Mack the Knife June 6th 1944.
“Righto, lets review shall we? ” Said Lt Julien, in a mildly shrill but clearly nervous voice. After clearing his throat he continued “Mack [Hero Brin] and I will approach the main house with all the board up windows and guard, rather stealthily. Once I give the signal two flashes, followed by a flash then two more.”
‘-Ahh.excuse me Guv, I hate to interrupt, but since I got the Bren gun an’ I’m supposed to provide cover’n fire after the bloody flashes is it two more 2’s or 1’s Guv? That’s all I wanna know.’ The rough voiced soldier looked smugly at the Lt.
Mack stepped up as he saw Lt Julien begin to fluster and stutter ‘Now listen here ye cack handed manky bawbag” As he warmed up Mack’s Scottish accent got thicker and harder to understand, and the private shrunk like a violet “I’s just trying to do it right Mack, no need to be a bastard about it, eh?”
The Lt wrapped up the briefing with everyone nodding in agreement. They melted away to their positions.
Turn 1
As Mack and Julien approached the house in silence, sticking to the shadows, the rear door of the house opened. Lt Julien who was on the other side of the stone fence whispered ” Here is my shot old boy” He quickly stood, pulled the pin on a grenade and hurled with amazing accuracy and speed at the door 30 yards or more away! “Go Mack go!!”
Mack muttered obscenities to himself, still marveling that he had volunteered to do this, he ran quickly toward the house as the grenade exploded. The twally washer bren gunner had not started firing, and as he looked around the Lt was no where to be seen. Shite…He charge the door, too bloody late now, he said to no one.
Mack storms the ground floor of the main building. Two of the troopers in there are on the ground writhing in pain obviously from vast amounts of shrapnel, blood was all over the walls and floor. He sensed something on his right, he spun, pulling the trigger on his Tommy gun as he did so. The German squad leader taking aim with his Mauser fell, face first to the floor dead on arrival. Dropping low he lunged towards the stair well and got behind it.
[Note on game detail: Melee 4:1 vs 1:3, both roll a 7.]
Sure enough two Jerry grenades clattered down the stairs, making Mack’s ears ring and vision blur. They were shortly followed by two burly Germans in faded feldgrau uniforms and heavy black boots.
Mack shot them both in the legs then once in the head before they could even pull a trigger. He could feel his blood was up, ‘fookshake’ he thought…’I need to breath before I do something stupid’. He quickly changed mags.
He took a moment to punch out with his gun stock, a window and risked a look out just as a stream of bren fire hit the building. “Jayseesus” he roared. They were supposed to be here by now…
.
Julien had meanwhile realized none of the men were closing in. After he threw the grenade he raced through the dark back to the rally point and cuffed men around the ear and drove them towards the house.
Across the river the MG 42 kicked up dirt and sod as they ran towards Mack, who must surely be dead by now they thought.
Closer to the river the soldiers dodge bullets and make their way to the building as well. The Scouts with sapper equipment creep through the woods across the river from the mg nest and crew dug into their fox hole. Under the lights they can clearly see the crew, tearing through rounds. They hunker down to wait.
Turn 2
Mack seeing his other men approaching, takes cover as more grenades come downstairs. The downstairs is now a tumbled smoky mess and small fires are starting to break out. He gathers unused German grenades, one of the squads final arrives ‘Took ye bloody time, hammer the bawheed bastards up there will ye, oh and for fook sake dinna hit me as I go up”
He races up the stairs, the lads come behind him firing well ahead of him. He tosses grenades in, waits then rolls into his left, right into Sgt Beck, whose gun fires in his ear, Mack keeps driving forward, drops his gun and slides his knife out, slashing at the German NCO. The roll to the ground, Macks anger builds and he lashes out at the younger heavier man. The roll, they punch and bite. Mack jams a finger in Beck’s eyes, and quickly reverses his blade slashing down with his full weight, then slows. Blood gushes everywhere.
Mack looks around his young Squad members and Julien stare slack jawed at the grisly scene.
Bullets from the MG across the river begin to pepper the walls “Dinnah stan there, move that fecking ’42 and damn you man give me that Bren gun. Ye are dobbers the lot of ye.” He shoves past them and heads down stairs, after he wipes the blade of his knife on the dead soldier.
[Combat Side note – Melee1:1 rolls Mack at 2:1 rolls a seven kills occupants.]
Turn 3
The squad with Julien hand off the bren, and man the mg 42. Distant rumble of tanks can be heard , Mack disables the huge spot lights with quick well aimed shots.
From upstairs, Mack can hear the MG 42 start up, spraying fire directly down onto the last mg nest across the river. When that happens the men manning the MG seek cover, Julien leads his men to knock out the final shaken Germans in the foxhole.
Then scouts make off to the bridge. The tanks and motorcycles rumble closer. Mack lights up the lead motorcycle units of the enemy as they come to the outskirts of the village.
Turn 4
As the men retire firing in bounding over watch, back the way they came into the village the sappers finish with the bridge. She goes up in a glorious pyro-
technical explosion, collapsing the main approach to the beaches for these German reinforcements.
Back at the edge of the woods.
Tired, hands shaking, Mack walks away from the men and tries to light a smoke. Lt Julien joins him, calmly lighting his smoke for Mack. Mack nods, too afraid and ashamed to speak. “When I was at Eton, I never thought my self much of a man Mack. But after tonight, being by your side and getting the mission done, is one of the moments when I felt truly alive, I was amazed at your courage today Mack, when it looked a bit sideways.”
“Aye its better to be standing here than lying in your own blood up in there I dare say. In war there is no prize for the runner-up” He spoke with little brogue, at all. Lt Julien did a double take. “Wait..that was Seneca, how..What happened to your accent?”
“Tis easier to be hard man if I fool all of you and myself, otherwise” He held up a shaking hand. “Fear is supposed to be the mother of morality Lt, I only fear I have left all of my morality in that house.”
Mack turned and walked into the woods as the sounds of war approached from all directions in his head.
The End