Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread III
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 125, Chapter 1209
Chapter Two Thousand One Hundred Nine
25th December 1971
Paso de San Francisco
The first wave of soldiers coming up the mountain had fled as soon as they figured out that they were encountering stiff resistance. The trouble was that in the manner of soldiers since the dawn of time, their Commander must have exaggerated the actual numbers he was facing. Because the Chileans unloaded everything they had on the mountaintop. It was sort of ironic because Manny could see how the lines were getting pushed back. Every shell expended uselessly against a handful of observers was one less that was desperately needed elsewhere. It made sense in the brutal arithmetic of this conflict however it was sort of hard to keep that in perspective as they were getting hammered. In the valley below, the force that was assembling against them looked enormous. A part of Manny felt like yelling at them that it was to be expected when they took on the Panzer Corps.
It was shortly after that when Manny saw that the Infantry were trying to advance up the mountain again. He understood the motivation that must be at work. Even as the Chileans were getting pushed back, Manny and his men were the enemy in front of him. He wasn’t prepared to just let that go. Focusing through the scope of his rile, Manny looked for the tell-tale signs of Officers and Noncoms. Anyone who looked to be in charge or walked like an asshole, not to put too fine a point on it. As fast as he could work the bolt, he sent 8.5mm bullets down range until he discovered that the pack containing the cartridges was empty.
Ralf must have noticed because he shoved his own rifle into Manny’s hands along with several unused magazines. He was operating his radio and calling in artillery and air support, so his rifle had seen little use today. Manny went back to shooting at the advancing Chileans, he heard Einar shouting at Brodbeck to get the bonesaw back into the fight and Brodbeck complaining about how he was out. A moment later Kruger said the same thing and then came the call that Grünbach was hit and the 3rd Squad which he led was on the verge of panicking. Things were unraveling fast as Manny realized that he was out of options. He desperately needed the one thing he didn’t have, time, as the Chileans were pushing to within a matter of a few meters. Christian fired a grenade had sounded like if it had barely left the barrel before it had detonated before looking at him apologetically, meaning he was out too, and Manny realized that he was out of time and options.
Snatching the radio mic away from Ralf, Manny started shouting authorization over the command net for a fire mission and when Ralf and Christian heard the coordinates, they started yelling for the others to get as deep in their holes as they could. Less than a minute later, the whole face to the mountain was swept with creeping barrage from a battery of Evergreens that started with their own position and progressed towards the road.
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Christian had no idea how long he had been out, but his head was ringing as he was pulled out of his hole after being half buried. He had a man who he dimly was aware was a Chilean Officer yelling at him in Spanish. Something about demanding to know where the rest of them were.
It took his addled mind a minute to find the right words in Spanish to respond. “I crap on your whore mother” Christian said to the man’s face and watched his face turn red with rage. Next thing Christian knew he had a gun in his face, and he simply no longer cared as he would have spit at the man if his mouth wasn’t so dry. A minute later he was dragged over to where the others were sitting surrounded by armed Chilean Soldiers.
“You just earned yourself a Knight’s Cross if we get out of this shit Chris” Manny said as he must have seen what had just happened. Watching as the other survivors of their outfit were getting pulled out by the Chileans, the Officer was yelling at his men as he must have finally realized that he had taken on a single Platoon and had taken disproportionate losses.
“Now there is someone who is having a truly rotten day” Ralf observed, and they got a good laugh. The Soldiers around them looked totally outraged. Their part in this show had been reduced to that of a complete farce.
The Chilean Officer came back over and singled out Manny to yell at. They must have figured out that he was the Platoon leader, a minute later, they started checking rank tabs. Sort of difficult to do considering how they were completely covered in dust. “Sargento” One of the men said as he got a look at Christian, and he was shoved in the direction of Manny. It was clear that they were trying to separate out Officers and Noncoms who held greater intelligence value from the Other Ranks. Christian was tired, and he was noticing the various injuries he had received over the course of the morning.
It was then that a shrill whistle split the air and as Christian watched a single man stood on the crest of the ridge. Then as if by magic, dozens of others appeared. They were shooting at the Chileans and when they reached Christian on of them looked at him and said, “Why can’t you Recon types stay in your own lane?” It was then that he noticed that the man had an Edelweiss patch on the sleave of his tunic and Christian wondered if it was too late to go with the retreating Chileans. When word of this got out, they were never going to hear the end of it.
