His landing wasn't graceful with the face plant he has conducted into the surf, along with his helmet not helping one bit. But he couldn't help it he had to get out of that boat as fast as he could. Slowly looking up there's a loud shriek that flashes overhead and the Panzerfaust has slammed into the boat impaling it then exploding. Killing the driver within the explosion.
Slowly looking back up from putting his head back down for cover, Ben quickly spits out the sand and sea water that got into his mouth. Slowly crawling around he finds his rifle and he gets a glimpse of the blood soaked beach with bodies littering the sands. The Italians got everyone pinned down with no where to go with what little cover there is.
"On your feet Ben, stand up and fight!" Phillip shouts kneeling down and violently shaking Ben to his feet. Once he's up, he shoves Ben forward into cover near a tank trap and there he lands again and coughing he spits out more sand muttering curses.
"The Lieutenants dead Sergeant!" A private yells over the gun fire looking up before a bullet smashes into the side of his skull. Sending brain matter and blood splattering on the sand causing those looking at him to wince.
"Before we end up like that sod, everyone listen up! Cover the engineers and get that barbwire blocking the beach blown! Covering fire!" Phillip yells clearly and slowly, the soldiers cautiously stand up and timidly before returning fire on the bunkers and sandbag emplacements.
Under covering fire the engineers rush forward and quickly plant the explosive charges whilst, Ben is aiming down his rifle sights and he fires watching a Italian fall back from a shot to the middle of his chest.
Following that moment the charges blow clearing the way up the beach and into the Italian defensive lines. Rushing forward the first squad moves up but they're immediately mowed down by gun fire from emplacements further up ahead.
Quickly looking around Phillip spots a radio operator staying in cover with his hands covering his head. Running over quickly Phillip shakes the lad calling him.
"Corporal!" Phillip yells under the gun fire and the lad looks up with wide eyes and Phillip issues the order.
"Get that radio up and working, contact the Cruisers off shore, we need fire on those bunkers now!" Phillip orders.
"Y-yes sir, standby!" The lad says snapping out of his daze and tuning the radio, he gives it a smack and static begins to play. A good sign it's working. With shaky hands he offers the receiver to the staff sergeant who quickly takes it.
"This is from the onshore assault, requesting fire mission on 3-3-1-5-9-8-2, North of the red smoke. Fire for effect over!" Phillip says into the mic while the back ground noise of gun fire erupts with explosions and bursts of mg. Hoping someone heard it, Phillip takes a smoke grenade from the dead Lieutenant and he finds the red marked one. Cooking it, he throws it up and over hurling into the sand where he has directed support fire.
"Everyone find cover!" Phillip yells before doing so himself and closing his eyes, he awaits the incoming ordinance protecting his head. Flashes from the ocean light up the dark night as dozens of flashes light up the night surrounding the large dark figures that make up 2 Cruisers.
With their entire broadside port facing shore, the main battery and smaller artillery like mounts flash to life commencing the barrage. Loud, God like explosions erupt with high explosive ordinance raining down shaking the earth like a terrible earthquake. The shells pack more of a punch then field artillery and it's definitely shaking up the land.
The shells rain on down annihilating bunkers, position, anything caught in the open North of the red smoke with each following a horrendous shudder of impact. There the short lived cries and screams of men dying vanquish as quickly as it came.
Reaching forward when the shelling has stopped Phillip grabs the whistle off of the dead officer and he blows the whistle, taking command of what the Lieutenant had commanded until relieved by a superior officer.
The surviving men rush forward moving forward from the Captain shouting out. "There's two kinds of people staying on this beach, the dead and those who are going to die. Now get moving!" The ferocious Captain yells urging the lads onward.
Phillip has taken command of the 2nd platoon with 18 men under his command and there, they clear resistance that's leading up to the enclosed door of the first underground bunker system. The lads quickly line up 9 men on each side of the door, taking aim an covering anything that looks like a shooting hole.
The engineers quickly move up cautiously but a window slides open and the Italian hoses the man down with half a clip. Before anyone can react fast enough to return fire he quickly tries shooting more but Ben fires into the hole.
One that is done he runs forward cooking a grenade and he throws it in then gravity carrying him forward he crashes downward on his stomach holding his head for cover.
There's yells of grenade in Italian before the pine apple grenade explodes ending those voices with safety available now the remaining engineer moves up and plants his explosive charge on the door then gets back. Ben gets up now and runs back into cover behind a sandbag before the explosive is detonated.
Once everyone's clear, the explosive shakes the ground and blasts the door off where another grenade is thrown in. That is followed by more yells in Italian.
"Breach and clear! Clear the bunkers out!" Orders Phillip as a soldier with a Sten takes point and the hard task of clearing the bunkers begin.
After 20 minutes of close quarters fighting the first system is cleared and Phillip gives the order. "Advance into the tunnel, we must push inland to meet up with the 5th divisional Royal Marines fighting near the outskirts of Syracuse, lets move lads!" Phillip orders.
**
Forward operations base German HQ.
"The sectors are crumbling from the 2nd wave, we need to pull back and reinforce the lines." The Italian General of Staff says as the orders are relayed. Then Generalleutenant Rodt, a midsize broad shouldered man moves his troops up by pushing the carved figures up on his map to fill the gaps within the ranks.
**
Sector E-1
"Move the Vanguard up, and place my PanzerGrenadiers here, they must buy us time for the retreating Italians to pull themselves together and reorganize. That understood?" Karl asks looking up from the map that is laid out on the table in front of him.
The 2 majors standing to attention before him nod and salute, then briskly about facing they walk out of the tent heading out.
Leaning back over the map Karl quietly thinks to himself. ' We're out manned, and under powered however, we got the high ground and tank support. I will not give up easily, as I'll make them fight for every inch of dirt, just as Rommel had taught me when commanding troops back in the desert.' He says to himself then, pushing 3 small figures forward on his map. One is a small Hetzer, 2nd is a German soldier and the 3rd is his elite, the Ghost Division of the 22nd.
In a V like formation, Karl deploys the infantry forward at the head of the V, then he moves his little Hetzer to the left on the higher hill top, his Panzers on the adjacent hill. That over looks the beaches and small town.
"Unteroffizer, get these orders relayed, I want our tankers on the high ground to cover the infantry advancement." Karl orders looking up at the men that surround him in this large tent with large pieces of equipment radio equipment who nod and do what they're told.
"Jawohl! Relaying orders to the divisions" The unteroffizer says before turning to the Funkers at the radios to do what he was told by telling them to relay orders.
' I'm going to catch them in a pincher movement, there I'll draw out the British Marines into the open outside of Syracuse. There I'll strike from the protection of the hills as my men will be out of range of offshore bombardment support. The Panzer korps will attack the flanks as my Grenadiers push the front... They'll be crushed underneath the boots of my men when I'm done with them.' Karl says quietly to himself going over his plan of attack again with a smile to his face as he plans on not giving a inch of ground past Syracuse.
***
That's the end of this chapter folks, what did you think?
I do apologize as this chapter from Friday is late, there was a thunderstorm that knocked out power and I had to rewrite everything since it didn't save:, any who.
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Leave a comment on what you think might happen to our fellows on the beaches, all in all
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