This is War [ONC 2021] // Honourable Mention

Chapter Twenty-Five - Daniel

The entire trench thronged with activity. Men moved guns and mortar shells down the line, shared grenades amongst one another and counted, then re-counted, their ammunition stock. The day had come for the full-frontal attack against the German line, with Daniel's plan finally being put in motion. The machine-gunners had set up their guns facing towards two different sections of the German trench to try and lure the German army away from their target area. Only time would tell if it had the desired effect.

Daniel checked his pockets, making sure he had his family photograph, his Bible and all of his ammunition stored away. He would be leading the attack on the trench with a select group of men, George and Henry acting as scouts to confirm whether the trench was clear. Although he had always charged head-first into battle, Daniel had never led one and he knew the pressure would be on him to secure the trench with minimal casualties. If the plan worked, the war would be over.

When the day of the assault arrived, there was a strange feeling in the air. A sense of excitement intermingled with nervousness about whether it would work the way they had planned it. They had planned for every single scenario. From the German's charging them, to the machine-gun fire not drawing the troops away from their target area. Everything had been planned to the last detail but only time would tell as to whether it would be effective. In the throws of battle, anything can happen.

"Are you ready?" George asked, checking and then triple checking his bayonet was sharp enough.

"I think so. We've planned for every eventuality and every scenario. This has to work," Daniel said.

"It will, they won't see us coming."

"Let's hope so. This could be the final push we need before we can go home."

"Home by Christmas," George said, laughing slightly.

"Home by Christmas."

The phrase had become a sort of joke amongst the men, especially since the war had now passed by Christmas and they were still out on the front line. With winter approaching for a second time, the phrase has reappeared, but it was never taken seriously. This time, Daniel wanted it to be true, but he had come to know that war was never that simple and it could stretch on for far longer.

Regardless of how long the war might go on, Daniel wanted to be there every step of the war, to fight with his men and, one day, make the rank of Lieutenant. His role in the war had become less about proving something to his father and more about earning his place amongst the men who looked down on him because he had come from a farm. By rising through the ranks, Daniel hoped they would see him as a man to be respected and not mocked. He never wanted to be called a Temporary Gentleman again.

Captain Brooks gathered the men around him in the hour before the battle was due to start. The men stood in the trench, packed like sardines and stared at him, waiting for the motivational talk he was due to give and the encouragement that came right before every battle.

"Today, some of you will face your toughest test of this war. Others of you will fall into leadership and show the others just how we did things in the British Forces! We have planned this attack to the letter and it is your responsibility to ensure that we have victory! The entire country is watching you, the outcome of this war rests on your soldiers. To the men leading this charge, we wish you luck in your task to bring victory home and we hope to see you when this is over. I wish you luck, and may we all be home in just a few months!"

"He should have said we'd be home by Christmas," George joked, readjusting his grip on his rifle.

"No one believes that anymore," Henry said, joining the men. He carried a small bag with several grenades in it.

"Who knows, maybe this year it will be true." Daniel shrugged.

"Right. I'm counting on you to get us home safely, this is your plan, so it better work."

"It will."

Daniel could feel his own nervousness rising in his chest, but with it came the thrill of battle, the excitement at the prospect of bringing victory home to his family. Everything rested on this moment, on this battle. The men who were part of his group joined him by one of the ladders that led over the trench, many of them had fought in battles before but some were brand new to the trenches and had no idea what to expect. He wanted to say a few words to reassure his men, but they wouldn't come.

An eerie silence settled over the trench in the moments before the first shot was fired. Daniel could hear George's breathing, someone's knees knocking together and the sniffing of a nervous private who couldn't sit still. The trench had been the quietest Daniel could remember it with no short bursts of gunfire, no joking amongst the men, just silence. It settled over them like a blanket, enveloped them to the near point of suffocation. The longer the silence went on, the worst Daniel felt.

Behind him, someone leant against the side of the trench and vomited into the mud, a nervous private who didn't like the idea of just standing around. Further down the line, the first sound of machine-gun fire started, cutting through the silence and causing the men in the trench to jump. They weren't to move just yet, they were to give the Germans enough time to move down before they moved forward.

The gunfire stopped.

Daniel looked at George who shrugged, neither of them expecting the machine-gun fire to stop when it had only just started. Had something gone wrong? It couldn't have. This had to be perfect. Before Daniel could move to find out why the gun fire stopped, it started again. Both machine guns fired towards the German trench and, after a few seconds, the Germans fired back. Daniel turned to the men behind him, his face hardened and ready.

"Let's go."

~~~

First Published - February 27th, 2021