Monster of the 1st Armored

[Wiktor Boguslaw]

Wiktor was standing near the large set of garages that populated the 1st Armored Divisions HQ. The buildings held numerous things, everything from jeeps and motorbikes to tanks and artillery of all sorts. You might even say these buildings held the pride and joy of the 1st Armored, everything that made it an armored division and set it apart from the rest. Today Wiktor was visiting the garages, a rare occurrence since when he wasn’t in the field Wiktor was usually doing paper work and the more “tedious” assignments of an officer. However today he was visiting a certain tank crew, his new tank crew, and Wiktors new pride and joy, his brand new just off the factory Pershing Tank.

Wiktor began walking towards one of the garages, near the right end of the long line of buildings. He was dressed in his standard olive drab uniform, although due to the heat of the day he wasn’t wearing his cap, exposing his brown hair to the slight breeze that emanated from the surrounding area. Around him the trees were gently blowing in the wind, casting small yet greatly relieving patches of shade, most of which were dominated by a few soldiers attempting to escape the humid air.

Wiktor neared the building he was looking for, a large concrete garage with the insignia of the 1st Armored painted on front. Below the insignia however another thing was painted in black paint, the words “Iron Death”. Wiktor smiled at this, knowing quite well that this was the nickname the crew had given to the Pershing Tank. He took a moment to wipe some sweat of his forehead, and then walked into the garage through the small door that was located on the side.

Inside the building was a large assortment of gear and machinery. Everything from small tools boxes with screw drivers and wrenches to spare tank parts and even some live ammunition, something that Wiktor wondered if it was really safe with all the welding and such that occurred in the garage. Wiktor shrugged this off however, knowing, (and slightly hoping), that his crew knew what they were doing. In the center of the garage, dominating the majority of the room was the tank itself. The monster of a tank looked menacing even to Wiktor, the owner of the tank. The vehicle was newly washed and shinned, its olive green hull gleaming in the dim lights overhead. On the side was painted the white star, the insignia of the United States military.

One of the crew men noticed Wiktor and walked up to him, saluting when he reached Wiktor. Wiktor returned the salute and smiled before addressing the man, who was the tanks driver, “Hello Mark, how’s everything going with the tank?” Mark returned Wiktors smile and motioned for the Lieutenant to follow him as he began casually walking towards the tank, “Everything is good and working Wiktor. We ran through all the basic checks today, and the thing can hold together and work fine. We went through a test run today, drove the tank around the compound a bit, and let me tell you, we drew some amazed and jealous looks from some other crews with this beauty.”

Wiktor chuckled slightly as he heard this. Indeed when he told the other officers of his new tank, many of them were amazed. The Pershing was still a relatively new tank, and the fact that a Polish 2nd Lieutenant was one of the first to acquire one in the division, well many of them were shocked and quite jealous. The two men reached the tank and Mark began speaking again, showing off the tank with a wave of his hand, “all that’s left to do is to test the weaponry on it, and of course we waited for you to do it, we couldn’t let you miss all the fun.” Wiktor turned to Mark and smiled before replying, “Thank you Mark, indeed I was hoping to glimpse the spectacle, but looks like I’ll be witnessing it firsthand! It should be good practice as well; you never know when we’re going to see action.”

Mark nodded and motioned for the rest of the crew to assemble. All together the crew of the tank numbered five, Wiktor as the commander of course, the driver Mark Hersey, the co-driver Steven Markhem, the gunner John Lennard, and the loader Bill Webly. Once all five of the men were together Wiktor led them through a small lecture on the nature of the tank and how it should be worked in battle. Wiktor knew that very little of this would actually be new to the crew, evident by their slightly bored expressions, but he had to follow procedure whether he liked it or not.

About half an hour later the crew and Wiktor began getting ready, loading up the tank with ammunition and preparing their own gear. Once they were all set they climbed up and into the tank and soon they were rolling out of the garage, Wiktor sitting in the entrance of the tank, looking out into the compound and feeling the breeze blow onto him. The sound of the engine and the smell of fuel were like heaven to Wiktor. The tank was performing excellent, and they began heading towards the firing range, attracting stares and amazement from many of the soldiers littering the compound.

[Daniel Steinert]

The air was humid, the wind was cool, and gun barrels were smoking. Off of the font lines, the 1st Armored was caught doing constant drills and training. Daniel was with his trusty Stuart tank and steadfast commander John Point running combat drills in a commandeered field. Captured tanks and broken down trucks were being used as targets. Daniel loved the smell of black powder and the sheer feel of firepower. The sun gleamed down on the olive drab metal that made the temperature on the outside skyrocket. If a GI found some eggs, the tankers would be glad to cook them in exchange for a fair share of the tasty delicacy.

