>[x] Be a good conscript and wake up the guards in the trenches.

>>2454
>[ ] Be a good conscript and wake up the guards in the trenches.

2

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>>2474
>>2483
>>2518

You decide it's best to go wake up the guards. Not like anything'd happen anyways, you've been been out here hearing a flight of Allied planes bomb the nearby cement factory.

The two elderly machine gunners at the front of the bridge are fast asleep, and you wake them up by shaking them.

They swear at you in German but you just nod and smile.

When you reach the end of the bridge, a young fellow conscript named Ivan is there.

"Did you hear that, Maksim?"

"Hear what?"

"I heard a weird noise just then, but I can't see anything in this darkness. I think a bomber crashed."

You peer into the darkness, but you're not a superman. It just looks like a field of foliage and trees.

[ ] Unpin Stielhandgranate, throw into trees.

[ ] Tell him not to worry about it.

[ ] Fire the flare gun attached to your hip.

>>2545
>Walk over and investigate
Let's not waste flares or grenades.

>>2545
> [X] Tell them not to worry about it while surreptitiously putting some cover between you and the noise

>>2545
[x] Fire the flare gun attached to your hip.
Even if the crew of that bomber survived, they wouldn't pose that much of a threat. Certainly not worth a grenade.

>>2545
>[ ] Tell him not to worry about it.

>>2545
tell him not to worry

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>>2565
>>2566
>>2572
>>2588

You shake your head.

"Don't worry about it, Ivan. You know the Unteroffizier won't do anything."

Ivan sighs. He's about five years younger than you, a teenager that was forced in during one of the Wehrmacht's recruitment drives.

He looks up to you, in that weird younger brother kind of way.

"Okay, Maksim."

You head down to check on the men inside the trenches. It's actually connected to a network of underground bunkers, but you digress. You come in shout in badly-accented German.

"Raus, raus! Sentries, are you awake?"

Grenadier Otto is not amused. He and his fellow sentry are armed with MP-40s and are busy playing cards together.

"You want something, slav?"

"Gefreiter Hans said-"

"Gefreiter Hans won't mind if we play some cards on this shitty cold night. Come on, play with us."

[ ] Tell him about the weird noise that Ivan heard.

[ ] Flip over the table that they're using to play cards on.

[ ] Play cards.

>>2623
3

>>2623
Should be "You come in and shout"

>>2623
>[x] Tell him about the weird noise that Ivan heard.
Just alert them to the threat, and move on.

>>2623
Play Cards. If we stick around here, maybe it'll help.

>>2623
>[X] Play cards.
Mention the weird noise in passing.

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>>2625
>>2652
>>2683


You settle down to play cards. A few minutes pass as Otto deals you in and his friend lights a cigarette.

"You know, Ivan heard a weird noise before," you say.

"Ivan hears a lot of weird noises."

"Like a crashed bomber?"

"Maybe. I'm too tired for this shit." You're both interrupted by something, however.

Ratata. Ratata. One of the machine gunners you warned must be opening fire on something.

"Gott im Himmel, what the fuck is that?" Otto asks.

A thud is heard on the far side of the trench that connects to the bunker you're in.

"Eh?" Otto says.

His fellow shoulders his MP-40 and grunts.

"I'll check."

[ ] No. You'll all go together.

[ ] Pull out your rifle and yell out a challenge.

[ ] Keep playing cards with Otto.

>>2707
>[ ] Keep playing cards with Otto.

>>2707
>[x] Keep playing cards with Otto.
Yeah, have fun with that, dude. We're just gonna be sitting here playing cards.

>>2707
1

>>2712
>>2724

You shrug. If he wants to go check on weird noises in the dead of night when you all know that the Allies are going to be invading every coastline but here, fine.

He leaves, and doesn't return in the next five minutes. You think you hear more loud noises later on, but you don't think it's anything worth noting. Time to play cards, right?

"Hit me," you say. A ten, a six.

"Mm." Otto passes you another card. Five.

"I win." You grin and rub your fingers together. Otto rolls his eyes.

