A new role for us.

[Giovanni Facilli]

At the age of seven, if the family of the child chose to do so, they signed off their sons life, and the Italian State would take them away, to be trained as the perfect soldier. They trained for Twelve years, and almost a quarter of the starting class, when they first arrived, would be killed during the twelve year training. These children that survived, were the perfect soldier. They didn’t care for the enemy soldiers they killed, they served one man, and one man only, their Emperor, and they would defend him with their very lives, and their very bodies, many of them were even members of the Italian Progressive Party, or more commonly known as the Giovanni Party. They were the Giovanni Guardsmen, a Branch of the Italian Armed forces which only held upwards of 100,000 soldiers. Two Thirds Less than an Army group in the Italian Army, which consisted of upwards of three hundred thousand soldiers.

The Giovanni Guardsmen were the best soldiers the world had ever known, and would probably ever know. They marched perfectly, aimed perfectly, drove perfectly, flew perfectly, attacked perfectly, and defended perfectly. At the age of nineteen, they had lost almost all negative emotions, but part of training at home was to teach you to retain some emotion, like having fun. Italians soldiers needed to have fun, especially Giovanni Guardsmen, as their task ahead of them in this war would be large and daunting, but if anyone could do it, they could.

A group of Over Forty large transport planes flew in formation with dozens and dozens of bombers, and were escorted by a large force of fighters. These bombers were tasked with bombing, well, the living crap out of anything below that them that even looked like a UPM Soldier, Tank, or even a UPM Dog. The fighter aircraft escorted this massive group, and the transport planes carried probably the most important loads. They carried upwards of Three Hundred Giovanni Guardsmen, over two dozen medium tanks, a few armored cars, and even a staff car for the commanding officer of the Battalion, perfectly polished. The loud sounds of the engines were something these men were far too used to, and most of them had blocked out the sounds of the planes and anti-aircraft with the loud singing of Italian Military Marches, like the Italian National anthem.

Their mission, tonight, was probably the most important mission they would complete in their lives. They were being dropped into Warsaw, a heavily defended city that the UPM Controlled, and they would seize it, with the assistance of the Polish Resistance, and hold it until the Italian Spearhead below them drove through, and Past Warsaw, liberating Warsaw from the UPM. It would be the first capital city the Italian Empire ever “Liberated”, as they were not conquering Poland, but liberating it from the UPM. This was a first for the Italian Armed Forces and a new role for the Empire as a whole. They would be hailed throughout the world as “Europe’s Liberators”. The men of this Battalion, should they complete their mission, were to also be given a great gift by the Emperor. They would participate in a small “Liberation Parade” of sorts in Warsaw, before going to meet the Emperor himself, which was practically the dream of every soldier in the Giovanni Guard. The Emperor was their god.

Below the planes, the outskirts of Warsaw could be seen, and quickly, the lights on the insides of the transport planes flashed on, signifying that the Men should get ready. The soldiers stood up, all preparing for the jump, while the transport planes carrying vehicles opened up their large, read doors after slowing down. As the landing zones came into view, the Lights flashed from red to green, and out poured the sticks of Men, their white parachutes opening up as they slowly began to drive towards the ground, the Larger parachutes belonging to the tanks, guns, and other vehicles soon opening too as they were pushed out the back of their planes, their crews following close behind, some choosing to drop in the tanks themselves. Warsaw, below them, was a war zone.

The black uniforms of the Men parachuting blended in with the darkness of early morning, and as flares could be seen being shot into the air by Enemy soldiers below, certain men that knew their job pulled out smoke grenades, pulling their pins before throwing them below. As a dense cloud of white smoke began to fill the landing zones around the Palace of Culture and Science, vehicles and men began to reach the ground.

The sounds of automatic fire whizzed though the air as the men began to fight to control their landing zones, the few mediums tanks that had landed were already giving massive damage to the surprised defenders of the City, many of which were un-prepared, and even a few who were half dressed, being awoken by the sounds of machine gun fire going off around them.

“Bring these damn tanks up and fire on that Light Vehicle, you idiots!” A sergeant, around the age of Twenty, yelled.

The medium tanks that were on the ground slowly began to move up after getting in their correct formation, and all began to search for targets, a single, light vehicle firing its machine gun at the Infantry as they fell from the sky. It took careful aim, and inside the tank, the commander yelled “FIRE!”

A loud blast came from the cannon of the tank, and seconds later, the light vehicle exploded in flames, members of the crew attempting to escape from the flames, but as they jumped out, they were struck down with machine gun fire.

