12 Chapter 12

The large formation of British Transport planes and gliders closed in on Sicilian airspace for the parachute battalion insertion but with heavy winds accompanied by searchlights and AA fire turned the operation into a confused mess. Many of the gliders and transport planes were released prematurely with them crashing into the sea. The rest managed to arrive over Sicily but many were scattered far and wide throughout the Sicilian countryside with only a few managing to land near their objectives.

One British transport plane carrying a platoon of the 9th British Parachute battalion crash landed near a small lake with miraculously no one killed. A few were injured but many were able to climb out of the wreck and ready their weapons. It was a group of about 12 British paratroopers attached to the larger 9th British Parachute battalion who were here to secure the Ponte Grande Bridge in the Town of Syracuse. They were informed of an American Recon team on the island who would be able to help them provided they could meet with the local resistance.

The British soldiers grabbed the gear they could salvage from the transport plane and readied themselves when the searchlight of a German truck shined on them. The truck of about ten German soldiers shouted for the British to surrender or be shot but the soldier manning the searchlight was killed by a shot to the head and the rest were quickly gunned down afterward. The British soldiers were on alert with their weapons ready when they heard rustling coming from the north.

"Flash." They heard.

"Thunder." One of the British soldiers replied and out walked the five Americans and some Italian resistance members. "I'd never thought I'd be so happy to see five yanks."

"Lieutenant Anthony Marslow, US Naval Intelligence. Who's your commanding officer?" He asked.

"That'd be us. Sergeant Richard Webb and Sergeant Arthur Kingsley, British 9th Parachute Battalion." Two British soldiers walked up and introduced themselves. Richard Webb was a white British redcap with a Sten Submachine gun and Arthur Kingsley was an African-American British redcap with a Bren Light Machine Gun.

"Pleasure to meet you, yanks." Arthur said to them, shaking their hands. "Just the five of you."

"Just us and the local resistance. We've scouted out the town of Syracuse and the local coastal battery. Planned to wait around for more support before making the attack." Lieutenant Marslow told him.

"Sounds like a plan. The rest of our battalion was scattered around so we'd better find them before they get a German welcome." Webb suggested.

"Right. Let's move. Elbert, you're on point." Marslow told him.

"Roger that." Clark led them away from the airplane and they continued through the area while they still had the cover of darkness. Clark's enhanced vision made it easier for him to lead them through the dark landscape and kept them away from nearby German patrols. They moved as fast as they could and eventually found some more British Paratroopers who landed off course.

They continued moving together and even had to take out a German squad who had captured some British soldiers but they were able to rescue their compatriots, took whatever gear they could salvage and continued on to the staging area. They got to the old farm house just as the sun started to peak over the horizon where Alonso's men were waiting. There were about 20 of them with more in the town who would help when the attack started on top of the 30 or so British Paratroopers that they regrouped with, giving them a fighting force of about 50.

The British took note of the gear they had and any that didn't have a weapon took a spare from the Italian Partisans. The Recon team along with Sergeant's Webb and Kingsley checked out the coastal battery they needed to take down.

"How's it looking?" Kingsley asked so Clark handed him a pair of binoculars to see for himself. "We need to take out those guns housed in those casemates."

"And we can only get there through a horde of Germans and Italians armed to the teeth." Webb pointed out when Kingsley looked around and saw the path to get to the artillery guns.

"That bunker's our way in but it's packed with MGs." Kingsley said.

"That'll be difficult but we first need to get through that minefield." Marslow stated.

Clark looked around and saw an anti-tank ditch set up by the minefield which could be good cover if they could get there. They needed to clear the minefield which is when Clark saw the trucks Alonso's men were standing around and got an idea. "I have an idea."

"I'm all ears." Webb stated.

"We use the trucks to clear the minefield but we do it quiet. Put it in neutral and let gravity take it down before bailing at the last second. It'll clear a way to the anti-tank ditch and give the Germans something to shoot at." Clark suggested. Everyone thought over the plan and it made some sense but was also risky.

"Crazy and likely to get us killed. I love it." Webb remarked. "Glad you volunteered, Corporal."

"You up for that, Elbert?" Marslow asked him.

