#6.Panzer-Army

[eucmh]

1/422/106-ID - Forced March (Mohn) The Fate of the American POWs of the 106-ID)

Source Document: Forced March Major John P. Mohn, HQ Co, 1st Battalion, 422nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division

Forced March, from Schoenberg - St Vith (Battle of the Bulge, Belgium) to Berchtesgaden in Germany, is the Prisoner of War memoir of the 1200-mile forced march done by Maj John J. Mohn, Hq Co, 1st Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, Golden Lion and has been extracted from a book published in Canton, Ohio, USA and printed by PPi Graphics, also in Canton Ohio, (ISBN-13:978-08-9863465-5-2). Being a friend of Mandy Altimus Pond, Maj John J. Mohn's granddaughter, we talked about the publishing of this book on the EUCMH Website and agreed that this work would be a great way to render honor to Maj John J. Mohn and the terrible period he experienced while being one American Prisoner of War in Nazi Germany during the last year of WW-2. Before starting with the text, I would like the reader to notice that combat photos from a surrendered unit in the combat zone don't exist, especially with the 422 and the 423-IRs of the 106-ID. On the morning of Dec 16, 1944, these two infantry regiments, were trapped between two German main axes of penetration; on their front, elements of the 5.Panzer-Army (Manteufeul) coming from Blieaf in Germany and heading to St Vith and on their rear, elements of the 6.Panzer-Army (Dietrich) coming from Lanzerath and Manderfeld heading to Liège via St Vith, didn't give a one of a chance to these two Regimental Combat Teams (422 and 423) which once cut off, without supply, couldn't withdraw in any direction. These men combated up to the last cartridge, then destroyed all their guns, machine guns, and rifles, and finally surrendered. Dedication To my wonderful wife, Cheri, and loving daughter, Debora Mohn Altimus; without whose prodding and encouragement this book would never have been written. And to my son-in-law Richard Altimus who assisted in the computer editing of this book. Editor's Note: Additional thanks to my granddaughter, Mandy Altimus Pond, who helped me with the publishing of her grandpa's book. Maj John J. Mohn, 1/442-IR, 106-ID

Foreword When WW II's Battle of the Bulge began with a surprise German attack on Dec 16, 1944, troops of the US 106th Infantry Division occupied the most exposed American positions. They had been in the European continent for less than two weeks and cut off from reinforcements, were left to face the German onslaught alone. They fought back, standing their ground, but as their ammunition; food and medical supplies dwindled and the enemy noose drew tighter, over 7000 were ordered by their commanding officers to surrender to the surrounding German forces. Except for the Bataan Death March, this was the largest surrender of American troops during WW II. Maj Mohn, of Akron, Ohio, the author of this book, was the Operations Officer of the 1/422-IR. He was a citizen-soldier who had volunteered to join the Army as a private in 1941. This is the story of his 1200-mile odyssey as a prisoner of war to the far reaches of the Nazi empire during which he and his fellow soldiers were starved, frozen, bombed, and shot. Because the Germans were unprepared to absorb a massive influx of American POWs and had little space to house them, Maj Mohn's imprisonment became an almost continuous five-month march through the collapsing and chaotic Third Reich. Initially, he was sent to a camp for American officers over 500 miles away from Poland. He

arrived there only to be marched out of the camp a few days later when the Russian forces broke through the German lines around Warsaw. Seeing the prisoners as a potential bargaining chip and intent on keeping them out of Russian hands, the Germans forced the Americans to make a harrowing march westward across rural Poland and Germany in the dead of winter just ahead of pursuing Soviet forces. After this month-and-a-half ordeal, the prisoners finally arrived at the Hammelburg POW Camp in northern Bavaria, only about 100 miles away from where they started. Two weeks later this camp was attacked and briefly captured by a Task Force of Patton's 3-A. The Germans, however, soon recaptured the camp and immediately sent Maj Mohn and the other prisoners on another dangerous march which ended at the Austrian border five weeks later they were liberated by American troops. Through it all, Maj Mohn preserved and returned to the USA where he underwent treatment and rehabilitation for injuries he had suffered as a prisoner of war. he returned to civilian life and developed a highly successful career as a psychologist. But his remarkable experiences in the military never quite left him. Eventually, he put words to paper and the result is the archive you are about to read - one of the very few accounts of this type ever to have been published. More than just a narrative of his experiences as a POW in Nazi Germany, it is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the US soldiers and a reminder to all of us of the sacrifices they made to preserve our freedom. Before the Battle of the Bulge - Mandy Altimus Pond

About 1937, while attending Akron University, John Mohn took Reserve Officers' Training Corps. John had no desire to become an officer, but by the end of his training, he had reached the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. In preparation for what appeared to be an inevitable world conflict, Congress passed the Selective Service Act in 1940. This was the first peacetime conscription in US history. Enacted in September 1940, this act required men between 21 and 35 years of age to register with local draft boards. Men were drafted by a lottery system and were required to serve for twelve months. After that year was completed, John was told he would be draft-free and not required to sign up, should a war arise. On Feb 4, 1941, John decided to enlist for this program and join the Navy. He drove to Cleveland, entered the Armory, and began the process. He took the written test, passed the physical, and was about to be sworn in when the commanding officer at the Armory said that John's teeth protruded too much and they would not accept him. John stated in an interview that 'this is stupid' and went to the other end of the Armory and enlisted in the Army. At this moment he could have enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant because of his ROTC training. It slipped his mind and he enlisted as a Private.

John was assigned to the 37-ID at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He volunteered for the Signal Company (Teletype) and the day after he signed up, the teletype was discontinued, so he was reassigned to supply in the Signal Company and was sent to Indiantown Gap Pa. On Dec 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and the next day upon request from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Congress declared war on Japan and their ally Germany. This canceled the draft-free status that John had signed up for, as he had not completed his twelve months of training. His division was scheduled to board a ship headed to the Pacific Theater of the war, but the boat blew up before they could head out.

John was then sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for officer training from February through April 1942. In late 1942, he was sent to Camp Forest and assigned to the 80-ID for a year. He became CO Fox Co, 1/319-IR, 80-ID. His division was in charge of clearing trees in the mountains in preparation for war games, training men in firing artillery, and surviving in realistic battle situations. John was in charge of the logistics and planning for the war games.

