Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 4: War – Chapter 12: Case Yellow (Day 3 – Grunts) – Edited by Yovis

While the 1st Panzer Division is securing the Connage axis, similar operations are occurring all over the Sedan front. The elite of the 404th and 10th Panzer Divisions are shelling and assaulting Maisoncelle. Utilizing the captured and divisional artillery stationed at Bulson, the 404th and the 10th flattened Maisoncelle's front door before attacking. Though Maisoncelle features an artillery unit, it is promptly made no factor when they are bombarded by many things. It takes little to no time at all for Maisoncelle to fall. The more time-consuming process is to fortify it, something the 10th Panzer Division will have to undertake and eventually spread out to Chemery and Raucourt. Right, the latter is still a work in progress, much like what's going on at the Connage axis.

Starting from Pont-Maugis to Raucourth, the 2nd Panzer Division has to clear three urban areas and a forest in between them. The complex terrains make it so that the 2nd has to tread lightly even with all the advantages they can wield. From door to door, trench to foxhole, units of the 2nd Panzer Division have to approach carefully and deliberately. A single mistake may mean a Loyalist can outflank a Belkan Squad and open fire at them. Regretfully, such a thing has already happened a couple of times already.

BANG BANG BANG BANG*

"Fuck! Man down!"

Though the initial approach to this three-story building was made using flashbangs, some Loyalists must have escaped the effect and started suppressing the ground floor by firing blindly beneath them. Understandably, the shoddy Ustian construction isn't able to prevent rifle-caliber bullets from over-penetrating and hitting a Belkan Private. Though the Belkan is wearing his standard battle dress and helmet, they are unable to protect the upper shoulder of the man fully. A lethal fragment has pierced the Private's protection on his left shoulder before stopping near his heart. If left without immediate medical attention, the man will soon bleed out to death or the bullet fragment will cut into his heart.

A Sergeant somewhat behind the downed member of his unit shouts in anger. "Light those bitches up!"

The rest of the squad raises their G1 rifles and unleashes a hailstorm of 8mm Mausers on the floors above them. Meanwhile, the unit's medic runs through the shower of spent casings to drag the convulsing Private to safety, all the while shouting through the gunfire for an immediate MEDEVAC.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" The Sergeant shouts as he taps the shoulder of a Corporal. "Take point and clear the stair. Kara, get our boy that MEDEVAC, stat!"

"Roger!" Some of the soldiers exchange their spent magazines with fresh ones before the unit splits. A fire team is sent up to clear the upper floors while the rest secure the ground level. The squad's medic works to stabilize his patient using biofoam and injection while another soldier radios Company Command for casualty extraction. As more, albeit sporadic gunshots can be heard from the second floor, the Sergeant leads a couple more of his men to the third floor.

"B-team, friendlies coming up the stairs." The Sergeant announces before hearing the signature booming of another flashbang going off.

The Sergeant nods at the B-team rearguard before climbing up to the last floor above them. Seeing a door stopping them from going forward, the Sergeant positions his body closer to the wall to his left as his two escorts take position behind him.

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"Knock knock, motherfucker!"

Collectively, the three Belkans hold down the triggers on their G1s, pumping the door and whatever's behind it with lead. There are screams to be heard amidst the gunfire. Ultimately, the door is barely intact with a gaping hole formed by more than a couple dozen bullets. Slinging his service rifle, the Sergeant pulls out his USP as the soldiers behind him load new magazines for their rifles. When the iconic sound of slapping the G1's bolt-carrier home is heard, the Sergeant bashes the ruined door out of its frame before marching inside the room. Immediately, he sees a blue-clad soldier hugging his bleeding stomach while reaching for his rifle. Scoffing disdainfully, the Sergeant shoots him squarely in the chest as the two soldiers behind him execute another survivor.

Spatting on the corpse of what seems to be a Loyalist Lieutenant, the Belkan Sergeant curses. "Son of bitch should have called it quits." He is rightfully angry for the bullet his man took.

"Doc, how goes our boy?" The Sergeant asks through the Squad's comms while he is making his way downstairs.

"Not good, Sarge. He needs immediate surgery ASAP!"

Stomping down the ground floor, the Sergeant sees his casualty still convulsing, the biofoam and painkiller able to do only so much. "Damn it! Kara, where the fuck is that MEDEVAC?"

A soldier pokes her head outside, seeing a Boxer APC emblazoned with a bright red cross rounding a corner. "It's here!"

"Quick!" The medic interjects urgently. "Help me prep him for transfer! We must keep his chest horizontally to the ground at all times!"

The Sergeant and a couple of other members of the Squad move to support the medic. As the Boxer MEDEVAC pulls to a stop in front of their building, the rest of the Squad secures the perimeter. Ultimately, the MEDEVAC carries the wounded away from the frontline, escorted by an armed Humvee. The Squad, now down one member, still has to clear the rest of the block as they're still combat-effective.

The Sergeant sighs while reloading his G1. "Ammo situation?"

"Yellow."

"Green."

