March 6th 1945: somewhere on the outskirts of the Rhineland- Palatinate.
Kamaraden! An urgent message has just been received from HQ! We must proceed with best possible speed to the Lundendroff Bridge, and quickly assist with all other units in the area to mount a defense of the Lundenoff Bridge, and keep the Allied invaders from entering our beloved Homeland. Our orders are to guard the bridge so that all civilians in the area may cross back into Germany and assist in defense of the homeland. Elements of Allied 99th infantry as well as Airborne Unit’s are closing in on the town and Bridge, and they must be STOPPED at all COSTS!
When the order came down As Company SGT I quickly assembled our crew for transport of our armor to the bridge area. However, when the train arrived it was damage by Allied Jabo’s in the area and the Locomotive had damage to its air lines. UnterScharfuhrer Derr jumped into action and with some spare parts from an old air compressor quickly repaired the train. As we pulled out of the station we were full of confidence and pride. We will stop this threat to the homeland!
The trip went well but as we neared the assembly area the weather turned foul and as we arrived we were greeted to mixed sunshine with scattered rain. After the vehicles were unloaded we quickly set up camp and assembled the men for a briefing. At the briefing it was determined that Allied infantry were trying to probe our lines and we would take a recon force with the halftrack to track the Allied scum and alienate them with lighting force. Meanwhile our Stug platoon had just come from the repair shop. The mechanics made the repairs in haste so we needed to go over them to make sure we were ready for battle.
In the Morning our Infantry lead by UnterSchafuhrer Brennamen went out in search of the Allies. Along with other units our brave Soldaten located the opposing force, took the objectives, and made short work of the threat. Upon returning they were able to take a break as we assembled our impressive force to defend the bridge.
We headed out into town to the cheering crowd and quickly crossed the bridge to set up defenses. Once set up we started encountering civilians coming to safety. It wasn’t long before sounds of gun fire were heard and we hunkered down to defend the town and the bridge. The battle was long and hard but the sheer numbers of Allied soldiers could not be stopped. We fought bravely and took many casualties as we prepared a slow retreat to the other side of the bridge where our clever Engineers’ had prepared for this very outcome. The bridge was wired for destruction. The minute everyone one was safely on the German side we would send the bridge and the invaders into the Rhine!
However it did not go as planned and even though many explosions damage the bridge it did not fall. After many days of hard fighting the Allies finally crossed and we retreated to a defensive position to try and stop them. This is not the end for the Reich! We will fight ON!
Many thanks to all who came out for this event. If you have never been to this event, you need to come. We did have some minor issues with the transport and big shout out to Garrett Derr for patching up the tow vehicle so we could get there. It was the maiden event for our newly converted 251 halftrack and she ran and drove like a champ. It is now known in the reenactment community as the best running track in the hobby. Likewise the Stug still need a lot of work but she runs good and drives good after the engine swap and should have many years before we have to do a major overhaul again. Once again thanks for everyone who helped and came out. Next event is Odessa NY September 8th - 10th. Hope to see you there!
Haputshafuhrer Jochien Michien
7th Company 9th SS Hohenstaufen