The 80-ID was then incorporated into the 106-ID. John was reassigned as Bn OP Officer and sent to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and assigned to Hq Co, 1/422-IR, 106-ID. John reached the rank of Captain and was told that he was the youngest Captain in the Division. As Operations Officer, he was in charge of logistics for troop movements. He staged a large 3000-troop parade in Indianapolis in 1944. After our advance movement order was in, we received new equipment, turned in motor vehicles, and did what training we could at odd intervals. Finally, in September we moved by rail to Camp Myles Standish at Taunton, Mass. This place was known as a staging area where life reached the maximum of not letting anyone know anything at all. We existed on a monotonous routine of rumors until the day we redoubled our tracks, returned to New York, boarded the RMS Aquitania, and departed for Gourock, Scotland, on Oct 21, 1944. The 423-IR with various attached units arrived Oct 27, and the 422 and 424-IRs arrived Oct 28 with the artillery and some special units. We moved then to England where we were deployed in one of the most interesting and certainly the most beautiful parts of this country, the Cotswold section of the midlands. The 422-IR was stationed some 12 miles west and northwest of Oxford, the 424-IR near Banbury of Banbury Cross fame, and the 423-IR, and the Division Artillery near Cheltenham and Gloucester respectively. Division headquarters and special units were located centrally in this 200-square-mile area.

We remained in England preparing for an expected early crossing of the Channel. Between Nov 30 and Dec 1, the Golden Lions embarked on the long slow fifty-mile trip from Southampton to cross the Channel. We disembarked at Le Havre and at Rouen, a town about one-third of the way up the Seine toward Paris, and went into a bivouac in deep mud in the open fields in a cold drizzling rain, between the Dec 1/8.

During these days liaison officers from the 1-A headquarters arrived at odd intervals with conflicting and inconsistent sets of orders, so that during 48 hours we were assigned to three different corps in as many separate locations. Fortunately, troops and staff were arriving in unrelated groups as the weather and the Navy allowed them ashore so that no damage was done except to my disposition. The final messenger appeared on Dec 6 with instructions for us to leave for the St Vith area in Belgium. The first combat team to move, left the area on Dec 8, followed by the others as rapidly as possible. Upon arrival, we were to relieve the 2-ID, then in a defensive position, as part of the VIII Corps whose headquarters was then at Bastogne. Troops being in the throes of landing after a rough winter crossing, staffs only partly present and maps few and far between, our move to the battlefield was a rather remarkable one and highly successful despite its discomfort. The route carried us nearly 300 miles through Amiens, Cambrai, and Maubeuge in France to Philippeville in Belgium. After an overnight bivouac in extra deep mud near the latter town, we passed through Marche and the villages of eastern Belgium to the vicinity of St Vith, arriving during the period Dec 9/15. The relief of the 2-ID's weary troops stationed along the quiet German border in the Belgian Ardennes Forest commenced on Dec 11, and was completed on Dec 13, responsibility for the defense of the sector passing to me on Dec 12. The troops of the Indian head Division assured the men of the Golden Lion Division that there would be little action on this hilly terrain in the middle of winter. Edward P. McHugh

Preface - Maj John J. Mohn It was Dec 16, 1944, somewhere along the Siegfried Line near St Vith, Belgium. The German counter-attack that would later be referred to as the Battle of the Bulge had begun. The gray, foggy dawn made a perfect umbrella for the German launching of an onslaught that nearly cost the Allies World War Two. What happened at the Battle of the Bulge may be a well-known story but none of the stories make any reference to the group of American Soldiers taken prisoner at that time and marched for 140 continuous days covering over 1200 long, cold, starvation-ridden, nightmare miles, terminated only by the end of the war in Europe. Adversity is a mild term to describe the unbearable hardships endured by the ever-changing, ever-diminishing column of men. Temperatures dropped to ten degrees below zero (22°F). There were periods of fifteen days without a single bite of food. All suffered a phenomenal loss of weight (I weighed 65 pounds by the time of the liberation). We had inadequate clothing; many were without hats or gloves and at times no shoes. It was especially brutal for the poor Army Air Corpsmen who were only wearing thermal boots with no soles for walking when they were shot down and captured. The journey was marked by frozen feet, legs, arms, faces, and even blood trails. Treachery, deceit, and fear are just feeble attempts to put into words the anger, horror, anguish, and despair felt by these military men.

The ordeal that the approximately 7000 US soldiers endured between Dec 16/44 and May 2/45 can only be epitomized by saying that a scant thirty of the original group even reached liberation as a unit. Losses of men beyond belief resulted from attempts at escape, exposure, starvation, the sadism of the German Guards, and being strafed daily by our own and Allied planes. My book is not intended as a condemnation of the German People or Army but does make reference to differing attitudes and treatment by the Wehrmacht, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for being alive, and the Elite SS Troops, who were constantly threatening our lives with attempts to exterminate us with machine guns and failed to provide even the most basic of necessities for our daily maintenance. The German High Command seemed at a loss as to what to do with so many prisoners and lacked a plan regarding the disposition of us. The result was a wandering march covering three countries with no apparent purpose, with a final goal of holding us as hostages in Berchtesgaden at the end of the war. The consequences for us, as Prisoners of War, were painfully clear. The facts and sequences of events I know first-hand because I was there from the beginning to the end. I saw dramatic changes in attitudes, values, behavior, and beliefs. Hidden strengths and weaknesses in the struggle for survival were surprising and at times frightening, but the salient factor through it all was that survival is 'All-Important' and that the 'Veneer of Civilization' is extremely thin.

December 16, the Horror Begins I couldn't help being reminded of that famous poem by Rudyard Kipling 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' on that fateful, foggy, grey, cold, drizzling morning Dec 16, 1944. The difference was that instead of 'cannons' noted in the poem, we had German tanks to the left of us, tanks to the right of us, tanks in front of us, and tanks behind us. To 'charge' ahead would have been to go down the steep slope of an evergreen-covered mountain. The landscape was so much like the mountain areas of Pennsylvania that it was hard to remember that we were in a foreign country fighting a very serious war. Even more seriously, we were surrounded and annihilated by German Panzer Divisions from the left and right of us. German artillery from the front was terrible enough but, to our dismay, the Germans had captured our artillery and were using our guns to fire upon us from the rear. When we called for supporting fire, they were aiming at us instead of their troops. Our Battalion Commander, Col Thomas Kent was killed by a shell coming in from the rear of our 'Pillbox' command post. At first, we thought our artillerymen were firing short of their target, but when we heard the German voice on our radio, we realized the awful truth - we were literally at their mercy. The divide-and-conquer strategy used in the German attack had been completely unexpected and effective. Read the full article

[deutschland-im-krieg]

L-R: Unknown, Generalmajor Adolf Heusinger, commander of 6.Armee General der Panzer Friedrich Paulus, Stabschef (Chief of Staff) Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South) General der Infanterie Georg von Sodenstern and Adolf Hitler, Heeresgruppe Süd headquarters, Poltava, Ukraine, 1 June 1942

[kemetic-dreams]

Charles Leroy Thomas was born 17 April 1920 in Birmingham, Alabama. He grew up in Detroit and graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1938. Thomas then worked as a molder for the Ford Motor Company (Ford River Rogue factory) with his father, and was a student at Wayne State University studying mechanical engineering.

