Changing History

[RAF]

June 14, 2276

I am probably going to get myself killed, and I would like somebody to know what I did and why I did it.

I am not an expert in multiverse physics, so you’ll have to get somebody else to explain that part. I know that what I am doing is not time travel. The way Professor Jenkins explained it to me is that there is a region of time-space called World War II. We went through that region 230 years ago. Physicists have found a cluster of universes going through that same space today.

Things for them are not exactly like it was for us. They are entering World War II at a slightly different course and speed, so things are slightly different for them. For one thing, the Nazi SS do not wear black; they wear a dark brown and still call themselves the “Brown Shirts.”

Like I said, we can’t go into our past. However, we can go into their present – and we can do so with an idea of what their future will be like if they continue going on as they have. We can make their future better.

Now, if you’re like me, the first thing you thought of was going there and killing Hitler. That sounded like a good idea. However, we can’t. Jenkins calls it a “historical intertia”. He says that you can no more change the course of history in the short term than you can change the course of an asteroid with a tennis racket. We can make their history better. However, we can only do it by making a few small changes that, over time, will prove significant.

If you know about the “butterfly effect” – a man goes back to the age of dinosaurs, accidentally kills a butterfly, this produces a ripple effect that, eventually, changes the whole course of history. Jenkins thinks we can change the future for these people for the future.

Yes, I know, there are laws against this sort of thing. They are stupid laws, if you ask me. They say that we have no right to tamper with the future, that we can’t guarantee that we will do any good. Well, considering what happened, we can hardly make things any worse.

I mean, let’s say you see a kid drowning in a lake. Do you save that kid? For all you know, that kid might grow up and be the next Hitler. You would be better off letting him drown. People who advocate this non-interference directive are like people who say that you should not rescue a drowning child – because you can’t know what will happen. Yes, in fact, we cannot know what will happen. However, if everybody tries to make the world a better place, there is at least some reason to suspect that more of them will succeed than will fail.

We will rescue who we can.

Of course, this means we have to use the machines without the government finding out. That’s actually pretty easy. Jenkins has access to the machines, and there is not a lot of security. Like I said, this is not our past. We can’t even send anything there for more than a few hours. Anything we send to that universe comes right back to this universe once the energy that sends it there dissipates. And nothing we pick up there can come back with us, so we could not steal anything. We could not even take something, bury it, and dig it up after we came back because, like I said, this is not our history. Nothing we did there could affect the world we knew.

So, who would want to do anything with the machine, other than research?

Research time is scheduled. Jenkins is one of the researchers. The people at the university think that he is doing research like everybody else does – that he agrees that it would be wrong for us to get involved.

They are wrong.

I’ve been working with Professor Jenkins since last October, towards the start of the school year, getting ready for this night. I was hired onto his research team, studying not only our history, but the “current events” of the multiverse. I had walked down the streets of Moscow, learning their language, and passed for Russian and German soldiers in many camps. I learned how they march, how they salute, how they dress, how they speak, and official procedures for everything to digging a latrine. So did everybody else on the team – each studying their own area of expertise.

Tonight, I am going on my first mission – the first mission in which we are actually going to try to change history.

In a sense, this is a training mission. Professor Jenkins isolated a small-unit action where we could have an effect, but which was small enough to keep from getting confusing. There would not be very many units involved so that, if we panicked, we had an opportunity to retreat.

On December 26, 1941, a company of Soviet ski troops went on a mission to push a couple of German squads out of a village northwest of Moscow. We scouted out the area earlier today. The Germans have no support – no tanks, no artillery, and its air force is grounded due to poor weather. According to our history books, the Soviet commander approached the town using a trail through the woods south of town. The Germans met his charge into town with every gun they had, forcing the Russians to retreat. We were going to try to convince the Russians to use a different strategy, and possibly take the town.

[Jason Petho]

ORIGINAL: RAF
On December 26, 1941, a company of Soviet ski troops went on a mission to push a couple of German squads out of a village northwest of Moscow. We scouted out the area earlier today. The Germans have no support – no tanks, no artillery, and its air force is grounded due to poor weather. According to our history books, the Soviet commander approached the town using a trail through the woods south of town. The Germans met his charge into town with every gun they had, forcing the Russians to retreat. We were going to try to convince the Russians to use a different strategy, and possibly take the town.

Alternatively, you could attack along the opening to the East and hit the town from the East?

Jason Petho

[RAF]

I'm sorry, Professor Jenkins has a habit of sending me maps with something other than north being at the top. Personally, I am member of the ‘North is up” club. As a result, I get confused from time to time. It would be possible to rotate the map, of course, if not for all the writing on it that then goes in the wrong direction.

Jenkin’s map issues seem particularly bizarre given how detail-oriented he is in everything else. Before we started our mission, Jenkins worked out every detail. For example, Jenkins was concerned that we would simply be shot when we showed up on the battlefield. People have an unfortunate tendency to shoot first, particularly when they are in a state of heightened tension caused by having a whole field full of people trying to kill them. Jenkins worked on nothing else for three weeks before the mission to make sure that we could arrive safely.

We paid several visits to the Soviet camp before the mission, becoming familiar with some of the people, and allowing them to become familiar with us. Jenkins introduced himself as Captain Jenin to Major Teodorovich at Battalion mess, a safe distance from the front line. Before even trying this, he made sure that all of us had our forged papers in order, and that we had even had our names inserted into some of the Battalion rosters.

The night before our mission, Jenkins told Teodorovich that he could expect us the next morning at the town of Politsi, a couple of kilometers east of Podvoritsa. We told him that our intelligence was that Politsi was unoccupied, and that he should be able to get into position there without any difficulty.

I noticed, on the day of our mission, the mood was particularly quiet in the preparation room in the in the basement of the History Building on the University of Berlin campus. I put on my heavy Soviet uniform, including my skis, in an air-conditioned room with concrete floors. I felt my hand shaking, just a bit, as I picked up my rifle and picked up a belt with live ammunition. Of course, we had always taken live ammunition with us on our earlier trips. The difference was, this time we would be expected to use it.

Shooting people simply was not on my list of things to do. Jenkins dealt with this detail as well. He had us out on the shooting range and in simulators undergoing drills. The simulators were most realistic, with avatars suffering horrendous wounds and dying horrendous deaths.

Still, I knew, every time I pulled the trigger, that this was not a real person.

Before we popped in, we sent a scout probe into the Soviet forest to make sure that we would be alone. This was a little hovercraft that flew above our arrival point, with infrared and motion sensors. Then we showed up.

There were three of us. Professor Jenkins took the lead, of course. He played the role of Captain Jenin, from military intelligence, who was personally interested in making sure that Major Teodorovich had the most up to date information. I was his aide, Sergeant Apalkin. We picked old Soviet names similar to our real names – my name is Clayton Appleton – that an accidental use of our real name could simply be dismissed as being misheard or mispronounced.

Bruce Messier played Private Messerer, who came along as our personal guard. Messerer was a history undergraduate that we discovered also participated in World War II re-enactment clubs. We often went to these clubs ourselves for the historical flavor of them, where Jenkins was well known for telling them everything they did wrong. Messier was one of the members who actually listened and followed Jenkins’ advice. When Jenkins told him about our group, he could not shut up about it. We had to send him off to bootcamp – isolated from everybody he knew – to keep him from accidentally telling everybody what we were up to.

Private Messerer took the lead, with Captain Jenin in the middle, and me coming up last. We found the ski tracks for Teodorovich’s company and followed them. Teodorovich had left a couple of soldiers behind to meet us and escort us through the company. Jenin dismissed Messerer and myself while he went in to talk to the Major. Of course, Messerer and I each had implanted listening devices and could hear the whole conversation.

