9 replies to this topic

[Shu]

Prolouge: "Set, go"




June 6th, 1944.

My name is Eli Stevens. Im a Private in the United States Army, 29th Infantry Division, 116th Regiment, F Company. Im a quiet guy, I dont like to fight, but I would say can if I need to. I wouldnt know, however. Im new, Im a 22 year old guy, born and raised in Bismarck, North Dakota. There are 16 year olds joining up, and I was DRAFTED. I know less than these kids in my unit. Makes me feel bad, so I convince myself I can fight if I need to. This is my first battle. What a great way to join a war. In this stupid LCVP, waiting to be killed. I dont know whats on that beach, but Im sure whatever it is, whoever it is, is going to be the end of me. I hear the Machine Gun fire. Sounds horrifying. Such a mechanic sound, endless and endless. Im assigned to 3rd squad. Last squad on our landing craft. The men in my squad... I dont know them well, except for Greg Markison, which I befriended in the UK.

There's Sergent Kyle Austin, our squad leader. Carries a Thompson Sub. Dosent talk unless he's telling us to do something. I think he's 30.

Second in command is Corporal Chris Hammond. Also carries a Sub. He's 27, he and the Sergent fought in Africa, and were both folded into the 29th.

There's Private First Class Leroy Kendall. He carries an M1, like me and Greg. He's 26, and fought a bit in Italy. He keeps bugging me and Greg about being "New". He's a pain in the ass.

There's Private Mike Clements, who carries an M1, and talks ALOT. Never shuts up. He's 19. Too young to be in this war, if you ask me.

Greg is 20, and he's my only friend in this whole damned army. I hope he lives.



I hope I live.


All of a sudden, I hear a "LETS GO" and I all of a sudden sprint. Next thing Im on the beach, cant hear a friggin thing, and I cant SEE a friggin thing. Smoke. There's a grass fire, but there are still bullets whizzing around us. "WHAT THE HELL..." I hear Greg yell. I then hear the Corporal yell "GODAMMIT!! STEVENS, MARKISON, GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE!!!!"
I didnt even wait for him to finish. I ran out of the smoke, along with Greg and some other guys in front of me, I ran toward the Tank Obstacles the rest of the Squad were using as cover. Two guys were in front of me, heading for the same cover. Wap. The next second, their heads explode in red guts, blood splurting everywhere, all over my helmet as well. I dont know what happened to them, and I dont want to look. I got to the cover with Greg, and watched as more men dropped. It seemed like there were more bodies than grains of sand. So many. So this is my first foray into combat. Makes me want to throw up.

Set, Go.



---------------------

May or may not finish story, depending on what people say about it.

[Soviet Comrade]

Sounds good. Now include some Canadians (and don't make them suck either) and you'll win at life. Seriously, D-Day was one of our moments of glory. We captured our beach and pushed so far ahead, so fast, the germans on the other beaches had to weaken the defenses and had to flank us, weakening the beaches and helping the Brits and Americans capture their beaches.

/end rant

Good stuff Shu. Is it all from the perspective of Eli?

[Shu]

It will probably be all from Eli's perspective, but I may change my mind.

As for the Canadians, It depends. Im keeping the Story historically accurate, so if the 29th's path intersects with some Canadians, I will definately add some. Maybe even if they dont intersect. I could twist up the story.

EDIT: New chapter.


Chapter One: Red Sand




June 6th, 1944.


"SHIT!" Greg barked as he slid behind the cover with me. Being behind this cover gave me a chance to glance around. I looked behind me. The water was red. Really red. Guts floating in the water. Disgusting. Something orange caught my eye. I saw one of A company's LCVP's catch fire. Burning bodies, screaming, running out of the transport, only to be cut down by Machine Gun fire. "My God..." I whispered to myself.

So this is war.





"STEVENS!"

It was Kendall.

"PAY ATTENTION!!"