"FIRE!" The 37mm shell hit a truck dead on, sending debris and smoke in all directions."Nice hit John" said Daniel. Tanks always baffled Daniel; they had so many moving parts and mechanical wonders that all formed a mean fighting machine. "Run drill two" said Daniel. "You got it" replied John. The tank lurched into motion and Daniel grabbed the wooden handles of the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the top of the turret. Daniel could hear each man of the crew communicating and executing their jobs with perfection. The target tank came into view and the tank came to a halt. Nothing. "What's going on John?" inquired Daniel. "Lieutenant Wiktor is bring out his Pershing, we have to clear the field."

Everyone in the regiment had heard about the new tank that supposedly could put a hole in a Tiger tank. Daniel hadn't seen it with his own eyes, but his men were beginning to call it the monster of the 1st Armored. The Stuart hastily drove off of the field, almost throwing Daniel off of the turret. When Daniel finally regained a firm stance on the turret and readjusted his helmet, the Pershing stood before him, 90mm cannon and all.

"Hold here and watch the show" ordered Daniel. The beast of a tank rolled past Daniel's comparatively minuscule tank. Daniel could make out the commander: Lieutenant Wiktor. "You lucky son of a bitch" thought Daniel. The tank stopped on the rim of the field and adjusted it's aim at the furthest tank; almost half a mile away. "No way" thought Daniel. Daniel saw Wiktor raise his binoculars and yell a command into his headset. The olive drab monster fired it's cannon. The whole earth seemed to shake and to everyone's amazement, the target was a fiery mess.

[Wiktor Boguslaw]

The tank neared the firing range, a large and open field dominated by hills, piles of sand, and the remnants of past targets. Here tanks and other heavy weapons were tested, or units were taught how to use them effectively. Common targets included old jeeps and cars, but occasionally a squad would have the liberty of practicing on a captured German tank, an excellent way to practice real combat and sure as heck a fun way to pass the time.

Wiktor ducked inside the tank and glanced at this crew. They were all diligent at work, maneuvering the tank and setting it on their course. They were all doing an excellent job, and Wiktor knew that they would be ready for combat when the time came. Realizing that it was his job to do the navigating, he jumped back up and into the open air, hoping that the tank didn’t run over anything while he was down in the hull.

Soon they were rolling up to the firing range, crowds of soldiers and tanks moving off to the side. Wiktor cheerfully waved at them as they scrambled to get out of the way. It appeared as though the news of the Pershing spread farther than Wiktor had thought, and none of them wished to get in the way of the killer machine. Wiktor grabbed his binoculars and glanced about the field. In the distance he spotted a lone Panzer IV, the tank that Wiktor had “borrowed” for the exercise. The tank lay about half a mile away, by Wiktor’s judgment, and he wondered whether the tank would be able to shoot as far as some artillery.

Wiktor shrugged and ordered his crew to turn the tank 90 degrees, and point the barrel at the tank. His crew carried out the rest of the maneuver without Wiktor even saying a word, adjusting the barrel to the distance and loading in a shell. Wiktor took a moment, and then ordered his men to fire. Immediately the tanks barrel roared to life, the 90mm shell exploding and flying from its end. The whole tank rocked backwards, almost sending Wiktor flying off the back. The shell traveled through the air, the metal gleaming in the sun. Several seconds later the shell landed on the Panzer, exploding in a fury of fire and smoke. Wiktor watched as the smoke cleared, and he saw that nothing was left of the Panzer but smoldering debris.

Below him he could hear the crew cheering, and similar sounds came from some of the gathered men around the tank. Although many of them were jealous, Wiktor knew that even the prospect of having such a tank in the division would be a valuable asset, and save many lives in its career. The cheering died down and one by one the soldiers and tank crews went back to work, the sound of shells being fired and automatic rifles shooting once again emanated from the firing range.

Wiktor ducked into the hull and looked at his men. Mark turned his direction and smiled, “Did you see that! This baby is going all the way to Berlin with firepower like that!” Wiktor laughed and replied, “I wouldn’t be surprised if this went to Berlin and then to Tokyo, with this piece of machinery this division will be going places!” Wiktor glanced at this watch, and then turned back towards Mark, “Everything seems to be working fine. Fire a few more rounds to get a feel of the cannon, and then take the tank on one more spin around the compound before placing it back in the garage. Tonight we’ll go out, I’ll get leave from the commander for all of us and we can have a little celebration for the new member of the 1st Armored family.”

The soldiers let out a small cheer and then prepared to begin the task that Wiktor had set them on. Wiktor stood back up and jumped out of the entrance to the tank, hitting the ground outside. He began walking away, the Pershing behind him firing another shot, the sound cascading louder than anything he had heard. Although powerful, Wiktor knew stealth would not be a possibility, but hey, with power like that who needed it?

