[MacGyverGod]

Hey, welcome to chapter 6. In this chapter we'll have another major time jump and you can see how the war very slowly becomes in the advantage of the Allies. We also follow Mac on another dangerous mission in the heart of the war machine. Enjoy!

(We fade in as the texts of Headlines V and War News II appears and the track Charles' Duel from North and South starts playing)
Headlines V
May 1942 – October 1943

American Japanese arrested

May 31 1942
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the American government has arrested all civilians of Japanese origins who lives in the United States and send them to prisoner camps in the deserts of the West. There are no court charges against these peoples, but the guards received strict orders to shoot anyone who tries to escape.

Battle of Midway

June 6 1942
The Japanese has suffered their first important defeat in the sea battle for the island of Midway in the South Pacific. With a special device the American marine deciphered the code language of the Japanese sea force and intercepted an ultra secret message. Because of that, they got notified of the plans to bomb the island of Midway. While the Japanese was taking down the island with dive bombers, the American fleet performed on his turn a sneak attack on the Japanese fleet causing four fly deck ships to sink.

Disaster in Dieppe

August 19 1942
A scouting attack on the by Germany occupied harbor of Dieppe in North France turned out to be a disaster for the allies. A few thousands of British, American and Canadian soldiers and troops of the Free French landed on the beaches but were waited by the Germans. Over three thousand soldiers, mostly Canadians has died.

Monty wins in El Alamein

November 4 1942
The Eighth British Army, under command of the flamboyant general Montgomery, has today succeeded to stop the German Africa Core in El Alamein in front of the Egyptian Cairo. During the summer Montgomery recruited two hundred and thirty thousand soldiers, who got equipped by the most modern American tanks. On the 23rd of October the British artillery released the heaviest combat fire the African continent has ever seen and this caused a stop to the Italian and German troops. Erwin Rommel, commander of the Africa Core, was on sickness leave when the battle begun. Quickly he returned to his troops, but could only confirm how the Eighth Army broke through the German defense, destroyed tanks and took prisoners of war.

German army capitulate in Stalingrad

January 31 1943
Plagued by blizzards, that happens frequently during the Russian winter, the Sixth German Army has been overwhelming defeated by the Red Army of the Soviets. Since the battles has begun in August, the Germans under command of field marshal Paulus has suffered heavy losses. Their army reached Stalingrad in September, but in November already they were surrounded by Soviets. Though his position was hopeless field marshal Paulus has refused twice to accept the Soviets ultimatum. When he was finally coming around to admit, Hitler refused a permission of evacuations and ordered them to ‘defend the position until the last breath’. This has cost the lives of three hundred thousand German troops and four hundred and fifty thousand of their Italian and Romanian allies. Besides that one hundred and eight thousand Germans has been taken prisoner of war and deported to prison camps.

Bloodbath in ghetto of Warsaw

April 19 1943
With dismay the world hears the news about the bloodbath in the ghetto of the Polish Warsaw. German troops has murdered forty thousand Jews. After the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 they amalgamated four hundred and fifty thousand Jews in the ghetto and isolated them from the rest of the city. Since then a lot of them has been deported to unknown destination and a lot of others has died. Today the German troops got the order to get rid of the other sixty thousand. The troops had to deal with a hard resistance of armed Jews. The resistances didn’t help.

The allies takes over North Africa

May 12 1943
The Italian and German armies in North Africa has surrendered. After a long and hard battle that has ended in November 1942 with the British victory in El Alamein, the German African Core and his Italian allies were pushed to an isolated area in the Tunisian inland from where no escape is possible. This afternoon the British commander called in a radio message to the British prime minister Winston Churchill that ‘all of the enemy resistance has been removed and that we are now rulers of the coasts of North Africa.’

Bouncer bombs hits target

May 16 1943
During one of the most daring aerial attacks of the war a few small but heavy Lancaster bomb divers of the British air force, under command of commander Guy Gibson, has destroyed three dams. The tsunamis that were caused has heavily damaged the Rhuhr area, the heart of the German industry. The Lancaster threw a new type of bombs. They are designed to bounce on the water and explode against the walls of the dam.

