Sgt. Klinkerhoffen had read a British poem written during the Great War which put him in mind of this mission.
The German Guns
Boom, boom, boom, boom,
Boom, boom, boom,
Boom, boom. Boom, boom,
Boom, boom, boom.
Whilst the British private who'd penned the poem was commenting on the German guns it was the British artillery which was the focus of Klinkerhoffen's mission.
Ahead through the silent desert lay the British lines and an artillery position that had been causing so much trouble to the main DAK force. The mission as laid out by Lt. Gruber was simple, destroy the guns and any ammunition reserves and then escape with their lives.
Gruber had picked a small team for this mission hoping that stealth would allow them to breach the enemy camp rather than brute force. So along with Klinkerhoffen (who also carried demo charges) Gruber had brought along Pvt. Schafer with his sniper rifle and Pvt's Geerhart and Grosse with the MG42.
The plan was simple, the privates would remain outside the camp and provide covering fire if the alarm was raised whilst Gruber and Klinkerhoffen would attempt to destroy one gun each and then look towards the ammo carrier.
Klinkerhoffen lead off whilst the Lieutenant arranged the position of the covering forces and he quickly penetrated the enemy lines near an unoccupied pill box. As a sentry wandered past oblivious of his presence he dashed forwards and killed him with his knife. Looking around no one else was in sight so he dragged the body back towards the deep shadows around the pill box.
By this point Gruber had the other men in position and was starting his own approach to the enemy lines hoping to make use of the gap in the patron route.
Then disaster!
For some unknown reason and at some undetected signal the guards switched their patrol direction. So rather than advancing into a gap instead the enemy started to move back towards the men at the edge of the camp.
As Klinkerhoffen crept towards the first gun an enemy dog patrol moved closer and closer to the main force until Schafer was forced to fire. Normally a reliable shot under pressure this time the bullet went wide and instead of the enemy dropping dead the alarm was raised.
Suddenly the enemy camp was alive with shouting and reinforcements being awaken and dashing to the front. Despite the pandemonium Klinkerhoffen kept steady and managed to set a charge on the first gun before backing off behind some sandbags.
The rest of the squad had however gotten bogged down in an exchange of fire firstly with a patrolling Tommy and then Gruber came under heavy but inaccurate fire from a British Officer. Their cover was well and truly blown.
With British reinforcements flooding the area and no chance of reaching the second gun Gruber called off the attack and Klinkerhoffen who had still remained undetected withdrew from deep in the enemy camp whilst the others covered him.
Overall the mission had not been a success but with no casualties or prisoners taken at least the squad lived on to fight another night.