"Scheisse. Fine, you get the cigarette pack. Fucking slavs always beating me at cards."

Yourself and Otto stare at each other. You stare at the empty space where his fellow sentry was.

It has been fifteen minutes since he left. Otto points at an alcove underneath a desk.

"I've got beer in there, you know. Want some?"

You eye your watch. It's late, and you think the Gefreiter is asleep by now. You could probably do it, and hey, you're a Ukrainian conscript. Who cares?

[ ] Shrug and have a drink with Otto.

[ ] Go out to look for the other sentry.

[ ] Take a nap.

>>2707
>Ratata
WE /VP/ NOW?

>>2765
>[ ] Shrug and have a drink with Otto.

>>2765
>[x] Go out to look for the other sentry.
Gotta do our job. Suggest Otto and Ivan come along.

>>2775
Sure. Unfortunately, the Wehrmacht neglected to give you a standard-issue Pikachu.

>>2786
Can we have a Dedenne?
Best Pikeclone.

>>2800
Holy shit, Dedenne looks adorbs.

That's exactly why the SS would reserve it for themselves, unfortunately.

>>2806
Then can we get a Munchlax? Or something?
Nevermind, this isn't a Pokemon quest.

>>2765

Go out to look for the other sentry.

But take a beer along with you.

>>2765
1

>>2765
Look for the other sentry. For all we know he's spent the last 15 minutes lying in a pool of his own blood. Can't take too many chances. I mean hell, if there was machine gun fire earlier, that obviously means someone saw something ON THE GROUND. Possible enemy troops on the ground is not something to take lightly.

>>2765
>[ ] Go out to look for the other sentry.

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>>2937
>>2872
>>2778
>>2943


"Pass. We should look for your friend."

Otto shrugs.

"Sure, whatever."

The two of you exit the bunker into an eerie silence. No one's making any noise, and when you leave the trench you can't find the other sentry either.

Of course, that's when you see the crowd of bodies by the bridgehead. In front of the two machine gun posts are at least a dozen dead men in foreign uniforms.

"Oh, shit. British Paratroopers," Otto says, fingering his MP-40 and scanning the perimeter.

"Landser, get up here!" shouts an officer from the blockhaus in front of the bridge. An Oberleutnant, though you have no idea what his name is.

The two of you run from the trenches and towards the bridge. At the sandbags in front of it, you see the two machine-gunners you woke up instead of letting them rest, and the sentry who left earlier.

"Fritz, you're okay?" Otto says. His friend grins.

"Bunkers were dealing with some pinned down Tommies, I did the rest from behind."

"Where's Ivan?" you ask.

Fritz shakes his head. "None of the other sentries made it, I think. Put up a fight, but those Paratroopers are still somewhere out there, and they're getting ready for a fight."

You leave Otto behind, and you head up to meet the Oberleutnant atop the concrete blockhaus.

The officer wears his peaked cap with pride, and his gloved hands cradle a single Walter P38. He sees you and ceases his pacing around the room.

"Landser. You know of our purpose, yes? We protect this bridge from Allied invasion, we blow it if we cannot hold it. I want you to activate the explosives in the bunker over the bridge."

"I'm sorry?" you ask. You point to yourself in disbelief.

The Oberleutnant rolls his eyes. "Yes, you, dummkopf. I can't spare anyone else to do the job."

You take a look outside the window.

"Oberleutnant... it is too foggy! How will I know if the British take the bridge?"

He smiles.

"You'll just have to use your intuition."

01:00
It's been half an hour since you left for the opposing side of the bridge. Gefreiter Hans is curiously absent.

You cannot hear anything but the crackle of gunfire. The radio in this empty underground bunker is taking in the Oberleutnant's report.

"-eisse. At least a hundred tommy's against my twenty! What were the flak cannons doing?"

[ ] Blow the bridge.

[ ] Don't blow the bridge.

[ ] Retreat.

>>3011
1

>>3011

Can we talk at all?

If not, blow the bridge.

>>3011
>"Where's Ivan?" you ask.
f
2

>>3027

You can talk, but what would you want to say?

>>3037

Oh no, I mean on the radio. To ask if we should blow the bridge.