Jenin laid out the map and explained his position directly. If Teodorovich approached from the east, the soldiers in the town will be able to fire at his soldiers as they crossed open ground on a wide front. The thing that Jenin most had to worry about was the German machine guns. Each German squad was built around a machine gun crew which was lethal to a company of infantry running across open ground. Jenin recommended coming up on the southeastern side of town, firing to silence the few German machine guns that could shoot in that direction, than charging in. Once his company was in among the buildings, the German machine guns would be much less of an advantage.

Teodorovich proved easy to convince. He called his platoon leaders into the tent and gave them their orders. Captain Jenin came out and told us the good news. Also, out of earshot of the rest of the company, he added, “Sinthya ran the company roster through the database for me. She confirmed that Lieutenant Kajukalo, the leader of third platoon, will become a notorious member of the KGB and the Communist Party. It would not be a bad thing if he did not survive the battle.

“You mean, kill him?” Messerer said in a shocked whisper.

“If you have a chance, arrange for him not to survive the battle,” Jenin repeated.

By then, the company was on the move.

[RAF]

“I can’t just kill someboy,” Private Messerer whispered to Captain Jenin. “That’s murderer.”

I quickly interrupted. “Begging the Captain’s attention, sir, some of the men are watching.”

Jenkin quickly looked over his shoulder, then turned back to Messerer.

“Stand at attention, soldier,” Jenin responded. As soon as Messerer had obeyed, Jenin gave him permission to speak freely, then softly added, “But don’t let anybody hear you.”

“I can’t kill him, sir. It would be murder. He hasn’t done anything.”

“He will,” said Jenkin.

“You don’t know that, sir. This guy might not be anything at all like the Lieutenant from our world. He might be a nice guy.”

“Not likely.”

“Sir, you don’t kill somebody because he’s ‘not likely’ to be innocent. He hasn’t done anything.”

“And you’ll wait until the bodies are stacked up before you’ll take any action. Only, by then, it will be too late, because you won’t even be here.”

Scouts had gone forward, and the rest of the company was heading off through the trees on their way to Podvorista. Jenin gave in and ordered Messerer into line, while we caught up with Major Teodorovich.

Teodorovich did not have much of a tactical sense, but he did know the fundamentals of leadership, and he followed them. He stopped his company well back from the edge of the forest, where they were still well hidden from the town, and went ahead with two runners, handing over local command to his second, and telling them to wait for his orders.

Jenin fell in line behind him, with Private Messerer and I following.

We made a single track through the snow, lined up in single file. On skis, it was easier that way, with less of a chance of something going dreadfully wrong.

A less well trained scout would have gone to the very edge of the tree line where he had a clear view of the town. However, if you have a clear view of the town, then the town has a clear view of you. Teodorovich stayed back, where he could see through the gaps in the trees, but where a German lookout in the town would have to search deep into the shadows to find him.

Teodorovich turned to his first runner. “Go back. Tell Lieutenant Sechanov to count off five minutes, then to bring his two platoons right here. Form a line, left and right, from this location. Don’t forget. Wait five minutes. Now, repeat that to me, soldier.”

“I go back. I find the Lieutenant. I tell him to count off five minutes, then to come forward. Form a line, left and right, at this spot”

“Go,” said the Major.

Teodorovich then took us off to the right. Every once in a while, he would stop and take another look at the town. We spotted two German machine guns that could fire onto the southern approaches into the town. These were not heavy weapons, but the machine guns that typically accompanied a German squad.

We had gone about 100 meters. Then, Teodorovich turned called up his second runner. “Tell Lieutenant Kajukalo that I want him to bring his platoon up immediately. Right here. Form a line.”

As the runner headed off, Teodorovich called up Captain Jenin. “When Lieutenant Kajukalo gets here, you have him concentrate his firepower on that second gun – the one on the right. We’re going to focus on the first gun. We want to take them out before we charge the town.”

The five minute wait that Teodorovich ordered for the first runner suddenly made sense to me. It delayed the first two platoons, so that they would arrive at about the same time as the third platoon.

Only, things did not go exactly as planned. Lieutenant Kajukalo also brought both platoons forward in single file, using the same tracks through the snow. First platoon had reached the cutoff point and was moving off to the right when the German machine guns opened up. First platoon fell into the snow. Second and third platoons were not even in position yet.

While First Platoon scrambled to start shooting back, Second Platoon moved up onto their left, while Third Platoon under Lieutenant Kajukalo came down off the hill and attached to their right.

So far, my first taste of combat was rather tame. The Germans were focusing their fire on the first units they had seen, First Platoon. This allowed Second and Third Platoon to move up to the firing line unmolested. I sat behind a tree without any sense of danger, until Captain Jenin told me to shoot something. “You’re a soldier. Act like one!” he shouted at me, in Russian.

I could not accept the fact that I was actually being asked to shoot another human being. Private Messerer was not having any problem. He was resting his rifle on the branch of a tree, aiming, and firing into the village, one careful shot at a time.

I moved to follow his example. As I did so, it was like I was not even present any more – like I was watching myself, wondering what I was going to do next. Like a good soldier, I saw myself follow my orders. I raised my rifle and aimed at the window where I knew the second German machine gun was set up. It was a good 500-meter shot through trees and obscured by snow, so I could not really see the results.

Still, I continued firing.

When I finished my magazine and started to reload, I looked for Captain Jenin. He hid behind a nearby tree, his own pistol in his hand. Only, he was not watching the Germans. He was watching Lieutenant Kajukalo.

[RAF]

“Check out second platoon on the left flank,” Captain Jenin said. I dropped my rifle, letting it hang from its strap, turned, and skied down the slope.

It took only seconds for me to begin to wonder what I was doing here. The enemy had shifted most of its attention over to Second Platoon. I could see the bullets knocking snow from the branches and sending shards of dirt and tree bark flying through the air. I found a half-squad of soldiers laying behind a fallen tree, cowering, while a corporal stood over them screaming. He aimed his own rifle at the nearest soldier and fired, then he turned to the next in line. That soldier got the message. He scrambled up, over the log. The other three soldiers followed him.

The shot soldier was still alive. He looked at the hole in his chest in shock, then looked up at me with eyes that said, “Tell me this isn’t real.” I went down to him, fell down in the snow beside him, tearing open the uniform to expose the wound. The heavy winter jacket slowed the bullet a little, which only increased the damage. I called for a medic.

While I sat with the soldier, the noise of the firing line started to die down. A medic arrived to take care of the wounded soldier, and I moved forward, slowly, cautiously. The news going down the line was that the Germans had pulled back. We were told to prepare to charge, with first platoon.

To my right, first platoon stood up and started to move forward. The assault moved live a wave down the line.

There was still a wide open field between us and the edge of town that we had to cross. However, as we moved out, and cleared the trees, nobody was trying to stop us.

That ended suddenly. German machine gun and rifle fire ripped out of the left side of the town.

It was like a scene out of a movie, where somebody opens up with a machine gun and a while line of people in his line of fire fall over. The left side of Second Platoon was shot to pieces. Soldiers fell to the ground, either shot, or seeking cover, or both. Their actions became contagious. With over 100 meters to go before we reached town, the entire company stopped. Soldiers scrambled for cover, but there wasn’t any. The enemy guns continued to rip into the soldiers.

A group of Soviet soldiers on the far left suddenly stood, turned, and tried to flee. They made inviting targets, and drew most of the German fire as they fled. The remaining officers in the platoon was only able to hang on to about half of their troops.