25th December 1971
Paso de San Francisco
The first wave of soldiers coming up the mountain had fled as soon as they figured out that they were encountering stiff resistance. The trouble was that in the manner of soldiers since the dawn of time, their Commander must have exaggerated the actual numbers he was facing. Because the Chileans unloaded everything they had on the mountaintop. It was sort of ironic because Manny could see how the lines were getting pushed back. Every shell expended uselessly against a handful of observers was one less that was desperately needed elsewhere. It made sense in the brutal arithmetic of this conflict however it was sort of hard to keep that in perspective as they were getting hammered. In the valley below, the force that was assembling against them looked enormous. A part of Manny felt like yelling at them that it was to be expected when they took on the Panzer Corps.
It was shortly after that when Manny saw that the Infantry were trying to advance up the mountain again. He understood the motivation that must be at work. Even as the Chileans were getting pushed back, Manny and his men were the enemy in front of him. He wasn’t prepared to just let that go. Focusing through the scope of his rile, Manny looked for the tell-tale signs of Officers and Noncoms. Anyone who looked to be in charge or walked like an asshole, not to put too fine a point on it. As fast as he could work the bolt, he sent 8.5mm bullets down range until he discovered that the pack containing the cartridges was empty.
Ralf must have noticed because he shoved his own rifle into Manny’s hands along with several unused magazines. He was operating his radio and calling in artillery and air support, so his rifle had seen little use today. Manny went back to shooting at the advancing Chileans, he heard Einar shouting at Brodbeck to get the bonesaw back into the fight and Brodbeck complaining about how he was out. A moment later Kruger said the same thing and then came the call that Grünbach was hit and the 3rd Squad which he led was on the verge of panicking. Things were unraveling fast as Manny realized that he was out of options. He desperately needed the one thing he didn’t have, time, as the Chileans were pushing to within a matter of a few meters. Christian fired a grenade had sounded like if it had barely left the barrel before it had detonated before looking at him apologetically, meaning he was out too, and Manny realized that he was out of time and options.
Snatching the radio mic away from Ralf, Manny started shouting authorization over the command net for a fire mission and when Ralf and Christian heard the coordinates, they started yelling for the others to get as deep in their holes as they could. Less than a minute later, the whole face to the mountain was swept with creeping barrage from a battery of Evergreens that started with their own position and progressed towards the road.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Christian had no idea how long he had been out, but his head was ringing as he was pulled out of his hole after being half buried. He had a man who he dimly was aware was a Chilean Officer yelling at him in Spanish. Something about demanding to know where the rest of them were.
It took his addled mind a minute to find the right words in Spanish to respond. “I crap on your whore mother” Christian said to the man’s face and watched his face turn red with rage. Next thing Christian knew he had a gun in his face, and he simply no longer cared as he would have spit at the man if his mouth wasn’t so dry. A minute later he was dragged over to where the others were sitting surrounded by armed Chilean Soldiers.
“You just earned yourself a Knight’s Cross if we get out of this shit Chris” Manny said as he must have seen what had just happened. Watching as the other survivors of their outfit were getting pulled out by the Chileans, the Officer was yelling at his men as he must have finally realized that he had taken on a single Platoon and had taken disproportionate losses.
“Now there is someone who is having a truly rotten day” Ralf observed, and they got a good laugh. The Soldiers around them looked totally outraged. Their part in this show had been reduced to that of a complete farce.
The Chilean Officer came back over and singled out Manny to yell at. They must have figured out that he was the Platoon leader, a minute later, they started checking rank tabs. Sort of difficult to do considering how they were completely covered in dust. “Sargento” One of the men said as he got a look at Christian, and he was shoved in the direction of Manny. It was clear that they were trying to separate out Officers and Noncoms who held greater intelligence value from the Other Ranks. Christian was tired, and he was noticing the various injuries he had received over the course of the morning.
It was then that a shrill whistle split the air and as Christian watched a single man stood on the crest of the ridge. Then as if by magic, dozens of others appeared. They were shooting at the Chileans and when they reached Christian on of them looked at him and said, “Why can’t you Recon types stay in your own lane?” It was then that he noticed that the man had an Edelweiss patch on the sleave of his tunic and Christian wondered if it was too late to go with the retreating Chileans. When word of this got out, they were never going to hear the end of it.
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Oh, I had a shit shift at work and still can't de-stress, thank you for the laugh.
