad take the barn, 4th squad assume positions by the sandbags. 1st squad, clear out those buildings to our left! Schnell, schnell!"

With the order to double time the german infantry pushed themselves off the ground and advanced in timely fashion as fourth squad drove past their unit, on their way to reinforce the rest of the company's advance. 1st platoon's job was. . .less glamorous, but still within range of active combat at the very least. He figured after the last heart pounding ambush, the men could stand to see how the polish soldiers badly defended their homes for morale support. 2nd squad was to be avenged, that was for sure. The ground shook as the 1st platoon were scrambling towards their point- glancing over his shoulder, the Leutnant nearly smiled at the sight of two Panzer IVs, the ausf F1 variants with the short barrel- low velocity for sure, but they didn't expect any heavy armor to come. He knew sadly, that none of the tanks would come over to support their platoon, but it was a comforting piece of information, knowing how absolutely little the polish could do to stop the avalanche of force that was barreling towards them.

Obergefreiter Mosemann had, for many parts, understood why he was leading the first squad: one, was because he had a dash of intelligence that clearly, no one else in his squad appreciated but Leo clearly saw. Two, simply because he was that charming and three, because he had that dash of bravado that his father always said would get him killed someday. Well, his father was dead from a heart attack, and here he was fighting the dirty poles. From the cover of the bushes twenty meters away from the three buildings he waved for his machine gunner to follow him to the left of the building while the remaining infantrymen spread out around them.

Resting the machine gun on a small crest, Obergrenadier Stolze executed his squad leader's orders with extreme prejudice, rattling hundreds of rounds to suppress the enemy infantry within the buildings. One dared to poke out and take a shot at Stolze but missed. Dirt kicked up by the machinegunner, which only succeeded in drawing more ire from Stolze.

Mosemann estimated no more than a half a squad, nine men at most within the buildings. Rough guesswork, but the assaulting infantry would have to clarify the numbers for themselves. "Squad, I want a grenade in each building, then assault- Grenadier Baumer, Segal und Gefreiter Bonbach to the right, Grenadier Bachmann, Baumer und Fuschbauer to the center. Sweep to the left! Schnell, schnell!" Realizing that he had more than two Baumers in his squad, he further clarified his orders. "And that means the ugly Baumer with Bonbach, the chatty one with Fuschbauer!"

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