Chapter 1 – The Journey Begins

Waking up in the middle of the cold, dreary night was Timothy Kanther, also known as Big Tim by some of his squad. He listened to the crickets, chirping away into the night, and was lost in thought. Clearing his head, he sat up, looking around he took in the clearing where he and his squad made camp. They picked a clearing in the middle of the forest, where they had enough room to set up their tents and check their equipment. Looking around some more, there were five of his group laying down in a deep slumber, then he saw the last of his group sitting on a chopped log, keeping a watchful eye out for the Germans.

Thinking about his squad, he remembered that all seven of them were deployed on this secret mission, to sabotage the German base in the town of Gerolstein. This base was important because there was some intel that they had some secret documents vital for Hitler's plan. His squad consisted of, Johnathan Seal, also known as Johnny, Tyler Del, Justin Alwin, Willi Vignola, George Laub, Thomas Johnstone, and lastly himself. Most of the guys were from the United States, while Willi was from Great Britain. The man sitting on the log was Tyler Del, age 24, and a Sergeant. Tim himself was a Segment Major at the age of 25. Getting a good look at his face, Tim saw the look that everyone in the group had; it was the look that each of them got when thinking about home. The war had been going on for nearly three years and each one of them missed going out with their loved ones and not having to think about getting shot or blown up every second of the day.

Putting his thoughts aside Tim stood up and approached Tyler, asking a question to make his presence known.

"Hey Tyler, how are you doing?" He said. Tyler jumped a little, reaching for his weapon, seeing who it was he responded with a little crack in his voice.

"Good God Tim," he stated quietly. "You scared the living hell out of me, what got you up early?" he said a little louder. Tim thought about it for a moment, before responding in a softer voice.

"Nothing much, just woke up and saw you sitting here, you on guard duty?" Tyler responded with a nod of his head and looked out into the forest. Tim went back to his resting area, picking up his gun and helmet, he walked back to the log and sat next to Tyler before sighing and asking in a whisper.

"So, how long do you think before the rest of the guys wake up?" Tyler turned away from the woods and looked at him.

"It shouldn't be that much longer; the mission starts in an hour or so. They should wake up soon." He said. Tyler then turned back to the forest, as silence overtook them, only the sound of crickets chirping away could be heard. There was some movement from the other members of the squad. The two awake members turned to the sound and saw that their fellow members were waking up. Quickly, both members got up to greet their arising squad. The first to awake was Private First-Class George, age 22, quickly followed by Master Sergeant Thomas, age 27. Both shook their head and rubbed their eyes trying to get the drowsiness out of their system.

"Welcome to the land of the living boys!" Tim said. Both looked towards him and playfully announced back "Thanks for the wake-up Sarge," stated George, who was quickly followed by Thomas, "Good to know you were looking out for us Tim." Thomas stated with a little sarcasm.

The two got up and slowly gathered their belongings, while Tim and Tyler both went to gather their stuff. As the four of them packed up, the other last three members were just getting up. The first to take notice of the four members packing was Private-First Class Justine, age 21. He looked at the group, who were playfully pushing and shoving, and shook his head while getting up himself. He was followed by Staff Sergeant Willi and finally the leader of the squad, Command Sergeant Major Johnny.

As soon as the rest finished packing, Johnny looks over the map and announced to the group. "We're going North of our position. There should be a ridge where we can spot the German base. George, I want you to radio in to command, that we're approaching the enemy base." The others looked at each other before he continued.

"Be quiet and careful, we don't know if the Germans are patrolling or what kind of traps they may have. Be aware and be attentive, that's all, let's get moving." After he finished speaking, he starts with his rifle out and supplies on his back walking quietly in the forest. The rest of the men followed quietly, hopeful of making it home in one piece.