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M4Jess -> Das Reich! its so close you can smell it! (12/5/2004 10:42:31 PM)
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Over 40 SCENARIOS!
YOU READY?????
[image]http://publish.hometown.aol.com/kenkbaran/images/panther%20print.gif[/image]
Less than 1 week!
JANUARY 5, 1945
From his vantage point high in the church steeple, a grizzled veteran scanned the surrounding countryside for signs of the enemy. Without taking his eyes from the forestline, he removed the last piece of chocolate from its wrapper and placed it into his mouth. Jaws working methodically, he chewed and swallowed. Crumpling the wrapper into a ball, he let it drop to the floor of the steeple.
Oberscharfuehrer Martin Steiger scratched at his unshaven chin. He and the men of the 2. Kompanie, 1. Bataillon 'Der Fuehrer' were holed up in Magoster, awaiting the decision by the Division Kommandant as to whether they were to delay the American advance or withdraw to Houffalize. As he savored the fleeting taste of the American chocolate bar, he absently brushed at his new collar tab. His promotion had come through in this morning's dispatch delivery, and Hauptsturmfuehrer Kroegel had affixed the collar tab and shoulder straps himself during a brief ceremony. He had even apologized for the bloodstains on one of the straps, explaining that these had belonged to Steiger's predecessor, tragically killed during the trek to the Normandie area last spring. Along with the promotion came his appointment as the Kompanie Scharfuehrer. Which meant he would be doing more paperwork than fighting.
Pulling his collar higher around his ears, Steiger let his gaze drift down to the snow-covered street below. A few Soldaten, clad in camouflaged combat smocks, moved between the buildings on inderterminate missions. Opposite the church stood a two-storey brick-and-timber house, the wall facing Steiger having been reduced to piles of shattered masonry. On the ground floor, Martin could see the rear of a Panzer protruding into the street. From the angled armour plating, he figured it to be one of those 'Panther' models. The crew of the vehicle was clustered around one side, where they seemed to be discussing firing arcs for the concealed tank. Their commander, a blond-haired man in black coveralls, was pointing at various spots to the front of the vehicle, as if emphasizing their importance.
Turning slightly, Steiger looked down the street to where another of these tanks had been hidden inside a partially-destroyed building. This one had been positioned to cover the southwestern approach to the village. Shifting positions, he leaned his elbow on the windowsill and watched as the men of the Kampfgruppe went about the business of war. The Americans were expected to attack soon; Martin hoped the Kompanie's dispositions were good enough. Sunlight warmed his face as he stood there. He wondered where his old friend Ernst was right now.
Unterscharfuehrer Ernst Muhlbradt, Zugfuehrer of 3. Zug/2. Kompanie, finished bore-sighting the Maschinengewehr 42. After reviewing the landmarks with the gun crew, he opened the door of the small cottage and walked out into the snow. Following a trail that led back through a copse of fir trees to the village, Ernst thought about how his life had changed since the beginning of the war. Content to accept his lot as a follower, rather than a leader, he had resisted every promotion and assignment he had received. Now, six years later, he found himself one of the leaders, commanding a platoon in an infantry company.
Coming upon an entrenched PzKpfw IV Ausf.H just inside the treeline, he paused and looked across the open ground beyond it. Somewhere out there, the Americans were preparing to attack. Nearby, some riflemen were huddled around the rear exhausts of the panzer, trying to keep warm. Muhlbradt was just about to confront them when . . .
-WH-OOOMPH- -WH-OOOM-WHOOM-PH-
Muhlbradt instinctively dove for cover as the incoming mortar shells detonated a few meters from the tank. But instead of the usual concussive blast and shrapnel, these rounds exploded with bright flashes, spewing white-hot particles in all directions. Ernst, lying behind a fallen log, saw the knot of troopers knocked down. They began to scream in hideous pain, clutching at their bodies and rolling around in the snow. Uncomprehendingly, Muhlbradt stared at them. He had never seen anyone react to a mortar attack in this way. What was different about this attack? A glowing piece suddenly landed on the dead tree he was hiding behind. With a hiss, it began to burn its way into the wood. Small, weak flames sprung up around the hole, melting the snow crusted on the top of the log. Ernst brushed some of the snow over the hole with his gloved hand to extinguish the flames; although it put out the small ones, it did nothing to the glowing particle in the wood, which continued to burrow deeper into the log. What in God's name was this stuff?
He noticed that the smoke released by the shells was not the same either. It was cleaner, whiter, and it rose into the air faster. So fast that it seemed to form columns instead of clouds. Part of the Scharfuehrer's brain noted that this wasn't very effective as a screening device; it was too porous, with gaps between the columns that allowed an opponent to see through. What was this new weapon the Americans were using? Gas? The thought that they might have started using gas made Muhlbradt scramble to free his gas mask from its carrier. Fires were beginning to spring up in the underbrush, and some of the injured men's clothing had caught fire as well.
From the church steeple, Oberscharfuehrer Steiger watched the barrage as it impacted along the far edge of the German defense line. The strange appearance of the smoke, combined with the intensely glowing particles they gave off and the screams from the injured, told him this was no ordinary attack. Grabbing his weapon, Martin clattered down the wooden staircase, reaching the ground floor a few seconds later. He sprinted out of the church and headed for the Kompanieposten.
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Mission Statement
We as a team of SPWAW fans and members of SP:WAW DEPOT want to give something back to the SPWAW community. It is our hearts and souls that went into this campaign. We had many debates about the subject. We voted and as a team decided that our subject, the 2nd SS Das Reich would be a campaign worthy of our time and would receive a good turn out from you, the player.
All members of the Das Reich team are volunteers, all have many, many hours dedicated to this project. But this has not been a chore of labor, indeed it has been a chore of fun, love of the game and a commitment to our hobby and the community that, like we, enjoy this game.
[image]local://upfiles/5391/Li210087567.jpg[/image]
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