German army crushed at Kursk

July 13 1943
Today Adolf Hitler has ordered a retreat of his troops out of the biggest tank battle of the century. The German attack started seven days ago in the plane grain fields around Kursk in the Soviet Union. Hitler, who wanted absolute victory after the catastrophe in Stalingrad, considered a lot of importance to this offensive. The honor divisions of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS, equipped with three thousands armored vehicles including the new Tigers, the most powerful tanks ever build, tried to break through in a reinforced Soviet defense. The battle reached up a highlight on a short distanced confrontation between fifteen hundred German and Russian tanks. The Soviet tanks seemed to have more fire power. They broke efficiently through minefields, antitank fire and mud. After a week of heavy fighting the Germans got pushed back. The Soviet army is now recruiting new troops for an offensive against demoralized enemy.

Palermo taken in

July 22 1943
The race to get to the Sicilian city Palermo has been won by the United States. It started on ninth of July when the American troops were dropped on the most southern point of the island. After a race to the north they reached Palermo, yesterday, surprising about forty-five thousand German and Italian troops. The American army under command of the flamboyant general George Patton, were warmly welcomed by the Sicilians, who obsessively squelched to get American cigarettes or chocolate. The remaining German troops in Sicily retreated to the city Messina, from where they intend to evacuate their men to the mainland of Italy. Through this victory the allies has gained access to the new airfield, from where their planes can hit German and Italian positions.

Bombardments in Hamburg

August 2 1943
The centre of the German harbor city Hamburg has been destroyed by a series of allied aerial assaults. The R.A.F. and the American air force has bombarded the city day and night. Giant firestorms has cost lives of fifty thousand peoples and over two hundred and fifty thousand homes has been destroyed. The dockyards of the city and factories lay now in ruins. The Nazi propaganda chief Josef Goebbels called the aerial assaults ‘a catastrophe’.

Italy joins the allies

October 13 1944
Italy has declared war to Germany. Marshall Pietro Badoglio, the follow-up of Benito Mussolini has tied on conversations with the allied troop, three weeks ago when they landed on the Italian mainland. German troops has quickly taken in the place of their Italian allies.

War News II
Women in war

Civilians got an important role in World War II. Women got a key position in the efforts of war, when they took in the places from the men who left for the front. They worked on shipyards and in mills, drove ambulances during air raids and got called for the land force, sea force and air force. In the Soviet Union there were even a few female fighter pilots active. In 1943 most of the unmarried women between twenty and forty years did their thing for the efforts of war. In Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom women entered the ‘Women’s Land Army’ and in mills in the United States they were often the majority of the employment forces.

Professional Shopping

In all the war countries the ration booklet was an important item in the households. The food tickets assured a monotone but healthy diet. However the rationing promised justified portion for everyone, they also created a growing black market. Women became experts in bargaining and switching tickets to get more difficult available food.

Anti-aircraft defense in women hands

During the war thousands of women worked next to the men in anti-aircraft defense batteries. They operated search lights, drove army trucks and followed the routes of enemy aircraft on radar. In some countries women also operated the air defense weaponry.

The girls on the lands

Over more than eighty thousand women served in the ‘Women’s Land Army’ in England. Also in Australia and Canada lots of women chose to work on the fields to produce food for the war. Some of them worked in the wood industry, chopped down trees or worked in sawmills. Others worked as milk girls, harvested the crops or even caught rats.

Carrying the loads

A lot of women got to work in the mills during the war and practiced jobs that were only done by men before. There was a crucial need of workers in the ammunition mills, but women appeared to be capable welders, crane operators and truck drivers. Though they got less paid than men and when the war was over, most women had to give their jobs back to the men who came back from the front.
(The music reaches it's ending and we fade out here)

(We fade in with nightview on a Nazi-harbor and track The Infiltration of the game Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb starts playing)
Chapter 6
The Second Assignment
Near the Austrian-Hungarian Border
November 12 1943
Night

