“This is not what I’d hoped for,” said Generalleutnant Curt von Kluge, placing a finger firmly on the map, “Everything west of the East Coast states remains under firm Reich control. The media clampdown is stopping any coordination between them. That means our territory is the only one currently in revolt.”
He rubbed at his chin.
“The rebels hold Baltimore, Manhattan, Albany and many, many more cities, and they are gaining allies with every passing day. And now this infernal weather has restricted our ability to deploy reserves where they’re needed.”
He looked towards SS-Oberführer Sigismund Erwin.
“You promised me you could break the will of the outlying areas around Baltimore, thereby leaving the road open to Manhattan. What happened?”
The SS man snorted before answering.
“I need time to complete my mission. This kind of operation takes weeks, sometimes months. The rebels are receiving help from traitor ORPO and Kriegsmarine units. And now you are unable to provide me with airlifted reinforcements at Alexandria. If I were you…”
Generalleutnant Curt von Kluge lifted his left hand.
“Enough of the rivalry and competition. This is becoming more tiresome than I could ever have expected.”
The door swung open, and two Naval guards separated. An officer marched in and saluted.
“Generalleutnant, we have urgent news from across the water.”
He stepped aside and revealed the bloodied figure of Oberscharführer Tomás. The man panted, and SS-Oberführer Erwin moved towards him.
“What happened, man?”
Tomás lifted his head and shook it.
“My unit advanced on St Mary’s City, as ordered.”
“And?”
“They were waiting for us. Right on our doorstep, bombs, grenades, rifles, and machine guns.”
“How many?”
“My entire unit was cut apart. We were…”
“No, how many rebels were in the area?”
The man looked confused, and his eyes shifted to the other senior officers. When he spotted the General, he gasped.
“Sir. The rumours are true. The rebels are everywhere. Nowhere is safe for us any…”
SS-Oberführer Erwin struck the man with the back of his fist. Generalleutnant Curt von Kluge objected, but the SS man shook his head.
“You may issue orders directly to me, Generalleutnant. But the management and disciplining of my units is for me, and me alone. I answer only to the Chancellery.”
Generalleutnant Curt von Kluge considered arguing, but then signalled for the young SS man to leave. He staggered away; the blood stains still showing on his soaked uniform.
“It would appear that the enemy sees this weather as an opportunity to strengthen their position. It is a smart move, exactly what I would do.”
“So what are your orders?” asked the Wehrmacht senior officer, “Do we dig in, and ready ourselves for the fight?”
Kluge gasped in mock surprise.
“Dig in? Of course not, no, we march, and we march soon.”
He pointed to the map and in particular, to New York City.
“The landships and tanks are ready, as they not?”
One of the officers nodded.
“Good. Our infantry are equipped and ready to leave. He pointed to an area south of Manhattan, around the city of Philadelphia.
“We will follow my original plan, and end this in the next seventy-two hours.”
That silenced everyone in the room.
“Half of our ground forces, including Wehrmacht, SS units, and their allied conscript battalions will march parallel with the A95 Autobahn through Washington and hit Baltimore. A second column will pass through Delaware, eliminate any resistance, and cross at Annapolis to meet with forces north of Washington. They will join together for the advance through Baltimore. Naval forces will shadow our flanks, providing gunfire and support as needed.”
He smiled.
“I expect all of these to be completed by the end of day one. Any resistance will be crushed beneath the feet of the iron legions.”
He pointed above Baltimore.
“Naval forces will redeploy off the coast of New Jersey and prepare for the assault on New York itself. With battleship support, we will offer them terms before bombarding the city for a full day. Then we will strike from three directions. As I said, we end this before the fire ignites a revolution throughout the entire Union. Are you ready?”
For the first time every single one of them was in agreement.
“Good. To your stations, the campaign to liberate the East Coast begins within the hour.”
The group began discussing the fine details, but Generalleutnant Curt von Kluge moved his attention to SS-Oberführer Erwin.
“We cannot leave the enemy a single outpost this close to our headquarters. Deal with St Mary’s and make it quick. Send units across the Goering Bridge over the Potomac and secure my flank. I expect this to be completed before the main columns reach their objective. Understood?”
SS-Oberführer Erwin could not have looked happier.
“Of course. Not a soul will remain to defy us. Of that you have my word. St Mary’s belong to us.”
Kluge smiled.
“Not just St Mary’s, the entire East Coast belongs to us. Now it is time for us to explain why.”
His eyes shifted to the others in the room.
“It is time, Gentlemen. The Reich marches.”
* * *
St Mary’s City, Maryland
Johnny paced back and forth uneasily. Zoey sat with her feet up on a bench in the old college. She peered out of a window and saw a night patrol of the minutemen. No lighting was on, but the reflection of moonlight on the snow lit them up well enough. The patrol kept moving, and she didn’t blame them. It was bitterly cold even indoors.