"Green."

"Yellow."

"Yellow."

The rest of the squad sounds off with similar reports, leading the Sergeant to say.

"Derek went down but he's a tough nut to crack, we will be seeing his sorry ass soon enough. If anything, the guy will be proud of his scar, bastard will finally be able to get a girl this time." The Sergeant's humor does uplift the Squad's spirit. "But enough talking. Get your shit back inside you and your eyes peeled now, people. We still have a job to do."

Though it was a downer to take a casualty, the Squad didn't need much motivation to continue their task. Belkans these days are built hardy like that. Filing away from the cleared building, the Sergeant leads his unit to kick down more doors while simultaneously checking out for traps of any kind. Dark corners and a bend on the route can be prime places to set up a surprise for the Belkans, and the Sergeant would like to end the sweep without any more casualties. However, the squad's mettle is tested further when a hidden machine gun nest ambushes them after they round a corner. The pointman of the Squad manages to dive down just in time behind a barricade. Unfortunately, the MG nest keeps him pinned with a withering barrage of suppressing fire, the rest of the squad unable to help him without taking fire themselves.

"Damn it! Just why do we have to take the part too small for an IFV!?" The Sergeant complains before grabbing the Corporal from earlier. "Take your team and flank that nest! Burn it!"

"Gotcha! On me, B-team!" The Corporal shouts before sprinting away with his four-man Fireteam.

Backtracking where they traversed earlier, B-team squeezes through a small alley and navigates to the sound of the Loyalist MG nest's firing. After a long thirty seconds, the Corporal and his small group lay their eyes on the MG nest, tucked inside the basement of a wine shop. The basement has slits that overlook the approach the Sergeant and the rest of their Squad are in, making it a prime defensive location to set up an ambush. The Corporal pokes his head out to confirm the enemy's position before looking at the rest of his B-team.

"Cover me and be ready to shoot out the glass on the window slit facing us."

"It's a 50-meter dash, think you can make it in less than ten?" A Private asks before lying prone on the floor, poking his G1 out the corner they're in. The rest are also similarly set up to provide overwatch for the Corporal.

Slinging his rifle, the Corporal pulls out his sidearm, smirking. "I can do it in less than five... Ready?"

Hearing the approval of his team, the Corporal assumes a running stance before taking a deep breath. Then, he runs.

Fifty meters is a short distance, achievable in a quick dash. However, it's made complicated when an enemy detects you coming straight at them. When you're on the business end of a muzzle, you better hope your buddies are good shooters, otherwise, start praying. Fortunately for the Corporal, he does not need to run and duck in between enemy bullets. Two members of B-team fire and kill the enemy raising his rifle at him, then they start suppressing the upper level of the wine shop. The Corporal has been careful not to run into their line of fire, thankfully. When he is near the wineshop, the last member of B-team fires a few shots on semi-auto, breaking open the window slit of the shop's cellar. As the Loyalists in the cellar scramble to cover their flank, the Corporal slides to a stop before raising his sidearm.

"Surprise, motherfucker!" The man shouts while blasting the brain of a Loyalist.

Right after that, he raises his right hand as a fiery spell manifests a mere touch away from his palm.

"Have a taste of wizardry!"

Channeling his mana to activate the spell fully, the Corporal watches in morbid excitement as a stream of condensed flame bursts from his outstretched hand, and is directed right into the cellar through the broken slit. Near instantly, the entire basement area of the shop is engulfed in a maddening rush of fire, the confined space leaves no opportunity for the Loyalists to escape the Belkan's wrath. The Corporal keeps up the magical flamethrower for five full seconds, all the while listening to the screams of his enemies.

After the Corporal is sure that the MG nest is thoroughly exterminated, he immediately books it. The MG nest was situated in a wine cellar, after all, and the amount of flammable materials in that shop was astounding. On second thought, using a flamethrower may have been overkill as, in the blink of an eye, a fiery torch can be seen, threatening to consume the nearby buildings. As the Corporal returns to B-team, he can only smile wryly at the destruction he just inflicted on the Loyalists.

Fortunately for the Belkans, the civilians in Pont-Maugis to Raucourt were either evacuated or safeguarded in the neutral Adventurers' Guild compounds. So, technically, Belka could have just flattened the whole place via bombing missions, but the Marshal decided otherwise. If they decimate everywhere they go, then how will they gather the hearts and minds of the common people? More importantly, Princess Bonaparte can't rule a pile of ashes. Because of these reasons, Belka must painstakingly commit itself to urban warfare, a task that regrettably fell onto this Squad of theirs. And to think there are still around a dozen buildings after this before they can rotate out...

Ultimately, purging Pont-Maugis to Raucourt will be the longest part of the Day 3 offensive, taking until near midday to be completed. After that, the 10th Panzer Division is slated to take over the entire Sedan front. Thankfully, this is the last step before the Marshal can direct her attention elsewhere. Time is ticking and she will have the pesky Eruseans in Northern Maginot have a taste of Belkan superiority by hook or by crook.