[MacGyverGod]

Day off of work, so it's time for chapter 9. Going to speed things up now, planning the next chapter for upcoming Friday already. We're nearing the end now of the final full year of war before going into 1945. The allies have succeeded in liberating France from the Nazi threat and are now continuing there way to Berlin. But before they get to Berlin they have to survive the Battle of the Bulge first. Enjoy!

(We fade in as the texts of Headlines VII appears and the track Billy's Duel from North and South starts playing)
Headlines VII
June 1944 – April 1945

Allies assaults the beaches of Normandy

June 6 1944
During an operation with the codename ‘Overlord’ two allied armies with more than one hundred thousand of American, British and Canadian soldiers has landed during sunrise on the coast of the North French Normandy. The command to take in Normandy came from general Eisenhower, chief commander of Europe. First parachutists were dropped behind the German coastline defense to provide cover to the soldiers who stormed the beaches in amphibian tanks. They fought their selves a passageway through the German defense to free the first parts of French soil. The most headstrong resistance of the Germans took place on a beach with the codename ‘Omaha’, where three thousand allies got killed. The preparations for the landing in Normandy were very accurate. An air offensive on the German communication lines in North France lasted several weeks as the allies tried continually to misguide the Germans by persuading them that the most important attack would take place in Pas de Calais instead of Normandy. More troops will go ashore tomorrow.

Launching V-1

June 13 1944
Adolf Hitler released the German flying bomb on South England. This deadly gaunt weapon with wings underneath the fuselage flies with a speed of 563 km per hour and has a reach of 257 km. The V-1 is fired from a catapult on scaffolds in the North French Pas de Calais. She is steered by a gyroscopic compass driven by a pulsing reactor. The heading contains not less than a ton of highly explosives. If the V-1 has flown a programmed distance, the engine stops. The bomb crashes and explodes within fifteen seconds. The V-1’s has already hit very vulnerable places including a monastery, a church and a hospital. The British population was given the advice to find cover if they hear the strange engine stop. The population says that it’s safe as long as you can hear the motor.

Assassination attempt on Hitler

July 20 1944
Adolf Hitler has survived an assassination attempt in his headquarters ‘Wolfs nest’ in East-Prussia. A suitcase bomb was placed underneath a table in the meeting lounge of Hitler. A giant explosion destroyed the whole lounge and three higher officers were killed. Hitler himself survived it with a few scratches and bruises. The assassination plot was guided by Claus von Stauffenberg, a crippled war hero who fought on the Russian front in 1943. The conspirators will probably be executed. The Führer has interpreted his escape of death as a signal that he must continue his lives work.

Allies liberates Brussels

September 3 1944
The Belgian capital is been freed by the British. Incredible scenes of joy are happening, while in the laboratory of Labor-Ciné in the same bath at the same time German films and first footage of the liberation of the country is being developed. The next day also the Belgians of Brigade Piron has been welcomed festive.

Japanese marine crushed near Leyte

October 26 1944
After a three-day sea battle in front of the coast of the Philippines, the American battleships started to chase down the unworthy survivors of the Japanese marine. General Douglas MacArthur, general commander of the battle force in the Pacific, has landed on the Philippine island of Leyte to congratulate his troops for their successful invasion of the strategic island. He declared that ‘the Japanese marine has suffered their most crushing defeat of the war’.

Allies bombs Dresden bland in one night

February 15 1945
The beautiful historical town Dresden in Germany has been destroyed by an air raid of the allies. Three nights long about eight hundred British Lancaster-planes and three hundred American Flying Fortresses harassed this artistic town merciless. A big part of the beautiful architectural courtyard lays in ruins. Dresden had been through so little aerial assaults that all the artillery has been removed. The amount of deaths runs up to one hundred thousand, including many fugitives, and total amount of victims has been estimated to four hundred thousand. The bombardments has caused a storm of critics all over the world. In the United Kingdom they accuse observing marshal Sir Arthur Harris, head of the R.A.F. bomb throwers for holding to his relentless controversial theory that terror bombardments are enough to break the battle lust of the enemy. Higher military officers are in heavy discussion about the need to attack such an unimportant strategic target. They preferred to have seen the bomb throwers assaulting German communication lines and oil-installations.