“Where the hell are the Polish Resistance?” The same sergeant yelled. They were supposed to have the landing zone cleared for the Italian Forces.

[Nicholas Lorencio]

Walter Sobieslaw was in command of his normal battalion. They had snuck in the previous night into the city of Warsaw, and were to prepare for the Italian reinforcements that would help them retake the city. The night before was spent planning and preparing for this day, and every soldier under Walter’s command was jittering with excitement.

Walter checked his gear and made sure that everything was in check. He checked his watch and found the time, 11:30, half an hour tell the scheduled time for the Italians to arrive. Walter loaded a clip into his suppressed G11 and then walked over to his second in command, Codename Soaring Hawk. He motioned for him to get the other soldiers ready, which he did with the shout of an order. Soon all the soldiers were ready, suppressers on their guns and clips loaded, awaiting orders. Walter motioned them to follow him and they stepped out of the building and into the night sky.

They went through the back streets of Warsaw with relatively little encounters. One old man had witnessed them, but he noticed that they were members of the resistance, and actually quietly cheered them on. Walter smiled but waved for the man to get back inside and into relative safety. Soon the street that would take them to the town square where the majority of the Italians would be landing loomed up before them in the night sky. The street was one of the main ones and rather large and well lit. Walter had no other choice but to use this road and he hoped that it was unguarded.

Walter’s hopes were soon shattered when he motioned for his squad to stop. In front of him loomed a quite heavily armed guard unit stationed in front of the road leading to the square. It consisted of twenty or so soldiers and two jeeps, and the front of a light tank could be seen jutting out. Walter glanced at his watch and saw the time, 11:56, the Italians would arrive at any moment. Walter knew it was time to act, and he picked up his radio. “Command, this is Black Panther. The mission is a go. Send all units into motion, we are taking this city.”

A minute later the faint sounds of explosion and gunfire could be heard from the outskirts of the city. The guards noticed it too and began moving towards it when Walter motioned for his squad to fire. Immediately bullets rained down into the battalion and killed many soldiers. One of the Javelin missiles was fired and one of the jeeps was taken out, killing its crew inside. However the other enemy soldiers reacted fast, and soon they were in defended positions and a fierce firefight began.

The fire fight lasted several minutes however Walter’s squad won out in the end. Half of the guard battalion was killed and both jeeps and the tank were destroyed. The rest of the battalion fled down the street in an organized retreat. Walter decided not to pursue them but to continue to head to their destination of the town square.

Several minutes later they had arrived at the square but the signs of war were already there. A tank was destroyed and bodies littered the ground. Milling about and organizing themselves were the Italians that had been brought to Warsaw to help liberate it. Walter lowered his weapons and brought his hands up and walked into the square. Immediately several Italians came over and raised their weapons, but after a brief check Walter was cleared. Walter waved his squad over and then walked over to the Italian commander. “My name is Walter Sobieslaw, commander of the Polish Resistance. I am sorry we are late, we were held up by an unexpected enemy concentration down the road. The Resistance has begun their attack on the city and an all out siege has been called.”

[Giovanni Facilli]

The Italian Commander of this group of three hundred some men battalion was a very stern, strict man of the Giovanni Guard. He’d been a child during the great revolution of 1995, and when the revolution ended, and the Giovanni Guard was established, he was ten years old. With a lapse of children to join, they accepted children up to the age of eleven. His parents signed him up, and he was changed by the experience. He graduated top of his class, and came out an officer in the Giovanni Guard. As he went through war after war, blitzing France, then Eastern Europe, he rose up to the Rank that equaled an American Colonel.

His staff car, which had been dropped from one of the large transport planes, and had almost landed on the top of a high rise building before a strong gust landed it perfectly on the ground of a road secured by Italian Guardsmen which lead to the square, was perfectly polished, its black coloring and 1930s LaSalle styling signifying that it was an Italian Made staff car. As the driver drove it along the damaged roads, the large, circular lights light up the road, and the Italian Guardsmen that were now setting up defenses. The men saluted as the car rolled by, before continuing on their work.

As the staff car rolled into the square, and slowed to a stop at the front of the Palace of Culture. The driver, a Giovanni Guardsmen himself, stepped out, and opened the door for the Officer, saluting as he got out, and straightened his over-Coat. The landing he’d made a few minutes ago was less than perfect, but it could have been worse.

“Status Report!” The Colonel yelled at a sergeant, who came up to salute him.