This IS Recon's lane. Out in front of everyone looking for trouble and praying to all that's holy (& unholy) that trouble doesn't find them.
simple reply, " what took so long? " or " Hey Mountain Goat you are late for the party"
Fighting over a mountaintop, that is the domain of the Gebirgsjäger according to them in this context. They also happen to be among Panzer Corps Recon's rivals, which explains Christian's reaction to being rescued by them.
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Part 125, Chapter 2110
Chapter Two Thousand One Hundred Ten
27th December 1971
Paso de San Francisco
Tilo read the report that landed on his desk that showed how things were progressing and felt a bit disgusted by what exactly he was doing here. This wasn’t a battle; it was deliberate destruction just for the sake of doing so. Like a child breaking dishes by throwing them out the window because they liked to hear the crash. The plan was to lure the Chilean Army to commit more and more resources to defending Paso de San Francisco and it was working so far. They had taken the top of the pass and the Chileans were pouring men and material into retaking it.
The Argentine President didn’t just want a victory here, he wanted the Chileans to remember it if they ever set foot on this side of the Andes Mountains. President Martinez had said as much in a fiery speech in which he said he wanted graves filed as the wails of widows and orphans filled air. The Chileans had started this fight and it was his intention to end it on his terms. Tilo had been tempted to ask if President Martinez wanted him to salt the earth as well but had held his tongue. He had no way knowing if this was the crowing of a politician pandering a public hungry for revenge, or if Martinez meant every word he said.
Tilo’s mind kept wandering back to what had happened the day before how a single Platoon had found themselves in a critical mission that had placed them a dangerous position. With hundreds of thousands all around, it seemed strange that a small number be involved in what had turned out to be a microcosm. Of the thirty-two men involved in the operation, eight had died and the remainder of the Platoon had all suffered injuries to some extent and at least six would never return to active service. In return, they had guided the artillery that had covered the main advance up the pass and when they had been discovered, they had fought a far larger force to a standstill.
He had known Manfred von Mischner for his entire life, Manfred’s mother Helene being a dear friend of Nancy’s, which was why the 4th Panzer had checked with him first. Tilo had sent him in there knowing that this would be the likely outcome. If it had been Sebastian, would he have been so quick to approve the orders? He didn’t know. He had talked to President Martinez that morning and had learned that the Argentine Government wanted to reward the detachment from the 7th Recon. It would probably the first bit of recognition that they would receive. Tilo remembered his own experiences and remembered how a bit of costume jewelry had hardly seemed worth the price he had paid for it, years later he would discover that they opened many doors for him though. Apparently, the Argentine Government believed in giving things that were a bit more tangible.
Overhead, four of the Turmfalke fighter-bombers streaked past, on an attack run. They were so close that Tilo could see the pilots behind the controls. Were they flying low or was this place so high?
Mitte, Berlin
“I know that this is not how you want to spend your day” Marie heard her mother say, “I do not want to hear any complaints regarding…”
“If you told me what this was about, I probably wouldn’t complain as much” Marie said as she looked out the back window of the car. “You always do this, keeping me in the dark, thinking that I need to be protected.”
All Marie knew was that her plans to sleep in her own bed, reveling in the freedom and privacy of her bedroom over the lazy week between Christmas and New Year’s had been rudely interrupted. Being handed clothes that her mother deemed appropriate and told to get dressed. Now, in the car as they were being driven across town, Marie wanted answers.
“I am going to tell you if you give me a chance” Marie’s mother replied. Something about the way she said it suggested that Marie would regret it if she interrupted her mother again.
They sat in silence for a long awkward moment.
“As I was saying, I don’t want any complaints because they would be extremely inappropriate” Marie’s mother said, “Zoe Brun, who I know is a classmate of yours lost her brother a couple days ago and I know that you will want to be there for your friend.”
“I’m attending a different school this year” Marie replied, “Remember?”
“And you will be attending the same school again next year” Marie’s mother said, “Adults do not limit their friendships to people they see every day. They have a wider circle of friends and right now I would say that Zoe needs a friend like you.”
Marie remembered Zoe’s older brother, how she met him a few times and then he had left for Argentina. How she had thought he was cute when she had seen him in the photographs which he had sent in the letters he had sent Zoe.
“What happened to Engel?” Marie asked.
The expression on her mother’s face changed. “There is a war going on in South America” She said as if that explained everything. “Young men die in war Marie, before they grow sensible and tell their leaders to fuck off when asked to do something stupid.”
Oddly, Marie wished that her mother had not told her so much this time.