The US takes Iwo Jima

February 23 1945
The flag of the United States is waving on top of the mountain Suribachi, the highest point of the island Iwo Jima in the South Pacific. Four days ago a heavy offensive against the Japanese troops who dug their selves in. American battleships, cruisers and fly deck ships took the island under a merciless fire. In a battle for control six thousand and eight hundreds American recruits lost their lives and eighteen thousand got hurt. There is still a long struggle ahead before this island can be converted into a fly basis from where the island around Japan can be bombarded.
(The music reaches it's ending and we fade out here)

(We fade in with a night exterior shot of the plane with no music on the background)
Chapter 9
Battle of the Bulge
December 16 1944
05:30 AM
Night

Operation Overlord lasted till the end of August where it ended in a battle for Paris and resulted in it’s freedom. In the past six months we saved most of France, Belgium and The Netherlands. Now we were in Belgium on a plane over the Ardennes. We heard that Hitler planned despite his closer coming defeat a last grand scale offensive trying to take control again over this land. According to our information Hitler had multiple reasons why he chose the Ardennes as operating ground. Mainly because in this area he booked his first successes at the beginning of the war. Only this time the settings were somewhat different. The allies are in control of the airspace, now, but if Germany take out twenty or thirty of our divisions, the battle can be decided in their advantage. Also the goal of Hitler was if he would win one last military operation there would be a chance for negotiations to end the conflict peacefully. Hitler had the idea of one last major operation since September of this year. That was when the systematic preparations for this operation begun. Day of executing: today. This was the first time since September something happened in the Ardennes.
‘Alright, gentlemen. This is it!’ O’ Neill said. ‘Hitler had the idea of taking over the Ardennes again. We all know why. Let’s show him that this was a bad idea. Get ready to jump.’
While getting up, I had a little déjà vu. I had to think back at our bushmaster competition. Except this time it was dark and cold.
‘Jump!’ O’ Neill said.
I jumped into the darkness. From where I was the darkness looked like a bottomless pit. I continued my freefall and than opened my parachute. The air was cold and all I could see was the firing below. I arrived on the ground several minutes later along with the others.
‘Is everyone here?’ O’ Neill asked.
‘Yes, we are,’ Jack said.
‘We’ve got a mission to accomplish,’ O’ Neill said. ‘In this area the Fifth Panzer Army should be located. They got assigned to the middle route in order to retake Brussels. Let’s make sure, this doesn’t happen again. I know due to the weather circumstances we have low visibility but the U.S. 28th and 106th Infantry Division are in this area as well to help out. There are German outposts that needs to be taken out. OK, everybody spread out.’
We spread out, because of the fog and the snowing we didn’t go to far away from each other. Beside the distant firing, it was creepy silent when we moved forward in the bush.
‘Mac! Mac!’ Jesse whispered out loud.
‘Ssshhh! What?’ I whispered back.
‘Got your back.’
‘Okay!’
Jesse. He was always the most worried and scared kid from us all but he was the one who was most sober. The little brother I never had.
In the distance we heard a closing comer sound.
‘Do you all hear that?’ O’ Neill asked.
‘Yeah,’ I acknowledged.
‘Alright, everybody hide.’
The good thing about the forest is, you can hide everywhere. Some of us hid behind trees, others behind bushes.
I hid behind some bushes with Jack and Jesse. A few trees further on my other side I could see O’ Neill and some of the others. They were looking at something that was hiding but coming closer in the fog. The sound become more hearable when they neared us and than out of the fog a tank boomed up. (The track First Down from the movie Lock Up starts playing now)
‘Holy God!’ Jesse exclaimed.
The tank passed us by but two more appeared. Their cannons fired all around us. The first tank turned around and before we knew we were surrounded.
‘Attack!’ O’ Neill ordered. ‘MacGyver, protect our flank.’
Our company attacked the tanks. They climbed up on it and opened fire in their entrance hatches. I stayed on the ground protecting the flank for possible other Nazis.
Andrew and his friends threw some grenades into their tank hatch. They jumped off.
‘Oh, MacGyver, get down!’ Andrew screamed and pushed me to the ground.
The explosion lifted the back of the tank up a couple of inches. They whooped and cheered over the spectacle.
‘Was that really necessary?’ I asked.
‘I’d say so. After all, they’re the ones who are supposed to die, right?’ he said clearly not knowing better.
‘Come on, get up!’ O’ Neill barked and pulled me back up to my feet.
Andrew got up himself.
‘We’re now in the middle of it and we have to keep on going. Come on!’
We ran further into our destined direction. The artillery fire became heavier and louder the closer we got to it. By covering each others back we protected one another.
In the middle of the gunfire we had to make our plans to take out the German outpost not so far ahead of us.
‘Alright, listen up,’ O’ Neill barked. ‘MacGyver, you will take out the gasoline and ammunition depots, just as you did in Austria. We’ll give you the covering fire, alright? You got the explosives, right?’
The firing around us became very intense, too intense.
‘Andrew, Charles, covering fire!’ O’ Neill ordered.
‘Right!’
The two men got up and fired back at the Nazis.
‘Yeah, I got the explosives in my pack,’ I acknowledged.
‘Alright, now, according to the map, you have to be here, here, here and here,’ he said pointing to various locations on the map that were crossed with a red marker. ‘It’s very simple, you just have to go all around the building. You blow up their ammunition depots, their gas supplies and if you can their parked trucks as well. In the meantime, the guys and me will clear out the main building.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Good!’
‘You can do it, Mac!’ Jack said.
‘We’re counting on you,’ Neill said.
‘Covering fire!!!’ O’ Neill said.
The company opened fire and I ran to the first ammunition depot.
‘Go, Mac, go.’
‘All clear!’ I yelled back.
‘OK, let’s take over the outpost,’ O’ Neill ordered.
I saw them running to the entrance of the outpost.
The door to the ammunition depot was locked. While searching for my SAK, I bended through my knees. When I was busy locking it, the door got opened from the other side causing the door to hit me in the head.
‘Was? Ein Amerikaner!’ the startled Nazi yelled.
(Subtitle: 'What? An American!')
Dazed I tried to regain my senses. I was on one knee when I was almost back in reality than suddenly I felt the Nazi’s boot against my cheek. Again I hit the ground. My arms, I kept them against my face for the pain. He was about to kick again, than I caught his foot by surprise. I twisted his foot causing him to fall over. A firm right against his face weakened him but he wasn’t out yet, not until the second blow. I shook my hand from the pain and than I entered the ammunition depot. It looked like the one in the Austria, they’re all the same. On strategic places I placed the explosives around the depot. I set the timer on five minutes and than I placed the other explosives in the second ammunition depot and also on three trucks at the back of the outpost. The shooting inside the depot was intense. Than I ran to my last marker. That was the gasoline depot. There was only one problem. I didn’t have enough explosives. In fact, I totally ran out of. I looked around to see if I could use something that might help. Nothing.
In the middle of the room their were barrels stacked on each other from the ground up to the ceiling. I checked them out, knocking on the side if they were full or empty. By unscrewing the cap on top of the barrel I opened it up. The smell of gasoline tickled my nostrils. With my knife I went in the barrel and took a sample of it on my blade.
‘Gasoline indeed,’ I said while putting my knife away again.
Come on Mac, time’s wasting. Since there were was like nothing else that could help me out I took the first aid kit out of my pack. With the few bandages I had, I made a small package with a fuse on. I stuffed it in the barrel and rolled the fuse out after I soaked it in alcohol. Added a burning match to it to light it and than I got out of there. I ran away from it when the flame was about to reach to opening of the barrel. I ran back to where I came from and than an enormous explosion followed, destroying the gasoline depot. Than the other timers stopped and exploded as well. The ammunition depot and the trucks exploded as well. (The music fades away here)
I saw the others coming out of the outpost looking at the explosions. They were cheering except for O’ Neill. He nodded in approval. I walked back up to them.
‘Now, where the hell are you, MacGyver?’ he wondered.
‘Looking at the fireworks, guys?’ I asked.
‘Mac!’ Jack cheered. ‘You did it again, buddy.’
‘Good job, soldier!’ O’ Neill said.
‘Did you get the bad guys inside?’
‘We own this outpost, now,’ O’ Neill said.
‘Good, now what?’
‘We wait for the U.S. 28th and 106th Infantry Division and their orders from higher up.’

