《Operation: Armored Warfare》


 Chapter 1: Prologue

    It was the winter of 1944. The bitter winter wind blew hard across the cold tundra front. A secret task forced assigned to liberate a small village of Zwickau, Saxony. It was a small village with a single German concentration camp located at its borders. Faced with such appalling weather, the team expected to find nothing but corpses of prisoners of war being worked to death. But one soul in the taskforce remained hopeful as he is the commander of this ¡°Do Little¡± raid.


    Fielding in only a mere 5 M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman tanks, a single Sherman Firefly, 2 M36 Jackson tank destroyers with the 7th rifle brigade as infantry support of the tanks was to besiege the village. Commander Sean was put in charge of this little taskforce. His command:¡±If heavy resistance is met, pull off the operation!¡±


    Sean grunted as the command for the mission echoed in his head. Forcing himself to keep an eye on the road as a heavy snowstorm reduced the visibility to only a couple of feet. The only thing he could see ahead were the glowing cat lights of the Jumbo Sherman taking the lead. Looking out of the tank through the open turret hatch his face was stung by the immensely cold frigid winter wind. He was riding as commander of his own M36 Jackson named ¡°Old Hanley¡±. Together with his crew he was a revered tank ace that has claim dozens of enemy Panzers including 3 Tiger tanks.


    The hatch beside him flipped open as the substitute thank gunner, Chris Mandrew rose from the insides of the tank. Chris first looked ahead before turning his attention towards Sean. He cleared his throat and began ¡°So¡­ Commander. Once this operation is over, I guess you won¡¯t need me anymore once you rescue your gunner. Am I right to say so?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ gunner your skills will find another tank crew easily.¡± replied the commander rather briefly.


    ¡°That is if your gunner is still alive I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Chris said with a smirk this time.


    Annoyed by the comment Sean gave no reply to the comment. The events that lead to the capture of the tank¡¯s gunner slowly replayed in his head. He could not help but feel guilty and responsible to capture of a valued crew member. The events happened shortly after the destruction of their first tank, ¡°Hanley¡±.


    Seeing the grim look on the commander¡¯s face was warning enough and the young corporal gunner quickly slid back down his hatch. Once again in isolation, the young commander stared blankly ahead into the white curtain of snow that pounded the taskforce relentlessly.


    As the taskforce approached the village the snowstorm finally settled down. Revealing ahead was the very village they were about to attack. Sean quickly snatched up the pair of binoculars the hung loosely around his neck and scanned the horizon. Squinting hard to spot out tanks and infantry from snow. The road almost vanished from the freshly fallen powder which the lead Jumbo Sherman was plowing though effortlessly.


    Dead ahead he spotted three big piles of snow that lay idle in the middle of the road. Thinking that they where piles of snow the germens deliberately left to hinder the progress of an advancing army. He gave the order to the lead Sherman to ram right through. With a high rev from the Sherman¡¯s engine and the hefty tank surged forward into the snow pile.


    The pile of snow exploded as the Sherman slammed right into pile. Immediately it was followed by the distinctive sound of clashing metal. When the powder settled, he discovered to his shock that the Sherman has slammed right into a Tiger I sitting in the middle of the road. The snowstorm had completely covered the first Tiger in snow.


    A few tense moments passed. Nothing happened. All that could be heard was the sound of idling engines of the tanks of the taskforce. His headset crackled to life. The lead Sherman¡¯s commander asked ¡°Sir¡­ there appears to be¡­¡±


    Cutting the Sherman¡¯s commander abruptly ¡°Go ahead. Fire.¡±


    The order was quickly acknowledged and a shot from the Sherman¡¯s 76mm main gun connected the tiger are almost point black range. It was followed by two more shots before the entire snow pile erupted in flames. Sean quickly descended down into the tank and gave two quick commands.


    ¡°Steward take us out left!¡± he rapped ¡°Chris! The lower section of the snow pile!¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.The order was quickly heeded and the Jackson surged forward left. Stopping just before the ditch that threaten to swallow their tank. The massive turret of the Jackson swung round to face the second snow pile. A loud boom was heard as the 90mm M3 Anti Tank gun slammed a shot into the massive snow pile. The massive tank rocked under the recoil of the gun. But there was no doubt that the shot from the Jackson had connected.


    Purposely aiming at the lower hull section of the tank was in order to cripple the Tiger all in all. Housing the transmission of the tank in the forward section was a major design flaw of the Tiger. Unfortunately for the Tiger, the damaged transmission set fire to the engine quite by chance. That soon ignited the fuel in the fuel tank as the tank blew up in a cloud of fire and smoke.


    The final Tiger was disabled by a vigilant Firefly commander who saw the pattern in the destruction of the snow piles. Without waiting for an order, he pushed his Sherman firefly forward and rapidly punched three shots into the hull of the third Tiger concealed in the last snow pile.