For a year and half I worked as a troubleshooter doing one assignment after the other. Always succeeding no matter what or how. I just always got through. I was there when they took down the outposts that were on the map. We smelled victory but that was still very far away. They also appointed me as a strategic thinker for the missions and assignments. They trusted on me to work with a major operation that was set for next year, that would involve a large scale invasion. We’ve been discussing it for the past months, but nothing was confirmed yet. The idea is that if we start an invasion via the North Sea through the French country side and work our way to Berlin, we should be able to end the war. But that’s still a far away plan.
For my next assignment I had to rescue an American spy that was captured in a harbor near the Austrian-Hungarian border. The harbor was heavily guarded so I had to go undercover. I got a German identity and the rank of a German Officer. With the clothes on of a German Officer and a swastika band around my arm, I was dropped at the harbor.
I looked around and the next step I took was the one to start my assignment. I stepped towards the entrance of the harbor.
‘Halt. Pass, bitte,’ a guard said.
(Subtitle: Hold it. Passport, please.')
I showed him my id.
‘August Baumann?’
‘Ja,’ I answered.
I didn’t like the name though. If I had a choice I’d pick someone else’s name. But O’ Neill gave it to me and he told me it was General Thornton’s idea.
‘Das ist in Ordnung, Herr Baumann. Sie könne innen gehen.’
(Subtitle: This looks okay, Herr Baumann. You can go inside.')
‘Dank schön.’
(Subtitle: 'Thank you.')
‘Heil, Hitler.’
‘Heil,’ I said.
They let me in. When I was in, I noticed the place was busier than the outpost in the forest. Everywhere Nazis were at work. I saw the U-boats stationed at their cays. Some were being welded, others got cleaned up. There was clearly more activity than in that fort. I did whatever was necessary to find the missing agent. There was a door in of the cays which I entered. I looked around to make sure nobody saw me go in. No one, so I went in. (The music stops here)
I ended up in a stairwell. There was metal staircase in front of me that went up. Quickly I ascended the stairs. Once up top I saw a door. It was the only door around. That one was locked so that had to be the location of the missing agent. With my Swiss Army Knife I picked the lock and got in.
‘Who are you?’ the agent asked.
‘Name’s MacGyver. I come to get you out, agent…’
‘Mike. Lt. Mike Johnston,’ the agent introduced himself. He was a tall man like me and looked like your typical well trained soldier.
‘Well, Lt. Johnston, it’s time to get you out of here, don’t you think?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Are you alright?’
‘Well, they did torture me, but I can walk.’
‘OK, come on.’
When I opened the door again we looked in the barrels of two Mausers. The weapons belonged to the guards from outside. They sat me up.
We were brought to the questioning room. It wasn’t a big room. There was a table near the farthest wall with basic stuff on. They tied us back to back and told us they would come soon to begin the questioning.
‘Nicht gehen laufen, he? Wir kommen zurück um zu befragen,’ they said and left.
(Subtitle: Don't go off running, huh? We'll be back to start questioning.')
‘So much for help, huh?’ I said.
‘Well, you at least tried.’
‘What was your assignment, anyway?’ I asked while looking for a way out.
‘Standard operations, I’m afraid, except it went really bad. I was with two more, but they got killed when they caught us spying.’
‘How long you’ve been here?’
‘Four days. They tried to get answers of me but I can be stubborn. I haven’t said anything about what the Allies are up to.’
‘Good. So what did they do to you?’
‘Nothing worth crying about. Just electrical torture.’
‘Just electrical torture?’
‘I’m used to a lot worse.’
Oh, yeah, this guy was crazy for sure.
‘You’re a real tough guy, huh?’
‘Yeah, that’s what the army taught me, to be tough. But, what about you?’
‘What about me?’
‘What makes you special?’
‘Nothing really. Since the attack on Pearl Harbor they assigned me as a troubleshooter.’
‘I’m unfamiliar with that rank.’
‘It’s not a rank, it’s more like a special job. They’re letting me do assignments that are too dangerous for others. Stealing documents, saving other allies. Actually just the usual.’
‘You’re used to a lot worse too, right?’
‘Not exactly. I never had the intention to participate in this war, I just wanted to serve my time in the military. But than Japan attacked us and before you know it, you’re right in the middle of it.’
‘The world is one crazy place.’
‘It sure is and that’s because mankind is obsessed with power.’
‘Yeah and it’s up to us again to clean up the mess.’
He got a point there.
‘Look, Johnston, I think if we work together, we can get out of here.’
‘Well, I’m all ears.’
‘You see that canteen on the table over there?’
‘Yeah.’
‘That can help us to get out of here.’
‘But how do we get there, it’s too far away.’
‘If we lean with our backs to each other, we can get up and try to move that way. I just hope there’s water or something in that canteen. OK, ready?’