"I'm the one who's bulletproof here. Maybe I'm mine proof as well. It's my idea anyway. I'm not gonna let someone else get killed over my idea." Clark stated.

"Bulletproof?" one of the British soldiers whispered and got a shrug in response.

"Noble. I'm in." Kingsley pat Clark on the shoulder.

"All right. Let's do it. We take the battery, blow the guns, then use those German halftracks to head to the bridge." Marslow planned out and everyone nodded.

Clark walked over and got into one of the trucks driver's seats while Kingsley got in another. "Whoa, whoa. What are you doing with my trucks?" Alonso asked them.

"Don't worry, Alonso. We'll reimburse you for these. Promise." Totollo told him as he and the others got behind the trucks and pushed. Clark and Kingsley put them in neutral and once they were pushed down the hill gravity began to speed them up. Clark and Kingsley steered the trucks down the hills, driving through some fences as they did when they neared the minefield. The machine guns started to fire at them but Clark kept the truck straight and dived out at the last second, rolling on the ground as the truck kept moving before hitting a mine and getting blown into the air where it landed on some other mines and set them off. Kingsley bailed after Clark did and his truck hit some of the mines as well, clearing the obstacles and allowing the others to rush down the hill through the cleared minefield and into the anti-tank ditch for cover.

Clark got up and grabbed his BAR before rushing over to help Arthur up and they rushed into the ditch. "You ok?"

"I'm good. Nice plan." Kingsley propped his Bren gun up and opened fire.

"Fuck me. We actually made it!" Murray shouted as they all took cover in the ditch.

"Language." Clark scolded him, earning looks and chuckles from the other.

"Now what?" Webb asked, firing a few shots from his Sten. Clark looked up when a bullet from an MG-42 ricocheted and hit him in the head. Marslow and the others saw him get hit but instead of his head popping like a balloon, the bullet just bounced off and he was fine. "Bloody hell."

Clark touched his face and didn't feel any blood or pain. The bullet felt like a fly landed on his skin. "Bulletproof…" He whispered before taking a deep breath and looking at the others who were still in disbelief. "Get ready to move up and take the bunker. I'm gonna give them something to focus on."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Kingsley asked him as Clark walked to the bottom of the ditch and cracked his neck before hyping himself up. This was either going to be genius and more of what he should do in the war or he's gotten lucky so far and his invulnerability will crap out as he gets riddled with bullets.

"By doing what the SSR wanted in a super soldier. Fight the war." Clark took a deep breath before running up the anti-tank ditch and leaping into the air. He cleared the No Man's land between the ditch and bunkers and jumped over twenty feet in the air before landing right in the German trenches with a loud thud and actually cracked the ground a bit.

"Incoming! Kill him!" One of the Germans shouted, aiming his rifle at Clark who knocked it aside and kicked the German in the chest, sending him flying. Clark pushed another German out of the way before unslinging his BAR and firing a barrage to kill some of the MG gunners. One of the Germans rushed at him with a bayonet on his rifle only instead of running through him, the bayonet shattered against his back. Clark grabbed the soldier by the chest and tossed him aside before reloading his BAR.

Two of the Italian soldiers unloaded their bullets at Clark but they just deflected and bounced against his skin. One hit him in the face which caused him some irritation but it was because it hit him close to the eye so it was a reflex. Clark super sped forward and knocked them back before taking a grenade from a box and hurling it further into the bunker.

"Holy shit!" Totollo shouted as he and the others saw Clark leap into the air and landed in the bunker before taking out the Germans and Italians. "He is bulletproof."

"That he is. Let's move!" Marslow shouted and they rushed out of the ditch and fired at the Germans and Italians who were more focused on Clark and for good reason. He shrugged off their bullets, bayonets and took out most of the soldiers in the bunker in a matter of minutes. The others quickly entered the bunker and fired at the small batch of reinforcements coming from inside the artillery casemates.

"Move! Push in!" Kingsley shouted, firing his Bren from the hip before ducking down to reload.

"Keep up the pressure!" Webb told the men as he fired a burst from his Sten when he saw Clark kick one of the Italians into some old crates before grabbing a German soldier and hurling him into the air.