“Colonel Di Francescantonio, We have lost no men, but a few were scratched up in the landing. Our medium tanks took out an enemy light tank, which was on fire until a few civilians assisted in dousing the flames before returning to their homes to sit out the battle. There was a firefight, as you already have noticed, but we have secured the square.” The sergeant replied.

“Good. Very good. I’m very pleased.” The colonel, Apparently last-named Di Francescantonio, stated. He looked around, and could see that a “Battalion Headquarters” sort of center was already being set up in the Palace of Culture and Science; He nodded, taking the leader briefcase out of the staff car and carrying it with him as he began to walk, his “Swagger Rod” in the other hand.

“Sir! The members of the Polish resistance have come. They’re late though, Sir!” A private yelled as he ran up to the colonel.

“Very Well. Better late than never, I suppose. They better have a good excuse, though.” He stated.

He turned around, and watched as a person he remembered from a news-paper he’d read years ago when this man had had a meeting with his Emperor, Giovanni Facilli. This was the Polish President, or, should he say, Polish Resistance Leader.

“Here, Take my Over-Coat. Tonight is a Nice night. I enjoy the smell of gunpowder in the air” the Colonel said, as he took off his overcoat, and handed it to the driver as he passed by him with a Major who had caught up with him along the way. The uniform of the Colonel was, as always, Perfect. The pitch black uniform, white insignia on the collars to represent his Rank, and a Black Visor cap with the Symbol of the Italian Empire and the Symbol of the Giovanni Guard in the exact center of the front. His boots extended up his thighs, and were perfectly shined. An officer had to look, If you would permit the use of an American slang word, Spiffy. A man from America had once been quoted after seeing the uniforms of the Giovanni Guard that they “Looked like they had taken the Waffen SS’s uniforms, somehow made them blacker, somehow shined the boots more, and somehow made the visor caps even more perfect.” Of course, the Giovanni Guard did not like being associated with the Waffen SS, and that man was no longer welcome in the Italian Empire.

The colonel made his way to greet the Polish Resistance Leader, and both of the Men, Himself and his Lieutenant, Saluted as they greeted Mr. Sobieslaw. For of habit dictated that they make the Roman Salute, but the Colonel caught himself, and couldn’t help but laugh at himself. The lieutenant noticed his commander laughing, and laughed himself too, but only for a moment.

“Greetings, Mr. Sobieslaw.” He stated. Before he could continue, Walter explained why they had been held up, and The colonel nodded, before saying “It’s quite alright. That is a perfectly fine excuse. I am Colonel Di Francescantonio, but please, you can call me ‘The Colonel’, or Just Achille, since that is my first name.”

The two shook hands, and Achille looked around, taking in the position of every building and every window. His mind was like a battle map, every window displayed the lines of fire that could be achieved, and every road the perfect place for a mine to be put. He looked up at the Palace of Culture and Science, and nodded, looking over at his Lieutenant as he said “I want four snipers up in the top of that building, one on each side, with two hundred rounds each. Give them spotters too. And shoot off the Blue Flare to get the Italian Air Force’s Attention. I need the battle maps.”

“Sir Yes Sir.”

“And make sure the snipers their Night-Vision Scopes. I believe they were dropped, weren’t they?”

“Yes sir.”

“Very good. Now get going. Ave Guesseppe.”

“Ave Guesseppe, Sir.”

“Now, Mr. Sobieslaw-“

Before he could continue, the sounds of two fighter aircraft could be heard screaming overhead. Achille looked up towards the sky, and watched as two black aircraft screamed overhead. He nodded, and knew instantly from the sounds of the engine and the shape of the plane that they were the Code-Name “Y-23” Aircraft, one of the newer Italian Fighter Aircraft. He watched as a back gently floated down, a white parachute letting it float to the ground a few feet away from Him. He stepped over to it, and picked it up, pulling off the parachute before opening it. Inside were the battle maps and many papers that would be needed for the ensuing battle, including the UPM Commander.

“So, Please, Tell me everything you can about the siege that is currently going on. Anything you can tell me will only help even more.” He said to Walter as he began to walk towards the Palace of Culture and Science, making sure that Walter was following behind.

[Nicholas Lorencio]

Walter was approached by what he could guess was the Italian commander of the Italian forces that were going to help liberate the city. The man approached him, his stunningly black and shiny coat blinding him even at night. With him was another man, an officer of some sorts. When they both reached Walter they saluted in the Italian fashion, and Walter returned the gesture, remembering the salute he had learned, although hadn’t used for quite some time. The man introduced himself as Colonel Di Francescantonio and they shook hands.