    Shortly after bypassing the three flaming wrecks, the task force was once again rolling again. But no sooner had they started rolling down toward the town, the eagle eyed commander spotted a small incoming troop of 16 germen soldiers. They were none other than the tankers of the three burning Tiger tanks the taskforce had just destroyed. After realizing their priceless tanks were nothing but burning wrecks, they turned around and bolted like mad men back towards the village.


    They were spared souls until Sean himself identified them as the remnants of Steiner Heinrich Himmler¡¯s ¡°SS Panzer Division¡±. He gave the order to cut off their retreat and kill them off. There was objection among the tank crews as those men running for their lives were unarmed. Sean quickly reminded them how many lives of soldiers, friends, buddies were lost to the germens faking their surrender and ambush troops and tank crews when they least expected it.


    Acknowledging their commanders reasoning, the reluctant tank crews opened up with their hull mounted machine guns. Bullets peppered the snow around the fleeing germens and eventually some found their mark as the germens were savagely cut down by the machine guns mercilessly. Having the grizzly work done, they were soon within a mile of the village of Zwickau.


    As the germens defending the town noticed the incoming oppressors, they opened up with everything they got. The chatter of machine gun fire was accompanied by the crack of two anti tank cannons guarding the entrance to the village. The fearsome germen 88mm anti tank gun packed enough punch to slice through a regular Sherman¡¯s hull armor with ease.


    As the heavy armor piercing shells whistled pass the tanks, blowing huge piles of snow into the air as the heavy shells impacted the ground. Quickly giving out an order for one of the Jumbo Sherman¡¯s to pull up ahead to cover the delicate M36 Jackson command tank.


    Only moments later the two anti tank gun fired again. This time they didn¡¯t miss their mark. Metal bit metal as the two anti tank gun shells tore angrily at the approaching Shermans. But the tanks just shrugged the shells off easily. All that was the evidence of the tank ever being hit is a long scratch mark that pin pointed the point of impact.


    Normally a standard Sherman would have been obliterated by the incoming shell. But the Jumbo¡¯s front had been fortified up to a dazzling 102mm slab of steel. Adding in the angle of the frontal plating, the Jumbo was almost defiant to anything the germens can throw at it. As the germens threw more shells at the approaching Jumbos, it became clear it was not going to work.


    Finally with their cannons in range, the two Jumbos without need for command quickly opened fired. Both gunners knew exactly what to hit. Having been aiming at the Anti-tank guns ever since they first fired, the gunners smacked their targets by the very first shot with their 76mm guns. The destruction of the gun emplacements were confirmed as the High Explosive shells turned them into fiery wrecks upon impact.

 Chapter 2: Dying Light

    Time has been harsh on them. The brutal winter cold only made matters worse for them. They were the only few surviving souls that have outlived those that died. But this only meant that for them, hell carried on as they struggled to keep themselves alive at such frigid temperatures. Having nothing but their cloths and some rags they could salvage, the survivors tried their best to keep warm together.


    Lily, a Japanese girl that was held captive as a prisoner of war ever since Tunisia was among the few that survived. Having been well trained in infantry and them the armored core, she is now putting all her experience to the test. The only thing on her mind was to conserve as much energy as possible. With food rations dipping down to as bad as 200g of bread two times a day, there wasn¡¯t much going around to be considered sufficient.


    Lily coming from a Japanese family that migrated to the United States way before the war, have decided to fight along on the American side as their family no longer considered themselves Japanese anymore and are willing to fight along the side of the United State military. Lily Turning 16 just before the war was selected to be recruited along with several other American youths into a special task group nicked named by the army as the ¡°Oddball¡± division.


    The ¡°Oddball¡± division utilized the advantage of the youth¡¯s small size, agility and ability to adjust to the steep learning curve of combat and mastering new skills that different weapons on the battlefield required. Starting as a secret experimental division of 200 egger youths that volunteered themselves up for being what was a remarkable success as the youths were a rowdy bunch that were just itching for a fight took on roles on the battlefield seamlessly.


    Though successful in the early stages of the war, they still suffered casualties. Taking part in secret operations to dislodge germen strong points in small groups of attackers, they were the unsung heroes that helped made the allied advance smoother with records of their heroism start in Tunisia itself.


    Lily and her family seeing that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 without any forward notice was seen as an act of cowardly attack and dishonor as Japanese people should have fought fairly and in an honorable manner. When she first joined the ¡°Oddball¡± Division she was not welled liked after all, it was her people that is why America was in the war. But taking her pride as an American war fighter and the fact they all fought for the same cause, she accepted the hatred and blamed no one.