I scurried up to the nearest squad leader and shouted, “We can’t stay here! They’ll tear us to ribbons.”

The soldiers who had not fled were starting to fire back, and the machine gunners were quickly setting up their weapons.

“We can’t stay here!” I shouted again.

[rickier65]

Hey, nice AAR - thanks for the read.

Rick

ORIGINAL: RAF

“Check out second platoon on the left flank,” Captain Jenin said. I dropped my rifle, letting it hang from its strap, turned, and skied down the slope.

It took only seconds for me to begin to wonder what I was doing here. The enemy had shifted most of its attention over to Second Platoon. I could see the bullets knocking snow from the branches and sending shards of dirt and tree bark flying through the air. I found a half-squad of soldiers laying behind a fallen tree, cowering, while a corporal stood over them screaming. He aimed his own rifle at the nearest soldier and fired, then he turned to the next in line. That soldier got the message. He scrambled up, over the log. The other three soldiers followed him.

The shot soldier was still alive. He looked at the hole in his chest in shock, then looked up at me with eyes that said, “Tell me this isn’t real.” I went down to him, fell down in the snow beside him, tearing open the uniform to expose the wound. The heavy winter jacket slowed the bullet a little, which only increased the damage. I called for a medic.

While I sat with the soldier, the noise of the firing line started to die down. A medic arrived to take care of the wounded soldier, and I moved forward, slowly, cautiously. The news going down the line was that the Germans had pulled back. We were told to prepare to charge, with first platoon.

To my right, first platoon stood up and started to move forward. The assault moved live a wave down the line.

There was still a wide open field between us and the edge of town that we had to cross. However, as we moved out, and cleared the trees, nobody was trying to stop us.

That ended suddenly. German machine gun and rifle fire ripped out of the left side of the town.

It was like a scene out of a movie, where somebody opens up with a machine gun and a while line of people in his line of fire fall over. The left side of Second Platoon was shot to pieces. Soldiers fell to the ground, either shot, or seeking cover, or both. Their actions became contagious. With over 100 meters to go before we reached town, the entire company stopped. Soldiers scrambled for cover, but there wasn’t any. The enemy guns continued to rip into the soldiers.

A group of Soviet soldiers on the far left suddenly stood, turned, and tried to flee. They made inviting targets, and drew most of the German fire as they fled. The remaining officers in the platoon was only able to hang on to about half of their troops.

I scurried up to the nearest squad leader and shouted, “We can’t stay here! They’ll tear us to ribbons.”

The soldiers who had not fled were starting to fire back, and the machine gunners were quickly setting up their weapons.

“We can’t stay here!” I shouted again.

[RAF]

The Soviet soldiers who did not run started to return fire into the town. I heard Teodorovich as he moved down the line, shouting, “They can’t kill you if you kill them first!” A gunner could go through a plate of ammunition in less than a minute, and often did so when he was panicked. Each soldier carried a few of the plates that they could then hand off to the machine gunners, so they could keep firing.

All the while, the Soviet soldiers remained in open ground, without any cover in site, firing into the town. I crawled up the Major, then shouted, “You need to get your men up into the buildings!”

He waved me off and simply commanded his troops to keep firing.

However, my words seemed to catch the attention of the leader of Second Platoon. I caught him looking at me and added, “Those buildings are the best cover you’ve got!”

Then I asked myself what I was doing out there in the open. The hiss of bullets made me pause a moment. However, sooner or later, one of those bullets was going to hit me, if I gave it a chance. I grabbed a grenade, picked myself up, and charged the town.

I did not charge straight for the town. To a rifleman on the other side, that would have been the same as standing still. I charged in at an angle, then turned, and charged again.

So many things happened in the next few seconds, that it is difficult to determine what was the cause and what was the effect. Other soldiers from Second Platoon, who may have heard me shout, stood and started to follow me to the town. The German machine gunners on the edge of town fell to Russian bullets. The remaining German riflemen took their rifles and withdrew. Second platoon, or what was left of it, skied into the town practically unmolested.

Major Teodorovich rallied the First and Third platoons and lead them into the town as well.

[RAF]

I was the first to enter the building at the edge of town where the German machine gunners had been set up. I found the machine gun laying on the floor, and three German soldiers on the ground. One had been shot in the face, his jaw shattered by a bullet and hanging loose from his face. He moved, as if trying to speak. Another lay unconscious, bleeding from the neck.

I turned away and closed my eyes, trying to forget about what I had just seen, though the image burned itself into my mind. A flury of rifle shots went off right next to me. Three Soviet soldiers had entered the room after me, and had shot the two wounded Germans.

“What did you do that for?” I shouted at them.

One of the soldiers raised his rifle at me, while the other two appeared as frightened as if they had been fighting the Germans. I, too, felt my heart jump into my throat as I looked down a rifle barrel at close range.

“We need prisoners to interrogate,” I continued as quickly as the words came into my mind. “How can we find out about the Germans if you kill all of our prisoners.”

The private quickly lowered his rifle, as if he had suddenly figured out that he was pointing it at a superior officer.

“Your names and your unit,” I commanded. The one who had aimed the rifle at me answered first, identifying himself as Private Fursenko. The other two were Privates Sierenov and Tur. All were from first squad, second platoon.

I pointed at Fursenko. “Go and find out how many prisoners there are and where they are being kept.” I then commanded the other two to take me to their squad leader. Just in case, I had them walk in front of me.

The Soviets were sweeping through the village without slowing down. For a moment, I felt that we had won. However, half way through the town, the soviet soldiers discovered that the Germans had not left. Instead, they had fortified the northern half of the town. They had parked abandoned cars and other debris in front of the houses and waited. When the Soviet soldiers ran into view, the Germans opened fire.

I heard the sudden eruption of machinegun fire, then saw the Soviet soldiers heading in my direction in retreat.

“Stop them,” I commanded Sierenov and Tur. I waved my own rifle and got in the way of some fleeing soldiers, stopping them, and forcing them to stand their ground.

The three of us pulled together something near a squad from the retreating soldiers. Then I realized that the front had not collapsed and the Germans were not approaching, I marched the soldiers back to the line. Each soldier found his own squad and joined in the fighting.

Inexperienced soldiers are prone to assume that the wall of a house will stop a bullet. They think that hiding behind a doorway or beside a window is safe. Experienced soldiers know that putting a bullet through the wall to the left or right of a doorway or window can bag an unseen but inexperienced or momentarily careless soldier on the other side. The Soviets had taken another round of casualties while they found appropriate cover on their side of the road.

Wooden walls did not provide much protection, but they did provide concealment. They enabled the Soviets to move around a bit, to send runners, to communicate, and to organize their defenses. Major Teodorovich organized the 3rd Platoon on the right side of the road that ran through the center of town, with the 1st and remnants of the 2nd on the west side of the road. He got them into cover, saw to setting up the machine guns, and established lines of fire.

Still, the Germans had the better weapons, the better firing discipline, and the better training. Soviet casualties were climbing, while the Soviets seemed nearly immune to Soviet firepower. If this turned into a battle of attrition, the Germans would eventually win,

I went looking for Captain Jenin.

[RAF]

Getting to Captain Jenin, who had accompanied the Third Platoon under Lieutenant Kajukalo, required crossing main street. However, Major Teodorovich had ordered that this gap in his line of communication be closed. He ordered his troops to take cars and wagons and move them out onto the road to provide a barricade. Naturally, the Germans opposed this move, and attempted to disrupt the Soviet plans with constant machinegun fire.