Immediately the Italian colonel studied his surroundings and after a brief moment ordered his troops into motion, most of them garrisoning and reinforcing the Palace of Culture and Science. Walter was quite amazed at how well he did this. He seemed to read the whole area as just a simple battle map, knowing exactly where to place his troops and exactly how the enemy would react. He respected this, his short time in the Polish Resistance had taught Walter much about being a military commander, and he knew it was difficult, especially since almost 24/7 you held the lives of hundreds of men in your hands.

The colonel turned back towards Walter after addressing the officer next to him and began speaking but was cut off by the sound of planes overhead. Two black fighters flew above and dropped a small package that gently floated down on a parachute. Once the package landed the Italian colonel retrieved it, and Walter could see that it contained numerous assortments of maps and papers, most likely for the battle ahead. The man began walking towards the Palace and Walter began following him. The colonel inquired about anything Walter knew about the battle.

Walter responded, thinking of every detail he knew, “We have surrounded the city and are attacking from all sides. Our attack mainly consists of infantry and light vehicles; however we do have a significant amount of heavy tanks and artillery. We have already begun an artillery barrage of the outer areas of the city, weakening their forces before pushing in with our troops. Planes and bombers that we have liberated are also going across the sky, bombing key locations and troop concentrations that we knew off. The previous night several Special Forces units were also dropped in, mine included. These forces have captured several key places, including the Royal Castle, Wilanów Palace, and Warsaw University. These forces have taken up defense and are currently holding off UPM attacks.”

“As for the UPM forces they have heavily defended the city, however there are flaws in their defenses. They have heavily defended the outskirts of the city in an effort to halt our advance. This will be difficult to break through. However they have failed to set up a large amount of garrison within the city. This will cost them dearly and should allow our troops already in the city an easier time. Also it appears they have a lack of anti-air, although they do have a large amount of anti-armor and the thin streets of Warsaw will make using tanks difficult. Finally we know that the UPM commander has housed himself in the Presidential Palace, and has also heavily fortified it.”

[Giovanni Facilli]

Achille nodded, listening to everything Walter said as they made their way into the Palace of Culture and Science, which was hastily being turned into a Divisional Sort of Headquarters for the Italian Forces involved in this battle. He kept everything Walter had said inside his head, thinking up ways for taking every single building. He sighed inside at the news that the UPM Commander had set himself up in the Presidential Mansion, he feared he’d do that in an important building. The Italian Air-Force had stated that, if requested, it would strike whatever building the UPM Commander was in. Doing that to the presidential Mansion would not be an option, not with the former occupant of it standing next to him.

Achille looked towards one of the soldiers, and stated “Prepare one of the largest rooms as my office. In addition, I want radio contact established with the Polish Special Forces groups held up in the Royal Castle, Wilanów Palace, and Warsaw University. In addition, I want The Major and the two Captains that were dropped to meet me in the room you prepare for me.”

The corporal saluted, and quickly ran off, Leaving Achille to pull out one of the large maps of Warsaw from the Leather Briefcase sort of bag. He unfolded it, and found a large table to set it down on, using rocks from the ground to hold the corners down as he pulled out a pen, and circled each of the buildings that Mr. Sobieslaw stated were in Polish Hands. He continued on, marking locations of Italian Troops, and the troops that Mr. Sobieslaw stated were within the confines of the city.

The corporal that had ran off minutes before soon returned, and saluted him, saying “Sir, Your headquarters has been prepared and the officers have been notified to come to this building immediately. In addition, we are attempting to make radio contact with the Polish Special Forces.”

“Good. Now show myself and Mr. Sobieslaw to our headquarters room. In addition, I need you to have radio contact established with both the Italian Army and the Italian Air-Force.”

“Very Well Sir.”

Achille followed the Corporal up two floors of the building, and eventually onto the third floor of the building. The entire floor was a very open space, with very few, if any walls. Achille looked around, and nodded, saying “Very well. This will work just fine. Have my Binoculars sent up here Immediately, I believe I left them in the staff car. In addition, I want whatever files you can gather on the UPM military commander here within the hour. The Italian Army should be able to help you with that”

The corporal nodded before saluting, and ran off once again to go get his binoculars. Achille found a large table, and pushed it up against the wall, before laying out the large map he had across it.

He stated, looking around as he put his visor cap and swagger stick down on the table “The best strategy I think he can adapt is that we need to take out the UPM Military Commander. With him down, from what I’ve heard with this man down the defenses inside Warsaw will collapse.”