As he was walking away Wiktor noticed a Stuart tank off to the side, and immediately noticed it as Sergeant Steinerts. Wiktor walked towards the tank, wiping a small amount of sweat from his forehead, an after effect of the boiler known as the inside of a tanks hull. When he reached the tank he saw the Sergeant atop the tank, within the entrance. Wiktor waved at him, “Hey there Daniel, how have things been with you since I last saw you?”

[Harry Hamilton]

( OOC: Is it okay if I join you two? )

Harry sprinted breathlessly across the firing range, his BAR in hand. The young man was dressed in his M41 field jacket and his OD field uniform. The straps of his steel helmet hung loose out of habit. His tall frame ran to a pile of sandbags, where he set up the Browning Automatic Rifle. It had a deployable bipod, and it could be used as a squad support weapon. Today he was demonstrating its use to his men. He aimed at the first target--a dummy with a Jerry helmet on its head. He set the BAR on fully automatic and fired rapidly at the dummy. He swiveled to his left and fired on another, and then to his right, taking out another dummy. He stood up and ran forward, keeping low, and firing the BAR from his hip at the next dummy. It was pelted with lead.

He finally exhaled and turned around to face the attentive troops. "As you can see, the BAR is very powerful and effective. Not only can it be used as a rifle, but it can also be set up and used as a machine gun. It doesn't pack as much of a punch as our .30 or .50 cal MGs, but it'll send Jerry running back to the fatherland. Obviously, no one would want to be on the wrong end of this." He got a few chuckles out of the men and smiled a little. "Now can any of you tell me why the BAR man always pulls out last during a retreat?"

"Sarge?" A private raised his hand. "Because he's providing covering fire the whole time."

"Exactly, Simmons. This weapon is perhaps the most important and most essential weapon in any infantry squad. It's saved my life on many occassions, and it can save yours. If I fall, then it is your duty to pick up the BAR. Now I know that makes you a target, but the only way to victory is through teamwork. In a battle, you don't look after only yourself, but the men around you. Only together can you conquer the enemy. By the time we're through today, each and every one of you will know how to use this BAR."

And so for the rest of that morning he had them each try their hand at the Browning Automatic Rifle. He showed them it's operating mechanisms, and the best way to operate and fire the weapon. Some soldiers were more proficient at it than others, but all in all he was pleased with the results of his lesson. They'll do well.

They broke for lunch at noon and were back within the hour for target practice. Harry had his BAR slung over his shoulder, and the rest of the platoon had their M1 Garands. He knelt down and aimed at the farthest target and started firing. Thanks to years of hunting experience in the woodlands of Pennsylvania, he hit it right in the middle. He grinned to himself and rose. To his surprise and delight, the men looked rather impressed.

"Well would you look at that!"

"Those Krauts don't stand a chance!"

"Yeah, them Panzers are no match for us!"

Panzers? Harry turned around to see a huge American tank in front of a decommissioned Panzer IV. "Well what do you know about that..." he muttered with a low whistle. The Army's current tanks could barely penetrate a Panzer tank's armor. But this...just one hit and the thing was history!

"Okay, boys, okay. Back to work." He heard groans of 'Aw, sarge...' and other complaints. "No buts. You want to be ready for Jerry, dontcha? Come on, let's see what you can do. Miller, you're first." He continued down the line of the platoon, until each man had had a go at the firing range. He and the men all ran a few laps around the track afterward, and then he dismissed them for the day. It was a tough training regimen, but he believed that they'd be more prepared for combat that way. He knew very well that no training could ever prepare you for hell. You could never truly be ready until you were there. He remembered his first day in combat with the 1st Infantry Division. It was the scariest day of his entire life. But he got through it. Others weren't so lucky. He wanted his troops to be well-equipped and well-trained so that they could deal with combat when the time came. If it weren't for his training, he was sure that he would be dead.

[Daniel Steinert]

Everyone was stuck in a momentary trance of awe at the sheer power of the Pershing. "Back to work, we still got a war to fight" said one of the higher officers present. moments later riflemen resumed working on their marksmanship, and tanks re-sighting their targets. Daniel Opened up the hatch of his Stuart and jumped in the turret. "Nice work in here, all of you. Even though we don't have the most powerful gun, we can still do damage" said Daniel. "He's right, now lets get back to work. Alex, get us some more ammo" exclaimed John. With that Alex left the tank to fetch more 37mm brass. Daniel followed in retrieving precious ammunition.

As Daniel was halfway out of the hatch, he noticed LT Wiktor waving at him. “Hey there Daniel, how have things been with you since I last saw you?”[/b] said Wiktor. Daniel finished exiting the tank and sliding down the scalding steel before he responded:
"With the Germans running back into Germany and us right on their tails, I'd say I'm doing alright. Just too bad I haven't been able to use this baby in combat." "I also have much more comfort in knowing that we finally have the upper hand in firepower" added Daniel.

