A City Too Far
The Essen Serpent
General Heissmeyer has ordered the long awaited and final push into the city of Essen itself. The entire III-SS Panzercorps presses into the city occupied by their defenders, in the rubble on the bridge the British soldiers have a nightmare on their hands, two panzerdivisions and one SS Panzergrenadier division are storming into the city at all points strangling the 1st Airborne Divison into little pieces. The most fierce battles within the city begin to take place along the Essen Bridge itself where the British soldiers led by Major Harolds orders all soldiers to fight 'till the death and take as many Germans with them.
On a corner street inside the city British soldiers stand beside a store shop firing at the advancing German grenadiers and the street begins to rumble and shake like an earthquake knocking some of the British Para's from their feet and a German Tiger Tank rips through the store and pauses directly infront of two British soldiers now beneath the massive German war machine, the tank fires into a nearby building obliterating it and the city of Essen is unrecognizable, ruins lay the every inch of the city and the British and Germans are now engaged in fierce life and death combat in the streets and houses of Essen, Germany.
"Sergeant, cover me I'm coming forward!" shouts Major Harolds. The Major rushes across the street with his right arm covering his head as he runs to the sergeant in the nearby subway station. When he reaches he's out of breathe and covered in ruins and debris, "What's the situation sergeant?"
"Doctor Raab wants to speak to you downstairs."
"Is that it?"
"Yes major."
Major Harolds walks downs the subway entry and looks inside for the doctor, inside the walls are stained with blood and floor covered by fallen soldiers both wounded and dead. The medics are overwhelmed and Dr. Raab in his white shirt worn beneathe his suit is drenched in red blood and his hands cluching a pair of medical scissors no longer a shiny silver but a pale red coloring with small drips falling from it, the doctor walks over to the major and begins to inform him on the situation.
"Major Harolds," sighs Dr. Raab, "you know why I called you down here. We don't have the room space or the supplies to care for all the wounded. In cramped area and spacing the soldiers don't stand a chance," he sighs again and swipes the blood and sweat from his forhead. "I ask that I may go to the Germans and talk to them, a captured soldier as you know stands much more of a chance to survive than the wounded do currently in these places."
The major looks at the soldiers, eyes covered and bandages turned red, heads cracked, legs torn open and the cries of many screaming out for aid and attention in the carnage of the battle. Doctor Raab looks at the major and asks calmly, "Do I have a yes?"
"You can try, I cannot gurantee anything from the Germans however."
"It's better than just sitting here sir."
"Sergeant Perry," yells the major, "go with Dr. Raab. Now!"
Sgt. Perry walks up and obliges and whispers in the Harolds ear, "Captain Thomas wants to talk to you sir. Overthere sir," he points in the direction of the injured captain.
"What is it Tommy?"
"Let me go back out to the fight sir, I must be beside my boys."
"Tommy," sighs Major Harolds, "Your entire company is gone Tommy, no one is left."
"My entire company?"
"Every single fourty-five of them Tommy."
The captain clings onto his bandage covering his eyes, his face mostly unrecognizable, his golden hair stained dark black and red. "Well at least they went down fighting. Major..."
"Please Tommy, call me Jim."
"Jim, I always wanted too say its been a pleasure serving with you and I am sad too know that I will not see England again with you."
The Major laughs, "What are you talking about Tommy? You know, you've been one of my few friends I always knew would be beside me through this war. It's been more of an honor to serve with you."
"Don't say that Jim, you've been the one everyone looked to, from Sicily to Normandy, from Normandy to Eindhoven, from Eindhoven to Essen."
"Tommy? Tommy? Tommy?"
The captain sluched over his side, not moving, not breathing. Major James "Jim" Harolds begins to cry and stands up and exits the subway medical station. Outside he looks at Corporal Smith standing in the hotel doorway. "Smitty! I'm coming back!" Jim runs across the pavement full of rabble and is knocked down by an eighty-eight across the streets. He screams in pains and is dragged off the street by his soldiers.
Around the bend A German Panzer and their grenadiers push towards a local bakery with grenades and explosives going off every second on the street. The British soldiers behind rubble stand up and charge the Germans in a last-ditch effort for victory. The rushing British soldiers cause the grenadiers to run back firing their weapons in retreat, the British have only stopped the inevitable from happening. The Germans cannot be stopped for much longer.
~ Colonel Schneider's Command Post. Essen, Germany.
"Please colonel, I beg you to take in our wounded."
"Doctor, please tell me how much they paid you to turn against your own people?"
"That's not the question, if you don't take in the wounded... they will all die."
"Doctor Raab, you do realize there is something of a war going on, and right now doctor. We are in the process of winning it."
"Please sir."
"Impossible."
"It would be very possible if you would just say yes."
"In war, only one side can win. Right now, we are winning this war."
"Winning or lossing is not our concern. Living or dying is. One hour? Then you can butcher us all you want after that."
Field Marshal Rommel walks into the room with General Heissmeyer. Dressed in his dark black jacket he calls over the colonel. Schneider and Rommel walk to the doctor. Schneider speaks again, "One hour," and walks out. Rommel walks to the doctor and shakes his hand.
"Talk too your commanders, tell them there is no reason to fight and die any longer, I don't want to slaughter all of these brave Englishmen..."