September 1939. The German Army was advancing into Poland. Elsewhere on the front, armoured companies were driving into enemy territory. Here, though, the front line advanced on foot and by horse-drawn wagon. As the front line of German troops drew up in the woodlands overlooking the village of Ubel, preparing for the coming morning assault, a select few soldiers were being denied their rest in order to complete a special mission.
Three men were all that remained of a depleted unit of Brandenburger Kommandos, specially selected for their unique ‘skills’. Leutnant Otto Raeder, leading Oberschutze Johan Baumer, and Schutze Karel Metz formed the motley crew that were tasked to obey very restricted instructions. They were ordered infiltrate the village overnight, penetrate the church at its centre, and find a select artefact – the Kriel Chalice – before making their escape back toward friendly lines. This was to be accomplished before the morning assault at 7am, in the face of opposition from a company-strength unit of the Polish Army.
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At midnight the team crept forward, through abandoned fields to the south of Ubel. The men carefully avoided the excuse for a road running into the village and headed, instead, to move in from the flank. Metz held point with Raeder and Baumer bringing up the rear. Approaching the first building Metz was able to sneak close up but, realising the house was occupied by enemy troops, he was forced to move across through the shadows to the next building. The others, however, were not as stealthy and could not be relied upon to advance under the ears of the enemy. Frustrated, Raeder waited, wondering what this junior would do next. In the low light Raeder was unable to risk passing any message to direct Metz as he would wish.
Metz edged around the building to check an alley before the next building. He foolishly missed the Polish guard moving in his direction and, as he advanced across the gap, he knelt on a twig which produced an audible crack. The guard sluggishly opened the slotted lantern in his hand and moved closer, voicing a low challenge. Metz hid himself deep in shadow and focused his mind on the guard. Suddenly, perhaps inexplicably to the outside observer, the guard became convinced that the noise must have been a dog, put out his lantern and began walking away, almost as if an automaton. The guard continued walking away for some time until he was no longer a concern.
Hidden by the second building, secure and concealed, Metz waited. Raeder suddenly found himself aware that there was a safe route, via a hedge-way and trees, to the building where Metz would be waiting. Without questioning this message, silently appearing in his mind as images and a strong sense of assurance, he led Baumer along the route to meet Metz. The night air was crisp and sharp on Raeder’s face, and the two men could smell some distant tang of roasting meat. Within minutes, the soldiers had regrouped.
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Moving down the narrow road between cottages, Metz led off again toward the centre of the village. Just as he spotted, at the junction ahead and across the street, a sandbagged emplacement manned by two polish soldiers, he brushed against a garden gate causing it to creak open a little. In the quiet night, eerie with silence, the sudden noise roused the attention of the enemy soldiers. Becoming alert, framed by the low light in the grocer shop behind them, the Poles scanned their eyes across the road towards the place where Metz was, once again, ducking away into shadows, trying to be lost from sight.
At this troubled impasse Raeder closed his eyes and began mumbling as he nodded to Baumer. In the blink of an eye, Baumer momentarily disappeared and then, miraculously, reappeared just behind the two Polish soldiers. Moving quickly, Baumer quickly plunged his dagger deep into the first Polish soldier, neutralising him as his life rattled out between the man’s lips. As that first soldier collapsed in a heap, Baumers grip on his now bloody dagger was lost and it remained stuck in the Pole’s flesh. Reacting quickly, Baumer launched himself at the second pole even as Metz rushed forward to add his blade to the fight. Raeder, dashing to douse the lights and assist his men, followed in behind Metz. Struggling until he was across the sandbags, Metz looked for an opportunity to make an effective strike. Meanwhile Baumer, opting for fist and boot, had pummelled the enemy soldier to a bloody pulp. Metz was barely needed as Baumer finished the Polish soldier off with a sharp kick to the head, spraying blood all across the sandbags.
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Minutes passed with muffled, careful movement by the Kommandos. Dragging the bodies into cover of the now-dark grocer shop, Raeder and Baumer took the Polish uniforms ready to advance into the village under their guise. With little or no Polish spoken between them it was a shallow ruse. Metz, ever the more stealthy, travelled alongside in the shadows as the men continued. All was well in the still quiet streets until they reached the junction with the main high street, guarded by several Polish soldiers. Ahead lie a machine gun emplacement on the left of the street, manned by a two-man crew; two Polish riflemen stood on guard in a second emplacement to the right-hand side of the street.
Clearly an NCO, one of the two Polish riflemen advanced on Raeder and Baumer to challenge them. To keep their cover the two disguised German soldiers continued forward, as if going about normal duties. Under his breath, however, Raeder began muttering quietly and, as Raeder slowly gesticulated off towards the shadows where his colleague lay, Metz was suddenly gone from view.
The Polish soldier challenged them again and, as Baumer mimed an answer, a Polish-sounding voice emanated from close by his head, evidently seeking to explain their actions and who they were. Baumer, never much of an actor, was unable to pull off the ruse, however, and the unconvinced Pole became aggressive, demanding more information and resisting as Raeder and Baumer tried to push past. The machine gun crew were suddenly alert and watching, levelling their weapon at the strangers.
As all this was happening, Metz reappeared alongside the lone Polish rifleman, now standing alert in the right-hand gun emplacement. Metz began quiet mumbling and strangely weaved his hands in steady gestures. Inexplicably, the machine gunners suddenly relaxed and shouted across to their NCO that the two men in the road were friends, urging the confused Pole to let them pass. As this happened, Raeder’s own mumbled tones changed and his focus shifted to the lone Polsh rifleman who, suddenly feeling strange and light-headed, fainted and passed out.
Metz’s focus shifted away from the machine gunners as they too also passed out unconscious. Kneeling calmy, Metz slit the throat of the now dozing rifleman as he lay there at the German’s feet. Seeing the other three Poles collapse, Baumer launched himself at the Polish NCO with fists flying, confident of his bulk and speed to overpower the last enemy standing.
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The Germans were soon the only living men in the street. Raeder, wiping his blade dry of the blood from the now dead machine gunners, turned to review the situation. Metz and Baumer were dragging the NCO’s body into the shadows near the emplacement. Raeder felt lucky that there were no further Polish emplacements directly overlooking their location.
Now, however, there were several bodies in this central location to the front of the church. Looking up, the three Kommandos become aware of light in the bell tower of the church. Looking beyond the church itself, gazing out to the graveyard behind, they could see a strangely lighted area to the rear of the buidling. Listening, Raeder fancied that amongst the gravestones he could make out the whirring hum of a generator.
Right in the middle of a village housing an alleged whole company of Polish soldiers – less six – where the alarm would surely soon be raised. They still had no idea where in the church the chalice would be. Was it actively guarded, and how they might be expected to escape alive? Raeder pondered in the night’s stillness: what were the Poles doing behind the church… and what was so important about this damned chalice anyway?
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EDITOR’S NOTE: We hope you enjoyed this game report from last night’s first foray into the world of Dark Reich. Thanks to Pete “BrassOrbs” for writing up the story and we hope to bring you the next instalment soon.
Sounds cool!…very realistic with a little slant to the mystic side….any miniatures used?
Hey Jon, thanks for the feedback.
To be honest, in this session, we didn’t use any miniatures… but, that said, I would very much like to do so in future, assuming the players would agree.
Why? Well, this is a setting focused on the actions of people during wartime and, naturally, there will be combat. Sometimes it’s just easier to track everything if you use some miniatures. Plus, we like toy soldiers.
Sounds pretty cool! Hope you used some of my suggestions?