‘Look, I don’t know what you mean and I don’t know what the hell you’re up to, but I’m with you, buddy.’
‘OK, than. One, two, three.’ (Tense music starts playing)
We leaned with our backs together and got up. We got up as far as we could and with small steps we got near the table with the canteen on.
‘OK, now I need to get to the canteen.’
‘And how do you think to get that?’
‘With a lot of patience and acrobatics,’ I answered.
‘Patience and acrobatics?’ he asked. ‘You know they might be coming back anytime now.’
‘I know.’
I leaned with my head towards the table and tried to get to the canteen. I tried to get it with my teeth but it was just a little too far away. I just couldn’t reach it.
‘I can’t reach it. We need something to get it.’
‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know. A pencil or something.’
‘OK, I see one right here. I’ll blow it to you.’
‘Just don’t blow too hard or it might fall of the table.’
‘Here it comes.’
I heard him blow and the pencil rolled over my side.
‘Nicely done,’ I said congratulating him.
With the pencil in my mouth I reached over again to the canteen. I could touch the canteen now and carefully pushed it over. Than with the pencil I could get to the belt of the canteen. When I got the belt within my teeth, I lay it over my shoulder and dropped the canteen in my hand. I opened up the canteen and poured the water over my hands. Now that the ropes were wet I tried to force my hands from underneath it. It was only just a little bit more.
‘I almost got it,’ I said.
With a little extra force I got my hand free.
‘That’s nice, man. Hurry up.’
I got free and freed Johnston as well.
‘Great!’ he cheered.
‘Let’s get the door,’ I said.
‘Right!’
Slowly I opened the door and peeked through. I saw two Nazis coming.
‘There’re two Nazis coming. Uh… We just have to take them out. Hide behind the door.’
We both hid behind the door as we heard them coming. The door opened and we grabbed them. (The track The U-Boat Base from Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb starts playing again) I pushed mine against the wall and hit him with a powerful right. Johnston pushed his one against the wall as well and struck his lights out with a powerful left.
‘That was for torturing me, you son of a b*tch,’ Johnston growled.
‘You alright?’
‘Yeah, but I should kill these bastards.’
‘No, you shouldn’t, because then you’re not better than they are.’
‘Don’t tell me, you never killed anyone.’
‘Not intentionally or directly.’
‘You’re weird, MacGyver.’
‘No, I’m human. But let’s get out of here, shall we?’
‘Gladly.’
We tied the two Nazis up and escaped back to the cays. There was too much crowd. While finding a way out we ended up in another ammunition depot.
‘Oh, great. Another ammunition depot,’ I said.
‘Yeah, I saw this place four days ago. This is where we got caught. They’re storing everything that needs to be loaded into the U-boats.’
Johnston started to search the crates and boxes.
‘Yeah, these are the max,’ he cheered when he saw the guns and other weapons in it.
He took out a Walther P38, a Mauser Kar 98 K, an MP40 and a few stick grenades.
I was searching the back wall and then I found a door that was locked.
‘Hey, this door…, where’s it leading too?’
‘Outside. It’s the door we used to get in.’
‘Interesting.’
‘What is?’
‘A door leading to the outside.’
‘Well, every door leads to the outside, just like every door leads to the inside,’ said Johnston joking while I studied the lock. Than I knew how to open the door.
‘Johnston, where are those grenades?’
‘Right here,’ he said giving me one.
‘I think, I know, how we can get out of here.’
‘Really, how?’
‘With the grenade and a piece of duct tape.’
‘Duct tape? Duct tape? What kind of soldier walks around with duct tape?’
‘My kind of soldier.’
I taped the grenade at the lock of the door. Around the pin I tied a piece of wire and when we ducked for cover, I pulled the wire. The grenade exploded and the door got blown away.
‘I don’t know how your mind works, MacGyver, but I like your style.’
‘Yeah, let’s go.’
We ran into the night air looking for some sort of transport. We came back at the sea in an area next to the cays of the U-boats where other boats were stationed. Also those boats got their cleaning ups and restorations. They got welded, supplies was getting boarded.
‘Those supplies,’ I said, ‘are they from the ammunition depot?’
‘I don’t know. Could be.’
I looked around and saw trucks delivering the food.
‘Apparently not. I think they’re coming from those trucks. Let’s get closer.’
We got closer and saw a truck abandoned and unguarded, so we took our chance to escape. We jumped in the truck and to our surprise there were still keys left. We started the truck and took off at incredible speed leaving the Nazis scratching their heads. Some in front of us dared to stop us but they could only jump aside. We drove back through the entrance where the other two guards were and then we drove into freedom leaving them firing at us.
(The music reaches it's peak and we fade out here)

[MacsChick]

I really like how you intersperse headlines into this story. It makes it seem all the more realistic and authentic. Keep up the good work!

[MacGyverGod]

Thanks that was the idea.