I waited until the gap had been partially closed, then charged across. The Soviets did not react fast enough. With a flying leap, I landed behind an old pickup, then scampered behind a building.

I found Captain Jenin talking with Kajukalo. They stood well back from the windows, practically against the back wall, moving back and forth as they evaluated the German positions. The looked almost like friends.

As I looked past them, out the window, I noticed a truck moving slowly down the main street. At least a squad of German soldiers had huddled behind it. The truck lurched forward, providing cover for the advancing German soldiers.

“Here they come,” shouted one of the soldiers.

The German action drew the attention of almost every gun on the Soviet side, machine-guns and rifles behind. If the truck had a driver, he certainly would have been killed. The Germans had instead simply set the truck to move forward without a driver. As a result, it turned slowly, and crashed into a snow bank on the side of the road.

It still attracted the attention of most of the Soviets. It was, in fact, a diversion, to draw attention from a second squad of German soldiers who were sneaking up through the snow field on our right. Some alert soldiers turned their weapons on this second squad, forcing them into cover.

Even though their assault had failed, the fact they were able to set up a machine gun on our right flank, which raked Kajukalo’s platoon.

A runner showed up from Major Teodorovich. “The major says, prepare to charge. He’ll signal with a red flare.”

[RAF]

“After the assault, we’ll kill Lieutenant Kajukalo,” Captain Jenin said to me in a whisper. “But we have to wait until after the charge. I’ve been watching him. He’s a good leader. He has the confidence of his men. If we kill him now, his platoon might just fall apart, and we don’t need that right now.”

“No,” I answered. “I agree with Private Messerer. He hasn’t done anything wrong. I can’t just kill him.”

“Nonsense!” Jenin answered, struggling to keep his voice down. “How many Germans have you killed today? What wrongs did they commit?”

“Actually, I don’t think I killed any,” I answered.

“That’s not relevant. If you had killed wrong, what wrong did he commit?”

“He fought to defend Hitler and made himself an agent of Nazi aggression.”

“And Kajukalo will fight and defend the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, a political group no less infamous than the Nazis.”

I stared at Kajukalo for a moment. He was going down the line, talking to each of his soldiers, soothing him, getting them ready for the assault. “But he’s on our side,” I answered.

“No, he’s not. We’re fighting on the side of future generations. That German soldier you might have killed is an enemy of that future. Kajukalo is an enemy of that future.”

“That’s the point. You don’t know that. His twin was an enemy of the future generations in our past. If somebody commits murder, you do not arrest and convict his twin; no matter how much alike they are, until the twin commits murder.”

The noise of rifle and machinegun fire suddenly picked up. Nearby soldiers pointed off to their left.

Captain Jenin moved up to see what was going on, and I followed. The German machine guns were focusing their firepower on the flanks of a building across the street to our left, effectively trying to cut it off. A squad of German soldiers were crossing the road, heading for the building.

One, then another of the Germans fell. Each took at least one other German soldier out of the fight – somebody who cared for his wounds. Their attack stalled, as they dragged their soldiers back to the line.

Then, Major Teodorovich fired his flare and charged out after the retreating Germans. First platoon followed him into the street. Lieutenant Kajukalo ordered suppressing fire on the German machine gun to our right. Then, he lead one squad, which was on its skis, against the enemy position. The skies allowed Kajukalo to lead the squad behind a snow bank that was on the machine gunner’s flank, and from where they could easily shoot down on the enemy gunners.

The whole German line broke. They fled from the town, heading up the road.

[rickier65]

ORIGINAL: RAF

“After the assault, we’ll kill Lieutenant Kajukalo,” Captain Jenin said to me in a whisper. “But we have to wait until after the charge. I’ve been watching him. He’s a good leader. He has the confidence of his men. If we kill him now, his platoon might just fall apart, and we don’t need that right now.”

“No,” I answered. “I agree with Private Messerer. He hasn’t done anything wrong. I can’t just kill him.”

“Nonsense!” Jenin answered, struggling to keep his voice down. “How many Germans have you killed today? What wrongs did they commit?”

“Actually, I don’t think I killed any,” I answered.

“That’s not relevant. If you had killed wrong, what wrong did he commit?”

“He fought to defend Hitler and made himself an agent of Nazi aggression.”

“And Kajukalo will fight and defend the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, a political group no less infamous than the Nazis.”

I stared at Kajukalo for a moment. He was going down the line, talking to each of his soldiers, soothing him, getting them ready for the assault. “But he’s on our side,” I answered.

“No, he’s not. We’re fighting on the side of future generations. That German soldier you might have killed is an enemy of that future. Kajukalo is an enemy of that future.”

“That’s the point. You don’t know that. His twin was an enemy of the future generations in our past. If somebody commits murder, you do not arrest and convict his twin; no matter how much alike they are, until the twin commits murder.”

The noise of rifle and machinegun fire suddenly picked up. Nearby soldiers pointed off to their left.

Captain Jenin moved up to see what was going on, and I followed. The German machine guns were focusing their firepower on the flanks of a building across the street to our left, effectively trying to cut it off. A squad of German soldiers were crossing the road, heading for the building.

One, then another of the Germans fell. Each took at least one other German soldier out of the fight – somebody who cared for his wounds. Their attack stalled, as they dragged their soldiers back to the line.

Then, Major Teodorovich fired his flare and charged out after the retreating Germans. First platoon followed him into the street. Lieutenant Kajukalo ordered suppressing fire on the German machine gun to our right. Then, he lead one squad, which was on its skis, against the enemy position. The skies allowed Kajukalo to lead the squad behind a snow bank that was on the machine gunner’s flank, and from where they could easily shoot down on the enemy gunners.

The whole German line broke. They fled from the town, heading up the road.

Nicely done AAR for a nice small scenario. Should be on the MUST READ list for new players!

RIck

[RAF]

The Germans were not routed from the village. They performed an orderly retreat, with a rear guard stopping long enough to fire on their pursuers while others set up defenses further back. There was an orchard, with a stone wall, on the right side of the road. The Germans retreated into that, where they could still fire on the town.

Major Teodorovich was going to have none of this. He ordered his company to continue to pursue the Germans. This meant running into the German rear guard.

Lieutenant Kajukalo’s third platoon took the lead in this pursuit. Kajukalo drove them hard, from tree to tree through the orchard, with some soldiers keeping the Germans’ heads down while others closed the gap to the enemy. The Germans answered with their machine guns, and those guns caught some of the Soviets in the open, but Kajukalo kept his platoon moving forward.

Captain Jenin followed close behind, with his own pistol in his hand, staring intently at Kajukalo’s back.

“We have to stop him,” I told Private Messerer. “If we let him kill Kajukalo, we’ll be aiding in a murder.”

“But if we stop him, then we’ll be no better than Jenin,” Messerer said. “We would be the murderers.”

I squared myself behind a tree and said, “That’s not true. Self defense requires a reasonable belief that the person you are killing is planning to inflict a great wrong, that he is actually acting on that plan, and that the plan has a chance of success. Jenin doesn’t have any of these things. Kajukalo doesn’t have a plan to kill innocent people after the war. He certainly is not acting on that plan. Jenin doesn’t have anything but his own personal hunch telling him that he has just cause for a pre-emptive strike.

The fighting had moved on, so I left the security of my tree and followed after the rest of the soldiers. I caught up with Captain Jenin, who was sticking with Lieutenant Kajukalo as they chased the Germans from the orchard.

The Germans had jumped the north wall of the orchard and were trying to run across a half kilometer of open ground to get to cover. Kajukalo would not give them any quarter. He was shouting at his soldiers to fire, while he aimed his own pistol at the retreating soldiers, firing a full clip of shots into their backs. His machine gunners placed their weapons on the wall and began firing, accompanied by about Kajukalo’s remaining riflemen.

