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26-April/1915
While more reserve troops kept arriving, the officers began preparing everything to do the same, a counteroffensive against the French now that they had been defeated and had suffered severe losses across the entire front.
Where we fought was only a small part of the whole front, so French casualties could easily reach tens of thousands, and now it was the German side's turn to launch a costly offensive.
We began preparing to join the assault, since I doubted they would let us stay behind while all of that was happening.
While German artillery punished the French fortifications, we moved through the German trenches. When we reached the second trench, we found soldiers carrying bodies toward the hospitals, while others were wounded by bullets or shrapnel.
When we reached the first trench, that was where the greatest chaos was. There were both Germans and French scattered everywhere, many wounded or dead, while some had already begun helping the injured and moving the dead away from the positions.
I helped a couple of soldiers by bandaging their wounds to stop the bleeding, while others lifted them onto stretchers and carried them to the medics.
Hearing the ground rumble, German officers approached the trench and began placing ladders to prepare the assault.
''As soon as you have a chance to fire, kill anyone on their machine guns, the artillery might not destroy everything like it did here, even after three days of bombardment there were still machine guns operating, so I doubt a short bombardment will break the French trench'' I said, looking at my men.
''So no camouflage'' asked Friedrich while checking his rifle.
''How is camouflage going to help us here… we have nothing that blends with shattered earth, ash and blood'' I said while using the ladder to observe the French positions and the field full of dead.
''Fair point'' said Ernst.
''But that doesn't mean you charge without thinking, the moment you see a visible target you shoot them in the head and hold that position, no one takes the machine guns, that way we create safe zones and avoid getting artillery dropped on us'' I said, lowering my head and removing the metal plate from my helmet.
Feeling my neck lighter, the others who had also forgotten to remove their Stirnpanzer did the same and left it on the trench floor.
While the artillery kept falling, we heard the whistles of officers ordering the advance and slowly the first line formed as they climbed up and some soldiers carried pliers to cut the barbed wire.
We climbed up in the second line while the soldiers moved quickly across the shattered ground, dodging dead and wounded who screamed for help.
We kept pace and while we moved at a controlled rhythm, observing the French positions, the German artillery stopped falling as we approached the enemy trench.
The French began coming out of their shelters trying to stop the advance.
''There'' I said, pointing at a group that was setting up a machine gun.
We all aimed, crouched, and in seconds dropped them.
''Over there'' one of my men shouted, pointing at another group climbing into position, another group of jaegerkomandos fired, preventing them from taking action.
We kept advancing and began firing at the French who showed their heads.
Several of our shots hit, blowing heads apart, while Germans fell pierced by enemy fire.
The third German line passed beside us while we kept ensuring that all visible machine guns remained silent.
Until we saw the first line begin to enter the French trench.
''Got another'' I said as I braced the rifle and fired again.
''We have to keep moving, the other trenches might have more machine guns'' said Ernst, getting up and running.
I was about to order the advance when the ground shook and an explosion followed.
''Shit… artillery… run… into the French trenches'' I shouted.
We ran while the ground exploded beneath our feet, falling several times, but we managed to reach the trench before a direct hit caught us.
''Careful… jump in carefully'' I said after hitting the edge as I got in.
''This is a slaughter'' said Hans, looking at the bodies everywhere.
''Welcome to the western front… with the Russians we were playing against children, here we fight a real army'' I said, moving forward among the corpses.
I peeked around a corner and saw German soldiers trying to advance toward the second line.
We began moving, covering the flanks and aiming in every possible direction until we joined the group cutting the barbed wire.
''Alright, it's ready, move it'' said a soldier using a metal bar.
Another helped him and they cleared the path.
''Coming through'' I said, firing and killing a Frenchman who was aiming at us with a machine gun.
Before anyone could react, I dropped the second man supporting him.
''Well done, comrades… are you the jaegerkomandos?'' said the officer of the group.
''Yes… move, we'll cover you, but we don't promise miracles'' I said, signaling my men to aim at the second trench.
''Good… move… move'' the officer shouted to his men as they advanced.
The French began appearing in the trench, raising their heads or trying to stop the advance of the German vanguard, but I was there blowing heads apart whenever I could and preventing nearby machine guns from firing, since in other sectors we could hear French machine guns still active, but we controlled a large clean sector.
We saw how the group of Germans that pushed forward entered the second French trench, while that happened we observed a large group of French beginning to move in the rear, it seemed they had also deployed their reinforcements for the fight.
A group of soldiers led by their officer passed beside us and also began moving toward the second trench, a group of ours advanced while we covered them and so on, while we secured the ground between the first and second trench.
Upon reaching the second trench I found the French dead and that the Germans had already secured the position heavily, so we simply kept moving through the trenches until we found access forward.