"Blow that bunker!" Marslow shouted as the Germans and Italians were retreating and slammed the bunker door shut. "Shit!"

"I got it." Clark slung his BAR and grabbed the bunker door handle before ripping it off its hinges with a sharp tug. Totollo and Murray tossed in some grenades and cleared out the Germans before the others rushed in.

"Bunker clear!" Totollo shouted and everyone moved in. Clark took a moment to breath to check himself. Other than some scuffs on his uniform, he was fine. "Holy shit, Elbert. You really are a super soldier. Bulletproof and all."

"Would someone mind telling us what the hell that was?" Webb wondered.

"Allied command gave us an ace to win the war. Corporal Elbert is a real life super soldier. Jerry's gonna be pissing in his pants." Marslow remarked.

"I'll say. If he can clear the bunker by himself, makes me wonder what else he can do." Kingsley added, patting Clark on the back as some of the British Paratroopers took what thermite they had and loaded it into the artillery guns. The thermite went off and melted a hole into the artillery cannons. "All right, artillery's taken care of. Let's secure the bridge."

"We can use the German halftracks to head into the town. Let's go. Invasion should be starting soon." Marslow told them and everyone hurried. They commandeered the German halftracks and made their way from the coastal battery to the town of Syracuse and the Ponte Grande Bridge.

The sun had risen and their efforts in taking down the artillery drew some attention from the Italian soldiers stationed in the town who were scrambling into their positions. When the German halftracks made their way into the town, the Italian soldiers didn't seem to give them a second notice until the British soldiers manning the MG34 machine guns up top opened fire. They caught the Italians off guard, killing several with the rest running for cover or retreating. They neared the Ponte Grande bridge and fired at the Italians manning the barricades but instead of resisting, the Italian soldiers seemed to grab their guns and run.

"Uh…are they running?" Clark asked.

"It would appear so. Guess they don't have much fight left in them." Kingsley remarked as the halftracks stopped at the barricades by the bridge. "All right, secure the barricades. Get those guns up."

The British paratroopers disembarked the halftracks and secured the barricades at the bridge while Alonso and some of his men went to rally the partisans in the city. Alfieri radioed into allied command that they had arrived at the Ponte Grande Bridge and were securing it when Clark's super hearing picked up the sound of a lot of trucks. He used his super vision and saw several German trucks and motorcycles carrying reinforcements. "We've got company!"

"Set defenses, lads! Take cover!" Kingsley shouted and the others took up defensive positions at the barricades.

"Elbert, think you can take them out?" Marslow asked him.

"Think so. I'll be back." Clark cracked his neck and ran across the bridge at super speed, clearing the long bridge in about 12 seconds where he saw the first German truck speeding towards him.

"Run him down!" The German soldier riding shotgun told the driver and he stepped on the accelerator.

Clark readied himself before rushing at the truck. He got low and hit the truck with his shoulder where he actually buckled the vehicle and caused it to flip over him and crash on its roof. "That was…crazy. Let's try that again." Clark ran at the second truck and did the same thing, this time causing the truck to come to an abrupt halt and sending the driver and navigator flying through the windshield.

A German motorcycle and its attached carrier drove at Clark, firing its attached MG-42. Clark raised his arms to block the bullets before giving the vehicle a sharp kick, sending it crashing onto its side. Another motorcycle came at him from the other side so he rushed forward and tackled it, sending it crashing into the ground before turning and throwing out a roundhouse kick at another motorcycle. His kick crushed it and sent the driver flying. He hurled the wrecked motorcycle and hit some of the Germans who climbed out of the truck before taking the rest down with quick strikes, punches, and kicks.

That's when a giant 6ft5 German soldier walked over and cracked his neck, aiming to kill Clark with his bare hands. "Let us see how you deal with a superior man, American scum." The German soldier taunted as he brought his hands up in a traditional boxing stance. He sent a right cross punch to Clark's jaw only for the bones in his hand to break. "AHH! SCHIESSE!"

"I have a feeling I'm gonna hear that a lot." Clark just tapped him on the back of the head with his fist which knocked him out. He looked over at the others on the bridge and gave them a wave with many of them having watched the event before them in disbelief.

"I saw it…and I still don't believe it." Webb remarked.

