Across the Rhine, Wehrmacht HQ
"It's the worse case scenario, the allied forces are on our doorstep gentlemen..." Karl said, addressing his staff and officers that have been summoned to the meeting.
Everyone was gathered in the hotel's meeting room which was now remodeled and turned into the temporary command point for Karl to command from.
"Reporting mein herr," A voice spoke out and Rauscher had entered the room and all of the eyes had shifted to him.
"The charges on the bridge are set and everyone's dug in and ready to fight." He reported after removing his hat.
**
Jack O'Brien, 1st company
The company was quickly advancing on the bridge in their transport trucks with the Shermans taking up the rear.
"Remember we're taking this bridge! We can't let the krauts blow it like the last one!" Jack yelled out just before the first truck exploded, going up in flames before swerving off the road and into the river.
That was when the German side of the river bank erupted with heavy German fire.
"Get off the trucks and push up!" Get some fucking return fire going!" Harris ordered while he took cover behind the closest building which was a meager shack.
"First platoon push up with the engineers from the second squad, everyone else get some fire on those krauts!" James now spoke up, him and Jack were going up with the first platoon and the engineers.
The first assault totaled with 27 that both Major and Captain needed to keep track of.
Jack took the lead and led the charge up through the mouth of the bridge. There they came across the first cluster of charges along with trucks and other vehicles that were parked on the bridge to serve as barriers.
"Start defusing the charges before they blow up the bridge with us!" The chief engineer called out to his men, while that was going on Jack directed covering fire toward an MG nest holed up on the bridge.
Doing as they were told, the engineers go to it but it was already too late.
The first explosion made the bridge tremble before a chain reaction started from the German side.
"Everyone off the bridge it's going up!"
Explosion after explosion shook and rattled the bridge, even the vehicles went up in the explosive flames claiming many of the lives that were trapped on the bridge.
Jack dove for cover but James wasn't fortunate, he was sent flying and had collided with the metal of the bridge. Even though it stopped him from flying too far, the impact might've been just enough to snap his spine.
Jack scrambled to his brother's side, he ran and tripped as he made his way over and grabbed him by his harness.
"Get the Shermans up here we're going to advance!" A voice shouted while Jack brought his unresponsive brother into cover behind a destroyed lorry truck.
The tankers were hesitant, even though the explosions failed to take out the bridge, they didn't want to know what else might happen during their crossing.
Once Jack had signaled down a stretcher bearer for James, he had no choice but to swallow his emotions and rejoin the fight and assume command.
**
"The Americans are pushing up with armor support get the Panzerfaust up here!" Kittel commanded, his platoon was tasked with holding the two buildings overlooking the bridge.
Kristin was promoted to Stabsfeldwebel and he now stays further back with Rauscher to help with commanding the platoon since their old Sergeant Major was killed by enemy action.
That being said, Otto was promoted to fill Kristin's rank. Kittel and Oslo were upstairs when the first shell from the Sherman plunged into an outside fighting position.
Then the immediate return fire from the first panzerfaust answered back, shrieking out from the window and slammed into the first Sherman. Thus it shot up into flames and blocked part of the bridge.
That meant only one thing now, it was down to the infantry.
There were loud bursts of fire from downstairs before it turned into a close quarters slugging fest.
"Herr Leutnant you must escape and warn Hauptmann Falk that we can't hold out against these numbers!" Otto yelled out over the gunfire and noise while he approached the door and fixed his bayonet to his sturmgewehr.
"Oberfeldwebel I will not leave you behind to die!" Kittel exclaimed as he rushed to the door beside him.
"This isn't debatable Leutnant, the sooner we get the retreat order the better, plus you're a smaller target, now go!" Otto shouted before he charged down the steps with the bayonet at the ready.
Kittel was speechless but he followed after Otto, "We're pulling out, retreat menschen retreat!" Otto continued calling as men were following Kittel out the door.
Kittel started going outside and turned around to check on Otto,
"Come on!" He called out after him, but once Otto stepped through the door a few shots from a few separate carbines erupted and riddled the older veteran.
:"Otto!" Kittel screamed before raising his own weapon and hosed down the two Americans that had slain his best friend.
But in the exchange of fire, Kittel himself was shot and had taken a few steps back towards his men before collapsing.
"Leutnant!"
The first day was a deadly skirmish that yielded little ground before the Americans were pushed back over the bridge with heavy loss of life.
*See our finest hour*
During the final days of the war, Wolfsturm company, parts of the 15th Panzergrenadier and Karl Kriesser made their famous last stand against the Russian war machine at the Reichstag building.
Then later on May 7th, 1945 Kristin and survivors of his company commenced battle at Tangermunde which lasted days. Allowing as many as 100,000 civilians, wounded, and soldiers alike to flee to the west and surrender to the allies.
A day after the war ended, the spinal injury James had suffered eventually killed him. He was buried with full honors back in New York City.
As for the massacre, Jack was in attendance in James's place with several key witnesses including the few Dutch resistance fighters.
There were accusations of GeneralLeutnant Kriesser knowing about it but not acting upon it and the Waffen-SS general Sepp Dietrich was going to be on trial for it.
*
Hours later, being escorted in by handcuffs, both Kriesser and Dietrich were being held on trial. Karl would've been cleared of his other charges he was found not guilty of, yet the suspicion about Karl being involved had formulated from false information the resistance provided.
Later on, after five hours of debate and trial, Karl was also found not guilty and was set free on the pretense that the information provided was accusations rather than actual solid proof.
Once Karl got outside he was bombarded by the press, with questions mainly.
"General what will you do now that Germany lost the war?"
"General, how's it like to lead thousands of your men to their deaths, that last stand at the Reichstag was foolish!"
Or other nastier comments like how could he live with himself walking as a free man after being found not guilty of these war crimes he never committed.
He smiled, and paying them no heed, he said: "Well, first of all, I have a fallen comrade and dear friend to honor who died at Tangermunde." He stated before gently pushing his way through the crowd with help from his escort.
YOU ARE READING
Screaming Eagles
Historical Fiction"You're about to embark on a great crusade..." General Dwight D. Eisenhower had said in his speech to the troops prior to the opening assault on Normandy's shores. However, Jack and James O'Brian never heard that speech, because they were in the air...