''Hans come… help me turn this'' I said, pointing at the unmanned French machine gun and we began to rotate it.
With Hans and another of my soldiers we managed to turn the machine gun and set everything in position to start firing toward the French lines of the third trench, since we could still see reinforcements arriving from their rear camp, so we began using the available ammunition against them.
Firing several bursts and fighting a bit with the feeding system of the machine gun we spent a large portion of the ammunition, cutting down several French who were trying to support from the third trench, which was their last organized resistance before losing the entire area.
I looked around and noticed the French defenses had begun collapsing everywhere else, as more and more Germans kept advancing toward the second trench and other groups were already reaching the third trench.
Without stopping we abandoned the machine gun and kept moving, it didn't take long before we ran into other German groups ahead of us who were working on cutting the barbed wire without exposing themselves, since the French were heavily concentrated in their last trench.
''There are too many French… send a runner back to camp and tell them we need artillery to keep advancing, it's too fortified and we'll just die if we try to push further'' he said to the lieutenant directing the wire cutting.
He peeked his head out and saw the same thing, too many French. ''Yes… fall back and inform an officer we need artillery on the French third trench'' said the lieutenant to one of his men who ran back the way we came to deliver the message.
''Keep cutting, we need everything ready for when the artillery hits'' I said while organizing the nearby men and preparing for a possible artillery strike.
We began organizing inside the French shelters and I started sending messengers to the other officers in the second trench informing them I had requested artillery, so they should be ready if it was approved.
So the offensive had completely halted at the French second trench while we waited for the artillery response.
We stayed watching as more French gathered in their positions.
Until finally a messenger appeared.
''Artillery strike at 15:30'' said the messenger, sweating.
''That's in… 2 minutes'' I said looking at my watch ''to the fucking shelters'' I shouted while running toward one of the French bunkers, just like many others who had heard the news.
We quickly forced open one of the French underground shelter doors and rushed inside, filling the place with German soldiers as we waited for it to begin.
''Damn we barely made it'' I said leaning on one of the nearby tables.
As more soldiers entered the shelter I heard something move near a crate in the room and drew my pistol while pushing the boxes aside, spotting someone hiding.
He slowly raised his hands while we all began surrounding him.
''A Frenchman'' said a captain approaching.
''I… fuck… your… mom'' said the Frenchman in terrible German while raising his hands.
''Looks like this bastard wants to die'' said the captain drawing his pistol.
''I… fuck… your… mom'' the Frenchman repeated, even more terrified.
The captain was about to shoot him and I grabbed his arm ''what are you doing idiot… can't you see he's surrendering''
''He's not surrendering, the dog thinks he's funny'' the captain snapped, frowning.
''You think a Frenchman would say that… right now, with his hands up, surrounded by Germans… what happened is some French told him those were the words to surrender… they pulled a joke on him… it's a classic…'' I said with a slight smile.
''Ha… ha… ha…'' the captain began laughing, just like everyone else as they understood, and even the Frenchman laughed, more out of nerves than anything else.
''So they played a joke on the poor bastard'' said one of ours while laughing.
''Most likely… and… well, the artillery is coming down'' I said as I noticed the shelter beginning to shake.
The laughter died instantly and everything began trembling as we felt the artillery falling nonstop around us, though most impacts seemed closer to the third trench.
We stayed silent as the shells hit, everyone tense waiting for it to end, while I started checking the French shelter.
''Holy shit… boys we hit the jackpot'' I said pulling out a leg of ham and several cans of preserved meat from the French supplies.
''How the hell can you think about eating with this over our heads'' said Hans, extremely nervous.
''You'll get used to it…'' I said sitting down and cutting pieces of the ham with my knife, starting to eat.
A few joined me and started eating as well, though they still tensed up whenever the ground shook hard near us.
''Here you go, Frenchie… might be the last decent thing you eat for a long time before they ship you to a prison camp'' I said offering the Frenchman some ham as he was clearly on the verge of panic from the bombardment.
''How the hell… are you so calm'' said Ernst, staring at me seriously while eating.
''You get used to it'' I replied while continuing to eat.
''But… you've never been on the western front before'' said Friedrich.
''Hey I slept just fine while the French bombarded the trenches for three days… and this place is the safest we've got, anywhere else shrapnel would've torn us apart, so I'm calm waiting and hoping this thing was built strong enough''
Many of the soldiers looked at me strangely, but it didn't matter, I had gotten used to artillery bombardments years ago… the only thing that still made my spine tense were drones, but luckily those hadn't been invented yet in this war.
After an hour of bombardment the explosions began to fade.
''Alright let's go before the French come out of their shelters'' I said while tying the Frenchman's hands and feet.
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