Siege of Strasbourg

A Toast to the Guns

By them we live,

For them we would die.

Whatever the Mission,

We'll give it a try.

We'll serve them with Honor

For they are the ones;

That make us Artillerymen,

So here's to the Guns:

TO THE GUNS!!

– Unknown artillery toast

It truly is remarkable how the invention of gunpowder has changed the ways of warfare especially when the weapon known as artillery is introduced, where men from miles away were able to rain hell upon their foes as long they have enough cannonballs in their stock.

And the Empire certainly isn't lacking in shells.

Here lie around 30 heavy guns of different models 6km away from Strasbourg, transported here fresh through railway and pulled by horses onto the field. They will be supporting the infantry division on their siege in this town, weakening the French hold on this position before the assault begins.

"Fast, fast! The bombardment is scheduled at 1330, the forces ahead require our support so move your butt now! You there! Stop standing around and get useful, prepare the shell needed for the next bombardment!" With a few officers shouting orders over the tense artillery position, men were busy moving around calculating the coordinate and adjusting their aim, awaiting their bombardment mission. Clearly in a rush, they haven't had much time to prepare ever since they unload their gun here.

One artilleryman with a naked upper body is currently inserting a shell into a heavy howitzer known as the 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 13. His hand covered with callus which is a result of all the heavy lifting he had the past few years, sweat falling onto the ground from the beaming sun that is proudly showing its presence. With the sound of a click that signifies the insertion of the shell, he takes in a deep breath for a short respite.

"Bombardment mission in 60 seconds, last adjustment on coordinate!" Hearing another order shouting in, the artilleryman proceeds to check with his crew about the aim. Responded with a reassuring look, they await the command.

"10 second! 5 second! 3,2,1 commence!" And with the officer covering his ear with his hand while giving orders, the artillery began screaming out voices of rage, delivering fire upon the enemy.

All of these soldiers will be doing this kind of labor that is tedious and boring lasting for around 30 minutes, not knowing the kind of damage they will do on the enemy line.

In which dear Lewis will have to bear witness to, whether he likes it or not.

"Bam! Bam! Bam!" With shells after shells dropping on the town, thunderous sound begins deafening Lewis's ear as it started affecting his consciousness and balance. Lowering his head onto the ground while covering his ear, he prays to God that he will live to see another day.

"Bam!" With one of the shells landing close to his garrison building, the window beside him is scattered from the immense impact it created. Feeling a sharp pain on his face, a shattered window piece left a shallow cut on his right cheek.

He can hear the scream of fear from a few other soldiers who he has served with together for the last two years in the French military, their side of the roof collapsing after a close explosion near them. Some of the soldiers are buried under the debris while others manage to dodge it, leaving the wounded crying in agony as the heavyweight continues to be exerted on their fragile body.

And while Lewis and others hurry to dig up his friend, the German infantry has begun advancing towards the town to take advantage of the chaos that the bombardment has caused. Sprinting across the dirt road that was built years ago, around 50,000 infantry are deployed in the hope of a quick capture of the town.

One of the German soldiers with/h his rifle raised charges towards the town together with the thousands of others as part of the first wave of assault, the ground trembles from the footsteps of many men that participates in the siege. The many buildings in his eyes have smoke coming out from it, most with visible damage done from the artillery.

With bullets from the French getting more and more frequent as they reorganized themselves to form a defensive line, men around him began falling left and right, some killed on the spot while most suffered wounds that immobilized them. He can see familiars face crying in pain after being shot in the stomach, brother in arms crawling on the ground shouting for help while trying to avoid a stampede happening on himself.

And as the German begin swarming into the town and pushing the French back, hidden machine guns stations in buildings begin opening fire to give their friend a 'warm' welcome, cutting down Germans who have unknowingly entered their kill zone. Their gun barrel began spitting fire towards the most crowded area which the bullet then mercilessly shredded their fleshes, harvesting soul as efficient as they can

The German soldier witnesses a group of soldiers who are charging into the street falling on the ground after being fired from such a devastating weapon. Healthy males eager to fight for the fatherland who charge in with loud war cry have dropped on the ground in mere seconds as bullets begin raining on them. Still not familiar with combat in urban cities, many soldiers charge in on the heavily defended street without giving in much thought, paying dearly for the mistakes with blood and pain.