27th December 1971
Paso de San Francisco
Tilo read the report that landed on his desk that showed how things were progressing and felt a bit disgusted by what exactly he was doing here. This wasn’t a battle; it was deliberate destruction just for the sake of doing so. Like a child breaking dishes by throwing them out the window because they liked to hear the crash. The plan was to lure the Chilean Army to commit more and more resources to defending Paso de San Francisco and it was working so far. They had taken the top of the pass and the Chileans were pouring men and material into retaking it.
The Argentine President didn’t just want a victory here, he wanted the Chileans to remember it if they ever set foot on this side of the Andes Mountains. President Martinez had said as much in a fiery speech in which he said he wanted graves filed as the wails of widows and orphans filled air. The Chileans had started this fight and it was his intention to end it on his terms. Tilo had been tempted to ask if President Martinez wanted him to salt the earth as well but had held his tongue. He had no way knowing if this was the crowing of a politician pandering a public hungry for revenge, or if Martinez meant every word he said.
Tilo’s mind kept wandering back to what had happened the day before how a single Platoon had found themselves in a critical mission that had placed them a dangerous position. With hundreds of thousands all around, it seemed strange that a small number be involved in what had turned out to be a microcosm. Of the thirty-two men involved in the operation, eight had died and the remainder of the Platoon had all suffered injuries to some extent and at least six would never return to active service. In return, they had guided the artillery that had covered the main advance up the pass and when they had been discovered, they had fought a far larger force to a standstill.
He had known Manfred von Mischner for his entire life, Manfred’s mother Helene being a dear friend of Nancy’s, which was why the 4th Panzer had checked with him first. Tilo had sent him in there knowing that this would be the likely outcome. If it had been Sebastian, would he have been so quick to approve the orders? He didn’t know. He had talked to President Martinez that morning and had learned that the Argentine Government wanted to reward the detachment from the 7th Recon. It would probably the first bit of recognition that they would receive. Tilo remembered his own experiences and remembered how a bit of costume jewelry had hardly seemed worth the price he had paid for it, years later he would discover that they opened many doors for him though. Apparently, the Argentine Government believed in giving things that were a bit more tangible.
Overhead, four of the Turmfalke fighter-bombers streaked past, on an attack run. They were so close that Tilo could see the pilots behind the controls. Were they flying low or was this place so high?
Mitte, Berlin
“I know that this is not how you want to spend your day” Marie heard her mother say, “I do not want to hear any complaints regarding…”
“If you told me what this was about, I probably wouldn’t complain as much” Marie said as she looked out the back window of the car. “You always do this, keeping me in the dark, thinking that I need to be protected.”
All Marie knew was that her plans to sleep in her own bed, reveling in the freedom and privacy of her bedroom over the lazy week between Christmas and New Year’s had been rudely interrupted. Being handed clothes that her mother deemed appropriate and told to get dressed. Now, in the car as they were being driven across town, Marie wanted answers.
“I am going to tell you if you give me a chance” Marie’s mother replied. Something about the way she said it suggested that Marie would regret it if she interrupted her mother again.
They sat in silence for a long awkward moment.
“As I was saying, I don’t want any complaints because they would be extremely inappropriate” Marie’s mother said, “Zoe Brun, who I know is a classmate of yours lost her brother a couple days ago and I know that you will want to be there for your friend.”
“I’m attending a different school this year” Marie replied, “Remember?”
“And you will be attending the same school again next year” Marie’s mother said, “Adults do not limit their friendships to people they see every day. They have a wider circle of friends and right now I would say that Zoe needs a friend like you.”
Marie remembered Zoe’s older brother, how she met him a few times and then he had left for Argentina. How she had thought he was cute when she had seen him in the photographs which he had sent in the letters he had sent Zoe.
“What happened to Engel?” Marie asked.
The expression on her mother’s face changed. “There is a war going on in South America” She said as if that explained everything. “Young men die in war Marie, before they grow sensible and tell their leaders to fuck off when asked to do something stupid.”
Oddly, Marie wished that her mother had not told her so much this time.
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Old men talk about how the wars are good and the young men die.
Falkenburg
Monthly Donor
It’s only those who haven’t been through it that glorify conflict.
Dulce et decorum est….
Dulce et decorum est….
Dunno if that's universally true. I mean, look at Mad Jack Churchill - loved war to the point that he was apparently regretful that the war ended when it did...
Falkenburg
Monthly Donor
There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. And Mad Jack was certainly exceptional.
You know... the fact that he was called "Mad Jack" should be all the hind you need that he was just that... MAD!