He was drafted, and entered the U.S. Army on January 20, 1942, at Fort Custer, Michigan. He completed Basic and Advanced Infantry Training at Camp Wolters and was assigned to the Infantry Replacement Training Center at Camp Wolters.

When the Army began forming tank destroyer units, Thomas was transferred to Camp Carson, Colorado and joined the segregated 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, which had been activated on July 25, 1942. The soldiers were African, but most of the officers were white. Thomas quickly rose to the rank of Sergeant during unit training and was chosen to attend the Tank Destroyer Officer Candidate School (OCS) Class # 21 at Camp Hood, Texas when the battalion was transferred to Camp Bowie Texas on December 18, 1942.

Thomas was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation from OCS on March 11, 1943, and returned to Camp Bowie to assume command of Company C, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion and prepared the unit for the move to Camp Hood that was completed on March 23, 1943.

On August 27, 1944, he deployed with the 614th to England, arriving on September 7. On October 8, the 614th was on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. The 614th led by Lieutenant Colonel Frank S. Pritchard, then would join General Patton's Third Army in Metz, France. The 614th saw its first combat on November 28. On December 5, the 614th was attached to 411th Infantry Regiment, and on December 6, the 614th was attached to the 103rd Infantry Division..

On December 14, 1944, 1st Lt. Thomas volunteered to lead 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion in a task force named "Task Force Blackshear" to storm and capture the village of Climbach, a strategically important town which was five miles from the German border. The task force spearheaded by Thomas' M20 scout car (modified M8), consisted of a platoon of Sherman tanks from the 47th Armored Battalion, 14th Armored Division, a platoon of F Company (riding on tanks), 411th Infantry, 103rd Infantry Division, 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, rest of F Company, 411th Infantry, and a heavy weapons platoon. Approaching Climbach was uphill, Thomas' armored scout car was knocked out by enemy fire from the German 21st Panzer Division, and he was wounded.

Thomas helped his crew out of the vehicle, but as he left the car's protection, he was again wounded in the chest, legs and arms. Despite his wounds, Thomas directed the dispersal and emplacement of the anti-tank guns, which then returned fire and covered the attempt by the rest of the task force to outflank the defenders. He briefed the 3rd Platoon leader of C Company, a first lieutenant, on the general situation, and only when he was sure the situation was under control did he allow himself to be evacuated. 3rd Platoon, C Company continued to fight for four hours, losing two of its four guns and over half its men as casualties (3 dead, 17 wounded).

The "valorous conduct" of the platoon, "in the face of overwhelming odds enabled the task force to capture its objective", the village of Climbach, and forced the defenders to withdraw to the Siegfried Line. 3rd Platoon, C Company, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation, the first black combat unit, and the first unit attached to the 103rd Division to be so honored. Its soldiers received four Silver Stars and nine Bronze Stars. Captain Thomas received the Distinguished Service Cross on February 20, 1945, and returned home a hero, though he played down his role – "I know I was sent out to locate and draw the enemy fire, but I didn't mean to draw that much." Thomas remained in the Army, and retired with the rank of major on August 10, 1947.

Thomas married in 1949, and his wife and he had two children. He went to work as a missile technician at Selfridge Air Force Base and later as a computer programmer for the Internal Revenue Service. He died of cancer on February 15, 1980. He was buried in Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan.

In the early 1990s, it was determined that African soldiers had been denied consideration for the Medal of Honor (MOH) in World War II because of their race. In 1993, the U.S. Army had contracted Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, to research and determine if there was racial disparity in the review process for recipients of the MOH. The study commissioned by the U.S. Army, described systematic racial discrimination in the criteria for awarding decorations during World War II. After an exhaustive review of files, the study recommended in 1996 that ten African Americans who served in World War II be awarded the MOH. In October of that year, Congress passed legislation that would allow President Clinton to award the Medal of Honor to these former soldiers. Seven of the ten including Thomas were approved, and awarded the MOH (six had Distinguished Service Crosses revoked and upgraded to the MOH) on January 12, 1997. On January 13, 1997, President Clinton presented the MOH to the seven African Americans; Major Thomas and five others were posthumously presented the MOH. A niece of Thomas accepted his MOH during the ceremony. Vernon Baker was the only living recipient of the medal at the time.

Medal of Honor Citation stated the following:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Then Lieutenant Charles L. Thomas distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 14 December 1944. One platoon of Company C, 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, was designated as the lead element in a task force formed to storm and capture the village of Climbach, France. Lieutenant Thomas, the Commanding Officer of Company C, realized, with the obscurity of information regarding the enemy and a complete lack of reconnaissance, the mission would be an extremely dangerous one. Fully cognizant of the danger, Lieutenant Thomas volunteered to command the selected platoon of his company and ride in the column's leading vehicle - a highly maneuverable, but equally vulnerable, M-20 scout car. Lieutenant Thomas knew that if there was a concentration of enemy armor in the village, as was believed, he would absorb the initial shock of the first enemy resistance. The task force left Preuschdorf, France, at 1023 hours, and proceeded to advance in column toward Chimbach. Lieutenant Thomas in his scout car stayed well in front of the column. At 1400 hours, upon reaching the high ground southeast of the village, Lieutenant Thomas experienced initial contact with the enemy. As his scout car advanced to an exposed position on the heights, he received intense direct fire from an enemy artillery, self-propelled guns, and small arms at a range of seven hundred yards. The first burst of hostile fire disabled the scout car and severely wounded Lieutenant Thomas. He immediately signaled the column to halt. Before leaving the wrecked vehicle, Lieutenant Thomas and the crew found themselves subjected to a veritable hail of enemy fire. Lieutenant Thomas received multiple gunshot wounds in his chest, legs, and left arm. In spite of the intense pain caused by his wounds, Lieutenant Thomas ordered and directed the dispersion and emplacement of his first two antitank guns. In a few minutes these guns were effectively returning the enemy fire. Realizing that it would be impossible for him to remain in command of the platoon because of his injuries, Lieutenant Thomas then signaled for the platoon commander to join him. Lieutenant Thomas then thoroughly oriented him as to the enemy gun positions, his ammunition status, and the general situation. Although fully cognizant of the probable drastic consequences of not receiving prompt medical attention, Lieutenant Thomas refused evacuation until he felt certain that his junior officer was in full control of the situation. Only then did Lieutenant Thomas allow his evacuation to the rear. Throughout the action, Lieutenant Thomas displayed magnificent personal courage and a complete disregard for his own safety. His extraordinary heroism spurred the soldiers of the platoon to a fierce determination to triumph, and resulted in a mass display of heroism by them. Lieutenant Thomas' intrepid actions throughout the operation reflect the highest traditions of the military service.