"Glad he's on our side." Kingsley pointed out.

"Agreed." Marslow added as Alfieri looked through his sniper scope to see that Elbert had taken care of the German motorcade but then saw something turn the corner down the street and was heading right at them. He recognized it the second he saw the armor.

"PANZER TANK!" He shouted just as the German medium tank fired a tank round at the bridge, hitting one of the barricades and killing some of the British soldiers.

"Take cover!" Marslow shouted and everyone rushed behind barriers or solid cover as the Panzer Tank continued down the road towards the bridge. The MG42 inside the tank's gunner seat opened fire at Clark and the bullets bounced or ricocheted off him. Seeing the tank was going to be an issue, he began pushing one of the trucks into the middle of the road to act as a roadblock and slow it down. He ducked as the tank fired another round and hit part of the bridge but didn't hit anyone. He rushed over and pushed the flipped truck into position to make a larger roadblock that would slow the tank enough and give him a chance to slip around the side.

The tank gunner just lowered the cannon and fired at round at the trucks, causing a huge explosion which consumed Clark and blew the trucks to pieces. "SHIT! ELBERT'S DOWN!" Alfieri shouted, quickly taking cover from the Tank's MG fire.

"FUCK!" Marslow shouted as the Tank commander popped open the main hatch and used his binoculars to get a better look at the bridge and its defenders.

"Forward! Kill them all!" He ordered and the tank driver continued towards the bridge.

"Find a Panzerschrek! We need to kill that tank!" Kingsley shouted and some men looked around in the barricades to see if the Italians left anything behind but other then ammo for bolt action rifles and heavy machine guns there were no anti-tank weapons.

"Nothing here, Sarge!"

The tank fired another round, destroying one of the halftracks they used to get to the bridge and the continuous machine gun kept them pinned behind cover. "FUCK! What now?!" Totollo shouted.

"We need to get out of here!" one of the British soldiers shouted.

"We need to hold the bridge!" Kingsley reminded them when another tank shot hit near them and knocked Webb to the ground. "Webb!"

Kingsley rushed over and tended to his squad mate, pulling him behind cover as Alfieri peaked out with his sniper to see if he could shoot the tank commander but his shot was obscured by the wreckage of the trucks along with the fire and smoke. That's when he saw something move in the wreckage that was human sized.

"No…way. Elbert's not dead!" Alfieri shouted.

"What?" Marslow peaked his head out and looked through his binoculars to see something move in the wreckage before said wreckage was thrown at the tank and landed on the front. The driver and tank commander were confused as to what the hell just happened but the wreckage didn't destroy the tank, it just fell on them and blocked their path.

"Back up! Back up!" The tank commander shouted and the driver did as he was told. The tank backed up and the wreckage fell off which gave the tank crew a clear line of sight on a man standing in the middle of the road who was on fire. Or more accurately had caught on fire but wasn't burning.

"Holy shit…" Marslow muttered as he saw Clark standing there having survived the explosion and tank blast.

He was physically fine with his hair standing up a bit and parts of his uniform and skin were aflame but that was because he was covered in burning fuel. Despite the fact that he was aflame, he wasn't burning alive. He was perfectly fine except for the fact that his facial expression did show some anger.

"That…hurt." Clark remarked before he tossed aside his broken BAR and cracked his neck.

"Shoot him!" The tank commander shouted and the MG gunners opened fire but their bullets bounced against his skin. The tank cannon lowered until it was aimed directly at Clark and the gunner fired the round but it missed him as he super sped to the side. All it did was dig a hole in the ground and ricochet into the air. Clark rushed at the tank and punched the treads on the left side, his fist tearing through the metal before he climbed on top and grabbed the cannon.

The commander took out his pistol and shot at Clark but like before, the bullets bounced off. Clark didn't even pay attention as he just grabbed the cannon and pulled, bending the metal until the cannon itself was bent upward. Afterward, he grabbed the tank commander by the shirt and threw him into a building before jumping in. What followed were exclamations of shock and gunfire before the rest of the crew were thrown out of the tank like rag dolls. The Germans scrambled to their feet as Clark jumped out of the tank and stared them down. They looked at him and then at the tank before they got on their knees and raised their hands, surrendering.

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