Less than ten German soldiers managed to make cover on the far side of the valley. Twenty to thirty lay in the snow, some dead, some screaming from their wounds. One of the soldiers took careful aim at a wounded German soldier and fired. Kajukalo put his hand gently on the soldier’s soldier and said, “Save your ammunition. They’re not worth it.”

It looked as if the fighting was over. I quickly looked around for Captain Jenin and found him a short distance away. However, Kajukalo was surrounded by soldiers cheering him, and did not present much of a target.

I walked up to Jenin. “Our time’s almost up. We should get out of here.”

“Of course,” Jenin snapped. “But I’m coming back to finish this.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“I’m coming back, as soon as we can reset the machines. You can come with me. You can stay behind. However, you may not get in my way.”

He turned, and started to ski back to the east. We had some distance to cover.

The way the multiverse traveler worked, we would return to our universe when our time was up, no matter where we were at the time. We would take back only what we brought with us, and everything we brought with us would go back. It would be best if we disappeared without inviting too much attention, particularly if Jenin wants to come back.

[RAF]

"Update the coordinates, we're going back," Professor Jenkins said to Synthia.

Synthia looked up from her computer console and stared at him a moment while the instructions sank in. "Back where?"

"To the multiverse we just left. I want to go back - the same world, the same people."

"That's not going to be easy," Synthia answered.

"Find it!" Jenkins commanded.

Synthia put her head down and started typing.

Jenkins then pointed his gloved hand at me and said, "We need to come to an understanding."

I looked up from him as I opened up my rifle and removed the ammunition. I wondered for a moment if that was such a good idea, then placed my weapon, bolt open, on the cart. "Sure," I said.

The fact that we could not bring back any matter from the multiverse we had visited meant that my clothes were perfectly dry, and the air around me at room temperature, rather than the frigid cold that surrounded Moscow in 1941. I then knelt down to pick up my bullets off the floor. Every bullet that I had brought with me, and every casing, no matter where I had fired it, had come back to this ‘verse, and was laying on the floor. Fortunately, any blood or tissue that it would have been attached to was left behind. I had an image of some medical surgeon going nuts trying to find a bullet that no longer existed in his ‘verse.

I had made up my mind that I was not going to murder Lieutenant Kajukalo. I had made up my mind that he had the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the fact that a twin in some other multiverse turned evil is not proof that this Kajukalo would do the same thing. After all, in our own multiverse, the particular battle we were participating in never even took place. At least, as we searched our history, we could find no mention of it.

"It's simple, if you had an opportunity to go back in history, and you met Hitler as a child, would you kill him?"

"No," I answered instantly. "You can't ask this question about the Hitler in our own past; he has been dead and buried for 231 years. I can't kill him. The only person I can kill is somebody who might grow up to be like the Hitler we knew. If I were to kill every kid who might grow up to be like Hitler, I would have to kill every kid, because any of them could grow up to be like Hitler."

"No. You're speaking as if this Hitler youth has as much of a chance of growing up to be Hitler as the average boy on the street. We are talking about a boy who will almost certainly grow up to be Hitler."

"Actually, that's not true," said Synthia, looking up from her console. "The law of historical inertia prevents that. If this boy were to grow up to be like our Hitler, then you would not be able to kill him, because killing him would violate the law of historical inertia. If you could kill Hitler, this means he was not an important part of the historical inertia for that universe, which means it is possible that he would not grow up to be like our Hitler."

"But we're not talking about Hitler," Jenkins said. "We're talking about a platoon leader who will grow up to be a major figure in the Soviet KGB on a multiverse where we already know we can't kill Stalin."

"The laws of physics still apply. If you can kill him, then his future is not carved in stone. If his future is carved in stone, the law of historical inertia will not allow you to kill him." "Update the coordinates, we're going back," Professor Jenkins said to Synthia.

Synthia looked up from her computer console and stared at him a moment while the instructions sank in. "Back where?"

"To the multiverse we just left. I want to go back - the same world, the same people."

"That's not going to be easy," Synthia answered.

"Find it!" Jenkins commanded.

Synthia put her head down and started typing.

Jenkins then pointed his gloved hand at me and said, "We need to come to an understanding."

I looked up from him as I opened up my rifle and removed the ammunition. I wondered for a moment if that was such a good idea, then placed my weapon, bolt open, on the cart. "Sure," I said.

I had made up my mind that I was not going to murder Lieutenant Kajukalo. I had made up my mind that he had the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the fact that a twin in some other multiverse turned evil is not proof that this Kajukalo would do the same thing. After all, in our own multiverse, the particular battle we were participating in never even took place. At least, as we searched our history, we could find no mention of it.

"It's simple, if you had an opportunity to go back in history, and you met Hitler as a child, would you kill him?"

"No," I answered instantly. "You can't ask this question about the Hitler in our own past; he has been dead and buried for 231 years. I can't kill him. The only person I can kill is somebody who might grow up to be like the Hitler we knew. If I were to kill every kid who might grow up to be like Hitler, I would have to kill every kid, because any of them could grow up to be like Hitler."

"No. You're speaking as if this Hitler youth has as much of a chance of growing up to be Hitler as the average boy on the street. We are talking about a boy who will almost certainly grow up to be Hitler."

"Actually, that's not true," said Synthia, looking up from her console. "The law of historical inertia prevents that. If this boy were to grow up to be like our Hitler, then you would not be able to kill him, because killing him would violate the law of historical inertia. If you could kill Hitler, this means he was not an important part of the historical inertia for that universe, which means it is possible that he would not grow up to be like our Hitler."

"But we're not talking about Hitler," Jenkins said. "We're talking about a platoon leader who will grow up to be a major figure in the Soviet KGB on a multiverse where we already know we can't kill Stalin."

"The laws of physics still apply. If you can kill him, then his future is not carved in stone. If his future is carved in stone, the law of historical inertia will not allow you to kill him."

“Do you have those coordinates, yet?” Jenkins asked.

“If you want the same ‘verse, it’s going to take the computer a while to come up with the coordinates.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow night,” Synthia answered

“Tomorrow?”

“As the saying goes, I cannot change the laws of physics, Captain. I’ll have your coordinates tomorrow night.”

“There has to be something you can do.”

“Nothing, Professor. Tomorrow night.”

“Fine.” He turned to Messier and said, “Draft up a report of what happened tonight. Remember, we did not get involved. All we did was observe. I’ll read it tomorrow. Everybody, get a good night’s sleep. I’ll meet you here tomorrow evening.”

“What’s our mission, Professor?” I asked.

Jenkins scowled at me. “Our mission is to make life on that multiverse better than it would have been, as always.”

[RAF]

I went straight to the trans-verse center after my last class, but I did not go eagerly. I was not looking forward to the evening’s task.

I entered the chamber to find it full. A team of five researchers was coming back from their first training mission. They went to a verse in the same time-space that we had gone to a day before, and were filled with stories about their mission. They told about a young soldier who was so frightened that he simply pulled the trigger on his machine gun and drained the club, then lay there, with his finger firmly holding down the trigger, on a weapon that had no ammunition left. They spoke of the ‘idiots’ in the Second Platoon who broke and ran, only to be shot in the back by the German gunners. They also spoke of a Private Sierenov from Second Platoon, who lead the charge against the German machine guns that allowed the Soviets to take the town.