[satoshi-mochida]

Panzer Paladin now available for PS4, Xbox One - Gematsu

Tribute Games has released side-scrolling action platformer Panzer Paladin for PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Store and Xbox One via Microsoft Store for $19.99.

Panzer Paladin first launched for Switch and PC via Steam on July 21, 2020.

Here is an overview of the game, via Tribute Games:

About

The sight of giant swords blazing through the night sky might be hair-raising, but stand your ground! The sinister Ravenous and his legions of brutal demons are poised for battle. Even all the armies of the world can’t stop them, but humanity has one final ace in the hole: a cutting edge power armor called Paladin. It’s now up to the strong-willed android named Flame to become a Squire, take control of the Paladin and track down all Weapon Keepers and their diabolical leader. The showdown between mankind’s highest technological prowesses and the powerful forces of the occult has begun! Seize weapons from the denizens of the Netherworld and dish out a taste of their own medicine! Show them the power of cutting edge technology combined with swordsmanship. Slash, bash and thrust your way through a series of mind-blowing levels located around the world, all of it rendered in glorious 8-bit graphics! Hop in your Panzer Paladin and take up arms!

Key Features

An engaging action-platformer with fun and intuitive swordplay!

Take control of the mighty Paladin power armor or eject and play as the small but swift Squire pilot!

Robots meet demons! Crush the forces of the occult with the power of cutting edge technology!

Over 100 melee weapons to seize from enemies!

Use weapons profusely: wield, throw, or shatter them!

Snap a weapon in half to cast a powerful spell!

Slash, bash and thrust your way through 17 mind-blowing levels located around the world!

Carefully crafted 8-bit graphics like you remember them!

Gameplay

Panzer Paladin is an action-platformer game featuring intuitive swordplay mechanics. The protagonist pilots a power armor called Paladin to fight giant demons by using their own weapons against them. The key components of the swordplay mechanic includes the ability to equip and use any weapon dropped by defeated enemies, high versus low attacking and blocking, a rock-paper-scissor weapon type system that grants attack bonuses, and the ability to cast spells by breaking weapons. Weapons abound in levels, so the player is encouraged to use them profusely. The Paladin is the main means to fight enemies but players can eject and also play as the swifter and smaller pilot called a Squire. The Squire uses a laser whip to attack enemies, swing across gaps, and recharge the Paladin’s energy. Panzer Paladin lets the player choose the order in which to complete the first 10 levels of the game. The last 6 levels must be played in a linear fashion.

Story

Giant weapons—swords, lances, hammers—hailing from the dark depths of space, blazed across the sky and pierced through historic locations all around the world. Like a declaration of war against mankind, the Parthenon, atop the Acropolis of Athens, was first to be cut right through by an ominous blade. Upon impact, each of the weapons opened a breach in the fabric of reality and unleashed legions of colossal demons. In anticipation of such unforeseen Earth-threatening events, the International Security Council had formed Gauntlet, a science committee developing super sophisticated defense technologies. Gauntlet discovers that denizens of the Netherworld can only be obliterated by their own weapons. Spirit Weapons are forged with spirits of the deceased and humans can’t brandish them without becoming corrupt by their foul power… However, a machine would be immune to demonic corruption! Gauntlet recommissions Flame, a former rescue operations android, to become a Squire and take control of the last remaining Paladin unit, a state of the art power armor capable of wielding Spirit Weapons. To arms! Overseeing their operations from aboard the Avalon, their flying headquarters, Gauntlet is ready. The showdown between mankind’s highest technological prowesses and the powerful forces of the occult has begun! It’s up to Squire Flame and her Paladin named Grit to defeat all Weapon Keepers, and ultimately face off against Ravenous, the sinister leader of the invasion.

[pinturas-sgm-tanques]

1943 07 14 Kursk, Tiger s Pz Abt 505 - Andrey Zhirnov - Zvezda

http://pobeda.witebsk.by/land/epizode/505batl/

Before the 505th battalion was thrown into action, a kind of battle group was created on its basis, which received the name 21 Panzer Brigade 21. Panzer Brigade, including two divisions of assault guns 245 Sturmgeschutz Abteilung and 904 Sturmgeschutz Abteilung, as well as a sapper company. By this time, the number of "Tigers I" increased and on July 3, when the battalion entered the battle of the village of Vesely Poselok, there were already 31 of them, and the number of Pz Kpfw III tanks was reduced to 15. Without difficulty, the Tigers crossed the Oka River and occupied a new Farm, where they found several T34 / 76 tanks abandoned by their crews. Then, in the area of the village of Butyrki, Major Savant's battle group, together with the attached infantry, broke through the defenses of 676 and 81 infantry regiments. Already being in the battle formations of the 2nd Panzer Division s. Pz. Abt. 505 on July 6, near Olkhovatka at the height with the mark 274, he collided in a fierce match with Soviet tankers covering the road to Kursk. Three Tigers were lost in the battle, which lasted 24 hours. Despite the persistence and skill shown by the tankers of the unit, its commanders abandoned the futile efforts that lasted until July 10 to break through in this direction to Kursk. The arrival of the third company on July 9 did not change the situation, and in further attempts to attack, the tanks of the 505 battalion supported other units in small groups. Two weeks later, on July 25, the unit took part in the battles that held back the Soviet troops and launched a counteroffensive to Orel. EuroModels.ch The fiercest tank battle broke out near Kromy, where, after losing two Tigers in two days on August 4 and 5, about nine Soviet tanks were burned. Major Bernhard Savant, commander of s.Pz.Abt. 505, who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on July 28, was replaced in August by Captain von Karlowitz Hauptmann von Karlowitz. Right up to its transfer on September 16 near Smolensk, from July 10, in exhausting battles, the battalion's forces constantly melted away and its losses amounted to 16 Tigers during this time. And just before being sent to another sector of the front of Army Group Center, on September 15, the battalion commander, Captain von Karlowitz, was killed.

[cat-anime345678]

Sx f - ( manga Spoilers )

LOID / TWILIGHT / REDACTED Age -

Chapter 62-62.3 , tells us his past , without ever revealing his name or his age .

This is before Cold War , which means Ww2 has ready happened...

The manga shows us the guns and helmets used which is similar to WW2 ones espically Germany ....

