Trench 1915 by Jake Barrett

Author:Jake Barrett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joanna K. Hunt LLC
Published: 2023-07-26T08:21:34+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Infiltration Assault

The entire squad climbed out and over the top of the trench following Maxis’ lead. The artillery began firing a short barrage then cut off after the third blasts. They moved across no-man’s land enveloped in the gas mist hovering on the ground. The team mimicked Sgt. Maxis’ movements and pace. Kruger followed behind the squad to provide sniper support if necessary. Lothar and Graf moved to Maxis’ side while Kraus and Fischer covered the flanks. Konig moved carefully since he was transporting the homing pigeons, avoiding large pockets of gas and Brandt was moved slowly and with much caution.

They each heard the clattering of their equipment, the breathing noise from their gas mask, and the greenish cloud that now surrounded them. The prototypes worked perfectly as intended as neither of them coughed or suffered the effects of the gas.

A bullet flew by Maxis’ head and he immediately went prone and so did everyone else.

“Someone fired a shot, Kruger. Can you see him?” Maxis called out.

Kruger slowly got up and looks through the scope. He saw the enemy trench and spotted a colonial soldier coughing while still holding his rifle. The Algerian fired another shot, this time at Kruger, but misses. Kruger focused his shot and slowly squeezes the trigger...the rifle fires killing the Algerian soldier in one shot to the chest.

“We’re clear for now,” said Kruger in deep gruff voice.

“Alright, let’s keep moving. Schnell!”

Maxis and the squad got up. They kept moving bit by bit a little further, until they had a visual of the French colonial’s trench.

Maxis raised his hand in a fist in a way of saying “Hold position,” and the squad halted their advance and crouched down. Then he pulled out his bayonet fixing it to the end of his rifle. Everyone who had a rifle fixed bayonets except Kruger; then they waited.

Without a second to waste Maxis began to sprinting toward the trench and the whole squad followed. When they were five feet in front of the trench everyone gave their war cry and jumped into the trench but that scream died out quickly.

They saw the trench completely deserted of soldiers with nothing but the dead and the suffering left behind. They died manning their battle position, every last one of them, still gripping their rifle and some were still wandering about, violently coughing and blinded by the gas. This was a horrid scene of soldiers slowly dying.

“Move slowly but keep your guard up; though they may not have much fight left in them,” said Maxis as he moved through the cross-section.

“This...this is an unpleasant sight,” said Lothar as he walked over the bodies carefully.

The ghastly scene was terrible indeed. The effectiveness of their weapons proved to be devastating to the unaware and unprotected of its deadly mist. Soon the soldiers that wandered about began to fall.

“Ugh, I think I’m going to hurl,” said Graf.

“Just keep moving, Graf. Don’t want you throw up in your gas mask,” said Fischer.

Kraus offered a little prayer in Hebrew after stepping on a soldier by accident.

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