    After graduating from the Basic infantry course, Lily was posted to the US mechanized division. Learning the way of tankery, she and her fellow tankers adjusted well into their new ¡°tin can¡± homes. Being trained in the Prototype M3 Lee medium tank that was about to be mass produced, they turned Americas brand new war machine into a deadly tool of mass destruction. They have unanimously decided to name ¡°New Hanley¡±. It was there for the first time with the crew of ¡°New Hanley¡± she was welcomed regardless of nationality.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.She was finally captured when their tank went over a stray mine and it blew up the ¡°New Hanley¡±. Hull gunner and loader were immediately killed by the concussion and shrapnel sent flying when they mine blew up. That was the end of everything for the crew of the ¡°New Hanley¡±. She was separated by heavy machinegun fire and was eventually captured by the germens. Despite being Japanese, she was caught wearing the American uniform and denied being a spy for the axis powers.


    The scene kept replaying in her mind every time she thought of him. Fearless and always taking responsibility for the actions of the crew, she had developed feelings for him. And knowing that he knows that she was still alive as a prisoner of war, she hoped every single day ever since her capture that he will come to her rescue and liberate the day for her.


    But as the situation stands, she has hoped well over a year now. Even so, that hope was what kept her going, fighting each day hoping to be liberated one day to be free once again and to join the fight against her captives that imprisoned her in such foul conditions. After all, men who lose the will to fight, lose the will to live. But as of now, the hope she has is slowly fading along with her energy reserves.


    Lily was on her final stretch. She could feel her body starting to fail her as she could hold out no longer with such meager rations. It has been a miracle she has lived so long. The special training that the ¡°Oddball¡± division cadets were given teaches them exactly how to cope with such a situations and how to conserve as much energy as possible.


    But being stretch to the limits, Lily knew her final hour has arrived. If rescue does not arrive within the day, she knew her odds of pulling into the next day were slim.  But if rescue arrived on the day, basic medical treatment can help her make a full recovery as it was the lack of energy that was killing her and not any wounds.


    She said her final will and prayer as she finally gave way to fatigue. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she finally allowed fatigue to slowly put her to sleep. Although no one was talking or making any noise, there was never silence. There was nothing but the howls of the winter wind blowing through a cracked window.


    She sat there in darkness with no company except the wind. Then there were sounds of little pops followed by thumps. She forced herself to ignore the sounds as she was really tired. But slowly the pops and thumps grew louder and louder to the point she could not ignore further. The final straw came when the guards guarding the camp started shouting. This woke her as it was unusual for the guards to act this way.


    She plucked herself from the floor up to the window sill. There she could see the guards in frenzy. They took up their arms and some were rolling out Anti-tank guns from a nearby shed. Lily finally realized that the thumps and pops were the ground of cannons and gunfire coming from the village. Rescue was finally on its way.

 Chapter 3

    The situation in the village was desperate. The germens were everywhere. Firing machine guns and lobbing grenades at the oncoming invaders. To them, every yard of territory lost was paid in blood. They gave no inch nor spared any quarters to the rescue team. They will fight to the end in defense of the fatherland.


    The tanks machine guns rattled away at the germen defenders. But for every Nazi they cut down there seem to be another to take his place. A few tank commanders urged Sean to call off the attack but the he refused to budge. Wounded infantrymen were dragged behind the cover of tanks for the medics to patch up. The situation was desperate.


    They have made no advance ever since they entered the town. Still blockaded at the mouth of the village by germen SS troopers that knew their tactics and are going to surrender nor give up to nothing. Infantrymen were demoralized by the heavy and constant fire by the defending germens.


    Sean not impressed by the advance he has made demanded radio operator Kelly Bacchant to radio in for some help. Kelly immediately got to work his magic with the radio set to try to persuade the top brass for additional reinforcements.


    Even with the three Tiger tank out of the equation, the defenders were already proving to be very troublesome. They even threaten to overwhelm the task force with their sheer numbers. Even so it was currently only machine gun fire erupting from the townhouses around them, Sean knew that there was bound to be more anti tank guns around the place and soon enough they will be added to the firepower in favor of the defendants.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.¡°Commander!¡± Kelly yelled with his headset dangling from one ear, ¡°Top brass orders you to pull out immediately!¡±


    ¡°Tell them I will take this town if he gives me just some Artillery support.¡±


    Kelly went back to his radio set and seconds later came the reply.


    ¡°He is pissed! He has sent out a platoon of three Persist pieces¡±


    ¡°Good¡± Sean said with a grin.


    ¡°And a further 2 Shermans and some machine gunners. You better take that town or you¡¯ll be demoted down the ranks!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make it work.¡± The commander replied with a much more satisfied face.


    Although the help will ease the pain of the defenders, he knew that if he dealt his cards wrongly, they will be overwhelmed by the time help arrives.