The Sergent was talking. "Okay guys, listen up, our armor support isnt going to be much help, so we're on our own. The rest of the Company is going to go to the Seawall, and wait further orders" "How the fuck are we supposed to get up there? Look at this!!" Clements said as he nodded toward the slaughter going on in front of us. "Shut your fucking mouth, Clements. We do what he says." The Corporal said in reply. "We're going to move toward that cover" Sergent Austin ordered, pointing toward a cluster of 3 Tank obstacles that were close together. "Ready? NOW!!" Apparently other squads had the same Idea. At that moment, once we started running, there were lot's of other squads moving forward. I started lagging behind, the other guys getting farther and farther ahead, until I tripped. "Shit.." I said under my breath, and a hand grabbed me by the collar and pulled me up. I didnt even look at him, as soon as I was up, I started running forward, until a blast blew me off my feet, coming from behind me. "What the fuck?" I muttered, and turned around, still sitting in the sand. I didnt see the guy who helped me up. What I did see was a crater, filled with blood. No time to think, as a bullet spray started kicking up sand around me, I sprang up and ran for the nearest cover which was a large rock, along with another soldier. That happened to be a Second Lieutenant. "What's your Company, Private?" He asked. "F, sir" I yelled above the chaos around me. "Squad?" He said, not as affected by the killing around me as I was. "Third" I answered. I wasnt feeling safe. I wanted to get back to my squad. "I think I saw 3rd squad moving up to the sea wall. You better get back to them" he said. "Yes Sir" I replied, and ran from that cover to another Tank Obstacle. I stayed there for a while, but when I saw a severed head roll by, I decided I'd better get moving. I spotted my squad by the seawall. Thank god they're alive! It didnt seem possible that they lived, seeing the bodies and limbs strewn everywhere. I got up, and along with a few other soldiers, and ran like hell toward the sea wall. I got there with the group I ran with, which started out as 7 rangers, and was cut down to about 3 people once we all got to the sea wall. "ELI!!" I heard Greg's voice through the noise. I saw the rest of the squad down the wall a ways, Greg urging me over there. I immediately started running toward them. However, I stopped when I heard someone yell "FOR FUCK'S SAKE, HELP ME!!!" There was a soldier who's uniform was tangled up in the wire on the sea wall. I got down, trying to untangle it, but only a few moments afterwards bullets ripped through his jacket, and he just slumped over, blood streaming from his mouth. He couldnt run. I stared at his blank, dead eyes for what seemed like hours. "GET THE FUCK OVER HERE, STEVENS!!!". The Corporal. I came back to reality, and ran toward the squad. As soon as I got there, the wire exploded, and we started running through it, heading for the towering bunkers, which were the source of the Machine Gun fire. A few soldiers in front of me dropped dead, while the rest of the soldiers went and took cover on the base of the bunker. I got there, but then realized one of the soldiers who dropped was still alive, and I ran over and grabbed him by the hands, and started dragging him toward the bunker. All of a sudden, he exploded in blood, and I was left in the middle of that open area between the seawall and bunker, holding the two severed hands of the man I had just tried to save. "Get moving, Stevens" Kendall said as he grabbed me and pulled me behind the cover of the bunker. The Sergent started talking again. "Here's the situation, we have to scale this bluff alongside the bunker, and provide cover for 6th squad and 2nd squad, who are going to scale th other side to attack the inside of the bunker, and mark it for airstrikes. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get off this damn beach."

So I started to climb the bluff, me right behind the Sergent, who was leading the way. When we got to the top, there were two trenches, one that was only a few feet from where me and Sergent Austin were that led to the door going inside the bunker, and one that was about 40 feet from us, full of Nazi soldiers. Shooting at us. I followed the Sarge into the trench near us, and the rest of the squad followed. We waited there, pinned down by the enemy soldier from the other trench. Then the other squads came up the side, and we were forced to cover them, and that put us in danger. Even so, we stood up and shot many rounds in the direction of the other trench, and the other squads were able to move into the bunker.

They marked it for air strike with a Smoke grenade, and ran out of the building. But now we have a problem. Our air strike will be coming very soon, and since we're so close to the bunker, we would be killed in the blast. We cant move, because the German soldiers in the other trench will cut us down if we got up and tried to run out of the trench. Kendall realized this, and got up out of the trench, got a grenade, and lobbed it in the enemy trench. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, KENDALL?" The Corporal yelled, as the idiotic, but brave Private First Class ran back and dived into the trench. I looked towards the other trench, as the Germans got up and tried to run out of the trench, but were shot down by us. They were cleared out, and we ran towards the other trench to take cover from the incoming allied aircraft. Success. That fucking bunker is history.

I lived through my first battle. I'm glad I didnt die, but I wish my first battle didnt take place on red sand.