Tw - Use of Child soilder

Copy form Google actually

In World War II, children frequently fought in both the Allied and Axis forces. .

In World War II, the US only allowed men and women 18 years or older to be drafted or enlisted into the armed forces, although 17-year-olds were allowed to enlist with parental consent, and women were not allowed in armed conflict.

Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend) was established as an organization in Nazi Germany that physically trained youth and indoctrinated them with Nazi ideology to the point of fanaticism. Even at the onset of war, the Hitler Youth totalled 8.8 million members.. Numbers decreased significantly (to just over one million) once the war began, as many local and district leaders were conscripted for the national army. The previous average age for local and district leaders was 24, but following the onset of war, this had to change to those who were 16 and 17 years of age.

In the 1st Battalion over 65% were under 18 years old, and only 3% were over 25.

Towards the end of the war, the Germans established an entire SS Panzer Tank Division with the majority of its recruits being 16- and 17-year-old boys from the Hitler Youth brigades .

A number of child soldiers served in the Soviet Union's armed forces during World War II. In some cases, orphans also unofficially joined the Soviet Red Army.

Tw - Ended

So be it whom he joined he was probably 15 to 16 ..

In chapter 62.2 it shows us that he faked his identity in order to join the army , chapter 62.3 it tells us that he used the id of a dead man in his Home Town and that he is not of legal age ...

Lets safe to say he had to have been atleast 15 or 16 when he enlisted .......

and it has been 10 years or a little more when the war ended as stated several times in the series by various character ...

Let's add a couple of years in between his recruitment and training as AGENT TWILIGHT....

He looks so young when recruited , probably is 18 to 19 ....

Now it does state that spy x family takes place in the 1960's, in the middle of the cold war.

But then again, nothing is specified in the series actually!!!

No timeline or date ...

I guess he's in his Late twenties and early thirties ....( 28 to 32 ) , since he has a has a M . D. in psychiatry and has a 6 year old daughter and has been widowed once , remarry a 27 year old ....

So I guess its his Late twenties and early thirties ....( 28 to 32 )

[nightbringer24]

Let's say you got paid money to build to craft and paint two armies of A Very British Civil War for a game store that want to use them for introduction games, what would the armies be, what would be a rough army composition, and how would you paint them?

Basic armies would be a Leftist army, so The People's Army, which would be a mix of Partisan styled models: men and women in regular or industry clothing, wearing small assorted bits of military gear and using Soviet made gear and weapons. Maybe throw in a Royal Navy crew who defected to join them, along with a selection of Soviet artillery and vehicles, like the BT-5 tank and the BA-6 armoured car, along with civilian vehicles as transports.

Opposing them would be a Rightwing army, so part of the military arm of the British Union of Fascists supported by Royalist soldiers, and possibly some German or Italian fascist 'advisors'. So blackshirts in British army uniforms and gear, the former dyed black, but with additional early war German equipment and some weapons. British army regulars supported by Matilda 1s or Vickers light tanks, or even some WW1-era armoured cars brought back into service. A Panzer 2 or 1, marked with the BUF emblem and a Flak 88 as support.

Might have some militia cavalry for both sides.

A nice regular battle idea, since all the other groups get extra zany with units.

[xolta]

Games part 5

Xolta's Big old recommended games list Part 5 gen 6-7

Dreamcast: Illbled(mind fuck/ surivival horror) Sonic Adventure 1&2(platformer) Chu chu rocket(puzzle) Crazy taxi1&2(taxi em up) Dynamite cop(beat em up) Jet Set Radio( 3d platforming) Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (adventure) Power Stone 1&2(platform fighter) SoulCalibur(fighting) Space channle 5(rythm)

Game Boy Advance: Advance Guardian Heroes(beat em up) Advance Wars(Tatics) Astro Boy: Omega Factor (anime em up) Bomberman Max 2(bomber man) Bomberman Tournament(zelda like rpg) Bubble Bobble: Old & New (singel screen platformer) Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (metroidvania) Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure (platformer) Digimon Battle Spirit 2(platform fighter) Drill Dozer (platformer) F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (Future racing) Fire Emblem (Srpg) Game & Watch Gallery 4 (mixed bag) Godzilla: Domination! (kaiju fighting) Golden Sun (rpg) Gunstar Super Heroes (Run and gun platforming) Justice League Heroes: The Flash (im speed em up) Konami Krazy Racers (kart racing) Metal Slug Advance (run and gun) Metroid Fusion (metroidvania) Pinball of the Dead (pinball) Mario advance series(platformer) Sonic Advance series(platformer/ bullshit pits) Summon Night 1&2(rpg/Gay charters in the 2000s) Super Puzzle Fighter II (puzzle) Wario Land 4(platformer)

Xbox (og): Beyond Good & Evil (adventure) Blinx: The Time Sweeper(platformer) Breakdown(first person action) Burnout 3 (raceing) Crazy taxi 3(taxi em up) Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge(plane fighting action/plup em up) Fable(rpg) Gladius(rpg) Halo 1&2(fps/ i perfer the pc port) Jet Set Radio Future(action 3d platforming) Ninja Gaiden Black (charater action) Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Fps/tps) Panzer Dragoon Orta(on rails shooter) Phantom Dust (action/wackey) Psychonauts (platformer) Super monkey ball deluxe(ball rolling/rage)

PlayStation 2: The Adventures of Cookie & Cream(platformer) Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance(action rpg) BCV: Battle Construction Vehicle(janky vehicle combat) Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (3d metroidvania) Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (3d metrovania) DarkWatch(fps) Final Fantasy X-2 (jrpg) Final Fantasy XII (jrpg) Gitaroo Man (rythm) God Hand (charater acrion) God of war(charater action) Grand Theft Auto 2-3(sandbox action) GunGrave (big dumb action game) IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix (combat racing) Katamari Damacy (Ball rolling action) Killzone (fps) Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (platformer) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (hack n slash) Maximo vs. Army of Zin (Platformer) Metal Slug Anthology(collection) Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary (mixed bag) Nightshade(action hack and slash platformer/Ninja ass and tits) OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast(raceing) King Kong(adventure) The Punisher(tps) The Red Star(beat em up/shooter) Samurai Western(samuri em up) Sega Classics Collection(collection) Shadow Hearts series (jrpg) Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1&2 (jrpg) Shinobi (action platformer/Ninja ass and Dick) Soul Calibur 2&3(fighting) TimeSplitters 1&2(fps) War of the Monsters (3d kaiju fighting) The Warriors(beat em up) We heart Katamari(ball rolling) Dragon quest 8 (jrpg) Viewtiful Joe 1&2(CRAZY ACTION/i perfer the gamecube versions)