About 30 yards behind Wiktor, there was a platoon of infantry firing rifles and BAR's at targets down range. "What do you say we organize an armor support drill with that platoon over there?"

[Wiktor Boguslaw]

Wiktor waited as Daniel climbed down from his tank, rather quickly given the hot metal hull of the tank. He waited patiently as he adjusted himself, and then listened as Daniel replied to his greeting, explaining how the war was now going in their favor, and he also added that he felt reassured with such fire power, which Wiktor guessed came from his Pershing.

Wiktor nodded and replied to the Sergeants statement, “Indeed it seems as if this war has definitely changed sides, and now it looks as if we’ll reach Berlin within the month!” Wiktor glanced behind Daniel and viewed his crew, busy preparing ammunition and loading it into the tank. Wiktor then turned back to Daniel before speaking, “It looks like you have a fine crew however, and I’m sure you’ll see combat soon enough, and when you do I’m sure that the Germans won’t know what hit them.”

Daniel pointed behind Wiktor, and asked him if they should organize an armor support drill with a platoon at the firing range. Wiktor nodded and began walking towards the platoon, motioning for Daniel to follow him. Wiktor walked up to the platoon and watched them train their shooting skills, and nodded in approval. All the soldiers seemed to have a good grasp with their weapons, and they would be a sheer fighting force. Wiktor picked out what appeared to be the highest ranking individual among them, a Sergeant, and figured it was the platoon’s leader. Wiktor walked up and grabbed his attention, and then immediately realized that the sergeant was Harry Hamilton.

Wiktor nodded at Harry and then began speaking, “Hey there Harry, long time no see. Anyway, Daniel and I here were wondering if your squad would partake a armor support drill with us, that is if you’re not busy at the moment.”

OOC: Sorry its so short, couldn't think of much to write.

[Harry Hamilton]

Harry saluted Wiktor when he approached him. “Good afternoon, sir. It’s nice to see you too.” he greeted him jovially with a grin. He had great respect for the Lieutenant, since unlike many of his superiors he took a genuine interest in him as well as the other enlisted men. He’d been under the command of officers who patronized their men and seemed to have no understanding of what the war was doing to them, but not Wiktor. He was truly honored to serve under his command.

At the Lieutenant’s order he nodded. “Yes, sir, we’d be glad to. Fine piece of work, that new tank.” he commented in wonder, looking up at the metal beast. “I reckon it’ll give us more than a chance against those Panzers.” He’d seen the destruction of German tanks firsthand. His first experience with them had been in North Africa. The first time he’d seen an enemy tank he’d nearly frozen. It almost rivaled how he’d felt when he’d first gone into combat. He remembered the day distinctly—he’d never been more scared in his entire life. The old hands in his squad had looked out for him, and had shown him the ropes. If it wasn’t for them, he wouldn’t be living.

“Gear up, boys. Lieutenant Boguslaw wants us to do an armor support drill. Get ready to load up and move out.” he instructed his men before turning back to Wiktor. He also spotted Daniel Steinert, another friend of his, and smiled. “Hello there Daniel, how have you been?”

( OOC: Gah, short. )

[Wiktor Boguslaw]

Wiktor smiled as Harry commented on his tank, and then agreed to the drill. He nodded, and then motioned with his hand towards an end of the field that was being unused, and was relatively open. ”Great, get your men and meet us over there. We’ll run a few simple patrol and reconnaissance drills and see where that gets us.” Wiktor then turned around and walked away, the sound of guns being loaded and gear being shuffled heard from behind him.

The Lieutenant then approached his own tank, where the crew was busy loading fake rounds into the MG. At the site of their commander approaching they stopped, and waited patiently as Wiktor reached them. He nodded to the crew and then pointed over towards Harry and is platoon. ”Sergeant Hamilton and his men will be joining us for an armor support drill, so load up the fake rounds and prepare to move out.” The men nodded and went back to work, finishing up the MG and moving to prepare the main rounds of the tank.

Wiktor then turned back towards Daniel and walked over towards his M4 Stuart. As he approached he nodded to the Sergeant and pointed towards the same field they were going to. ”Take your men and met me and Harry at that field. We’re going to practice some armor support drills, mainly patrol and reconnaissance, and we would be glad to have you join us.” He smiled and then walked back over towards his tank, climbing up the hot, metal sides and dropping down into the hull of the vehicle. He shouted orders to his driver below to start the tank up, and soon they were rolling towards the field and the practice.

OOC: Sorry mine is short too :/ I'm still trying to get back into this site and its genre. Also, I'm not sure if Daniel is coming back or not, so I'm not entirely sure what to do about his role in the thread.