//------------------------------// // Chapter 50 // Story: Equestria: World War II (1939-1941) // by The Unseen //------------------------------// 5TH APRIL 1940 ------------------------------------------------------THE GERMANY-DENMARK BORDER------------------------------------------------------- It was now 2:00pm in this area, which meant it was 3:30pm in Equestria. Commander Artur Holland his tank crew, in their new Panzer IIIEs, were driving along the roads to the border crossing between Germany and Denmark. The Allies had been attempting to cut off Sweden's shipments of iron ore to Germany, which was vitally needed by Germany for their industrial and military needs. The Allies had laid mines in the channel between Norway and its offshore islands to destroy any shipments. In fact, a cargo ship carrying iron ore to Hamburg had already hit one such mine. Although it hadn't sunk, it had been pretty badly damaged, the Allies had seized the ship, its crew, and cargo, stating that the vessel had been involved in war crimes. Today, they would prevent that from happening. To make sure Sweden stayed safe from the wrath of the Allies, Germany would take Denmark and Norway, as well as their territorial waters, to make sure that they had all the natural resources these countries had to offer. This way, Germany's industry and military's supply chains would stay satisfied, and they wouldn't suffer from any shortages. They knew that the Allies would instantly arrive to fight them as soon as they heard the news that they were invading Denmark and Norway, but that was no problem with the new equipment they had been taking. Plus, they would also have aerial support from the mighty Luftwaffe, should that be needed, and there were close to forty Panzer IIIEs in this tank company, so they would be able to hold out for quite some time, and possibly progress even more into Denmark. They were approaching a border post, driving on a dirt road, and they would reach the post in 3 minutes. As they approached, it felt more isolated than usual, which was surprised. They hadn't even seen any agricultural land in some time, so this place was in the boondocks, as the Americans would say. As they approached the border post, they could see the Danish troops getting to their positions, and heard the alarm ringing, knowing they were under attack. As the Panzers charged towards the border post with no intention of stopping, the Danish troops began firing at them. However, Holland instantly activated the ALP-1 weapon on his Panzer IIIE tank, which shot multiple rockets at the Danish border post. The second the rockets hit the post, it caused a massive explosion, and when the post was visible, they saw that it was totally destroyed, on fire, and majority of the soldiers were dead. However, there were some survivors, who had been taken by shock at how their whole unit had just been wiped out in a single blow. Some of the soldiers who had been accompanying the tanks then grabbed their guns, and began executing the remaining Danish soldiers. Holland began egging his men, to not execute the soldiers instantly, but instead, capture and torture them, so as to get information as to where more Danish military units could be hiding, so that there would be no surprise ambushes, despite the intel they had been given saying there was no such chance. "Once you're done getting information from those guys, you can kill them, or just take them with us. I don't care. If you're going to kill them, make it painful." said Holland to his troops, as they gleefully proceeded to carry out his orders. Once that was all done, they proceeded to head towards the first town they had seen in some time, Hanvus, which was a mining town. It was small, with only 1,400 people living in it, and it had a large oil mine in it. The Germans were going to try to capture this mine, which would be vital to war efforts. It would supply the fuel to power the infrastructure of the proud land of Germany, thought Holland, as the company of Panzer IIIEs headed towards Hanvus at around 45 kilometers per hour. They also saw and heard multiple Luftwaffe aircraft above them. That was when a voice came in his radio. "Tank Company Jötnar, this is Razor 1, your air support here. Do you read me?" asked the voice. "This is Commander Artur Holland of Tank Company Jötnar, we read you loud and clear, Razor 1." replied Holland. "Good. I'm the leader of a pair of Stukas, and we'll help you out on your way to Hanvus. There is a roadblock about 5 kilometers from your current position. It is being guarded by multiple soldiers, as well as L-180 armored cars. You should be able to get through it, though." said the pilot of Razor 1. "Thanks for the advance warning, Razor 