Gamecube: Alien Hominid (run and gun) Animal Crossing (life sim) Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and The Lost Ocean (jrpg) Beyond Good & Evil (action adventure) Bloody Roar: Primal Fury(fighting) Custom Robo (mecha combat) Donkey Konga (rythm) DragonBall Z: Budokai 1&2(anime fighting) F-Zero GX (future racing) Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles(action rpg) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (tatics rpg) Gauntlet: Dark Legacy(hack n slash/warrior needs food badly) Kirby Air Ride (racing) Lost Kingdoms (jpg) Mario Kart: Double Dash (kart racing) Mario Superstar Baseball (baseball) Mega Man Anniversary Collection (collection) Metroid Prime 1&2 (fps/3d metroidvania) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (rpg) Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (platformer) Puyo Pop Fever (puzzle) Resident Evil 4 (surivial horror) The Simpsons Road Rage (crazy taxi clone) Skies of Arcadia Legends (jprg) Sonic adventure 1 &2(platformer) Super Monkey Ball (ball rolling/rage) Super Smash Bros. Melee(platform fighter) TubeSlider(future racing) Ultimate Muscle( Wrestling) Viewtiful Joe 1&2(CRAZY ACTION) X-Men Legends (action rpg) Sonic heroes(platformer)

Nintendo DS: Advance Wars: Dual Strike(tatics) Advance Wars: Days of Ruin(tatics) Aliens: Infestation(metroidvania) Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow(action rpg) Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow(metroidvania) Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin(metroidvania) Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia(metroidvania) Contra 4(run and gun/hard) Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies(jrpg) Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime(action adventure) Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker(monster rasing rpg) Elite Beat Agents(rythm) Final Fantasy Tactics A2(srpg) Izuna 1 & 2(rouge like/rpg) Kirby Canvas Curse( kirby rolling) Kirby Squeak Squad(platformer) Kirby Super Star Ultra(platformer) The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass(advenutre/ gimmicks abound) The Legendary Starfy(platformer) Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ(shoot em up) Metriod prime pinball(pinball) Lunar Knights(action adventure) Mario kart ds(kart racing) Metal Slug 7(run and gun) New Super Mario Bros.(platformer/bah bah sim) Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword(charater action) Okamiden(adventure) Pokémon Platinum& daimond(monster rasing rpg) Pokemon soul sliver and heart gold(monster rasing rpg) Pokémon Black and White 1&2( monster rasing rpg) Scribblenauts 1&2(puzzle) Scurge: Hive(metroidvania) SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters DS(tgc) Sonic Rush (platformer) Sonic colors(platformer) Super Mario 64 DS(3d platformer) The World Ends With You(action rpg) WarioWare: Touched!(mirco games)

Xbox 360: Bayonetta (charater action) Beautiful Katamari(ball rolling) BioShock 1&2 (fps with some rpg elements) Blue Dragon(rpg) Burnout Paradise (raceing) Crackdown1&2(Sandbox tps) Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage (manily anime em up) Halo 3(fps/I perfer the pc version) Lost Planet 1&2(tps) Tekken Tag Tournament 2(fighting) Vanquish (tps/Exploding knees) Viva Piñata(life sim) Sonic Generations(platformer) Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (action adventure) F.E.A.R. (fps/horror) Forza Motorsport 3(sim racing) Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (kart racing) Call of Duty: Black Ops 1&2(fps) Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2&3(fps)

Wii: Animal Crossing: City Folk(life sim) Battalion Wars 2 (rts/tps) The Conduit (fps) de Blob (platformer) Donkey Kong Country Returns (platformer/ i perfer the 3ds version) Epic Mickey (3d platfroming/Bad camera) Excite Truck (racing) Excitebots: Trick Racing (racing) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn(Srpg) The House of the Dead: Overkill (light gun) Kirby's Epic Yarn(platformer) Kirby's Return to Dream Land(platformer) MadWorld (charater action) Mario kart wii(kart racing) Metal Slug Anthology (run and gun) Metroid Prime Trilogy (fps/3d metroidvania) Monster Hunter 3 Tri(monster hunting) Muramasa: The Demon Blade (action) NEW Super Mario Bros. Wii(platformer) NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (flying/jank) No More Heroes 1&2(action/ i hear other versions are better) Okami ( adventure) Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers( hack and slash jank cheese cake fest) Rodea the Sky Soldier (flying platformer/ dont play the wiiu version its trash) Sin & Punishment: Star Successor(rail shooter) Sonic Colors (platformer) Super Mario Galaxy 1&2(3d platfromer) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (platform fighter) Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars(fighting) Wario Land: Shake It(greed) Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure(puzzle adventure) Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (law em up)

psp: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (paltformer) Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (fighting) Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (law em up) Metal Slug XX (run and gun) Power Stone Collection (platfrom fighter) Wipeout Pure(future racing) Wipe out pluse( future racing)

[titoist]

i'm imagining.... the closing weeks of world war two. a soldier, battered, his once-proud uniform now can only barely manage to limply hang off his form, in tatters. he is gently caressing a memento in his hand - the heir to a long lineage of soldiers, each of them more prestigious than the one who would prove to come after. "even if," he thinks. "my father & grandfather were here... they would likely be far more concerned by the dismal upkeep of this token, rather than the state of my wounds." a marching line of all of his ancestors accruing in the far reaches of his vision, boots cruelly slamming against ashes and dirt with little care. his cousin who he last saw in the 20s and his great grandmother he never got to meet and his uncle who ruffled his hair one time when he was 6 & they were all scowling at him with a sense of revolt. he sighs, gripping the memento, his eyes beginning to firmly focus on it. first antipathically, then furiously. it's followed him everywhere, & instead of that thought bringing comfort, it only brings him intense disgust to the point of nausea. a piece of his past that seems to cling to his skin with fervorous intensity, never letting go. in a moment of utter, maddened frustration, he throws it in the distance - to the rolling fields ahead, the grass now gray and brown in varying intervals. the camera pans over. the East German GDR National People's Army Girl Panzer Military Morale Airsoft Patch lays in the grass, burned and torn, but not to the point of unrecognizability. it rests in between the blades of dying grass, the sound of a whirring bomber slowly growing louder, and louder, and louder in the distance

[nebris]

The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis forces (Germany and Italy) of the Panzer Army Africa (Panzerarmee Afrika) (which included the Afrika Korps under Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) Erwin Rommel) and Allied (British Imperial and Commonwealth) forces (United Kingdom, British India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) of the Eighth Army (under General Claude Auchinleck).

