The Germans took the Panzer under heavy fire with machine guns, small arms, and mortars, but none of it was sufficient to pierce the hull’s armor. Z3R0 was scanning radio traffic and quickly decrypted the Allied fire control net. Caenna initiated contact with the remains of the infantry company to their left. Lot attempted to summon a spirit, but was worried that this magic dead world would have no spirits. Meanwhile Alabaster turn the tank’s main gun on the bunkers, chewing into the 2 m thick reinforced concrete and shrouding the bunker in clouds of dust and debris. Gyoza attempted to decoy some of the enemy gunners with his holo emitter, but its range was too short and the incoming fire to heavy to have any appreciable effect.
Caenna succeeded in making contact with SSG Smith, who then brought forward their senior NCO, SFC Stammel. Stammel was wounded but Caenna was able to heal him slightly, even in the oppressively magic dead environment. Likewise, Lot finally succeeded in calling a spirit. He sent his air elemental to manifest in the leftmost bunker as Alabaster shifted fire to the right one. Moments later the left bunker strobed with lightning and one German through himself out of the bunker rather than suffer electrocution. Throughout all of this, Alpha Company troops were shouting in elation and relief as the ‘top-secret tank’ stabbed beams of light at the enemy bunkers.
Once healed, SFC Stammel started calling for fire – and Lord Z3R0 worked his electronic magic to put his fire support calls to the top of the queue with the USS Nevada. The first shots went long but Z3R0 was using the tank’s sensors and his own TacNet program to calculate the fall of the shot and relevant variables. He sent SFC Stammel a new set of corrections and Stammel put in a second call for fire.
Lot sent his elemental to wreak havoc among the mortar tubes and Gyoza led half of the Alpha Company survivors up to the cliff base. He was able to plant some charges causing damage to the leftmost bunker but moments later, as he attempted to advance through the draw, his squad was taken under fire by another machine gun nest. he quickly dodged out of the way but a half-dozen of his men were cut down.
Meanwhile, back in the tank Alabaster had some of the soldiers working on the jammed louvers outside while he was tearing apart the access panels to the turbine in the back of the tank. Lot had taken over as primary gunner and the tank was almost fixed. A second round of fire came from the Nevada and Z3R0’s directions proved impeccable. Five 2000 (probably lighter – the Nevada had 14” guns) pound rounds slammed into the bluff detonating more than 8000 pounds of TNT and eradicating that whole side of the German defense.
Dog One was open.
Moments later Alabaster got the turbines up and running again, Gyoza hoofed it back to the tank and the wounded on board were debarked. Caenna apologized to the soldiers because that they were going deeper in enemy territory, not back to a hospital. The soldiers thanked them profusely for all their help – then the tank rose on pillars of air.
The tank screamed forward jumping over obstacles and was confronted with a pair of Pzkw IV’s. They were older models with short-barreled 50 mm guns, but a direct hit might cause damage and they began to traverse their turrets . . .
But the Komet simply screamed past them, quickly reorienting itself on its attitude thrusters pouring 20 mm depleted uranium shells into the weaker rear panels of the Panzers. One started smoking and the other’s turret blew clear off as the ammunition inside exploded. As a parting gift the Komet put 20 more rounds of cannon fire into the last function machine gun nest on Dog One. In the distance they could see the second wave of LCT’s coming in. The remnants of Alpha Company and the Ranger Company assaulted the draw as the Komet screamed through the early morning air above the hedgerows of Normandy.
So how the hell are you guys going to get to Bavaria?
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