“What are we still doing here?” Johnny asked.
“We’re doing what we were told to do. Get to St Mary’s City, and help the minutemen to defend this place.”
“The seven of us? How much can we do?”
“We’ve pulled off plenty with less,” said Flinn.
“Yeah, that was when we had the element of surprise, not sitting ducks waiting to be rolled over by tanks, or worse.”
“He’s right, you know. This isn’t the fight for us.”
“Not you as well,” she groaned.
She could see the brothers would support one another, no matter what.
“He is right, though, isn’t he? We should be getting the hell out of here.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of running? You’ve been running your whole lives, even from your own country. When does it ever stop?”
Neither had answered when they heard activity outside. Minutemen scouts rushed into town. They were wearing white snow camo overalls clearly made by themselves, but nevertheless extremely effective. Zoey rushed out to meet them, as did one of the college teachers who had come to lead them. Greg Byrd, a tall and formidable man with the appearance a football player half his age.
“What is it?”
The scouts could hardly draw breath, red-faced from running to deliver the news.
“Reich forces are on the move.”
“Another patrol?” Byrd asked.
“Not a chance, much larger in number.”
“The main force is heading north on the autobahn, but a force plenty large enough is heading right for us, and they’ve got a walker.”
“What!”
Panic set in, each man unsure what to do, and whether he should stay or run. Greg was one of the few who stayed calm, and he looked to Zoey for advice, as the representative of the Maquis.
“Well? What do we do?”
The panicked conversations raged on in the background as word spread throughout the town.
“Let me contact Ray.”
“To what end?”
“I don’t know, but there are plans in action. He needs to know about this, and he may y
et have options for us.”
“How long do we have?” she asked one of the scouts.
“Maybe thirty minutes if we’re lucky.”
Gasps rang out. It was far worse than any of them expected. She rushed into the college building where their radio was set up, and even she was breathing heavily now. The panic was very real.
“What do we do? Run?”
“With this many people, Flinn? We’d never outrun them,” replied Johnny.
“Iron Viper, this is Silver Swan, come in, over.”
No response. She tried twice more. After a long drawn out silence, a voice came over the line. It was Ray, and she heard gunfire in the background.
“This is Iron Viper, little busy right now, over.”
“We have Reich forces coming for us, and you, too. A big force heading north on the Autobahn, and a smaller one coming for us, over.”
“Send everybody north to rendezvous with the militia at Washington. All our hopes rest in Washington, over.”
“They’re coming in too fast. We haven’t got time.”
“I…bre…”
The signal turned to static and was lost.
“Iron Viper? Iron Viper, come in?” she called desperately.
But there was nothing.
“Fuck!” She threw the receiver down.
“What do we do?” Flinn asked.
She rushed out to share the information with everyone. They had little time.
“What news?”
“News from Ray, Greg.”
“All right, quieten down!” Greg roared.
The crowd waited to hear what Ray had said.
“There is no help coming. Everyone is to retreat north, back to Washington.”
“We are leaving?” asked one.
“If you stay, you will die. You have taken up arms against the Reich, and they will kill all who have done so, and many who have not!”
The crowd erupted into a furious panic. Greg banged his hands on the hood of a car to draw their attention.
“Enough! We are out of time, but there are people out there still fighting, people with a plan. I say we listen to Zoey here, okay?”
He gestured for her to go on.
“You are to gather what four-wheel drives you can, anything that can make it through this weather.”
“But you already said we can’t outrun them!” yelled another.
“No, a few volunteers will remain to hold them here, and give you enough time to get free and clear.”
“Volunteers, who, you?”
“Yes!” she replied sternly, “I gave my word I would help here, and now I am asking for a few volunteers to stay with me, and make sure you can all get to safety.”
“We’re with you,” said Johnny.
The rest she had arrived with all nodded in agreement.
“I need another half dozen volunteers from the minutemen.”
“I’ll fight with you,” said Greg.
“No, anybody but you. These people need someone to lead them to safety, who else?”
A few put up their hands, and others soon followed.
“Go, get out of here now, and get them to Washington.”
From Greg’s expression, he knew full well what she was offering.
“Get going, go!”
He nodded in gratitude and looked back at the volunteers one last time. A sad day for them all, and he wanted nothing more than to stay and fight. Those left behind wore grim expressions. Each of them committed to what they knew had to be done, but none under any illusions. All of them aware of the odds against them. Aware they’d be unlikely to make it through the night.
“Okay, you all know what you have to do. Take up positions!”
Several took a trench opposite the college, and two more in an adjacent building. Others filled out the lower floor of the front of the college. She and Johnny covered a machine gun in a first-floor window. Flinn dug in on their flank in a shed, the other MG3 set up in a window. Engines roared from the hundreds of people fleeing in any vehicles they could find. Then there was no more movement, and they waited for the enemy.
“Still think it was a good idea to come here?” Johnny asked.