Now much smarter, the others after witnessing the misery happen to their comrade proceeds much more cautiously, hiding behind every possible cover. Officers started shouting orders to assign squads or platoons to clear out buildings and streets, with occasional grenades being throw generously toward the window to clear out machine gun nests or French soldiers.

The French of course didn't wait to be slaughtered by their enemy. Hiding in every debris and shooting back from every corner, their fighting spirit is still strong, clearly wanting to bleed their last blood on this land to buy time for their retreat. And as the defender of this city, they clearly have an advantage in this.

A German who kicked down one of the doors wanting to clear a building that had been pinning down their forces with machine gun was immediately gunned down by the bullets that followed after his breaching attempt. Before he knew it, dozens of bullets had already pierced through his torso and eventually his head. And as he falls down on the ground with bitterness, the friend of his immediately begins taking shots at the french inside who is taking cover inside the house.

As fierce fighting continues to break out with sides leaving several bodies behind, the German eventually grow tired of the stalemate. One of the soldiers makes a smart decision to throw a well cooked grenade inside the house, creating a loud explosion that announces the fate of their enemy. Followed by a quick sweep inside the house from the German and a few bullets ending the suffering of those strugglers on the ground who are lucky enough to survive the blow, another position has now come under the control of the Empire.

"Bam!" With a German 100 meters away from Lewis who is trying to sneak around in ruin city falling on the ground, he pulls the bolt of his rifle back as he reloads his gun. The assault has been fierce as street after street continues to fall into German's hand. Lewis who is supposed to be the second line of defense has already seen a dozen German approaching his position within the first hour. He can't imagine what the frontline has become now, and he doesn't want to.

Sitting on the ground again back against the wall that will most probably keep him safe, Lewis's eyes take a quick scan of his squad. Down to nine men after the shells strike, the rest is still in peak fighting condition ready to face the oncoming onslaught.

Suddenly, not far away appear a group of people in bright red pants and blue shirts who look like they are carrying someone appear in the middle of the street.

"Friendly, don't shoot!" A sharp French shouting announces their arrival. Hurrying to find safety as they approached their position, it eventually is clear that the person they are carrying is an officer of high ranking judging by the many silver line there he has on his badges

Opening the door violently on the lower floor, the officer is quickly lifted inside. Moaning in pain with a twisted face due to the gun wound he had suffered in his right shoulder, it's clear that he needs immediate medical attention.

"Is there any medical supply here? He won't last long without it." Cutting straight to the point, the leader of the group asks. A man in his thirty or so, uniform covered with dust from the battle he had encountered earlier. Green iris filled with tiredness from the encounter earlier, he asks "Anything will do, a German manages to shoot him while we are retreating."

"We have some bandages here but that's all, you will have to get to the field hospital if you want him to get proper treatment." Shaking his head, Lewis's sergeant the leader of their squad steps out to answer their question. "I can arrange a few men to guide you all there, it will take around 10 minutes on foot."

"Alright, the rest of us will stay here to help with the defense. You two, help our lieutenant to the hospital, be quick." Nodding, the two leaders with efficiency immediately dispatch a few soldiers together to escort the wounded men back. "You all know what will happen if he doesn't make it."

And such, Lewis witnessed the men hurrying to bring the Lieutenant to the rear. The blood loss however worries him, pools of blood already forming on the ground within the short period of discussion just now, Lewis doesn't think he's gonna make it. Well, not like it is going matter to him.

This is not the responsibility of his, the survival of this officer.

"How's the frontline? Did it get this bad?" Meanwhile the just arrived soldier is taking a break, the sergeant wants to grasp what the hell is going on. "The schedule time of the frontline to hold for is 2 hours, yet I hear you mentioning about a retreat already."

"It's bad, very bad." Shaking his head, the leader answers back. "Our platoon had already suffered 30% casualties in our first contact, forcing us to retreat back. However the retreat turned into chaos when our lieutenant was shot, scattering the entire platoon."

"And that's all left of us now, seven men including me." Sighing, the leader feels defeated. "The German is relentless, I don't think the frontline will hold for long."

Followed by it is the silence from both parties, the truth hitting hard on them, knowing they are facing against all odds.

Yet they no longer have time to reflect on their situation.

With shouting of German begins to appear from the street followed by the sound of gunshots, Lewis and others immediately ready themselves for the upcoming battle.