At 6:15 a.m. the U.S. 28th and 106th Infantry Divisions arrived at our outpost with their tanks, trucks and troops. Their commander walked up to O’ Neill.
‘Colonel O’ Neill, good job in taking in this outpost,’ he said as both men saluted each other on the proper way.
‘We couldn’t have pulled this off without the help of major MacGyver, who destroyed their supplies deliveries.’
‘Major, congratulations on a job well done,’ he said and shook my hand.
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘It’s up to us now, I’m afraid. The generals has sent me to you to give you new orders.’
‘We’re listening,’ O’ Neill said.
‘You have to report yourselves back at the base.’
‘What? Why? We just got here, the battle has only begun,’ Andrew protested.
‘General’s orders, soldier!’ the commander bit back. ‘The war has been progressing in our advantage. They want to plan ahead and prepare an invasion in Berlin. We need our most experienced men for this and the Stargate Company is part of it.’
‘We understand!’ O’ Neill said.
‘You have to report first thing in the morning.’
‘This morning or tomorrow morning?’ Neill asked.
‘This morning. If this invasion in Berlin works out the war might be over soon after six long years. It all depends now, on how long it takes to prepare this invasion and on how long the battle here takes. The Nazis are doing a good job in sending everything into haywire.’
‘So the end of the war is in sight?’ Jesse asked.
‘Yeah, but don’t bring out the champagne just yet. The war can still go on for months or a year or maybe longer. The war should be completely over in like two years tops. That’s at least my guessing.’
‘I guess, we better move on than,’ O’ Neill said and directed himself to us. ‘You heard the man, we have to report ourselves in the morning, so we better go now and see what they’re planning to do on this invasion of theirs.’
The commander nodded.
‘Sir, it’s been a, strangely said, pleasure,’ O’ Neill said greeting the man again.
‘Yeah, that truck over there will take you back to the base.’
‘Good luck, further on!’