“I never thought the idea was good, but it’s our job.”
“And it’s worth dying for?”
“It ain’t like we got a choice. It’s kill or be killed.”
“You know we aren’t getting out of this.”
“We’ll see.”
He sighed. “I come halfway around the world, just to die almost before I get started.”
“If we die, at least we die on our feet, and not in a cage.”
That concept struck at his core, and he had to agree with her. The last of their vehicles were in the distance, heading east to skirt around the incoming enemy, when they caught sight of an enemy vehicle on the road to the north. An armoured car came into view with two Strykers.
“A scouting party,” she said.
“What do you want to do?”
“If they get close enough, we hit them. We need all eyes on us for as long as possible.”
He took aim with the MG3 resting on sandbags in the bay window. The enemy vehicles stormed towards them as if without a care in the world.
“Wait for it, not until they hit the mines.”
The moment she finished speaking, a huge explosion ripped through the night. It ignited beneath the armoured car, blowing it onto its roof as it slid along the road. It crashed through a hedge and into a ditch. The Strykers skidded to a halt.
“Fire!” Zoey cried.
Johnnie squeezed the trigger, and the gun burst into life with its Buzz saw like rate of fire. Fifty rounds ripped through the canvas and cab of the first vehicle, killing all aboard, but the troops in the others disembarked and ran for cover. Flinn opened fire with the other machine gun, cutting down several as they darted across the open ground. Tracer fire lit up the field as others joined in. Several trucks appeared further up the road, rapidly unloading to join the fight. The enemy rushed for the cover of trees and other foliage as they closed the distance.
“Over there!” Johnny yelled.
Several vehicles carrying troops arrived at the east of the building. Before he could respond, he caught a glimpse of movement in front and opened fire to keep their heads down.
“Stay here!” Zoey ordered.
She rushed to the eastern side of the building. A Panzerfaust lay at the window ready to fire. She took it up and aimed at the nearest enemy truck, waiting for it to stop. The wheels locked up and smoke rose up as it slid to a halt. The moment it stopped she pulled the trigger. The shell struck the truck head on before a single soldier had gotten out. The cab ripped open like a tin can, and several SS soldiers in the back were thrown clear. Moments later the fuel tank went up, and the whole truck blew. She put the weapon down, and with her Steyr submachine gun fired on those leaping from the other truck.
“Zoey!”
It was Johnny. Gunfire rang out from their front. She turned around in time to see grenades thrown through the window where two of the minutemen had been fighting. The charge blew out the front facade of the building, and she knew they were gone. Another ran for his life and was hit in the back by a hail of bullets. Screams rang out from below as another was hit.
“Zoey!”
She rushed back to Johnny. He was still firing all around Flinn's position. He looked hurt on the one arm, and was struggling to get a new belt into the MG3, as his brother laid down fire on those around them.
“Do it, now!”
She threw down her weapon and stood over a plunging detonator.
“Do it!”
She pressed down with all her weight, and a ripple of explosions rang out. The building shook beneath their feet from the force of the blast, and it was deafening. What was left of the glass windows blew out over them as they ducked down for cover. It was over in seconds, and Johnny was back at the window, lifting the gun back into place. Zoey rushed to the win
dow ledge to look out. Flinn was still trying to load his weapon. There were huge trenches and dugouts where their explosives had ignited, and bodies all around. She went to the eastern edge. A dozen bodies were scattered about. Several shots rang out, and one hit her arm. She cried in pain. To her relief, the round had clipped her, but it still hurt like hell. More shots rang out, but from beneath her as those on the ground floor returned fire.
A few more shots rang out, followed by a burst from Johnny. She rushed back to his side.
“We gotta help him. He’s in a bad way.”
“I’ll go. Stay put and cover me.”
She rushed down the stairs to the ground floor. She found another of their own dead, and a trail of blood up to the window where he had been firing. She reached the door and peered out to look for any sign of the enemy. It was quiet, so she darted out across the street to the shed Flinn had been fighting from. She got near when a burst of fire from Johnny rang out. She looked behind her and one of the enemy dropped, but as she looked back to the shed, another one took the bend. She opened fire. The burst from her Steyr hit the man from the stomach up to his neck, and he fell instantly.
“Flinn? You okay?” She opened the door and stepped inside.
He was still struggling to load the weapon, as if determined to do so no matter what, but he was in a state of shock.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”
She pulled him back. He had a hole in his shoulder where a shot had entered and was still inside. More gunfire rang out from above. She could do little in that moment, and so took the ammunition box and loaded the weapon for him.
“You did well, you hear?”
He nodded along, but she wasn’t certain how with it he was.
“It’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna make it through this.”
Something zipped overhead like a rocket trail. As she looked up, it hit Johnny’s position dead on. The entire room ignited with a high explosive charge, and debris blew across the street.
“No!” she cried out.
Soldiers of Tomorrow: The Winter War Page 17