The battle is roughly based on a historic battle. Please stay along the lines if you are not familiar with the battle.
Otherwise, CONTINUE THIS STORY AND HAVE FUN
Date: July 15th, 1941
Place: Eastern Front, 60km from Uman
Unit: 2nd Kompanie; 1st Abteilung; 13th Regiment; 4th Gebirgsjäger Division. Armee Group Süd.
Glad you could make it, herr Feldwebel. Please, have a seat. I don't know where to start, so I suppose I could ask you of your name.
<Feldwebel Josef> Josef, Hans Josef.
<The Hauptmann>Another Josef huh? We have one too many of these here on the Eastern front..... You don't seem to take a liking to my humor; don't worry, you are not the first.
<Feldwebel Josef> I am not offended at your humor; but with all due respect, I don't understand it.
<The Hauptmann> No reason to be formal around here Josef, I am one of the few Captains in the Wehrmacht with a sense of humor, albeit a poor one. I don't suppose you want to know my name?
<Feldwebel Josef> Of course I do! what is it?
<Hauptmann Karl> Karl, my last name is unimportant unless you want to write my wife if I die from this lousy Italian Alcohol they're sending us..................Maybe I should get down to business.
<Hauptmann Karl>I'm sure you're aware of the overall situation. The Panzers are plotted to pincer Uman while our artillery suppresses their defenses. Yours and my role are to cut down trees and feed grasshoppers Communist Vodka in order to keep our own divisional artillery safe from counter-attack.....like most mighy-mountaining operations.
<Feldwebel Josef> Won't the grasshoppers die from Vodka?
<Hauptmann Karl>[jokingly] Yes, but we hope to breed a race of super insects immune to all forms of alcohol. Russian maybe, but they will fight for us.
<Feldwebel Josef>[going along with it] How can you be sure of that?
<Hauptmann Karl> Well, There's no way that the Russians can afford to give their bugs alcohol. And Diesel kills them too quickly....
Anyway, I suppose we should show you your command post.
The 2 officers stand up from the table and head out of the Company HQ.
<Hauptmann Karl> I think you will enjoy your post, but I can't guarantee that your men will enjoy you as much as the last. Your predecessor had quite a sense of humor.....
<Feldwebel Josef> Perhaps that is because I haven't gotten the chance to make an impression for myself.
<Hauptmann Karl> Of course, and I'm sure you will make one. Your predecessor was a great man, not much of a fighter though...which I suppose was the extent of his usefullness. I did enjoy him though.
<Feldwebel Josef> How did he die?
The Hauptmann stops walking and looks up at Karl.
<Hauptmann Karl> T-34 machine-gun fire. I heard it was carelessness that caused the matter, but I have also heard that it was done in the line of commencing an ambush. He did not enjoy contacting me during combat. Oh well, that's over with now. I take from your personality that you will not make the same mistake he did.
<Feldwebel Josef> I don't intend on it.
The 2 start walking again.
<Hauptmann Karl> Humor keeps me substained throughout these moments. Maybe it is better that people don't die. It's better for my blood-alcohol level.
They continue down a dirt road until they reach a trench. Laughter from the group of young soldiers breaks out as the 2 make their way closer.
<Young Brown Haired Soldier> Look, the Hauptmann has come to steal our beer!
The comment quickly grabs Karl's attention.
<Hauptmann Karl> You have beer and you didn't tell me?
The soldier smirks and the others laugh.
<Young Brown Haired Soldier> We have direct orders from the Führer to keep you sober! However, we do intend on getting our new Kommandant drunk as an ox.
Josef stares at the Gefreiter half-contemptously
<Hauptmann Karl> Good luck, this one is as straight and sober as the "Reichsführer der SS" himself.
The group breaks out in laughter again, but is interupted.
<Brown haired Gefreiter> No kidding!
<Hauptmann Karl Anyway, I have business to attend to. You best get acquainted with yourselves.
Karl heads back down the road, Josef jumps into the trench, takes off his rucksack and other gear and throws them on the ground.
<Feldwebel Josef> My name is Josef.
<Brown haired Gefreiter> Guten Tag Herr Josef, my name is Erich.
Sensing boredom, the other Soldiers start acting busy
<Feldwebel Josef> Good to meet you Erich. Now, where were you at? I don't want to interupt anything. I'm not in the mood to survey the entire Zug at the moment.
Josef leans back on top of his rucksack and looks at the nearby tree
<Gefreiter Erich> Well, we were in the midst of drinking beer. But that seems to have stopped at the moment.
There is a momentary silence. It it broken by a hammering noise nearby
<Feldwebel Josef> What is that noise? What's going on?
Josef sits up and looks around
<Black-haired Soldier> Sorry for the noise Herr Feldwebel.
<Feldwebel Josef> What are you doing.....and what is your name?
<Black-haired Schütze> My name is Günther, Herr Feldwebel. I am making this Russian binocular eye-piece into an optic for my K98.
<Feldwebel Josef> Interesting. Where did you learn how to do this?
<Günther (Schütze)> My father worked for Schmidt-Rubin for 15 years before we moved to Germany. You could say he taught be a bit about gunsmithing.
<Feldwebel Josef> Why ever did your family move to Germany? Switzerland is beautiful.
<Günther (Schütze)> Well, my father was offered a job at Rhine-Metal. Naturally, we are German citizens now so I was obliged to join the Wehrmacht.
<Feldwebel Josef> Do you enjoy fighting amongst your kameraden? We are all of the same family. You do realize Bolshevism is the enemy of all Europe, not just us Germans.
<Günther (Schütze)> Yes, I guess so.
Günther is shortly interupted. A tall soldier amongst the group belches out a humerous comment
<Tall soldier> Günther is angry because of the helmet they gave him. It is of WW1 vintage.
Günther stares in denial
<Günther (Schütze)> What are you talking about?
<Tall soldier> That's not what you told us yesterday. "I hate this thing, they might as well put a Pickelhaub on top of it and give us a Bavarian honor band!"
There is mild laughter amongst the soldiers
<Günther (Schütze)> Oh yes, that.
<Feldwebel Josef> Well Günther, you may not like the style, but it may save your life someday. That is no laughing matter.
<Tall soldier> That's right, it's big enough to stop BT-7 armor piercing rounds!
Josef turns around and looks at the tall soldier with confusion
<Feldwebel Josef>What is your name Gefreiter?