I recognized his name, since I had just gone over my notes. He was one of the soldiers that had followed me in when I had charged the town. The odd thing is that this event never took place in the visits to that the first time-space made to this event. For them, the second platoon crumbled, and the Soviet assault collapsed.

I gave a polite smile and nod as I walked past, heading for Professor Jenkins’ ready room. I was early enough that I had expected to be the first to arrive. I was startled to see Jenkins going over maps and reports on the display in the center of the room.

“Close the door,” Jenkins said.

I followed instructions.

“Some people are thinking that we must have inadvertently changed something,” Jenkins said. “They’re noticing some major differences between the visits by the first teams and visit by the later teams. They’ve been after me all day for our report.”

“Hasn’t Bruce finished it?”

“Yes, he gave me a draft. I sent it back with edits. I had him put Private Sierenov as the one who lead the charge in our version, since that is what the people after us are seeing. Changes like that. We’re going to have to start undergoing a debriefing – make sure that we have our stories straight before something like this happens again.

I studied him. He was acting as if yesterday’s agreement never occurred. I was nervous about asking him about it and reopening old wounds. I had hoped that a day of civilization would have brought him to his moral senses. It seemed to have. I was willing to leave it at that.

“Well, things have changed,” Jenkins added. He put his hands on the table and, with his fingertips, manipulated the three dimensional image that was projected there. “Major Teodorovich has his company spread out on a long line west of Podvoritsa. He has called up his battalion headquarters and a mortar platoon, which have arrived. Plus, he took the remnants of first company’s Second Platoon and rebuilt his own First and Third Platoons. Then, he brought up a platoon of fresh troops from reserve to replace his Second Platoon. So, First Company is at full strength. He has summoned Second Company up from the south. They are scheduled to arrive shortly after we do. His plan is to take the next village up the road - Khisova.”

“And how do you know all this?”

“They allowed me to take a quick trip to talk to him. I told him that we’ll be back in the morning. His morning.”

I then asked, “And what are the Germans doing?”

“I don’t know,” Jenkins answered. “They won’t tell me. They say that they believe my reports would be more illuminating if I did not anticipate the German moves. Besides, they said, they’re concerned about the possibility of the Soviets getting hold of information that the Council does not want them to have.”

“They suspect us,” I said flatly.

“The new rules apply to everybody. They probably do suspect us, but only enough to impose some new restrictions on everybody.”

“But you’re supposed to be a Captain in military intelligence. You have to know something about the Germans.”

“I know a few things,” said Jenkin. “I’m pretty sure that Teodorovich has enough soldiers to drive the Germans from Khisova, which seems to be his next objective. I’m certain that the Germans don’t have tanks, but they might have some mortars and machine guns, and they certainly have mines. I’ve been told to tell you to watch where you step.”

“That’s it?”

“It means that he is not walking into an ambush. It means that he can win if he is smart, without any undue surprises. I’m trying to figure out what the smart move is.” Jenkins had turned his attention to the map. “My question is the 2nd Company. Should they advance on the west side of the road, or the east? The west is unknown territory within line of fire from Nevinskaya, but it will cut off the retreat for any Germans in Khisova and lead to their capture. East of the road is known territory. It’s safe. 2nd Company can advance quickly. But, the Germans will retreat out of Khisova and live to fight another day.”

“East of the road,” I said quickly. “I have seen the Soviet forces under fire. You cannot depend on them. Besides, at that range, from Nevinskaya to the forest, the Germans will be able to kill Soviets easily enough, but the Soviets will not have the strength to return fire. With Soviet soldiers, you have to get close to the enemy, and that means the east route.”

“Then east it is,” said Professor Jenkins. “Suit up. I’m going to send you to visit 2nd Company. I’ll stay with the first. Wear your implants so we can communicate. We can at least offer the Soviets the advantage of a coordinated attack.”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

[RAF]

“It looks like we’re clear to go,” said Professor Jenkins. The recording from the probe sent to our arrival point did not show any signs of people. He maneuvered, in his skis, across the concrete floor into the middle of the trans-verser and gave a signal. The machinery fired up, and Jenkins disappeared.

I counted five seconds.

Jenkins then appeared again.

“There’s nobody there. Set the level for two hours and let’s go.”

The next time Jenkins disappeared, he stayed gone. I went into the trans-verser next, buttoned up my coat, cinched up the hood of my hat, and took a firm hold of my ski poles. There was a half-second of disorientation, then I dropped about two feet onto the snow in northern Russia. Then, quickly, I followed Captain Jenin’s tracks out of the arrival point.

The previous day’s snow storm had ended and the sky had cleared, and the temperatures had plummeted. It came with a strong breeze that grabbed some of the loose snow from the trees and drove it along the ground like a desert of fine sand. The cold grabbed onto me the moment I arrived, and I struggled to fasten my clothes a little tighter. However, the cold air found no difficulty find every hole available to it to penetrate to my skin.

A couple of minutes later, Private Messerer showed up, his rifle slung across his shoulder.

We arrived in an orchard on a rise that separated Pozharishche and Podvoritsa – the town that the Soviets had taken during our last visit. It was twilight, which was safer for us than arriving in full daylight.

As Messerer skied over to us, he looked back on his tracks, that began abruptly just a few feet away. He smirked and said, “Some Soviet soldier is going to have a hard time explaining that.”

“Soldier, remember who you are,” Captain Jenin said.

Messerer straightened up.

“Okay, at last report, Major Teodorovich is in Podvoritsa.” Captain Jenin pointed the way, off to the northeast, and Private Messerer took the lead.

We did not have long to travel – less than two kilometers, and we travelled quickly on the skis. However, by the time we arrived, I was already feeling a sting in my fingers and toes from the cold. It also bit at my cheeks and nose. With every breath I took, I imagined crystals of ice forming on the inside of my lungs. I wanted to be warm again.

We approached the town from the southeast. Images of the previous day’s attack flashed through my mind. I remembered a Soviet NCO shooting a soldier for cowardice, the slaughter of half of 2nd Platoon by a German machine gun set up on the building to the left as we entered town, the sight of the two wounded Germans when I finally got to the building, and the Soviet soldier who had killed the prisoners. The German bodies had been stripped and simply piled beside one of the buildings like sandbags – a stack of frozen flesh in the icy breeze. Probably the two wounded Germans killed in my presence were in that stack.

Two Soviet guards challenged us at the south end of town, then quickly recognized Captain Jenin “The Major wants to see you right away,” he told us. “He’s on the other end of town.”

As we skied up main street, we saw that Major Teodorovich had brought up a mortar battery. They had set up in a vacant lot in the middle of town. Some battery members patrolled around their four tubes, while others occupied a nearby house.

The cars that Teodorovich had ordered rolled out into the middle of the street during the fight had now been rolled back again so that the street was clear. I saw the truck that the Germans had used to assault the Soviet line during the fight for the town, and the snowfield to the right were a German machine gun had raked 1st Platoon.

We found Battalion headquarters just up the street from that, on the left. The machine-gun nests and the forest of skis sticking out of the ground near the front door would have given the place away, if not for the battalion colors flying at the front door.

Inside the house, it was scarcely warmer than it was outside. However, we were out of the wind, and that helped considerably. Major Teodorovich was here, standing at a table he had dragged into the center of the room and covered with maps. Lieutenant Kajukalo, the commander of 3rd Platoon, along with the other two platoon leaders, stood with him.

“What can you tell me?” Major Teodorovich asked Captain Jenin.

Jenin approached the table. I approached the fireplace, where a soldier had just offered me coffee. I accepted the invitation, though my frozen fingers had trouble grabbing the cup.

