A war to close to home

by Bronycommander

Chapter 1 Something new on the Western Front

Chapter 1: Something new on the Western Front

You are not expected to survive. That’s what I learned after seeing so many die on the battlefield. Yet I have survived so far.

So many of us thought this war would be our rite of passage, our great adventure. Let me tell you, it was no adventure. Instead of adventure, we found fear, and in war the only true equalizer is death.

New killing machines, like the tank, changed the shape of the war overnight.

They push-we push. Every once in a while, we push hard enough that the light breaks through the clouds-so the world beyond the war glimmers-just out of reach.

The war is the world and the world is the war. But behind every gunsight is a human being. I’m one of those people.

The jaded and the naive. The honorable and the criminal. The bound-for-legend and the lost-to-history. The knights of the sky, the ghosts in the desert, and the rats of the mud.

This is my story.

---

Vosges, France. Spring 1917

My name is Herbert Baumer. I’m 22 years old. Volunteering straight from the school benches when I was 19, I, my classmates and my brother were enthusiastic, young and patriotic.

I’m the medic of the squad. I and my brother were born on a farm. I developed an interest for medicine when I was a child and became a medic. I use a Gewehr 98 with a bayonet as attachment and a Mauser C96 as sidearm. My brother, Holger, the Scout of the squad, has also a Gewehr 98 but with a scope and uses a Pistol 08 also known as “Luger” as sidearm. He’s likes to watch birds with his scope.

Then we have Fritz Krause, our support gunner, uses the Bergmann Model 1915 n.A. MG and a Kolibri, which is strange to me, as he’s the one who likes heavy weaponry, but he’s ability to carry a ammo crate when running low on ammo makes him a valued ally, like me with my Bandage Pouches, Medical Crate and my Medical Syringe with an adrenaline injection to revive critically wounded soldiers.

And last but not least our squad leader Manfred Bergmann. He uses the Carbine vision of the C96 and a Luger as sidearm. He used to be a cook before the war.

It was raining. I liked rain unlike my brother who hated it when it rained.
I was leaning against the cold wall of the trench, as I had a flashback.

---

“It is my duty…my honor… to prepare you for the part you must play in this Great War. Our homeland needs men with a strong will. It is my duty to prepare you for your duty for your Kaiser, for your fatherland. For your god.” Our teacher stood up.
“Germany is the nation of progress. The nation of culture. The nation of science, the nation of ideas. The nation of Beethoven…Schiller…of Goethe.” My brother was watching a bird outside.
“Baumer. Holger. What are you doing?”

“Drawing a bird, sir. A Yellowhammer.” The teacher inspected the drawing.
“Very good.” He got back to his desk.
“You have all passed your examination and as you know, graduated. The time for class is over; the time for duty has begun! Dismissed.”
Outside we were talking about joining the army.
“For duty, you will enlist, all of you, the entire class!” I did a quick salute.
“Of course!”
“Absolutely!”
For Kaiser and Vaterland!”
Together we were singing Die Wacht am Rhein.
We were trained by Bergmann himself and respected him. While he blocked every attack with a bayonet in training, I surprised him by faking a bayonet charge, then hit him with the butt of my rifle. He wasn’t angry but surprised and impressed by it.
Before we got onboard the troop train, mother told me, “Look after your little brother, Herbert.”
“I will, mother.”

During the years, of the 20 in the class who enlisted, 14 died, 2 went missing, 1 is in a madhouse, making me, my brother and our friend the only ones left.

Despite this, there were also good memories on the front, like the Christmas truce in 1914.

To be honest with you, I never had survived this long without my brother. He gave me cover while I recovered wounded soldiers and he never missed so far.

After this war is over, I want to be a vet or a pediatrician as I love children and I liked our cat, Tiger, back home. Apart from cats, I love ponies, especially the foals, as they are so cute!

My brother is like me when it comes to foals and children. Fritz wants to be a fashion designer after the war and designed some of our gas masks.

I never left a comrade behind and I got respected for that by many. I saw the enemy Mark IV in action, a destructive weapon, but Fritz had Anti-Tank Grenades for this. Also, I heard that we had tanks ourselves, called A7V Sturmpanzerwagen but they were still in production as Bergmann told me. I don’t think they will affect this war in our favor.

