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November 29, 1939
Namur, Belgium

"10 degrees left, mark the target."

"I've got him, sir."

"Fire!"

Marlene's cannon roared and sent an armor piercing shell into the target that Otto had selected. The French armored vehicle, whose command aerials had attracted Otto's attention, burst into flames immediately. Even as the French tank began to burn, Otto was already selecting another target for Hoff and scanning for the one after that. The French were pressing them hard and Otto knew that their only chance was to act fast. The problem was that no matter how many enemy tanks he and his men killed, there seemed to be two more to take their place.

As Otto watched another of Hoff's shots disable a French tank, he heard the tinny voice of his radio operator come over the internal communicator, "Sir, Oberst Gundtrum is asking for more armored support."

Otto cursed under his breath. Not long after the French armor had appeared on the scene, enemy infantry had also launched a counterattack from the city. Otto had been forced to send a few of his panzers to support the infantry and now there were asking for more. Otto clicked the communicator on and said, "Tell him that I have no more to give, Schneider."

After a moment Schneider responded, "Sir, Oberst Gundtrum acknowledges but warns that without more support he can't guarantee how long he can hold the enemy back."

This time Otto didn't curse under his breath, but did it right out loud. If the infantry was pushed back his panzers would be vulnerable and he would have no choice but to order a retreat. Still though, the fact remained that he just couldn't spare any of his panzers for them. Like him, they were going to have to make due with what they had. With a growing sense of desperation, Otto selected another target and called it down to Hoff.
**********************************************************

Wiping sweat from his eyes, Hoff peered through his view slit and spotted the target that Otto had called down to him. It took him only a second to line up the shot and fire. Moments later he heard Otto call down a direct hit and then the order to pick his targets and fire at will. It really must be hitting the fan up there, he thought as he began scanning for targets. Turning to Lorenz he said, "Alright kid, you had damn well better keep up with me."

"Don't worry about me old man, I can toss these things all day."

Hoff turned back with a grin and began doing what he did best. Again and again he fired and true to his word, Lorenz kept the gun supplied with shells. As he and Lorenz furiously worked Marlene's gun, time had no meaning. There was only the search for more targets and the roar of the cannon. Hoff knew that he was dealing terrible damage to the enemy, but the French armor only continued to grow larger in his vision. As he was searching for yet another target, Lorenz grabbed him by the shoulder and shouted, "Only a few more rounds of the armor piercing left, Hoff."

"Fantastic, thanks.", replied Hoff as he turned back to look for another target. As he peered out he was confronted not by the sight of enemy armor, but by the sight of an enemy shell impacting his viewport.
*********************************************************

Otto felt something slam into his panzer just below where he was standing and immediately grabbed the communicator and shouted, "Report! Are we hit?"

"No sir, it was a dud.", replied Hoff.

"You sure? No damage?"

"All clear, sir."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Otto looked over the battlefield and faced a grim picture. Many of his panzers were burning or otherwise disabled, and he could see that the French were trying to swing around his flank and cut him off. He picked up the communicator and said, "Schneider, instruct 2nd Group to displace and engage the French armor moving along the flank. Tell them they are to engage and hold them until ordered otherwise."

Otto watched as 2nd Group moved off and checked the French advance against his flank. That done, he ordered the rest of his company to prepare to fall back and informed the infantry of his decision. Shortly afterward, he could see the infantry fleeing to safety under cover of his panzers and the retreat was underway. Casting a sorrowful glance to where many of the men of his 2nd Group were making what would amount to their last stand, Otto prayed that the retreat could be completed in time to get most of them out of there. Not since Spain had I. Panzerarmee shown the enemy their backs and Otto felt his defeat heavily. He knew, however, that the fight was far from over and he would have a chance at revenge soon enough.
 
Fortunate there - if that were live it could be all over and toasted Otto :eek: !

Typically though he thinks of revenge rather than good luck. But I suppose that is typical given he is quite self-centred. Leastways, it seems a reasonable supposition, even if it is miles wide of the mark! :)
 
Well, at lest it was a dud. So... Marlene isn't so unlucky as some of its crew thought... ;)
 
stynlan: I am interested by your description of Otto as self-centered as I haven't pictured him that way. I'm not saying that your description is wrong, I just find it very interesting to hear the reader's opinions about my characters and compare them to my own.

Kurt Steiner: Very lucky indeed. :)
 
Well that was close.

I'm not sure I would label Otto as self-centered. His warrior ethos has kicked in regarding his forced retreat and he laments the hit to the pride of the I. Panzerarmee. His wish for revenge has more to do, from my reading, with a desire to make good the sacrifices of his troops and lift up the morale of the I. Panzerarmee. There may be a bit of self-centeredness in that, but I'm not so sure that there is.
 
