Chapter 480: Surgical Strike

Captain Diedrich Veringer knelt within the treeline outside of an Algonquin village. This was one of many such locations spread throughout northeastern Vinland. Over a week had passed since Berengar was informed that his ally was murdered at the hands of Algonquin.

As a result, he had spent the week preparing for a surgical strike on the enemy village. Berengar was many things, but reckless was not one of them. He had spent this time gathering information on the enemy, by dispatching his Jaegers alongside Mohawk Scouts to collect intelligence on the target of their attack. Captain Veringer was the man in charge of the Company of Jaegers who were now conducting this operation.

The Austrian King had dispatched his Jaeger Company to launch a swift attack on the village responsible for the death of the Mohawk Chieftain. These elite soldiers currently blended perfectly into their surroundings as a new moon filled the night sky. They were garbed in the latest uniforms, which were used to equip specialized units such as special operations and reconnaissance.

These uniforms were largely based upon the blumentarn camo uniforms issued to the East German Army during the early days of the cold war from Berengar's past life. They even had the m56/70 pattern Stahlhelm, which were not only cheaper to manufacture than the Steel Pickelhaubes which the rest of Berengar's army was equipped with, but offered vastly superior protection.Theoretically, these steel helmets could protect its wearer from a modern pistol cartridge.

Atop these helmets were a hemp fabric cover which shared the same camouflage pattern as the uniforms. As for bodily protection, these men used a modified design of the Trench Armor issued to German forces during the Great War of Berengar's past life. This variant of the armor was lighter weight, offered superior protection, and allowed for better operation of arms. They also painted this armor in blumentarn camouflage.

These Jaegers were armed with the best equipment currently available to Austria's armed forces, which were G22 Rifles, 1422 Service revolvers, and 1422 Lightweight Mortars. They dedicated two squads of this company as mortar teams that were critical to the success of this operation.

Beside the Austrian Jaegers was a small group of Mohawk scouts who led their Austrian Allies to the Algonquin village. These men gazed upon the strange equipment of the Austrian Jaegers with awe. After all, if they weren't following them so closely, they never could spot them in the woods.

The leader of these mohawk scouts pointed towards the village that lie beyond the treeline before communicating in what little German he had learned over the course of the past month.

"That is the target!"

Captain Veringer nodded his head in affirmation as he gazed through his binoculars at the local Algonquin village. A cruel smile appeared on his face, which was painted with camouflage. They were roughly three hundred yards out and could fully launch their assault. Thus the Captain dispatched his orders to the Company of Soldiers who silently gathered on the outskirts of the native village.

"Deploy the mortars and prepare for combat. After the first shells go off, open fire on the enemy."

The soldiers immediately did as instructed. While the Mortar crew established position at a safe distance, the infantry prepared their weapons, and ensured that they were loaded with a cartridge."

After a few moments of hushed movements, the mortar teams dropped their 60mm high explosive shells into the bores of their mortars before firing them up high above into the air and onto the unsuspecting village below. When the shells landed on the timber longhouses, they immediately blew them apart and set the village ablaze.

The screams of the native women and children who inhabited the village resounded in the air, as the Algonquin warriors rushed out of their homes, desperately looking for the source of this attack. However, the moment they revealed themselves, Captain Veringer issued his orders.

"Open fire!"

With that said, dozens of large plumes of smoke shot out of the Jager's rifles as their bullets went down range and into the torsos of their targets. Blood and bone splattered onto the floor as the bodies of the men who had been hit dropped to the ground, lifeless.

The mohawk scouts gazed in awe at the firepower in use by their Austrian allies. They now understood how such few men had thoroughly repelled the Algonquin attack on their settlement. They could hardly believe their eyes and ears as they witnessed these pale-skinned foreigners conjure the elements against their enemies.

While Captain Jaeger and his men reloaded their weapons and prepared for another volley, the mortar crews launched a few more shells into the village, blasting structures to bits, and spreading the fire even further.

It would not take long for these flames to spread from the village into the forest. Despite the dangers of starting a wildfire, the Jaegers fired off another volley onto the algonquin warriors before Captain Veringer gave the order to retreat.

"Retreat! We have accomplished our aim. Fall back to the outpost!"

With this said, the mortar crew quickly packed up their weapons, and shuffled off towards the direction of the Austrian encampment. The rest of the Austrian Jaegers and Mohawk Scouts quickly followed behind them. Captain Veringer ensured he was the last man to depart from the battlefield as he covered their rear.

Though the Algonquin were unaware of who had launched an attack on their village, they eventually saw the Mohawk scouts in the distance running away. As for the Austrian Jaegers, their camouflage successfully concealed their figures.

Enraged by the attack on their homes, the Algonquin warriors raced after to their attackers, completely unware that Captain Veringer and a squad of Jagers stayed behind to ambush them. The moment the native warriors passed by the Austrian Jaegers, thunder resounded in the air as a volley of bullets reaped the lives of the unsuspecting tribesmen.

After launching this attack, the Austrian Jaegers unleashed the cold steel blades of their bayonets and plunged them into the tanned flesh of the Algonquin warriors, which spilled their blood across the landscape. Caught unawares, it took the native tribesmen a few moments to realize that the bushes were attacking them. Or so they initially thought. After all, they could not fathom the invention of camouflage.

The Austrians used this element of surprise to launch a full-scale assault on the remaining pursuers. Captain Veringer deflected an oncoming war club with the stock of his rifle, before plunging his bayonet in the warrior's throat who wielded it.

After ripping out his bayonet, and spilling blood across the floor, the man moved onto his next target. One by one, the native tribesmen fell to the steel bayonets of the Austrian Jaegers. The Algonquin warriors were in a state of panic. They had rushed after the Mohawks who they believed handled the attack on their village, only to come under assault by nature itself.

What black magic had their enemies conjured, in order to turn the thunder, the fire, and the bushes against them. The moment one of the surviving warriors fled, the others followed suit. Only ten Algonquin warriors could escape with their lives intact, forever scarred by the events that had taken place in the dimly lit forest outside their village.

Having successfully defeated the Algonquin war band, Captain Veringer sighed heavily as he gazed upon the carnage before issuing orders to his squad.

"Regroup with the company. From there we will head back to the Stronghold and inform the King of our success."

The soldiers nodded their heads and obeyed their captain's orders. Before long, they regrouped with the rest of their unit and their mohawk allies. Leaving behind a burning village in the middle of the night. Captain Veringer gazed upon the smoldering ruins of the native village one last time before continuing on his journey back to the encampment..

Though this was more of a skirmish than a full-scale battle, the actions taken by the Jaeger Company on this day had secured the position of the Austrian Colony. They did not know at this moment, but by attacking the enemy with mortars and setting the village ablaze, rumors would spread to other villages and tribes that the Austrian people could control the forces of nature.

While not everyone would believe these tall tales, such rumors would create a sense of fear in the hearts of the native tribes that would prevent them from launching a major attack on the Austrian Encampment. Instead, future battles in the New World would take place in the wilderness, between dedicated teams of Austrian Jaegers and the warriors of the hostile tribes.

By allying with the Austrian settlement, the Mohawk had secured their place as a major player in the Northeast of the North American continent. Trade of resources and technologies between Austria, and its newfound tribal ally, would allow the Mohawk to progress at a faster rate than their rivals did.. One thing became certain in the minds of the native peoples of the northeast: the pale-skinned foreigners were here to stay.