“Hey, comrade! You look good!” my brother brought me out of my thought.

“Thanks. Anything new on the front?”

“All quiet on the Western Front. The Brits must’ve been sitting down for tea and crumpets instead of attacking us. Even with my scope, I can’t see a single Tommy out in the no man’s land or the trenches.” He shook himself. “Does that rain ever stop?”

I laughed. “I don’t think so.”

Fritz joined us. “Thats annoying. Attack, retreat, defend, repeat. We should have built a wall through all of Europe, then we had saved this all!” he complained.

“If those bastards didn’t steal the work, I wouldn’t have to join the army!”

“You’re really the most depressed man I know,” Holger said to him.

“Sorry, it’s just really annoying! We need something exciting or new!”

“I agree. But at least it is quite quiet today.”

I chuckled at my brother’s comment. “Father always said you were a positive thinker!”

“Enjoy the war while you can, Herbert, the peace will be hell. Remember what mother used to say: ‘Make Earth your heaven.’”

“If this is heaven little brother, then we best stay away from hell.”

“Hey boys, how’s it going?” Bergmann joined us too as we had our talk.

“Very good. Hey, what’s that?” Fritz pointed to something in the distance. It was at the end of the trench, between our line and No Man’s land. My bother looked through is scope, and I saw how his mouth was open in shook.

“Nein, it can’t be. Sir, take a look at this.” He gave his rifle to Bergmann.

He also couldn’t believe what he saw. “Herbert, this looks like a job for you.” He gave it to me. Even I couldn’t believe it.

A filly with green eyes, pink mane which looked redder to me and brown coat was caught in barbed wire. It tried to get free but ended up hurting itself more in the process.

“Sir?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice. Get it to safety.”

I nodded and climbed out, covered by my brother and Fritz.

Either the Tommy’s didn’t care or didn’t saw it as no Brit came for it.

As I came closer, I saw that the filly’s left hind leg was caught in the wire and was bleeding. The wire was…. impaled in her leg! Poor foal. The leg was bleeding pretty badly but it wasn’t so bad. It would take some time to heal.

“P-please don’t hurt me.” It cried in panic. Wait a minute. Ponies can’t talk. Either the shelling caused me to imagine things or it’s driving me crazy or…

Someone patted me on the shoulder. Turned around, my sidearm drawn, it was a British Medic. He also couldn’t believe it what he saw but said to the foal,” You’re hurt, we can help you.” I could understand him as I had learned English.

Together we freed the foal. The Tommy said comforting words to the foal while I bandaged it. After that was done, I was about to ask who should take it as he waved his hand. “Take care if it Fritz, I’m actually the only one who has compassion for it.”

He went back while I carried the foal back to my trench.

“Thank you.” The foal said in German to me.

“It’s my job.”

I give her my canteen and the filly (I believe it was female) took a sip.

“Nice work, buddy. We make a good team!” my brother exclaimed.

“Cute, but what does a filly like you here?” Bergmann asked as if he would know that it can speak.

“I don’t know. I only remember that my sister tried to protect me from some bad ponies, one a unicorn, then a spell of it that hit me and then… an explosion that woke me up. In panic, I started to run and got caught in that wire. My name is Babs Seed by the way.”

Fritz, Bergmann and Holger couldn’t believe that Babs just talked. “My name is Herbert Baumer, this is my brother Holger, our friend Fritz Krause and our officer Manfred Bergmann.” I introduced us.

Before Babs could reply, Fritz commented, “That’s something new on the Western Front.”

Author's Note:

My first WW1 Story, hope you enjoy it. The opening dialoge was based from the opening of Battlefield 1

Comments

[DJ_Whowhatwidit]

Pretty good, it's just a few grammar mistakes that could be fixed.

[Darthdarius117]

I just read the beginning of the chapter so far. Please don't tell me you just copy and pasted the script and dialogue from the game.

[TablingTable]

I love this story so far, great job man.

[Tank Commander]

You could've called the British salad heads because the Germans called them that too but still works good chapter

[Bronycommander]

8036524 thanks but i never knew that before with the salad heads.