1. We'll take this town easily." said Holland, as the tanks began going offroad, to avoid any anti-tank mines placed on the main road, if any had been placed. However, as they went offroad, they also decided to go near the roadblock, to take it out, and make the town easier to access for German reinforcements. As they got nearer to the post, they realised explosives wouldn't do, as they would trigger the mines, and that would cause more destruction, which was not what they wanted to do. Thankfully, the IIIEs had been equipped with a new weapon to avoid just that. As they neared the post, the soldiers could hear the tanks, and went on alarm, and someone went and placed more mines, so as to be ready for them. Little did they now what was coming, thought Holland, as some of the tanks snuck out of the forests, in front of the troops who began firing. The tanks skillfully avoided the mines that had been placed, and although one did explode under a tank, thanks to the IIIE's improved protection, it did not damage the tank in anyway, apart from making its crew's ears ring. Holland and the four tanks that had emerged from the forest with him then activated their new deadly weapon, a gas dispenser. It dispensed the same Zyklon B gas that the Nazis used at their concentration camps to disinfect those who were unfit for the regular German population, such as Jews, the disabled, brown, and black people. Thanks to the rate of dispersion, the gas began surrounding the post instantly, suffocating all the soldiers, making them all gasp for air, and attack each other in their frenzy. Soon, all of the Danish soldiers lay dead. The tank crews were protected however, as the Panzer IIIEs had been certified against chemical weapons of all sorts. That was when Holland radioed, "Tank Company Jötnar, proceed forward." Then he called up Razor 1. "Razor 1, be advised, the post has been destroyed, beware of Zyklon B gas that we have deployed. Tell all German units coming this way that they will have to wait until the gas is dispersed." "Roger that, Tank Company Jötnar. We'll let them all know. Over and out." replied the pilot of Razor 1. "Alright, Jötnar, continue on. We're almost in Hanvus." said Holland, as the tanks continued on, charging towards the town of Hanvus. Soon, they were arriving in the town. Already, most of the small town was under shelter in their homes, but a lot of people were also in the mines. Ten of the tanks, including Holland's, headed to the mines, while the remaining thirty tanks headed to the main town to take over it. As they arrived at the mines, it was desolate, except for the two security guards guarding the mine gates, who instantly ran off on seeing the tanks, which just charged through the gates and headed to the mine shafts. As the tanks arrived at the mineshaft entries, they were surprised to see all of the miners there, standing with their hands up. Good. They had surrendered. Holland hopped out of his tank, grabbed his bullhorn, and began speaking a speech in Danish, that he had memorised. "Citizens of Hanvus, your town, and the rest of your country, today, is being taken over by the German Reich. You will have a good life under our rule. However, those who are unfit to live in the lands of the German Reich will be deported to our disinfectation centers. Those who are Jews, disabled, or suffer some mental illness, please come towards our tanks. We are not killing you." As the terrified miners began conceding to Holland's demand, he heard a voice coming from his radio. "Commander Holland. The whole of Hanvus has been taken. Most of them surrendered to us instantly, however, there was a daring group of Danish soldiers and citizens who attempted to stop us. They have been dealt with." came the voice one of Holland's officers. Holland grinned on hearing this news. Then, another broadcast came, this time from the main German command, back in Berlin. "The German Army, to all of those units who are hearing this, here is a progress update on our conquest of Denmark and Norway. Almost half of Denmark has been taken since we began the invasion at 12:00pm today. Norway is fighting back, so we haven't taken as much, only an eighth of that country. Keep fighting, whoever is hearing this, and take these lands, for the German Reich." said the voice, signing off and ending the broadcast. Holland grinned even more on hearing this. The Nazi Empire was increasing, and with it, so would the might of Germany. The Allies would soon know that they had underestimated Germany, and soon, they would pay for inflicting such harsh treaties on Germany after the end of the Great War, thought Holland, as his men began herding the miners, to the place where they would be kept.