In the weeks that followed up in the Battle of the Bulge, I heard wild stories about the situation down there. As the commander, who send us back to the base, said the Nazis caused a lot of confusion with the allies. On the first days we didn’t realize how bad the situation was. The messages of the front were often vague and argued with each other. We couldn’t exactly figure out what the purpose was of the Germans. It was hard to believe that Hitler succeeded in foiling the Saar offensive of General Patton with a massive counter-offensive. There was a lack of information due to cut telephone wires. In the night of the sixteenth on the seventeenth of December twelve hundred German parachutist landed on the front increasing the panic and confusion with the allies. Though it was the only thing the Nazis achieved because most of the parachutists were inexperienced men just as the pilots and only two hundred made their target, but also they couldn’t make a difference in the battle.
On December 23rd once again the war turned into our favor because of the improving weather conditioning. This allowed our air forces to perform and aerial assault on the German supplies points in the rear and the P-47 Thunderbolts attacked the German troops on the road. Despite the attacks Hitler refused to give in. But their expectations were way, way too high. The condition of the roads were bad, their was an increasing lack of gasoline, and our aerial assaults were too much for the Nazis to handle. Above that the allied forces succeeded in freeing Bastogne. The German offensive has passed it’s highlight. No matter what Hitler’s staff said about cancelling the offensive, he didn’t listen and ordered that the offensive must go on till the end. When the situation was reviewed by the generals on the western front at the 28 of December they concluded that the continuation of the offensive was pointless. Despite everything an offensive warfare seemed the best way to keep the war going if new troops were available. That day, Hitler called for his generals out of Heeresgruppe G, who was part of Operation Nordwind. Hitler had to admit on this meeting that the Battle of the Bulge wasn’t the success, he had hoped for, but an immensely relaxation of the situation was born in the western sector because the allies had to reform their plans. According to Hitler, he could end the operation if Operation Nordwind succeeds and can continue the Battle of the Bulge in order to end successfully. One more time Hitler wrote out his plans again and showed it to his military staff. This was about the being or not being of the Third Reich and the national-socialistic worldview. At this point in battle it was about maintaining the essential values of the German people and to put the Reich as a solid nation in safety. Hitler wanted that no one would doubt his determination to continue the war.
On the first of January 1945 Hitler launched two new operations to keep the offensive going. The Luftwaffe launched Operation Baseplate, a major campaign against the Allied airfields in the Low Lands. They destroyed and damaged over four hundred planes. But the operation was for the Luftwaffe ineffective and remained severely weakened behind. The last major German offensive of the war on the western warfront was Operation Nordwind. But with the reinforcements sent by Eisenhower the Allies was able to stand their ground to the German army. On the 7th of January Hitler agreed in retreating his troops and SS Panzer divisions from the Ardennes and on the 25th of January the Battle of the Bulge was over. This whole battle came as a surprise to the Allied forces since we got so used thinking that once so powerful Wehrmacht was about to fall down. The offensive led to panic at the highest level. But thanks to the great leadership of our generals, we managed in freeing the Ardennes.
(We fade out here)

[MacsChick]

You know, it's amazing to me that you're not getting more readers commenting on this story. I think it's creative and different, and I for one am enjoying it very much. I just wanted to let you know that. Thanks!

[MacGyverGod]

Well the counter changes every day, so it's read. Maybe it's because of the intense and brutal violence at some points and alternate to the show. Mac did fire a gun in the last chapter, but so he did in the Pilot. But I at least know you actually do. Thanks for reading it. Next chapter coming soon.

[Kyrian]

MacGyverGod,

This story is awesome...very detailed and informative.
You have put so much effort into the research of the history of the war.

Last night I made myself sit still long enough to read the whole story. (I usualy dont have time to REALY sit at the computer for long.)

I love the way you have blended MacGyver and O'Neill history too!
Keep up the great work.

[MacGyverGod]

Thanks. Chapter 10 comes soon, I'll try later today.