The British prevented a second advance by the Axis forces into Egypt. Axis positions near El Alamein, only 66 mi (106 km) from Alexandria, were dangerously close to the ports and cities of Egypt, the base facilities of the Commonwealth forces and the Suez Canal. However, the Axis forces were too far from their base at Tripoli in Libya to remain at El Alamein indefinitely, which led both sides to accumulate supplies for more offensives, against the constraints of time and distance.

The battle and the Second Battle of El Alamein three months later remain important to some of the countries that took part.[6] In New Zealand, this is due to the country's significant contribution to the defence of El Alamein, especially the heavy role the Māori Battalion played.[7] Members of this battalion have been labelled war heroes since, such as commander Frederick Baker, James Henare and Eruera Te Whiti o Rongomai Love, the last of whom was killed in action.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_El_Alamein

[thedojoofintellect]

Warfare

The United States has the best trained military in the world. The United States armed forces has over eight thousand tanks and their aerial vehicles include the B2 stealth bomber and the Lockheed martin F-22 raptor. The tank used by the U.S. Army is the M1A2 Abrams tank. During WWII, America's military used the Sherman tank while Nazi Germany used the Panzer tank. German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, nicknamed the Desert Fox, is considered the father of modern tank warfare.

Total war refers to a state of armed conflict during which the belligerent parties target far more than they would in a conventional warfare situation. Scorched earth policy is enacted by targeting things that are of use to the enemy. Mutually assured destruction, a cold war doctrine, refers to a scenario in which two nations threaten to deploy nuclear warheads, which would result in the complete annihilation of both countries.

Counterproliferation is the interception of the rapid and often excessive spread of nuclear weapons. Insurgency is the rebellion against a government, usually one's own. Insurrection is another word for rebellion. A coup d'etat is the overthrow of a government. Espionage is discovering the military and political secrets of other nations.

The three branches of government are executive, legislative, and judicial. A republic enjoys a division and separation of powers in its government. As far as the public is permitted to know, the United States has several thousand nuclear weapons and the same is true for Russia.

The earliest manifestation of the internet, called ARPANET, was the work of the Department of Defense in 1969. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency reportedly was attempting to create super-soldiers by trying to figure out a way to lower the empathy of sldiers, thereby creating more efficient killing machines.

The Naval Special Warfare Development Group, also known as DEVGRU and formerly SEAL Team 6, are credited for the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound and bin Laden's death during this operation, which was called Operation Neptune Spear. The Central Intelligence Agency recruits members of Seal Team Six to work for the Special Operations Group of the CIA's Special Activities Division. The same is true for 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, better known as Delta force. Seal Team Six and Delta Force are amongst the premier counterterrorism units of the United States military.

Osama Bin Laden's Secret Service codename was Geronimo, and President Obama's is Renegade. George W. Bush's Secret Service code name is Tumbler. Some examples of clandestine operations include the Mossad's Operation Wrath of God, the CIA's Project MKULTRA and Operation CHAOS, as well as Project Camelot and Operation Gladio, among many others.

The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during WWII equated to around ten kilotons of trinitrotoluene and the one dropped on Nagasaki was the equivalent of around fifteen to twenty metric tons of TNT. Some of today's hydrogen bombs, which are thermonuclear devices, have a destruction yield of millions of metric tons of TNT.

The U.S. Army's Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets, are skilled in a host of unconventional warfare activities. They go behind enemy lines during stealth reconnaissance missions to gather intel on their adversaries and to acquire information regarding enemy territory. They are also experts in guerrilla warfare.

War has been transpiring since time immemorial. It seems as though the United States of America is always battling somebody. Some wars that the USA has participated in throughout its history are revolutionary war, the war of 1812, the civil war, World War I, World War II, the , the Cold War (though not a war in the conventional sense), the Korean war, the Persian gulf war, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Second Indochina war, which is also known as the Vietnam conflict.

During the Obama Administration, the people in charge of America's military were the commander-in-chief, Barack Obama, the defense secretary, Ash Carter, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Joseph Dunford.

It is axiomatic that there have been countless wars outside of U.S. history. Some of them include the Punic Wars, the Thirty Years War, the Trojan War, the Peloponnesian wars, the Spanish Civil War, the Greco-Roman conquests, and the conflicts waged by tribes of the enigmatic prehistoric world.

It seems that the onset of World War III is not necessarily that far off. As tension amongst Russia, China, America, and the Arab world heightens, it only seems reasonable to adopt the supposition that global thermonuclear war could jeopardize the future of our civilization.

[militaryleak]

Czech Army to Deploy DANA vz 77 152 Self-propelled Howitzer to Lithuania

In a strategic move bolstering NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Lithuania, the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) is set to deploy a significant force comprising DANA vz 77 152 mm 8×8 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and Tactical Infantry Transport and Utility System (TITUS) 6×6 armoured vehicles. This deployment signifies a robust commitment to NATO's defense initiatives and regional stability in the Baltic region. The Czech task force's primary objective will be to provide formidable fire support to the eFP battlegroup stationed in Lithuania. Collaborating closely with contingents from the Belgian, Dutch, and Norwegian armies, under the command of a German panzer battalion, the Czech Army aims to synergize their capabilities through joint training exercises. This collaborative effort seeks to fortify the defense capabilities of the Lithuanian Iron Wolf Brigade and reinforce NATO's collective deterrence posture in the region.

In a strategic move bolstering NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Lithuania, the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) is set to deploy a significant force comprising DANA vz 77 152 mm 8×8 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and Tactical Infantry Transport and Utility System (TITUS) 6×6 armoured vehicles. This deployment signifies a robust commitment to NATO’s defense initiatives and regional…

[history8524]

This is a diorama of a decomposed German soldier next to his machine gun and personal items.

This is a diorama of a decomposed German soldier next to his machine gun and personal items.

Artist: Dilip Sarkar Mbe. He wrote the following about this model.

"As an historian I have been heavily involved with the identification of 'missing' Second World War dead for many years. That millions remain missing, however, is little-known - as are the varying policies and levels of enthusiasm reflected by various governments.

I work especially closely with the Royal Netherlands Army Recovery & Identification Unit, which processes around 40 cases annually. A few years ago, a 19 - year old panzer grenadier was recovered from the sandy soil between Arnhem and Nijmegen. 

This diorama, based upon the vintage Airfix 1/6 scale skeleton and Dragon Action figures bits, was for a magazine article raising awareness of the issue, and inspired by the discovery of Gunther - whose mortal remains I saw laid out in the lab. So, not your typical diorama, I guess, but hopefully thought provoking…"

For the experts, it was already clear that it's a German model. However, the picture is doing rounds on social media as stated otherwise. Users are claiming that it is the body of an Indian soldier who sacrificed his life defending his motherland during the Kargil war, in 1965: "This is the remains of Hem Singh Jadav of Firozabad who fought till the end with the enemy in Kargil war. His fingers were on the trigger even after his death."

