Day Of Reckoning
Essay by 24 • December 27, 2010 • 585 Words (3 Pages) • 882 Views
The echoes of war resonated throughout the war-torn valley. Sounds of artillery fire can be heard in the distance. Suddenly a bullet whirls by; missing your head by mere inches. Suddenly awoken from you slumber, you are admonished of your duty; to breach and enter the enemy fortress that has been stopping the offensive into the mainland. Like a group of brigands you scurry along the trenches, utilizing the utmost circumspection as you maneuver along the back row of hedges. Your commander suddenly holds his right hand in the air with a clenched fist; stop. In the distance, you heard the slow click-clack of the cumbersome and slow enemy tank. Your commanding officer commands you all to Ð''hit the dirt.' Spasmodically, almost instantly, your entire squad drops onto their bellies and wait for their impending fates.
The battle for the fortress had been in a steady deadlock for weeks, with both sides not being able to drive the other away. The enemy knows they are surrounded, but they are being reinforced by paratroopers constantly. Debris from hundreds of aircraft and armored cars litter the battlefield like old toys, all diffused in a random pattern spread throughout the land. In the far distance you can see a hill with many bunkers over watching each opening. There lied the dilemma; those bunkers were halting the offensive advance. The task of the 69th Armored Division was simple; to efface the enemies from Hill 192 by tomorrow without creating a muddled situation.
Naturally, central command had opinionated and stubborn views on the 69th armored division. After all, we have never accomplished anything big as of yet. We did aid in the perennial and tedious defense of Carentan but the central command had already predisposed of their judgments for our unit. In their eyes, we were nothing. We set out to prove them wrong.
About five weeks ago, the 6th Ranger Battalion had setup a defensive outpost here, but soon abandoned it when new orders arrived for the unit to spearhead the way into Caen. Soon after, the
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