Draco Rexus said:
Well that was close.

I'm not sure I would label Otto as self-centered. His warrior ethos has kicked in regarding his forced retreat and he laments the hit to the pride of the I. Panzerarmee. His wish for revenge has more to do, from my reading, with a desire to make good the sacrifices of his troops and lift up the morale of the I. Panzerarmee. There may be a bit of self-centeredness in that, but I'm not so sure that there is.
In so few words you have perfectly captured what I was trying to portray at the end of that post.
As to whether it is self-centered: I suppose that is in the eye of the beholder(or reader). Otto certainly realized how lucky he and his crew were, he just had bigger concerns at the time. They were still alive and still had a job to do, and reflecting back on that close call can come later.
 
Hardraade,

I just got back on the story after being off for 2 weeks.....Nice updates as always.

Regarding Helmut, are am I correct in guessing that he will be awarded at least an Iron Cross 1st class for his attack and the holding of his position (not to mention his wound badge)???

Nice battle sequence for Otto and his crew. Although he might have to fall back, revenge is sweet when the tables turn. I think I counted what, 4-5 tanks destroyed by him and his crew? Seems like they all deserve an IC 2nd at least, if not more. And I think Marlene is going to be a very "blessed" tank in the coming battles, months, and years.....Reminds me of Michael Wittman's exploits through the early war years....until his untimely death in France 1944.......

I'm hoping that Otto and Helmut will both advance in rank and decorations and survive the war. I want them to be able to answer their kids question, "What did you do in the war Daddy?" Hahaha

Keep up the good work.

KLorberau
 
HKslan: ;)

KLorberau: The temptation to throw decorations and promotions at my characters is strong, but I'm trying to keep it in check a little. Otto and the boys probably are due by this time, but Helmut may have to do a bit more. That is, of course, unless I think of a good reason to give him one. :D Marlene has indeed proven lucky, but her time will come soon as technology passes her by. I too hope that Otto and Helmut survive the war, but you never know. :)



Next update tomorrow. To be accurate it's today, but I haven't gone to bed yet so I'm calling it tomorrow.
 
November 30, 1939
Namur, Belgium
Behind German Lines- Nightfall

Otto Wolf put his pen down and sighed heavily. He had just finished writing letters to the families of the men he had lost the day before and he felt drained. Most of the letters were to the families of the men from his 2nd Group, and it was those that pained him the most. He had ordered them to form the rear guard of his retreat and they had been mauled badly as a result. He had, in essence, sentenced them to death and Otto felt deep pangs of guilt. He knew that the order had been necessary, that without it the infantry would have been cut off and annihilated, but that didn't make him feel any better. He could not help but feel that he had traded the lives of friends for those of the infantry that had accompanied them into battle. What was the worst of all though was how he knew their families would react to his letters. Some would write him back how proud they were of their sons and thank him for his kind words and for caring about their loved ones. Those letters would be unbearable. Checking his watch, he saw that it was nearly time for the staff briefing that Oberst Erhardt had called for. First though, he felt that he was in desperate need of company and some cheering up. To that end, Otto stepped out of his tent and headed toward where his crew were relaxing for the night.

As he sat down he stretched his hands toward the warmth of the fire and thanked God that they were far enough from the front line for the heat source to be allowed. Once some warmth had crept into him, he turned to his crew and asked, "How is everyone holding up?"

Hoff shrugged, "Not too bad. Glad for the day of rest, I'll tell you that."

Schneider nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, it gave us time to clean out the panzer at any rate."

Otto frowned in puzzlement and asked, "Clean it out? What do you mean?"

"You didn't hear, sir? When that shell hit the turret Lorenz wet himself. Damn mess in there.", replied Schneider.

Otto shook his head as Lorenz began sputtering with rage and the others burst into fits of laughter. With a tear in his eye, Schneider looked to Lorenz and said, "Don't worry kid, it can happen to anybody. We swear we'll never mention it to anyone, especially not to a certain young lady back in Amsterdam."

"There's nothing to tell! Sir, that never happened!", shouted Lorenz after he finally found his voice.

"That's right kid, block it out. Things will be easier that way.", laughed Hertz.

"You know what? You all can go screw off.", retorted Lorenz with anger.

Otto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What was that, private?"

Lorenz turned red and replied in an apologetic tone, "I didn't mean you, sir. Just the rest of them."

Otto smiled and nodded, "Alright then, carry on."

Instead of having any more choice words for his fellow crewmen, Lorenz spun on his heel and stormed away from the fire. After watching him disappear from the firelight, Otto remarked, "You know, you guys really should take it easier on him."