Some also claimed it was a Turkish soldier.

My guest.

[fracolliastray611]

Wars in Kananburg, Torottograd, Kalegrad, Palazzo Island, Castor ridge

Ace pilot Tom Antilles shot down 6 Pony spitfires, while Captain Lukas “Lithuanian” Smukas and the rest of his troops surrendered after the running out of ammunition during the battle of Fraileville. After Eastern Cormograd fell to the Ponies, Lt.Raphael Corelli Leone alongside Cpl.Rex Randolph, Sgt.Carlos Hess and the rest of Frontine’s 2nd Platoon were captured with the rest of the Foreign legion and Marines. Admiral Thomas Corleone of the Grey Sea fleet Expeditionary forces retook Northwest Cormorancia from the furries. While in Shimonograd, Astray’s Alpha Division, foreign legion and 3 other groups under him defended a vital Canzuntine region of Malopolonia. General Umberto Mannero commanded the 2nd Blue Guard composed of Spaniards, Criollos, Hispanics and Austrians, they were highly regarded for their bravery against the Furry-Pony forces in the Rahovo war, with Moloccans, Rocians, Corrocians, and Berilians joining their ranks as part of the engineers and manpower. While Lightning was in charge of commanding the Alpha Division and 2 others groups with the exemption of the Black Sea Army which is with Astray, Croff and Rhino fighting against the Furries in Sporcia. Ethnic Sporcians joined the Antigans, Umojans, Uzbeks, Velestinians, Latvians, Canarians, Malotolians, Gilneans, Suresteans, Estonians, Russians and Chileans that were part of the Earth Directorate’s foreign legion. Cromanians and other Umojans joined Admiral Anatoly Shimonolli’s fleet. Delta Squadron General Maximus Schroeder led the unit on pushing the Ponies out of Northeastern Cormorancia, while 20 miles away, Panzer ace Otto Carius destroyed 8 Furry tanks. In Kananburg, Astray and the Germans and Belarusians met with Umojan and Cormorancian troops, in order to mobilize from Yulton base to Tresca, Northern Malotolia. Where they battled the Ponies which led into Canzuntine Allies victory.

[garrand-models]

Sd.Kfz 232 6 rad. German army, 3rd Panzer Division. France, 1940.

1/72 scale, Italeri.

[softspeirs]

Inside Source (3/6)

Pairing: Lewis Nixon/OFC Summary: A war correspondent with an ulterior motive. That’s one move the intelligence officer didn’t see coming. He also didn’t expect the correspondent to be a woman. In this part: Things do not go well this week for Easy Company. They also don’t go well when it comes to getting news about Ellie’s brother.

Previous part here.

The previous ten days have been an absolute nightmare. The German attack has been relentless, and they’re losing people every day. 

Morale is at an all time low, and with a curse under his breath, Nixon’s morale drops even lower as he reads through a hastily written telegram. 

“Shit.” 

Dick looks up at him, brow wrinkled. “What is it?” 

“The 1st SS Panzer Division moved in on St. Vith three days ago.” His jaw clenches. “The 1st Army retreated.” 

“What about the 82nd?” 

“Too chaotic to tell yet, but Dick-- it was a total shitshow. They’re saying over 10,000 dead or captured.”

“You don’t know for sure--” 

“Look, we have bigger things to worry about. St. Vith falling almost definitely means we’re going to be in the shit. We’re the only thing keeping this part of the line intact. We need to be prepared.” 

“You need to talk to Ellie. Try to convince her to get on the next jeep to Bastogne so she can get out of here.”

Nixon grinds his teeth. “Yeah, that’ll go over well. ‘Hey, Ellie, the best chance of you finding your brother is probably at a field hospital, so you might as well start with this one.’”

Dick rolls his eyes. “More tact, probably.”

“I need to brief the squad leaders.”

“Don’t put it off, Nix.” Dick warns as Nixon heads out of the CP. His head already aches from exhaustion, and the thought of having to give Ellie this news.

He gets the various Lieutenants and Sergeants together and briefs them, telling them to expect attacks of increasing force over the next three days. Afterwards, he steels himself and finds Ellie.

She’s perched on the edge of a foxhole, alone, scribbling in her notebook. She looks up at his approach, and her smile breaks his heart. She must read it on his face, because her smile disappears, and she stands hastily.

“What? What happened?” 

“Ellie--” 

“Is he dead?” Her voice cracks. “Just tell me.”

“I don’t know, Ellie.” Her knees wobble, but he reaches for her before she can collapse into the snow and dirt. 

Their hands clasp together like puzzle pieces, and he takes a moment to admire her strong grip before he remembers she’s literally holding on to him for dear life. 

“I don’t know,” he repeats. “But the news out of St. Vith isn’t good.” 

“Oh,” she chokes, trying to stay calm. 

“There’s more.”

She meets his eyes with her watery green ones. “Go on, then.”

“It’s about to get bad. Really bad, Ellie. I think you should go to Bastogne and wait it out at the hospital.”

Something flashes in her eyes, but she doesn’t argue. He feels conflicted. He’s grown attached to her, and he doesn’t truly want her to go. But on the other hand, he can barely stand the thought of her being here if they’re overrun by Germans or if the line breaks. There’s no way she’d survive, and if she did, the outcome may be far worse.

“I can’t go,” she protests, her voice fierce. “I’ve been here for weeks and I’ve survived--”

“By pure luck!” He says angrily. “Ellie, you’re not trained for combat and even if you were, the type of shelling we’re going to be facing makes the last two weeks seem like child’s play.” 

A more detailed description of what happened in St. Vith fills his mind, his imagination filling in the gaps of what it must have looked like afterwards.

“I don’t want to go.” She says, and then looks embarrassed, like she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

His next words escape almost without his permission. “I don’t really want you to go, either.” His voice is soft, unrecognizable even to his own ears. “But if the Germans break through the line... El, you cannot be here.”

“Okay.” She says finally. “Okay. Just-- how soon? Do I have time to say goodbye?” 

“I’ll have Doc Roe take you to town when you’re ready. We could use you to bully him into eating something, anyway.” He says, trying to lighten the conversation. 

She smiles weakly, and he hates himself for giving her so much bad news all at once. 

“I’ll find you before I go.” 

“Counting on it.” He says, his voice that unrecognizable low rasp once again. 

He has no idea that the decision to send her into Bastogne proper might be a worse decision than letting her stay here and take her chances. He has no idea what lies ahead for Easy Company.

.

A/N: Sorry this part is so short! Next part here.