Throughout It All

25 | The Meuse-Argonne Offensive Begins | September 26, 1918

Honestly I'm glad that I found this event (thanks, Wikipedia) because it kind of works perfectly for this story.

Unfortunately, that also means that I'm also going to have to send some of them off to the battlefront.

Well. Not all of them.

David is ... out of France right now, so he doesn't have to deal with any of this.

So ... what exactly will happen? We'll just have to see.

Enjoy! :)

--------------------------------------

It's fifteen minutes to five am and Jack does not want to be awake right now.

He didn't sleep at all last night. Not that he got much sleep the night before either.

It's not like he's gotten much sleep since he last saw David.

But he can't think of David right now.

Because soon, the 77th Division will be on the move, and he'll be on the battlefield.

He is so, so not ready for this.

But there's nothing he can do.

So he goes with everyone else.

As they march closer to Montfaucon, Jack thinks on the information that he's been given over the past few days. They're here because this could be one of the battles that could be a turning point of the war. If the Allies could capture the railway hub at Sedan, it would break the railway network supporting the German Army in France and the Flanders. And so General John J. Pershing made the command, and now they're here.

And in less than half an hour, they're going to start shooting the opposing forces.

When their generals were asked how long this would take, there wasn't a solid answer. So Jack has no clue how long he'll be here.

And then, it happens.

At 0530 am, the orders are given, and the firing begins.

-----------------------------------

Mush can't handle knowing that other divisions have been sent to Montfaucon to start fighting. He's worried that either Jack or Race or David is over there.

Spot can't help but worry too.

Their division isn't supposed to fight yet; it's been explained to them that the divisions currently fighting are a part of the "first phase" of the plan, and when that's over, they will switch out, and begin the second phase.

Mush is pacing inside the crowded room right now.

"Why are we even here right now?" Mush bursts. "Do they plan on keeping us waiting for who knows how long?"

"I don't know," Spot answers honestly, agitated as well.

"I hate waiting." Mush doesn't slow down his tight pacing. "I hate this in between phase. Yes, I am glad that I am not currently fighting, but there are so many others who don't have that luxury! And we don't know what's happening except that it doesn't look good!"

They heard that in the three hours that the first troops started firing, the Allies used more ammunition than all that was used in the American Civil War. And so far no division has succeeded in capturing Montfaucon. So far, everyone has been stopped by German resistance.