>>3040

Ah, in that case it's a one-way radio. You're tuning in, but you can't respond.

Maybe if you wait, you might get more updates? Or not.

>>3057
>wait

>>3057

Wait. Do not blow the bridge until we hear screams or see people coming in through the fog.

>>3011
Don't blow the bridge. Wait until the last possible moment to do so. If possible, try to catch some Brit paras on it as you blow it.

>>3074
>>3076
>>3103


You wait. The waiting hurts.

"This is the Oberleutnant. We are holding them off, though I am not sure for how long. Can anyone-"

The radio cuts at that.

"Hello? Hey, Landser!"

You quickly spin around to find Gefreiter Hans. The man who originally sent you on your mission.

He speaks quickly to you. "I am heading to the front of the bridge to support the men fighting there. I have also alerted the nearby anti-air unit stationed nearby, but they will not be arriving for another half an hour. Hold tight, and remember those explosives."

He leaves before you can say anything.

Gunfire continues for the next twenty minutes, and then abruptly stops. You're not sure who won, as you cannot see into the fog outside the bunker's window.

The radio turns on again. It is not the Oberleutnant who speaks. The voice is in perfect German.

"Ahem, hello? The Oberleutnant was killed in action, sorry. We have stopped the attackers, please do not blow the bridge. I repeat, do not blow the bridge."

Thirty men defeated a hundred? You would call that a testament to fighting spirit... if you were certain, that is.

"Do not blow the bridge. I repeat, do not blow the bridge. We are sending a platoon to guard the other side of the bridge now, do not be alarmed."

Well, you suppose you should listen to the voice...

[ ] Blow the bridge.

[ ] Don't blow the bridge.

>>3152
>[ ] Blow the bridge.

>>3152
2

PRESS THE BUTTON LITTLE PETROV
BLOW THE BRIDGE

>>3152

Blow the bridge!

>>3152
Don't just fucking blow the bridge man. See if you can try to make out the men crossing over the bridge. If, and only if, you don't recognize any of the men coming over, THEN blow that fucker lickety split

>>3251
And consequently, book it the fuck out of there in case a few of the paras were able to make over before you blew it.

>>3165
>>3173
>>3225

You flip the switch, and all hell breaks loose. A deep rumbling from the ground as concrete supports shatter and the road cracks.

The explosion is heard deep beneath your bunker, and you tremble at the feeling of it.

You just blew a bridge, and you're not sure if it was the right thing to do.

Exiting the bunker with rifle in hand, you come face to face with five grenadiers seated on a half track.

"What's the matter, Landser?" one of them shouts from above the noise of the half-track and the pounding of bombers in the distance. He points at the wreckage of the bridge. "We came to investigate, but we didn't expect this!"

You breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of comrades.

"Paratroopers. I blew the bridge on them."

The grenadier nods. "Fuck, then they're invading France, ja?"

You nod. The group of you turn to look at the bridge, now collapsed. Who really knows what happened on the other side of it? You certainly do not.

It's pitch-black, the road barely illuminated by the light of the half-track's lights.

The grenadier pats the side of the half-track.

"C'mon, Landser. We'll head back to HQ and get you some coffee, or something. I think we're done here for the night."

They pop open the back of the halftrack to let you in, and the group of you drive away.

Behind you is the wreck of the bridge. Most of your entire company of 50 men were on or in front of that bridge. At this point, they no doubt would have died with it, or been captured.

Had you left them alone, would they have survived?

You wonder if you did the right thing.

END

>>3257
Will you continue? I like this kind of war setting.

BY THE ACTIONS OF ONE LANDER MAKSIM, ON JUNE 6 1944:

MACHINE-GUNNERS LOTHAR AND JACOB DID NOT HAVE THEIR THROATS CUT IMMEDIATELY BY BRITISH SOLDIERS, INSTEAD OPENING FIRE ON A PLATOON ATTEMPTING TO SNEAK UP ON THEM. EVENTUALLY THEY WERE OVERWHELMED BY MULTIPLE PHOSPHOROUS GRENADES THROWN AT THEM.