Jenin addressed the Major and his platoon leaders. “I think your opposition is going to be lighter than originally expected. If you hit Khisova fast and hard, you can drive the Germans out. However, I’m worried about what the Germans have on the other side of the valley. I would expect machine-gun and mortar fire if you stay put too long.”

“Tanks?” asked Teodorovich.

“No armor,” said Jenin. “I’m sure of it. At least not today. But there are mines. You will have to be prepared to walk either over them or around them. You won’t be able to stop. If you stop, you can expect German mortars to rain down.”

Jenin turned the map on the table around to orient himself, then pointed to the hedges southeast of Khisova. “This looks like your best approach. The forest and hills can mask your approach, and you can maneuver to use the hedges as cover. How long until 2nd Company gets here?”

“A half hour,” said Teodorvich while he looked at the map. “Let’s not wait for them.”

Major Teodorovich placed a plastic overlay on the map and began writing with a grease pencil. He spoke to the three platoon leaders as he drew. “I want your three platoons here, here, and here – second, first, and third – by 8:30. We will attack at 8:45. Repnikov, you’re new here, you’ll be on our left flank. You’ll have the cover of the hedge, so you move up first, at 8:45. You’ll give us an idea of what the terrain is like. Have runners ready to report to me. I’ll be with Kajukalo’s platoon. Depending on what Repnikov reports, either he will withdraw, or we will advance, at 9:00. Repnikov, 2nd Company will come in on your left. Don’t kill them.”

Teodorovich also added to his orders that the mortar battery will move closer, using the hills and forest as cover, and ordered the establishment of a medical aid station and ammo dump on the near side the hill overlooking the town of Khisova.

While he spoke, Teodorovich’s aides wrote up his comments as an official set of orders that included copies of the transparency he had made and the name of the map they fit on written in the corner. This included copies for the mortar battery and 2nd Company. These were given to runners.

“I would like my aide, Sergeant Apalkin, to accompany your runner to 2nd Company. He can tell them what we know, and help lead them up to the battle zone.”

“Very well,” said Teodorovich. He appended his runner’s orders to say that I would accompany him. Captain Jenin officially penned my own orders to report to the commander of 2nd Company and to put myself at his disposal.

Technically, this fit in with our real reason for being here, to record the battle so that historians would be able to use it. Unofficially, I could not help but think that Captain Jenin was trying to get rid of me so that he could murder Lieutenant Kajukalo. Only, Jenin would also have Messerer to deal with. I answered Jenin’s orders with a salute, then left with the messenger to go find 2nd Company.

[RAF]

I took my orders, fastened on my skis, and stepped back out into the cold in the company of Corporal Bode. The trip to Velikoe Selo, where we were supposed to meet 2nd Company, was upwind. Bode carried Major Teodorovich’s orders for Captain Reizin, the commander of 2nd Company, to head north and help in the capture of Khisova. I, also carried orders to report to Reizin and tell him what we knew of enemy strength defending the town.

The cold winter air bit into our faces, but we were dressed with the weather, and the exercise of skiing cross country kept us warm. Our trip took us op a small ridge, which was no small effort.

At the same time, I carried an earpiece implanted in my skull that allowed me to hear what 1st Company was doing. Major Teodorovich was gathering his forces in the forest southeast of Khisova, hidden by the ridge line and trees. He ordered the establishment of an ammunition dump and aid station just out of view of the enemy, behind the crest of the ridgeline, and ordered his mortar teams to set up there as well. At the same time, the three platoons of 1st Company – 2nd Platoon on the left, 1st Platoon in the center, and 3rd Platoon on the right, lined up and prepared for their assault.

Once Bode and I crested the hill, it was a quick, easy glide down into Velikoe Selo. As we did so, I started to get nervous. For some reason, the thought of getting shot by a German did not bother me. I worried more about getting shot by a nervous Soviet soldier who thought I was a German. We could move off to the right a little and approach the town from that direction. This would give us the advantage of being seen far in advance, but we would be approaching from the same direction the Germans would likely use. We could also veer off to the left and approach from the direction of friendly forces, but we would be approaching through trees and might startle somebody.

Instead, we slid straight into town, making sure not to look threatening.

Sentries met us at the edge of town and escorted us inside, to a building that Captain Reizen was using as his company headquarters.

Corporal Bode presented Captain Reizen with his orders. I watched the captain as he read them, with a scowl. “I can’t march right away. Two of my platoons are not here yet. He’ll have to wait.”

Through my implanted earpiece Messer gave me a constant update of what 1st Company was doing. Major Teodorovich was getting his company lined up and handing out some last minute instructions to his platoon leaders. They will advance slowly to the edge of the forest, assess the terrain between the forest and the town, then make a decision how to proceed from there.

“Permission to speak, Captain,” I said.

He granted it.

“I am certain that Major Teodorovich wants you to advance with whatever you have. He would like to have a full company, but he will take what he gets. He is not waiting for your company before he starts his attack. In fact, he is starting it as we speak. A little help now will buy him some success until your other two platoons arrive.”

He looked at me, then glanced at the note.

I quickly added, “If you were attacking a village, and you asked a nearby company for help, would you want them to hold off from sending the one available platoon until the other two have arrived?”

Reizen handed the orders to his aide and summoned Lieutenant Lefterov, the commander of his 1st Platoon. “Lieutenant, gather your men and follow me immediately. I’m going ahead. Follow my tracks. I expect to see you on my tail in 60 seconds.

Immediately, the order went out to the squad leaders to gather their squads, while Captain Reizen, prepared to scout ahead. I requested and received permission to travel with the Captain. Corporal Bode did as well, ready to carry any message Reizen might have to battalion headquarters. Reizen brought his own men – a machine gun team and four riflemen who were at the ready.

As we moved out of town, I heard through my earpiece that Major Teodorovich had given the order for 1st Company to move out. They moved forward through the forest and trees in a skirmish line, keeping their units organized as they walked through the woods, until they were at the edge of the clearing.

There, the Germans in the town noticed their presence. The sound of rifle fire carried not only through the earpiece, but through the open air, out of sight, about a kilometer ahead of us.

[RAF]

Soon after the shooting started, I also heard the distant rumble of artillery. The snow-covered ground seemed to amplify all sounds so that, even though the explosions had to travel over a hill and through a line of trees, it sounded surprisingly close. As soon as Major Teodorovich could see the town of Khisova, he ordered some spotting rounds from his mortars. After sending back a few corrections, he told the mortars to fire for effect.

A battery of four 81mm mortars can make a lot of noise. Private Messer even gave a whoop through my earpiece at the site of the effect that these shells were having on the town.

With the Germans appropriately subdued, 2nd Platoon started to move forward, keeping the hedges between him and the Germans, while 1st and 3rd platoons crawled through the hedge and made plans to approach the town from the other side.

Once through the hedges, this was an all-out assault, with the soldiers struggling to get across the open ground between them and the village as quickly as possible. By design, 2nd Platoon moved more quickly. Lieutenant Repnikov took his platoon around and approached the town from the south, then jumped the hedges and moved straight towards the town.

The Germans, though taking a pounding from the shells, were still capable of fighting. They brought their guns to bear on 2nd Platoon. Once the soldiers saw their friends drop, they stopped their attack. Then, they panicked, and started to flee.

However, they had served as a distraction, allowing 1st and 3rd Platoons to move up to the village on their respective routes.

Teodorovich stopped his soldiers just short of the town, long enough to tell his artillery units to end their barrage and to move closer to town. Then, he gave the signal to take the town.

