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jhewoi
#180210036Thursday, December 24, 2015 2:43 AM GMT

You ride on the Halftrack, listening to your friends cheerfully talking about the superiority of the Fatherland, compared to the Russians. You ignore their ramblings. Suddenly, the half-track halted. A man emerged from the truck behind you and walked towards the half-track. It was the Offizier. The Offizier said that this village would be an ideal place for a forward base. You can push the halftrack or check the houses to make sure they're clear.
simsf1
#180214015Thursday, December 24, 2015 3:37 AM GMT

Growing tired of the presence of mein brüder and the sight of German trucks, I opted to check the houses, approaching the backwater town with my rifle raised.
simsf1
#180214415Thursday, December 24, 2015 3:43 AM GMT

((Meine* sorry))
jhewoi
#180214503Thursday, December 24, 2015 3:44 AM GMT

You walk towards a deserted house, rifle in hand. You open the door. No one's there. The squad leader urges you to check other houses, but you notice that there arer stairs leading to a second floor. Investigate, or follow the squad leader's orders?
simsf1
#180215149Thursday, December 24, 2015 3:54 AM GMT

I think quickly, and place a finger to my lips, mouthing the words, "I heard something," but in German. I'm lying, of course, but he doesn't know that. I proceed up to the steps and go upstairs.
jhewoi
#180215833Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:05 AM GMT

You move up quietly, as the squad leader dispatches two more men to come with you upstairs. You moved up quietly. Upstairs, you and your men froze as you spotted 3 partisans, still unaware of your presence, having a game of cards. You can take them on in hand-to-hand combat or try to make them surrender by pointing your guns at them.
simsf1
#180244680Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:16 PM GMT

I spoke to them cheerfully, smiling as I pointed my gun and called out a happy "Hallo!"* *German for "Hey!"
jhewoi
#180245115Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:23 PM GMT

They were spooked. One tried to reach for the guns, but one of your comrades shot him in the shoulder. The rest just surrendered. As they got up and went downstairs, they retaliated. They pinned you to the wall, trying to wrestle the rifle from you, as another guy pulls out a concealed knife and went for your comrade. What do you do now?
simsf1
#180245692Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:33 PM GMT

My head was helmed with a relatively hard helmet, and I'd been in this sort of situation before, so I did what came to me first- I headbutted him. Hard. Several times right in the nose.
jhewoi
#180245875Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:35 PM GMT

He flinched and was pushed back. You gained the advantage. But your comrade has not. He has suffered a few stab wounds in the abdomen, but still struggling.
simsf1
#180246004Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:37 PM GMT

I lowered my rifle to aim at the man, squeezed the trigger, and unleashed a storm of bullets into his gut before turning to the man with a knife.
jhewoi
#180246200Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:41 PM GMT

The partisan was shot to bits as he went over the railing and down. The man with the knife had overwhelmed your comrade, with a stab to his neck. Furious, you sprayed him full of lead. The third one, the one with the busted shoulder, tried to run out of the house, but was recaptured by the perimeter guard. Now, your friend is bleeding out. What do you do?
simsf1
#180246994Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:53 PM GMT

I slung my rifle over my shoulder and desperately lifted him and threw his arm over my shoulder. I walked him over to the steps, cursing and trying to comfort him. The weather was cold, so maybe it could stop the bleeding or at least slow it.
jhewoi
#180247173Thursday, December 24, 2015 4:56 PM GMT

One of the staff heard the gunfire and ran up and saw you, at the steps, trying to keep your friend conscious. A medic soon came, but only to take the body away. You sat there, angered by the feeling of hopelessness, the inability to save that man. But you can't sit there forever. What do you do now?
simsf1
#180248340Thursday, December 24, 2015 5:14 PM GMT

I sighed. That man had been my friend. My first one, in fact. And I hadn't even had the chance to save him. I moved away from the house and on to the next to finish up the searching.
jhewoi
#180248628Thursday, December 24, 2015 5:19 PM GMT

You walk out of the house and proceeded to the next one. And the next. And the next. The village was clear. You returned to that man. He was now on a stretcher, covered by a tarp.
simsf1
#180250320Thursday, December 24, 2015 5:43 PM GMT

I didn't even hide the fact that I was disturbed. I was certain a few of the veterans would make fun, but I didn't care. I was still a Private, fresh out of training. And I looked down at the man with a solemn face and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his chest. "Gott beschütze uns," I whispered. I touched at my chest, feeling the cross necklace I had concealed in my clothes. I didn't think mein Fuhrer would take kindly to the "God first" rule, nor would my commanders, so I had been sure to conceal my faith. I was, after all, a Lutheran.
jhewoi
#180250532Thursday, December 24, 2015 5:46 PM GMT

After you stood up, two medics grabbed that man's stretcher and put him on a truck, alongside other dead men. Soon after, the truck sped away, back to Germany, where they would be buried with full honors. You walk back, and the squad leader spots you. He approaches you slowly, and started talking to you. "It's okay, Schutze. It's alright. He's out of this hellhole now." He reassured you. "By the way, I didn't catch your name. What was it?" He asked.
simsf1
#180251305Thursday, December 24, 2015 5:57 PM GMT

I gave him a quick, honest answer. "Arn. Hoenzollern. I'm from Frankfurt. You?"
jhewoi
#180293633Friday, December 25, 2015 4:10 AM GMT

"Max von Schultz. Koenigsberg. Here, I'll introduce you to the troops." He said, as he walked. He pointed at the 3 men talking to each other. "The one on the right is Maxis, the machine gunner. On the left, Wilhelm, the ammunition carrier. The guy leaning on the wall is Kriegler, rifleman. I don't know his first name." He said. Then he pointed to the right, where 2 men are talking and eating. "The one with the chocolate bar is Erwin. The one with the cookie on the right, is Heinz. They're my SMG infantry." He said, as you both entered the Field HQ. "And that's basically it. We lost 2 men. You and your friend were the replacement troops. Welcome to 1. Squad." He said, as he walked into the Field HQ. Day by day passed, as you did the same thing. Move up to village, secure it. Pack up, move to next village, secure it, and so forth. 2 full weeks since you last spoke to the squad leader, you find yourself in a half-track. It's the same thing again. You were crossing a small forest, on the road. You listened to your friends as they told each other a few jokes. The half-track driver was listening too. He had a weird laugh. Suddenly, you spot something moving in the treeline near you. Tell the men, or just leave it?

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