LANDSER IVAN WAS NOT KILLED BY A BRITISH STEN GUN, BUT RAN AWAY UPON SIGHTING THE FIRST PLATOON BRITISH SOLDIERS. HE WAS CAPTURED BY MEMBERS OF THE 6TH AIRBORNE DIVISION SOON AFTER. LATER, HE WOULD GO ON TO WRITE A BESTSELLING BOOK DETAILING HIS HEROICS AGAINST OVERWHELMING BRITISH FIREPOWER DURING OPERATION DEADSTICK.

GRENADIER OTTO AND FRITZ WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY GUNNED DOWN IN THEIR BUNKER AFTER BEING AMBUSHED BY STEN-WIELDING PARATROOPERS. FRITZ WOULD BE KILLED DEFENDING CAEN CANAL BRIDGE, WHILST OTTO WAS CAPTURED. HE WOULD GO ON TO RUNNING HIS OWN BREWERY IN WEST GERMANY AFTER THE DIVISION OF GERMANY AT THE END OF WORLD WAR 2.

RATHER THAN BEING CAPTURED AND FORCED TO SEE THE BRITISH TAKE PEGASUS BRIDGE NEARLY UNOPPOSED, THE OBERLEUTNANT DIED IN COMBAT AGAINST SUPERIOR NUMBERS. GEFREITER HANS WOULD DIE OF HIS WOUNDS ON THE BRIDGE, BUT NOT BEFORE HE SAW IT EXPLODE.

MAKSIM’S EFFORTS DELAYED THE BRITISH OFFENSIVE FOR OVER A MONTH, AS THE ARRIVAL OF THE 192ND PANZERGRENADIER DIVISION FORCED THE BRITISH TO FIGHT A LONG AND HARD BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF THE NEARBY COMMUNE OF BENOUVILLE.

THIS WOULD DELAY THE ALLIED INVASION OF NORMANDY, BUT ULTIMATELY DID NOT SUFFICIENTLY CHANGE THE OUTCOME OF THE WAR. THE RUSSIANS WOULD TAKE BERLIN AND HITLER WOULD STILL COMMIT SUICIDE, THUS ENDING WORLD WAR 2.

MAKSIM WOULD GO ON TO BECOME A MINOR WAR HERO, RECEIVING THE IRON CROSS, SECOND CLASS FOR HIS ACTIONS. AFTER THE WAR, HE SETTLED DOWN IN GERMANY TO BECOME A BAKER. THE BATTLE FOR PEGASUS BRIDGE WOULD GO DOWN IN INFAMY FOR CAUSING THE GREATEST NUMBER OF CASUALTIES AMONG THE BRITISH 6TH AIRBORNE DIVISION, SOURING THE OTHERWISE PERFECT OPERATION TONGA.

>>3260
Thanks! Unfortunately, this was more of a one-shot thing.

I'm already a QM on Anonkun, and to be honest I'm missing the ability to edit my work after it's been posted. I let slip far too many typos for my liking.

Thanks for participating though, and I'm quite a fan of war settings in this era myself. I won't be running a proper quest like this yet, but I'm hoping to do so once I finish my current quest on Anonkun.

>>3265
huh.

Well good job OP. Nicely wrapped up

This was over and done with a lot quicker than I imagined it would. Short and sweet, I really liked it. Any chance you'll make more these little WW2 vignettes? Possibly with more Maksim?

>>3285
Thank you! That's my thing, I suppose. I detest leaving stories or one-shots without resolution, so you can count on me not to just leave readers hanging.

>>3286
WW2 is surprisingly underwritten from a quest perspective, which is interesting.

I could see myself doing something similar in the future, but I have no idea if it'd be on /tg or /qst, considering all the shit going on right now. Might just have it on Anonkun if I ever do make more.

Smuggle dakis erryday

>>3299
Thanks OP, I loved the quest, it's a shame I couldn't participate.

I hope you run something again soon.

>>2454
>>3299
Hope to see you soon.

>>8835
I would suggest reading his stuff on anonkun, it seems to be pretty solid.