"Aw, come on sir, it's all in fun. The kid knows that.", replied Schneider.

"You sure?", asked Otto.

Schneider rubbed at his chin for a moment and then said, "I suppose I'll see if I can find him."

As Schneider departed, Otto rose as well and made for the briefing after bidding farewell to his men for the night. Once there, Otto gathered around the map table with the regiment's other officers as Oberst Erhardt began, "Gentlemen, the operation against Namur continues to fail to meet expectations. Today an attempt by Sixth Armee to take the city was repulsed with considerable casualties. It would seem as if the French are determined to hold here at all costs. High Command, however, is equally determined to see the city fall. To that end, we will once again be joining the battle tomorrow. Rather than assaulting the city itself, our task will be to support a drive to the French border the aim of which is to cut the city off completely."

As Otto listened to Erhardt describe his plan for the coming day a smile began to come to his face. No attacking set defenses this time, just fast moving panzer warfare. Otto departed from the briefing feeling supremely confident that I. Panzerarmee would be redeemed from it's earlier failure. As he was about to head down the path back to his tent, he heard the voice of Oberst Erhardt ask him to wait for a moment. Otto turned to face Erhardt and asked, "What is it, sir?"

"Wolf, I have a couple pieces of news that affect you. First, I know that you were concerned about your brother so I checked around. Seems he was wounded during the fighting in Ghent, but is recovering in a hospital in Amsterdam. According to the doctors there he should be fine."

Otto breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know that Helmut was alive and at least mostly well. Once he had processed that information he asked, "And the other piece of news, sir?"

Erhardt frowned a little as he replied, "The other news concerns your company. There will be no more replacements for your lost panzers. Seems that Berlin feels that the Sturer Emil is a flawed design and wishes it removed from production. They are, however, currently working on a new heavy panzer design to replace it. Once your company falls below a certain strength, it will have to be disbanded. The remaining panzers will be dispersed to serve in infantry support roles."

"I see. Thank you for informing me, sir.", replied Otto with a touch of sadness.

"Listen Wolf, don't take this to mean that you and your men haven't been doing a fine job. I couldn't have asked for a better performance out of you and them."

Otto nodded, "I understand, sir. Thank you."

Otto turned and walked down the path toward his tent. In short order he found himself standing before the bulk of Marlene who had borne him safely across Poland, The Netherlands, and now Belgium. Feeling a burst of affection for the vehicle, Otto let a gloved hand run along her hull as he whispered, "Tomorrow you'll show them what you can do. Tomorrow we'll make sure the world remembers what you can do."


tigermv3.jpg

Prototype of the as of yet unnamed new heavy panzer design under construction.
 
They are, however, currently working on a new heavy panzer design to replace it.




:cool:


Nice update, as always.
 
The Panzers have taken a big punishment, methinks... it could have been worse, I guess.
 
trekaddict: Thanks

Kurt Steiner: Yeah, there were some surprisingly heavy casualties to some of my units involved in the battle. Though Otto doesn't know it right now, things are going much better elsewhere.

Hkslan: To get the Tigers so far ahead it did indeed take some long single-minded research into armor. Things might be rough in Namur right now, but that's not the whole picture. Let's just say that the better the French do there, the worse things are going to go for them.
 
Hannibal Barca2 said:
Love your story! Keep up writing!!

00020165.gif

I smiled for the first time during what had been a terrible day when I saw your comment. Thank you very much.
 
I hope that your days hasn't been as bad as your post suggests... If it's the case, let me send you a big huge from this grateful reader of you. If it's not, let me do it, anyway :D .
 
Kurt_Steiner said:
I hope that your days hasn't been as bad as your post suggests... If it's the case, let me send you a big huge from this grateful reader of you. If it's not, let me do it, anyway :D .
a big huge what? :wacko:
 
Kurt Steiner: To give you just a taste of what my day was like: I had to drive 2 hours to pick up my paycheck. Normally I would have waited until I had gone back downstate to pick it up, but my car payment is due so I needed to get it today. When I arrived(after two hours remember) I was told that my paycheck had been sent somewhere else by mistake and that I would have to wait until it could be mailed to the proper place. I then had to drive two hours back home essentially seething with rage. And that, as I said, was only a taste of what my day was like. That being said, I appreciate the good wishes.

rcduggan: Whatever it was, it was well intended and appreciated.
 
Gosh....

In my case, I'm looking for a new house to rent because I've to quit from where I'm living. It's a pmess, to put it shortly. And I'm running out of time. So, I think I understand you a bit...

You're welcome.

rcduggan said:
a big huge what? :wacko:

A big hug, I meant.