[RAF]

“Major Teodorovich wants you to go around and hook up on the left side of Lieutenant Repnikov’s 2nd Platoon from 1st Company,” I told Captain Reizen. I ignored the fact that, in the valley below me, it looked as if 1st Company’s 2nd Platoon was falling apart, and 1st Company’s 1st Platoon was now the left side of that unit. 2nd Platoon had retreated from the town and was cowering blow us, on the friendly side of the hedges.

Reizen ordered his own 1st Platoon ahead without hesitation. We headed north, then turned west on 1st Company’s left side. Reizen had the option of entering the south end of town along the road and start fighting for the town house-to-house. However, he decided not to. Instead, he entered the open field where 1st Platoon of 1st Company were pinned down.

The field not only had 1st Platoon hugging the snow, but the casualties from 2nd Platoon littered the snow. Some left trails of blood from where they fell to what passed for cover in this open field. Others just lay in the field; patches of red in a field of white.

The same guns that inflicted these casualties and forced the withdraw of 2nd Platoon were ready for us when we entered the field. German machine guns and rifles opened up on us. I saw two soldiers drop immediately. This caused the soldiers nearest to them to hit the ground. Then, the whole platoon came to a stop, out in the open field. The German soldiers had no trouble picking us off, convincing the Soviet soldiers that they would be better off back behind the hedges. Once the first soldiers started to retreat, the idea quickly spread through the entire platoon.

However, 2nd Company’s 1st Platoon retreated, 1st Platoon’s 2nd Company was coming back into the fight. They fell in on 1st Platoon’s left side and started emptying suppressing fire on the buildings. I emptied my own clip in the direction of town, then retreated while the Germans ducked behind the building.

Through my earpiece, I heard that 3rd Platoon was taking some damage. It was also caught in the field with no real cover. To make matters worse, in a few minutes, we could expect German mortars to come down on us. All of this weighed on Major Teodorovich, forcing a decision for him to take the town.

I could only watch from a distance. 1st Platoon picked up its weapons and charged the building. I only knew from Messer’s Communication that 3rd Platoon was doing the same thing. However, eighty Soviet soldiers must have intimidated the few remaining German defenders. They picked up their equipment and headed north.

Where I was at, with Captain Reizen, the 2nd and 3rd platoons were just coming in. Reizen ordered them into the south end of town. The Germans had retreated to what passed as the village center, leaving the buildings on the east side of the village unoccupied. 2nd and 3rd Platoons easily moved into town. However, when they touched the German defenses, the enemy was waiting for them. The German defenders stopped 2nd and 3rd Platoons cold.

We were, then, firmly in the town of Khisova. 1st Company held the south part of town. We in 2nd Company held the south. The Germans had been driven into a pocket in the north central part of town.

It was progress.

[RAF]

The Germans holding the town of Khisova had been driven into what could perhaps be described as the business district in this village. First company occupied the buildings on the slops overlooking the Germans to their east, while 2nd Company overlooked the Germans from the buildings on the slopes to the South.

Commander Reizin of 2nd Company was busy trying to get his soldiers organized. He had taken some casualties in his first attempt to approach the town, and his first platoon had ducked for cover. Second and 3rd platoons had rushed forward to take the buildings overlooking the German occupied part of town. I decided to go forward with them, to help them face the Germans.

I was with Lieutenant Chenkin, the leader of 2nd Platoon, when he received some startling news about First Squad. He had sent a runner to the squad with firing orders. They were to get into a position where they could cover the road entering town from the west, where any German reinforcements would come from. The runner returned a couple of minutes later, looking visibly shocked.

“First squad is dead, sir,” he said. “They’re all dead.”

Chenkin picked up his rifle and followed the runner to a wooden building on the west side of town. First squad had been slaughtered. They were not all dead – some were merely wounded. However the squad had been placed out of action.

I took a quick glance around the room. The machine gun was laying on the floor near the window. Light shined through bullet holes that littered the whole of the north wall. Soviet soldiers were laying everywhere.

This told me that First Squad had made one of the same mistakes that I had seen the day before. Standard wooden buildings simply are not going to stop a bullet, and hiding behind a wooden wall was foolish. The squad had entered the building where they could look down on the town, and set up their machine gun at the window. They probably fired a few rounds, which told the Germans that they were there. The rest of the squad, for the most part, were standing around inside the room, confident that if they could not see the Germans than they were safe.

Then, a German machine gun opened up on the building, sweeping back and forth across the room, starting in the middle, then moving down towards the floor. The German did not aim for the machine gun at the window. He sprayed the whole length of the room, putting lines of bullet holes in the north wall. He managed to hit every Soviet soldier in the squad, including the machine gunners.

This was the cost of putting poorly skilled Soviet troops up against highly skilled Germans.

Still, the Soviets had numbers on their side, and were soon able to pour superior firepower down on the Germans below. With so much lead flying, the Soviets had to be able to hit something.

[RAF]

For all practical purposes we had the remnants of two platoons pinned in the buildings below us. We, 2nd Company, commanded the heights on the southern side of town, while 1st Company held the heights on the east side of town. The Germans held what was left of the village below us.

They had no clear line of retreat. Their only escape was across open snow field, north to a copse of trees, or west to the German-held town of Nevinskaya. There was enough Soviet firepower to chase the Germans across open ground that Germans may have thought that their only option was to dig in and hold out.

The Germans at Nevinskaya became an immediate object of concern when made themselves an immediate object of concern when 2nd Platoon, or what was left of it, reported receiving machinegun fire from across the valley.

I stepped outside with Captain Reizin and looked west. We saw the tracer fire coming from units on the edge of town, and more importantly from the upper floors of a large stone church at the top of the hill. Tracer fire arched across the valley and over towards us.

Reizin ducked back inside.

“I’ll bet good money that they’re ordering an artillery strike on this position. We had best not be here when it arrives.”

“Where would you suggest that we go?” Reizin snarled.

I pointed down the hill. “That direction is as good as any.”

In addition to the gunfire from two Soviet companies, the Germans defending their remaining toehold on the town were starting to face Soviet mortars as well. Major Teodorovich moved the Mortar battery up closer now that the Germans had been driven out of the east side of the village, and ordered them to lob shells down onto the west side of the village.

At the same time that I was talking to Captain Reizin, I was also talking to Captain Jenin through our implants, though none of the soldiers knew about this. I was hoping that Jenin would like the idea enough to help coordinate with 1st Company. A minute later, I was rewarded. Though our secret communications system I heard Jenin suggest to Teodorovich that they can order 2nd Company to move into the town below, while they provided covering fire, and lifted the artillery at the last moment.

Teodorovich wanted to lead his squads down. However, Jenin informed him that 2nd Company would probably soon face an artillery barrage and should be given orders to move forward.

Teodorovich agreed. However, he was still writing his orders when Reizin’s messenger showed up with Captain Reizin’s message. “Requesting permission to drive the Germans out of Khisova immediately. Requesting suppression fire and a time for lifting the mortar barrage.”

Teodorovich answered by making a few adjustments to his orders, and sending them to 2nd Company, telling them to attack immediately.

Reizin had already organized his attack. He ordered his squads ahead in a leap-frog motion. Two squads would set up suppressing fire, the third one would move ahead, then it would provide suppressing fire for one of the other two.

He gave the order immediately, then ordered his own 1st Platoon forward, down to the next building. 2nd Platoon moved past him on the west side of the road, then 3rd Platoon moved ahead to take up positions. The Soviet mortars quit firing as 2nd Company charged the last buildings in town. The Germans fled, opting to retreat to the forest to the north. First Company’s machine guns and rifles chased them every step of the way.

The town of Khisova was now in Soviet hands.