____ ____ ____ ____ ____

What do you guys think?

[Soviet Comrade]

Good so far. Needs more desu and Canada. Moar F-Bombs too, please.

[Shu]

Lol, thanks. Canada is going to be hard to work in, however...

Chapter 2: Future Uncertain.



Elle river, Normandy.

"So here's the scoop" Corporal Hammond said to me, Greg, and Clements. "The Canadians and the British have broken through the Atlantic wall as well, and are heading fast toward their assignments. Good news, eh?". We did'nt say anything, only nodded slightly. Omaha beach was still stuck in our heads. "Where's Kendall?" he asked. Clements said "I saw him walk off to take a piss in the woods. He had a lot of that Shit to drink this morning and last night". "We dont have any liquor, Private".

"I was talking about the Coffee"

"Smartass" the Corporal mumbled as he walked over toward the woods that Clements was talking about. We're bored as hell. We set up camp by this river valley, and we have nothing to do. We're just waiting. Sitting around by our tents, drinking bad coffee. So bored, we're re-reading our draft notices. The Sarge walked over to us from the center of the chain of camps set up by the 116th regiment.

"Did Hammond tell you guys what's going on?"

"No, he did'nt. He went off to get Kendall" Greg replied.

The Sarge sighed, and sat down by us. After a few minutes, the Corporal returned with Kendall. Then, the Sarge started to tell us what we were going to do. "There's an experimental fighting tactic where one Lieutenant will command 2 Squads in battle. Headquarters think squads will be more effective and will be able to get more done in battle this way."

"And we're the guinea pigs?" Greg said.

"Yeah. The Lieutenant that will be commanding our squad and 5th Squad should arrive any minute now"

As if on cue, a jeep pulled up, and a 2nd Lieutenant stepped out. We and 5th Squad, who were camped a little ways down the line, lined up and Saluted.

"At ease" The lieutenant said. We dropped our salutes.

"My name is Lieutenant Don Gapps. I will be commanding you men until further notice. You should all know how to be respectful to an officer, so I won't bother to talk about that. Let's get down to buisness, shall we? We're going to bust through the hedgerows and head toward a town called St Lo. German resistance is expected in the hedgerows. I will be traveling with 5th squad, to the rear. My second in command will be Sergent First Class Ralph Junnington, who is that fellow in the jeep. We will move out with the rest of the 116th shortly, so pack up."

We started to pack up our stuff in the back of a truck. Just then, a soldier came by and said to the Sergent "I'm Private Owens, I'm supposed to be moving with 3rd squad as the sniper through the Bocage"
Sergent Austin told him he understood, and told him to get ready to move out. Just then, I heard someone yell "HEY YOU! SOLDIER! Get over here!" I realized it was Lt. Gapps talking to me, and I jogged over there.

"Dont I know you, soldier?"

Then I realized, he was the guy who pointed out where 3rd squad was when I got seperated from them on the beach. I was about to open my mouth when the Lt said "That's right, you're the guy I helped out back on Omaha. Keep yourself alive" He said, leaving. Strange. The Sarge yelled for me to go over to him, telling me we're going to leave to go to the hedgerows soon.

Here we go again.

_________________________

Chapter was short, I got tired of typing, lol.

[Zanryu]

I just skimmed slightly to check the lengths of the chapters and I'm thinking you're pulling a Zanryu.

In other words, you're making things WAY too short for a proper story. The length of the chapters reflects on the detail and quality, so increasing detail, overall quality and length would make it more appealing (except for people who have a tendency to tl;dr everything).

I'll read through it properly soon, however. I'm currently trying to make some arrogant SOB on another forum realize he's a delusional f***.

[Shu]

Lol, thanks for the comment. The chapter would have been much better in detail, but I cant find a decent site that describes the actions of the 29th infantry in the Normandy Campaign.

[Zanryu]

That's where artistic liberty comes into play. Improvise, break away from the strict realism and actual events, add your own parts in between, extend battles, etc. Just because it's based on factual events doesn't mean it can't have fictitious material in it. I mean, all those movies that are "based on a true story"? They follow a basic storyline of real events, but everything aside from the BASIC storyline is entirely made up.

[Shu]

Yeah, I am going to. I just dont want to be WAY off, I want it to go mainly along the lines of the actual events, but other things made up.

[Zanryu]

Well, best of luck with the restrictions.