Turn 2: Dawn
Light begins trickling forth from between the heavy, intimidating clouds that fill the sky with gray tones. After checking all of the squads assigned to the reconnaissance mission, Anselm had urged all of the "footmen" personnel to climb onto the hulls of their vehicles for the first section of their trip to the crossroads. The departure is slow, almost lazy, as the several vehicles maneuver slowly out of the camp before gaining more speed as they move away, leaving the lights and activity of the headquarters behind them. Although the drizzle has stopped bothering the soldiers the same can't be said of the cold winds that seem to change directions now and then, buffeting the faces of the Panzergrenadiers riding on the hulls of the fast-moving fighting vehicles. Warm clothes and, in the case of some, the heat radiating from the roaring diesel engines, provide a minimum of comfort and a protective embrace against the natural elements.
Your armored car is one of many following the ones commanded by more seasoned commanders as the scouting force heads towards Bastogne's crossroads, most of them comforted by the certainty the advanced motorcycle recon unit advancing ahead will notice any ambushes or the kind of trouble best avoided or left alone. Anyone perceptive enough may notice the path you are taking deviates slightly from the plan and halfway to your objective, Anselm waves for all to stop in an area with natural cover before moving his car around and assigning each squad their tasks. It becomes clear the NCO has gone to great lengths to prevent the enemies from discovering their actual and to keep radio silence. Named Squad II, you are part of the group under the supervision of Unteroffizier-Anwärter Hermann Bohn, tasked with breaking off from the main group and scouting the west of the Bastogne's crossroads for advanced elements of the British and USA armies and report back in case any are found.
The rest of the trip to the objective is tense, with occasional stops which have the veteran commanders try to discern any sounds in the background that may announce an aerial or armored attack from the Allied forces. Upon reaching the designated location each group takes their separate ways, with Anselm staying behind in his SdKfz 232, camouflaged and mostly hidden by fallen trees and branches, its large "bedframe" antenna the last thing to disappear as you move away. Progress slows down to a point the soldiers clinging to the hull may safely follow the car on foot; you are forced to stay away from roads and rely on the Puma's off-road capacity, followed by older armored car models that soon split off to cover as much ground as possible, leaving a single Sd.Kfz. 232 with a 2cm autocannon as its main weapon following behind.
The dark skies, close-by woods and the occasional bomb crater assist in keeping your advance apparently unnoticed by the enemy, as demonstrated by the lack of shells and bullets flying your way. Silence is broken as the radio crackles into life and NCO Bohn says movements have been detected around your area, approximately one kilometer straight ahead. He then proceeds to order any nearby units to converge onto that point and give a more detailed report of the situation. The road is already out of your sight, hidden by trees lining its sides, and there's enough cover to check the source of the noises without much exposing yourselves too much. The man's gruff voice comes out of the headphones, clear and inflexible.
"Squad II, position confirmed?"
Rookie: Sd.Kfz. 234/2 that appears to never have engaged in combat. It is painted with appropriate camouflage for the region and seems otherwise unremarkable. Its hull is mildly wet and cold.
Weapons: 1x 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 gun (Turret), 1 x MG42 (Co-axial).
Equipment: Camouflage paint, camouflage netting, 6x smoke launcher tubes (6), spare wheel, tools, 2x Tellermine 43.
Ammo: 55 x 50mm projectiles [20x Sprgr. 38 (HE), 15x Pzgr. 40/1 (APCR), 10x PzGr (AP-HE), 10x PzGr. 39 (APBC-HE)]; 2,850 x 7.92mm ammunition.
Engine: Tatra 103 V12 diesel (85 km/h top speed)
Luck Points: 4/4
Characters:
Commander: Unteroffizier-Anwärter Hans Fuchs - Commander [Harry Baldman]
Gunner: Panzergrenadier Hans Schultz - Gunner [smurfingtonthethird]
Driver: Obergefreiter Reiner Uhlig - Veteran Driver [adwarf]
Support: Gefreiter Nora Fuchs - Support Veteran [Tiruin]
Support: Panzergrenadier Thomas Fuchs - Support [Yoink]
Support: Gefreiter Heinkel Kaufmann - Support Veteran [NAV]
This turn was delayed thanks to morning classes and also massive headaches, courtesy of the flu.